Anyone using a lightning detector?

[AlmostHandy]

I've recently gotten back into prototyping electronics. I had forgotten how much fun it was.

Anyways, I was searching for a ham/scanner relevant system to construct, (looking mostly at amps and simple crystal receivers and such) and ran across several designs for Lightning Detectors. It seems like a cool concept, and was wondering if anyone has ever used one, either homemade or commercially built. What is your experience with it?

 

[dave3825]

I have not used one but I know they make them for photography, to aid the photographer for better lightning pics, and for golfers to not get hit. My lightning detector has always been the good ole AM radio lol


Lightning Software for the Boltek Detectors. Now this looks cool.

The lightning trigger

Scientific Sales

The personal lightning detector

 

[AlmostHandy]

Yeah, that does look cool. The circuits look pretty easy to build. I'll have to scour the Goodwill for a kitschy, fun container to house it in.

I figured it would be a fun project. It will be my first Ugly Construction project, (which I hadn't even heard of until a few weeks ago).

The idea of "Ugly Construction" intrigues me, to say the least. One of the main reasons my projects didn't always make it from the breadboard to the PCB was the tediousness of designing and etching the boards. I went from rub-ons, to photoresist, to the overnight turnaround of the internet, but the processes all became more and more tedious. I really hate laying out designs on ExpressPCB, but it's the only one I've found that doesn't take an engineering degree to use, and it will save as a .pcb file, so I can use saved work with other prototyping firms. Needless to say, the prospect of not having to do any of that altogether, and simply using "Ugly Construction", is very appealing.

 

[kb2vxa]

Depending on propagation an AM radio can hear lightning crashes many hundreds, even thousands of miles away which is why DXing the band is best done in the winter months. If you want to use one as a lightning detector it's best to use some cheap POS with poor sensitivity and having an internal antenna tuned between stations on the low end of the band where it has lower sensitivity and lightning travels best.

Many years ago I built a simple detector using a 50-0-50 DC microammeter connected between my long wire antenna and ground. It reacted to currents flowing both up and down, you'd be surprised at all the electrical activity on a clear day and how it gets intense when a storm is in the area. Later I built an AC version that only reacted to EMP created by discharges when a storm was nearby, both can be quite interesting.

To I have to remind you to disconnect a lightning detector when the storm gets close before it goes POOF? (;->)

 

[AlmostHandy]

Depending on propagation an AM radio can hear lightning crashes many hundreds, even thousands of miles away which is why DXing the band is best done in the winter months. If you want to use one as a lightning detector it's best to use some cheap POS with poor sensitivity and having an internal antenna tuned between stations on the low end of the band where it has lower sensitivity and lightning travels best.

Many years ago I built a simple detector using a 50-0-50 DC microammeter connected between my long wire antenna and ground. It reacted to currents flowing both up and down, you'd be surprised at all the electrical activity on a clear day and how it gets intense when a storm is in the area. Later I built an AC version that only reacted to EMP created by discharges when a storm was nearby, both can be quite interesting.

See, I had no idea about that. I was reading that the characteristic frequency of lightning is around 300kHz, so it makes sense that an AM radio can pick it up on the low end. Lots more reading to do. I'd like to have a series of LEDs that light up based on distance, like the device in the last link David gave.

To I have to remind you to disconnect a lightning detector when the storm gets close before it goes POOF? (;->)

I thought I would just shunt the energy right to my car battery to charge it up a little, maybe even split it off and charge my neighbors battery too. I'm sure there's enough juice to go around, and he'll love the surprise. I'll probably need a voltage regulator. Do you think a 79L12 would work, or should I go with the 79M12. :lol::lol: (Dedicated to Toadwhisperer) :lol::lol:

 

[KE5MC]

In the late 70s I worked for Dytronics Company which produced the Stormscope for light aircraft. I was responsible for production testing and calibration of the receiver section for two years. Interesting design using loop and sense antenna and op-amps in three channels. X and Y to establish bearing and the sense channel to cancel the false bearing. Displayed 256 dots on the screen with a FIFO memory. All done without a computer chip anywhere in sight.

