Experimental
Lake Temperature Recording
Hi Folks,
This is a circuit I have developed that uses an Arduino Pro-Mini 328P to read a solid state temperature sensor (a DS18B20, mounted in a commercial stainless steel housing) to read the water temperature of Lake Tyers at the end of the Number 2 Jetty. This will be my reference point until some further research or suggestions come forward as to how this could be improved. (And "NO" I will not be launching the boat every day to sample the temperature in the middle of the lake!) While the end of the Number Two Ramp's pontoon may not be representative of the whole lake (more on this later) if it is sampled regularly then it will be at least a relative reference point that fishers may like to interpret in their own way. I hope to be able to take readings about every fortnight to see what variation there is and maybe even do a 24hr stint to see if it varies at that site during that time. Much to be done!!
Hi Folks,
This is a circuit I have developed that uses an Arduino Pro-Mini 328P to read a solid state temperature sensor (a DS18B20, mounted in a commercial stainless steel housing) to read the water temperature of Lake Tyers at the end of the Number 2 Jetty. This will be my reference point until some further research or suggestions come forward as to how this could be improved. (And "NO" I will not be launching the boat every day to sample the temperature in the middle of the lake!) While the end of the Number Two Ramp's pontoon may not be representative of the whole lake (more on this later) if it is sampled regularly then it will be at least a relative reference point that fishers may like to interpret in their own way. I hope to be able to take readings about every fortnight to see what variation there is and maybe even do a 24hr stint to see if it varies at that site during that time. Much to be done!!
Well we have had a big climb of around 6 degrees
Celsius recently and this may account for the increased catches being
reported.
| Date | Temperature (off the end of the Pontoon at #2 Boat Ramp), Lake Tyers | Delta Change |
| 3/12/2017 | 20.81ºC | -01.88ºC |
| 20/11/2017 | 22.69ºC | +0.82ºC |
| 13/11/2017 | 21.87ºC | +6.52ºC |
| 25/09/2017 | 15.35ºC | +2.80ºC |
| 10/09/2017 | 12.50ºC | +2.44ºC |
| 30/08/2017 | 10.06ºC | +0.21ºC |
| 20/08/2017 | 9.75ºC | -1.13ºC |
| 4/08/2017 | 10.88ºC | +3.07ºC |
| 13/07/2017 | 7.81ºC | -1.07ºC |
| 18/06/2017 | 8.88ºC | -1.50ºC |
| 4/06/2017 | 10.38ºC | -3.31ºC |
| 25/05/2017 | 14.69ºC | +1.56ºC |
| 13/05/2017 | 13.13ºC | 0ºC |
Here is the basic setup so far. I hope to have it in a special 3-D printed case soon so it is more robust and "pro" looking.
The sensor is accurate to about 0.1 of a degree Celsius and the LCD allows the temperature reading to stabilise before the final reading is taken. This will be automated at some time. The Sparkfun Serial/USB interface is shown attached here, when it the design is finalised that will not be needed. The batteries power and on-board regulator to make it independent of the host computer.
I did not want to use a thermistor with all the hassles of calibration, so the pre-calibrated semiconductor sensor was a much better choice. I pondered for quite a while how I was going to seal the Temperature sensor DS18B20 into a container to protect it from the salt water. Then I came across the neat package above with a 1m cable. Perfect!! All sealed and ready to go. I did add some additional silicon based sealant around the ends of the heat shrink plastic just for peace of mind.
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