Catch Lightning Strikes From 40km Away! Set Up a DFRobot Lightning Detector With Raspberry Pi
What if I told you that you could have the power to detect a lightning strike from 40km away? You'd probably think I've gone mad watching too many Marvel movies. But it is true! All thanks to the DFRobot Gravity: Lightning Sensor. Accessible to the everyday maker, it'll fit in the palm of your hand and even tell you exactly how far away the lightning struck in kilometres.
This guide will instruct exactly how to install, program, and utilise this DFRobot Gravity: Lightning Sensor on a Raspberry Pi Single Board Computer to create an early warning lightning detection system!
Full Written Guide - core-electronics.com.au/guide...
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AS3935 won AMS (some Very Clever, Sachertorte Eating Austrians) the Gold Award at the 2012 Sensor Expo - www.fierceelectronics.com/emb...
Also, check out this worldwide map of tracked lightning strikes, it'd be very phenomenal to set up our system to feed into that! - www.blitzortung.org/en/live_l...
Happy New Year to you all if I don't see you before then 😊 Stay Cozy and Have fun!
Lighting is an incredible example of electricity on a grand scale. The average length of a lightning bolt is about 4km. The charge carried down this small channel is so intense that the temperature of the lightning reaches 30,000 °C which is five times hotter than the surface of the Sun. Worldwide there are around 1800 thunderstorms in progress and 44 lightning strikes every second. Research conducted by the National Lightning Safety Institute in 2008 suggests that the cost of damage from lightning may exceed $5B to $6B USD annually.
This system provides early warning of thunderstorms that people can perceive so that people can take precautions a step ahead. For instance, during my last Australian snow trip (an oxymoron I know), a ski lift was shut down for multiple days after a lightning strike hit it and completely fried up all the electronics. This caused all kinds of chaos, both for the skiers/boarders as they found themselves waiting in huge queues and for the management/lifties of the establishment as they dealt with the fallout. This could have been avoided entirely with an early warning system that disconnects and isolates delicate electronics during a storm.
Lots of grief and anxiety can be alleviated with this tiny, beautiful superpower that takes the form of a gorgeous electronic component. If we set it up with an ESP32 (which is totally possible and would drastically minimise the size) we could turn even turn this safety system into a piece of functional jewellery.
If you have any questions about this content or want to share a project you're working on head over to our maker forum, we are full time makers and here to help - coreelec.io/forum
Core Electronics is located in the heart of Newcastle, Australia. We're powered by makers, for makers. Drop by if you are looking for:
DFRobot Lighting Sensor: core-electronics.com.au/catal...
SparkFun Lightning Detector - core-electronics.com.au/catal...
Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 2GB (Used here) - core-electronics.com.au/catal...
Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (4GB) Ultimate Kit Bundle (AVALIABLE!) - core-electronics.com.au/raspb...
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0:00 Intro
0:30 Lightning Sensor Overview
1:08 AMS AS3935 Details
1:59 What You Need
2:21 Hardware Assembly
3:42 Software Set Up
5:04 Run the System!
5:29 What is a Disturber?
6:31 Chasing Authenticity!
6:54 Detections!
7:15 Adjustments to the Script
8:03 Where to Now
8:45 Outro!
Пікірлер: 60
Do you know what the reaction time on the module is? I've been looking at this sensor for a while, wondering if it's fast enough to record a timestamp to within a few microseconds, and use a few locations to triangulate the source.
@Core-Electronics
Жыл бұрын
From the Datasheet it states that 'the shortest time span between two lightning strikes that the AS3935 can resolve is approximately one second'. It will go faster if you turn off that Disturber Detect Feature and Distance Estimation. Triangulation is definitely something I have thought about and I reckon it would work. Also this video at from 2:21 is a very Rad Demonstration - kzread.info/dash/bejne/pq1-lcWth8m_ls4.html
Wow awesome little tech! Great tutorial Tim 👍
Love your uniquely talented production quality.
Wow that little module is simply awesome! Merry Christmas to all at Core Electronics and thank you for the insanely awesome videos this year - I don't know how you will better it in 23 but I'm sure you will!
