Meteo-Pi

A more comprehensive description of Meteo-Pi can be found on our main website.

Meteo-Pi is a flexible, low-cost data-centre device for Davis weather stations. It’s a great new way of linking a Davis console to a powerful but green and inexpensive Raspberry Pi computer. Even a very cheap Pi Zero computer running eg CumulusMX software can perform as a perfectly serviceable dedicated weather computer, able to operate 24/7 for extended periods with minimal power consumption.

Meteo-Pi is a two-part cabled adapter linking a standard Davis weather station console (VP2, Envoy or Vue) to a Raspberry Pi computer. The two parts are: a console interface that fits into the console much like a traditional logger and a Raspberry Pi input adapter in the form of a microHAT (µHAT), which means that it plugs directly on to the interface pins of the Pi. The two parts are joined by a short, Davis-compatible cable with RJ11 connectors.

Please note: Meteo-Pi is designed to interface Davis VP2/Vue consoles only to Raspberry Pi computers - if you are not familiar with these Pi devices and have no interest in learning then Meteo-Pi is probably not for you! 

A Raspberry Pi computer is NOT supplied with Meteo-Pi and will need to be purchased separately from Pi suppliers such as https://thepihut.com/ . Even a Pi Zero will work with Meteo-Pi but be sure to order a Pi Zero WH (and not just plain Pi Zero or Zero W), which has WiFi and the necessary header already onboard (unless you enjoy fine soldering!). However, a Pi 3B+ or 4B is obviously substantially more powerful than a Pi Zero and will automatically have the required header.

For those new to using Pi computers, remember that you will need some accessories like a mains adapter and SD card in addition to the Pi itself. These are all available quite cheaply, but it is worth using a good-quality SD card - high speed cards are not needed for Meteo-Pi, but a high-endurance card is strongly recommended.

It is relatively easy to use a Pi on a network in so-called 'headless' mode (ie without keyboard, mouse or monitor (KVM) attached), in which case you'll just need mains adopter, SD card and maybe a simple, cheap case. Software like CumulusMX makes live weather data available to any computer on your network without needing to view it ddirectly on the Pi.  But if you're more comfortable using a computer with KVM all attached then these extra accessories will be needed too; but even so, the total cost should still be readily affordable.

Not sure what Data Logger is best for you? Read our help guide: https://www.weatherstations.co.uk/data_handling.htm