This may be a silly question, but is there a way to download data manually if the sensorstation has no power? For example, it’s a solar powered station and the weather in the lead up to visiting it means the battery is too low to power the station. I suppose you could remove the SD card, but I believe that has a higher risk of corrupting files, at least that is the case for sensorgnome.
Powering it using other means would be the challenge since the the Raspberry Pi compute model doesn’t have ports (including for power supply). A portable rechargeable battery would be one way to supply the 12 V if the battery at the station is dead.
Likewise the compute model doesn’t have a sd card slot. They can either have built in storage or use another attached method. I’m not sure what approach the SS uses, but I’m guessing it’s non-removable either way. @user80 may be able to confirm that.
Hi Amie-
There are no SD cards on the RPIs in SensorStations, so that wouldn’t work. You would need to provide power to access the unit’s internal memory. I’m assuming this is a station that is not at all connected to the internet…if that’s the case, a portable 12v DC power source, or a Power Bank with an AC → DC inverter would work, especially for a short term powering up and running just to get the data.
Just to clarify and help with potential product searches: the majority of power banks have 5V USB output so you need a “DC-DC boost converter” that takes the 5V up to 12V to feed into the SS. It may be simpler to buy a small 12V SLA battery (sealed lead-acid) or a small LiFePO4/LFE battery as used for motorcycles. The most painful part is likely making cables and connectors…
Thanks all! Sounds like a small, portable 12V battery may be the simplest option.
it’s expensive, but I’d probably get one of these, and then make quick cable from a cigarette lighter plug: Amazon.com
Years ago I picked up a small 12v 5.0AH battery that I use for these purposes. It’s super small and I just wire it direct to the board for the time that I need it. I was able to find it locally at a hardware store as I believe they are used as battery backups for the small emergency floodlights you see in schools, etc.
I carry a Mid-sized Goal Zero (like this newer Yeti 300 Goal Zero YETI 300 Portable Power Station 297Wh LiFePo4 Battery) to sites I can drive close to. That way I have 5 and 12V DC and 110V AC (for soldering connectors). If it is really remote, the battery and chord Todd recommends seems like a lighter alternative.
I’ve used this setup for such a purpose: rechargeable battery pack with 12V and 5V options and the DC 5.5/2.1mm pigtail that you wire directly to the SS like Todd mentioned. It’s 8+ Ah fully charged, so theoretically around 12 hours for a fully loaded SS (4FCD) but I’ve never tested that capacity