Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Canal Rain Monitor goes live

I am now receiving regular rainfall readings for the Leicester summit area.  The new non profit making (you’d better believe it) weather station supplying the figures has been established at Long Buckby (not far from Norton Junction) by a Mr Rick Bunnage who wishes to remain anonymous.

Using a sophisticated lemonade bottle in his garden our anonymous benefactor has reported a rainfall of 33.3mm over the last week.  It doesn’t seem a lot for such showery weather.  I have asked him to try harder in future.

However, little as the rainfall seems, even that much  rain falling onto water surface of the 20 mile summit pound should allow more than 60 extra boats to pass through the locks.  Whether much of it is getting to the reservoirs I can’t say.  I suspect the dry ground is soaking up much of it.

Changing the subject- in response to a request flooding in from a Mr Halfie of Norwich  I have created a new page (see links on the right) called Gadgets,  into which I have put a circuit diagram for my electronic dipstick water level gauge.  CAVEAT EMPTOR – this has as yet got no further than a prototype, so who knows if it will work in situ!

2 comments:

Halfie said...

Thanks Neil - I'll just have a look ...

Rick said...

Interesting circuit.
One point, which I am sure that you have considered: The ground of your circuit must not be in contact with the boat hull, otherwise the water in the tank will be at 0V and the circuit won't work.