I moved on to another area of electronics so I lost contact with the current state of lighting detection. With todays computers and DSP some very interesting devices can be designed or have been...

Mike

I've recently gotten back into prototyping electronics. I had forgotten how much fun it was.

Anyways, I was searching for a ham/scanner relevant system to construct, (looking mostly at amps and simple crystal receivers and such) and ran across several designs for Lightning Detectors. It seems like a cool concept, and was wondering if anyone has ever used one, either homemade or commercially built. What is your experience with it?

 

[ampulman]

I thought I would just shunt the energy right to my car battery to charge it up a little, maybe even split it off and charge my neighbors battery too. I'm sure there's enough juice to go around, and he'll love the surprise. I'll probably need a voltage regulator. Do you think a 79L12 would work, or should I go with the 79M12. :lol::lol: (Dedicated to Toadwhisperer) :lol::lol:

You don't have to wait around for a storm (probably not safe, anyway [very high voltages]).

If you Google "free electricity from the air", you'll find a very simple plan where a long wire is the 'collector', and the parts consist of a spark coil and a spark plug. This is used to charge a battery.

Amp

Oh, don't forget to disconnect (ground) the longwire when storms are predicted.

 

[kb2vxa]

You think you're Ben Franklin or something? What a bunch of comedians around here! Eh, the regulator chip you chose depends on the polarity of the lightning bolt, if your collector is low it will be negative cloud positive ground, polarity reverses with altitude but I'm not keen on standing atop a skyscraper in a thunderstorm so I'll let YOU do it. Now maybe Amp will explain how to charge a battery with a spark plug.

The storm is nearing it's peak, Igor release the kites. Crazy am I? We'll SEE whether I'm crazy or not! It's alive. It's alive... IT'S ALIVE!!!!! (hysterical laughter) IT'S ALIIIIIVE!!!!!

Speaking of spark plugs a long long time ago I used one to discharge static buildup on a long wire antenna but these days spark plugs have gone high tech and don't work nearly as well as the old copper core ones that came with a '55 Chevy attached. Resistor plugs and high performance ones with air gaps up inside the insulator require much higher voltage to fire so if it's an air gap you want build your own.

Getting back to the detector one thing that never occurred to me was using LED volume indicators popular with hi-fi enthusiasts at the time. Maybe you can scrounge a bar indicator from an old stereo and experiment with it, worth a try anyway. I guess I'm a dinosaur, an analog man in a digital world, oh well.

I leave you with this to ponder, a fireman named Smokey Stover. Now what was the name of his dog?

 

[n5ims]

Eh, the regulator chip you chose depends on the polarity of the lightning bolt, if your collector is low it will be negative cloud positive ground, polarity reverses with altitude but I'm not keen on standing atop a skyscraper in a thunderstorm so I'll let YOU do it.

Just put it behind a full wave bridge rectifier and make the circuit input polarity independent!

 

[elephant]

I've recently gotten back into prototyping electronics. I had forgotten how much fun it was.

Anyways, I was searching for a ham/scanner relevant system to construct, (looking mostly at amps and simple crystal receivers and such) and ran across several designs for Lightning Detectors. It seems like a cool concept, and was wondering if anyone has ever used one, either homemade or commercially built. What is your experience with it?

I built a lightning detector using an AM radio as the detector. Tuned to the low end of the band, the noise from lightning discharges is fed into a cap. As the cap charges, the voltage is read by a LM3914N chip which is then translated to a series of LED's. The stronger and closer the storm, the more LED's that light up. I set it up with 3 green, 3 yellow and 3 red. Not exactly the most accurate, but you can see as a storm gets closer as the LED's really start flashing. Can keep it running even when the storm is overhead because there is no external antenna. I enclosed it in an old Heathkit clock case with the smoked faceplate. And it's all battery powered. Took hardly any time to build and parts were really cheap.

 

[ka5lqj]

"Cheapo" lightning detector.....

MANY, and I empathize, "many" years ago, there was an article in one of the "at times" electronic magazines, either "Electronics Illustrated" or "Popular Electronics" that had an article on a "cheap" lightning detector.