@Core-Electronics
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for always supporting! Just got back to start cracking into this year even harder. Hope your New Year was fantastic Ian!
I really like this one! I think I might get one (to add to the collection). Excellent explanation!
Wow! This is amazing! Looking forward to seeing someone connect this to an esp32 and sending alert notifications to a phone, perhaps via Callmebot. Would be terrific for hiking if there was a way to establish! a Bluetooth connection with a phone when there is no internet available.
@Core-Electronics
Жыл бұрын
Glad you dig it 😊 here is a very well-documented project using an ESP8266 and the AS3935-based Franklin Lightning Detector -> github.com/shred/kaminari Not quite what you want but we are getting closer and closer with our fully open source scripts.
Thank you for this.. helped me up and running
Lots of details but lacking practical instruction on how the module detects lighting for the beginner, I cant see an antenna or is it the information collected from an online data provider.
@Core-Electronics
Жыл бұрын
Totally all happens on the board. Data is collected on the edge, this board doesn't have any online connection.
Yep, I'll pay that one. How "large" a Pi does it need? Lightning doesn't worry me at my desk, add a 5V supply, a small screen and you have a very useful, potentially lifesaving, tool when out bushwalking, swimming in a dam or outdoor pool, walking The Grampians peaks, etc. Nice. Please revisit this sometime and put together a "small as you can make it" low power portable unit. BLE to a phone maybe??
@Core-Electronics
Жыл бұрын
It is such a rad device. And I absolutely love the idea of increasing the portability of it. Here is a very exciting Github project of an ESP8266 the AS3935-based Franklin Lightning Detector -> github.com/shred/kaminari It connects to a WiFi network and offers a JSON web service for detected lightning strikes.
Wow I need to get one of these we get lightning all the time in the summer monsoons I'm in Arizona. One time I was sleeping, and it was so loud the noise actually echoed in my home. I knew it was close the light lit up my room like it was daylight I could see everything for a few MS. Turned out it hit a palm tree in my neighbor's yard it was on fire. Fire department was called but by the time they got there the top of the palm tree was just about out and entire thing burned up. The next day it was just a stick sticking up he had it removed.
Brilliant vid thank you
@Core-Electronics
Жыл бұрын
Glad you dig it! I love your trains.
@shroomy7199
Жыл бұрын
Thank you
Can you add a Nextion screen to the Pi so an external monitor is not needed? It would streamline the package down into a simple enclosure and perhaps add the UPS Hat to power the unit. This would allow the user more flexible usage around the home or in the car. Even a simple Bluetooth mini keyboard to program on the fly.
Is there any way to add direction finding to this other than triangulation? If triangulation is used, how far apart do you think detectors would need to be? Also, I’m loving the clarity, brevity, and method of explanation and presentation on this channel so far!
@MrVelcro56
6 ай бұрын
I know this is an old comment, but I was just wondering the same things, and I imagine direction finding could be done by hooking up directional microphones and having them compare how loud the thunder is, otherwise the module seems to have an antenna on board for picking up the lightning strikes, if you could make a directional antenna tuned to the right frequency you could do something similar to the microphone idea
I’m gonna get one! Thanks for this! BTW- there is actually a 4th kind of lightning, ground to cloud lightning, very rare, but it does occur. I’m guessing the dfrobot registers this as cloud to ground? 👍
@Core-Electronics
Жыл бұрын
Very interesting mate! I didn't know about that at all. And I guess it would, but we'd have to test it. I also know of another weird lightning phenomena, Ball Lightning but Wiki tells me its unproven - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_lightning
@-someone-.
Жыл бұрын
@@Core-Electronics unproven.... until Tim tells ‘em he confirmed it exists with the dfrobot! 😅👍
Is there any technology where we can get the information of lighting before it occurs within a certain radius ?
Respected sir, I need some technical clarification on why AS3935 is tuned to 500khz only and why not other frequency. Is 500khz related to lightning radiation
i really like your content. please make the content IEPE Sensor DAQ HAT for accelerometer sensor using raspberry PI
Requesting you give the clarification on "why AS3935 lightning detector" is tuned to 500k hz only,why not other frequency"-regarding?
