Raspberry Pi Zero W powers solar mobile weather station with IP65 enclosure

Creator Jack Young developed a mobile, self-sufficient weather station as a year 3 dissertation project supervised by Dr Will Harrison, selecting the Raspberry Pi Zero W for its 1GHz clock speed, built-in wireless networking, low power consumption, and compact form factor. The device collects temperature, humidity, wind speed via a Hall effect anemometer, and light intensity from its own solar panel, then transmits data to an external web server. The enclosure was iteratively designed and 3D-printed to achieve an IP65 rating with airtight gaskets and cable grommets, while the internal PCB and electronics layout underwent multiple revisions before final soldering.

Field testing in April on the Gower Peninsula near Swansea validated core functionality including web server connectivity in a remote hilly environment, though it revealed practical issues: anemometer bearings stalled at low wind speeds until lubricated, and the temperature sensor read 1-2 degrees high due to trapped heat from electrical resistance. The station uses green and blue LEDs to indicate power-on and ready states. Young intends to address the thermal issue, add configurable sampling rates, and streamline modularity in future iterations with commercialization as an ultimate goal.

Hardware architecture and environmental design

• Compute: Raspberry Pi Zero W at 1GHz provides processing, wireless networking, and low power draw for solar operation.
• Sensors: Temperature and humidity sensor, Hall effect anemometer with magnet for RPM-based wind speed measurement, and solar panel serving dual purpose as power source and light intensity sensor.
• Enclosure: IP65-rated sealed design with iterated 3D-printed tolerances, lid gaskets, and cable grommets for water and dust protection in continuous outdoor deployment.
• Power and indicators: Solar panel supplies all power; green LED indicates power-on, blue LED indicates code running and station ready.
• Data pipeline: Onboard collection with transfer to external web server over the Zero W's built-in wireless, tested successfully in remote field conditions with no local infrastructure.

Why it matters

This project demonstrates how the Raspberry Pi Zero W remains a viable platform for low-cost, low-power environmental sensing and edge data collection in open hardware education and citizen science contexts. The iterative enclosure engineering and documented field test results provide a reference for builders tackling similar outdoor IoT deployments, while the explicit commercialization goal suggests potential for a new open hardware product in the atmospheric monitoring space.