CWOP #EW0985 - Ypsilanti, Michigan Weather

	Civilian Weather Observation Program CWOP Number: EW0985
Ypsilanti, Michigan Weather
By: Jay Nugent - WB8TKL	- Trenching Cables to the Junction Box -	Latest Update: Sept 19th, 2012

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Tempurature/Humidity Aspirator
Sferic details...
Solar Radiadion...
Geiger Counter...
Bat House details...

Now that there are a number of cables trenched from the Weather Mast to the rear of my garage, I needed to terminate those feeds along with a number of other cables that have needed to be tidied up for several years. The time is right to finally install a weather-tight NEMA box and do it up right.

Here is a list of the cables coming from the Weather mast:

120 vac - for power supplies, de-icers, future unknown devices that may require it.
12 vdc - 12 volts DC for running the ADS-WS1 controller, LED lighting, low-power single-board computer (Linux).
22 gauge, 2-conductor - This is for an Ademco type #39 magnetic switch.
Cat5 - This cable will be used to pass the RS-232 data from the ADS-WS1 controller back to my Linux PC in the house.
Cat5 - This cable may be used for a future Ethernet, or may just be used as a spare cable if needed.

A collection of cables are trenched in from the Weather Mast. These need to be terminated and routed either into the house, to the alarm system, or to various power sources (12vdc and 110vac). A messy collection of wiring exhists in the Paddock behind my garage. With the additional wiring being added from the Weather Mast, perhaps now is the time to clean things up a bit...

The old 4x4 inch box is removed and replaced with a MUCH larger 14" wide, 16" high, 6" deep, NEMA weather-tight box. The two PVC conduits (grey) carry various alarm/security, control, and 12vdc power cables for yard lights.

The metal conduit carries 110vac to the outlets on my front fence and also out to my shed. This conduit needed to be split and routed into the top of the NEMA box, then continue out the bottom and go back underground. The 2x4 inch box above, contains a switch to control floodlights on the back of the garage. This box also provides the power source to the rest of the yard outlets/floodlights. Later you will see where I took the opportunity to tap this line and add a Duplex outlet inside the NEMA box.

3/8" holes were drilled and then 7/8" holes were punched through using a "Greenlee" punch. This required a bit of cranking on a wrench, but with a few drops of oil on the threads of the Greenlee, it was done rather easily.

Here you see the original conduit carrying 110vac has been reinstalled. Next to it is a new conduit carrying 110vac going out to the Weather Mast. The third conduit (PVC) carries the original three 12vdc cables for yard lights - so this conduit is rather full. We will add an additional conduit for the new 12vdc run to the Weather Mast.

The forth conduit (PVC) carries all the original alarm/security/control cables, plus two additional CAT5 and one 2-wire 22-guage cables from the Weather Mast. The fifth conduit (PVC) on the left carries the new 12vdc cable going out to the Weather Mast.

With all five conduits in place and with a little slack left in the trench, the hole was back filled and tamped down.

And YES! I do maintain maps of where all the cables and water lines are burried in the yard (grin).

Here we have mounted a weather resistant "Bell" box inside the NEMA box. Using a cable strain relief clamp on the bottom, and a flexible conduit on the top, we fed the Romex cables into the Bell box. And finally we trim back the wires and install a Duplex outlet.

This outlet may be used to power any future yard lighting devices/timers/transformers. Or it may be used to power a small Single Board Computer (SBC) used to collect the data from the weather instruments (rather than use my desktop in the house), or process signals from a future Sferic Lightning RADAR system. But the power outlet is already installed if/when I ever need it!

.... another 7/8" hole is added to allow data/control/RS-232 cables into the NEMA box. These cables extend into the garage where they then go underground into the house....

.... barrier strips are added to terminate 12vdc cables for the yard lights....

.... barrier strips are added to terminate various data/control/RS-232 cables....

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