Cloud sensors...?

[NickH]

Okay in the blue corner

Cyanogen Imaging Products from Diffraction Limited

and in the red corner

Aurora Eurotech

any justification for the blue corner?

[MikeP]

Perhaps the Aurora one is less sensitive - it just signals cloudy since 99% of the time it is.

Enormous price difference though. Did they have a monopoly previously?

Mike

[NickH]

Sort of...plus it sets a benchmark price for anyone else thinking of getting in to this market...!

(hint hint!)

[Breakintheclouds]

They certainly claim to work in the same way too. I'd be tempted to contact Aurora and ask them outright what the difference is. They'll know about their competitor's product, and although they'll obviously be trying to sell you theirs, it'd be interesting to speak to them and hear what they say.

[FLO]

Starlight Xpress have a Cloud sensor in the pipeline. Not sure when it will arrive and price hasn't been set but it definitely exists. I'll enquire when I next speak with them.

[NickH]

I am tempted to do more than speak to them...:-)

Unless the SX version is competitive and has some nice integration with ASCOM that is :-)

[johninderby]

There's a review of the rather expensive Boltwood Cloud Sensor that gives some usefull info.

http://www.supernovae.be/review_boltwood.htm

John

[NickH]

Wheels are in motion...:-)

[NickH]

Love the remote alert option too!

Aurora Eurotech

Turn on the radio...like it!

[Mark at Beaufort]

I am amazed that you can buy something like this which appears to work. I would guess for an astro photographer this would be marvellous. I suppose Nick you could undertake your solar work whilst being away from your garden observatory - brilliant.

It will be interesting for a SGL review at some time.

Mark

[weareborg]

I have an article from a 1978 edition on Everyday Electronics, that monitors the level of cloud cover and alerts the user via an audible alarm. It is all built in stripboard. It would be interesting to actually build it, just to see if it does wot it says on the tin. lol

I know its probably no where near as sensitive as these models, as it only uses an LDR as its sensor, but I bet it would do the job.

I wonder if you can still get the parts?????

Andy

[MartinB]

Alarms for clear skies in the middle of the night. I think the costs will be trivial compared to with the divorce settlement

[ncjunk]

The Aurora one looks very similar to the lunatico one that can be bought here:-

AAG CloudWatcher cloud detector - Lunático Astronomía

I do like the look of the software on the Lunatico site.

I was looking at using an IR sensor as a detector for clouds but the sensor I have picked up only does a set range of IR frequencies...I am trying to find one with an increased range because in theory a cloud sensor should be relatively easy to build (I have found one IR sensor but I am finding it difficult to come across in any shops or online retailers)

Neil C

[Milamber]

I have one here I made up, costs about £15 I think. It can link to a PC if I use the RS232 option on the meter. Do you really need whistles and bells - why not look up

Arthur

[NickH]

Arthur

The problem with "whistles and bells" is that I now like to have a kip when the obsy is imaging away till 5am, and after last Friday with a rather rapid rainstorm that almost caught me on the hop, i don't want to wake up to soaked kit. The idea of a radio or light based alert appeals to me (light would be perfect at 4am...rather than the radio turning on or an alarm)

The Lunatico one is almost £80 more than the aurora one it seems..

Either way, I now have one coming over :-)...but if you can cook one up for less, that will work with their software...I am all ears..

:-)

[astro]

Starlight Xpress have a Cloud sensor in the pipeline. Not sure when it will arrive and price hasn't been set but it definitely exists. I'll enquire when I next speak with them.

Terry had one at Astrofest a couple of weeks back, looks like it might be coming out of the pipeline