It was really simple in concept. At least a 100' longwire antenna, a towel paper roll cardboard "tube" and an NE-2 neon light. First thing, was to "make an end cap". Now-a-days a end cap for PVC pipe would work. You need to drill two small holes in the end cap, before mounting. These will allow two wires to come through so you can hook up the NE-2 bulb. I suggest painting the inside of the cap, black for better light transmission. One of the wires from the NE-2 goes to the "hot" of the longwire, the other to a good "ground".

When there is an approaching storm, usually within 200 miles, the bulb will "flash" when it gets a static charge above 65 volts. This is only possible for active storms or lightning strikes. Once the flashes become more frequent, that's the time to disconnect the longwire and if you have any coax coming into the room, it would also be a good time to disconnect them and "throw the snakes out the window" and on to the ground, preferably away from your house or shack, LOL! This is also a good time to have a "ground plane" antenna up in the attic and switch over to it for your scanners and/or 2 meter/70 cm ham rigs to use just-in-case Skywarn is called up.

I've seen what lightning can do to someone's towers, antennas, ham/scanner equipment and even household appliances when it "hits". There used to be a ham, Southeast of Shreveport, that had a terrific tower set-up. Everything was properly grounded inside and outside of his shack, in his home and outside including his towers and, at the time, 8' TV dish. Frank, N5ACL (s/k) got hit 3 times, in different years, destroying all his gear and household appliances! Frank was a union electrician, so he KNEW the NEC, LOL! His insurance company replaced all the stuff, three times, but told him if it happened again, no matter HOW well he had it "grounded", THEY weren't paying him for the lost gear or appliances.

Here, down SOUTH, it appears we will have an early "Spring" as evidenced by the recent tornado's.
So, as those trappers on "Jeremiah Johnson", staring Robert Redford said, "Watchin' youren topknot."

Respectfully submitted,
73,

Don/KA5LQJ

 

[kb2vxa]

Nobody ever accused a Five Lander of having a brain... unless he stole it from a Yankee. (;->)

That reminds me... IGOR!

 

[zz0468]

It seems like a cool concept, and was wondering if anyone has ever used one, either homemade or commercially built. What is your experience with it?

Stormscope!

 

[ka5lqj]

"Pardon moi?"

Nobody ever accused a Five Lander of having a brain... unless he stole it from a Yankee. (;->)

That reminds me... IGOR!

Now,

In all good taste. I should take this "private" in replying to "Warren". But, being the "redneck" I am, I will make a "general statement" and let each of you decide.

#1. Yes, I'm a born, bred, and reared (You 'raise' animals, your 'rear' children) a Southerner. I'm also half, "Shanty-poor" (Working class) Irish and half Acadian ("Coonazz") Cajun French. I honestly take exception to Warren's remark. While I'm not exactly a "Rocket Scientist", I'm neither "stoopid" either. I made no inference as to the "intelligence" of Northerner's, nor fun of them. I was simply stating a weather fact.

In LIFE, I do try to get along with everyone and try to "share" what knowledge I do have, if asked. Now, if Warren, or anyone else, doesn't like to see my post, then they are welcomed to not look at them.

Respectfully submitted,
73,

Don/KA5LQJ

 

[kb2vxa]

Don, while you're at it steal a sense of humor.

 

[zz0468]

Don, while you're at it steal a sense of humor.

Kinda reminds me of my fathers recipe for Swedish meatballs - first you steal a mousetrap...

Yes, he was Swedish.

 

[ka5lqj]

Swedish Chef, LOL!

Kinda reminds me of my fathers recipe for Swedish meatballs - first you steal a mousetrap...

Yes, he was Swedish.

LOL!

That reminds me of the Swedish Chef on "The Muppet Show" and the GOD-awful smell of Lutakafisk (sp?) Fond memories. My "dad" was Irish from Mini-sota and lived in a Swedish/Norwegian/German town, before coming SOUTH during WWII.

Did your dad tell Sven, Olie, and Lena (Norwegian) jokes?

Respectfully,
73,

Don/KA5LQJ

 

[RayAir]

I used one aboard an aircraft before, Strike Finder. I still prefer a GPS with a Doppler radar display.