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Precipation Sensor

The Hydreon RG-15 measures precipitation amount and intensity precisely and maintenance-free using infrared technology and a round plastic lens.

Precipation Sensor

Precipation Sensor

Technical Information​

  • "Plug-in-and-Go" compatible with senseBox
  • Dimensions: 121mm x 71mm x 56mm
  • Measurement deviation of ±10%
  • Operating temperature range from -40°C to +60°C (-40°F to +140°F)
  • Nominal current supply of 110 μA and 2-4 mA during precipitation
  • Operating voltage 5V or 3.3V
  • Serial interface (UART)

Connection​

uart port

The component is connected to the UART port.

Adapter Board​

The RG-15 sensor cannot be directly connected to the senseBox due to different operating voltages. Therefore, an adapter board is required to connect the sensor to the senseBox. This adapter board is included in the sensor package and is connected to the senseBox using the senseBox cable SB-057.

Adapter Board

Adapter Board

Programming (Arduino)​

Software Library​

To program the sensor in Arduino, you need to install the software library RG15-Arduino. A detailed guide on how to add libraries can be found in our documentation.

Code​

This code outputs the rainfall intensity to the Serial Monitor. You can access other measurements using the variables getEventAccumulation and getTotalAccumulation. The variable getAccumulation provides the rainfall amount since the last measurement.

In this example, the sensor is initialized via Serial1. On the senseBox MCU or senseBox:edu, Serial2 can also be used as an alternative.

#include <RG15.h> // https://github.com/sensebox/rg15-arduino-lib
#include <SenseBoxIO.h>

// Initialise the RG15 through the serial port
RG15 rg15_Serial1(Serial1); 

void setup(){
		Serial.begin(9600);
		delay(2000);
		rg15_Serial1.begin();
		rg15_Serial1.resetAccumulation();
}

void loop(){
		rg15_Serial1.poll();
		float intensity = rg15_Serial1.getRainfallIntensity();
		Serial.print("Rainfall Intensity: ");
		Serial.print(intensity);
		Serial.println(" mm/h");
		delay(1000);
}

Programming (Blockly)​

In Blockly, the sensor can be read using the following block:

In the block, you can select between the different parameters of the environmental sensor:

  • Rainfall intensity in mm/h
  • Rainfall amount since the last measurement in mm
  • Total rainfall amount in mm
  • Rainfall per event in mm

Additionally, you can select the serial port to which the sensor is connected.

Extras​