Would this work with a Pi Zero WH? How about a Pico/Pico W?
Is there away to connect this board Tim to sparkfun artimus logger board?
@Core-Electronics
Жыл бұрын
Currently the SparkFun Lightning Detector (AS3935) is not on the list of compatible boards with the SparkFun OpenLog Artemis board. Sparkfun assures me more boards are being added all the time to the compatibility list. I reckon its only a matter of time. Here is their Sparkfun Artemis Forum, ask there and I bet you will recieve 😊 they're good people - forum.sparkfun.com/viewforum.php?f=167
Is there somewhere you can automatically upload this data to contribute to weather information?
@Core-Electronics
Жыл бұрын
Not yet but this does exist so I am hopeful that soon we will be able to - www.blitzortung.org/en/live_lightning_maps.php
So with the one second delay it is probably not fast enough to hook it up to a camera and take pictures of lightning that way? Especially with the overhead of a raspberry and python?
@Core-Electronics
7 ай бұрын
Unfortunately lightning is wayyyyy to quick for this set up ⚡⚡.
Will the code allow you to convert to Miles?
@Core-Electronics
Жыл бұрын
You can definitely customise the Open Source Script and you'll get it outputting miles within no time 😊
How would you connect this to home assistant? Would be awesome to have it home tell us that a storm is coming with the program running locally instead of relying on online sources that update every x minutes...
@Core-Electronics
8 ай бұрын
I found a forum post from someone who did that exact thing maybe this can help: community.home-assistant.io/t/lovelace-lightning-detector-card-for-as3935/214167
Interesting. I wonder if this could be hooked up to a camera to trigger its shutter? What do you guys think?
@danielesilvaggi
Жыл бұрын
Let me know if you find out. That would be great.
@Core-Electronics
Жыл бұрын
Worth noting, at the moment of lightning, the interrupt pin IRQ generates a pulse. That pulse can be used to trigger a Camera shutter to open, helping photographers to accurately capture the exciting moment of lightning.
@danielesilvaggi
Жыл бұрын
@@Core-Electronics Thank you I will surely look into it.
Does it work on arduino/esp? And can direction be detected?
@Core-Electronics
Жыл бұрын
Here is a very exciting Github project of an ESP8266 the AS3935-based Franklin Lightning Detector -> github.com/shred/kaminari Here is the process to set one up with an Arduino Uno - wiki.dfrobot.com/Gravity:%20Lightning%20Sensor%20SKU:%20SEN0290 Lightning Direction would require multiple sensors and hasn't been pursued yet by anyone (sounds like an opportunity for a world first though!).
Requesting you give the clarification on "why AS3935 lightning detector" is tuned to 500k hz only,why not other frequency"-Regarding
Shaddap and take my money!
I want one
That’s the ticket
My lightning detector is not working and I’m using Arduino any idea how I could fix it
@Core-Electronics
2 ай бұрын
Sorry to hear your having issues, we have a community forum post on this video that might have some helpful information for you, if not feel free to chuck a post on there with your issue, we have lots of maker eyes over there that can help! forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/dfrobot-lightning-sensor-with-a-raspberry-pi-single-board-computer-40-km-radius-range/15941/18
I have an app on my cellphone that does this.
@Core-Electronics
Жыл бұрын
What is it called? I am curious.
@TheGregEgg
Жыл бұрын
@@Core-Electronics My Lightning Tracker by jRustonApps B.V. (Android)
@Core-Electronics
Жыл бұрын
I dig it, it must pull the lightning strike data from a website like this - www.lightningmaps.org/. I'd love to be able take our live discoveries data we pull from these modules and update information into that service. Here is the App in question for anyone curious - www.jrustonapps.com/apps/my-lightning-tracker
Clarification required on why AS3935 lightning detector is tuned to 500k hz only and why not other frequency
Where is the data sheet? I'll be connecting to a PIC and writing my own code in assembly. Who downloads other people's code?
6:05 You could actually use this to check a room for bugs🤦♂️👍 “DISTURBER DETECTED”👀
Clarification on why AS3935 lightning detector is tuned to 500k hz only -Regarding