Tempest on LED matrix display

Wrote a Tempest app for my display with temperature, humidity, current conditions, wind, and barometric pressure (& trend).

This is a Tidbyt display, and full disclosure, I make/sell these. A customer reached out and asked if our displays would connect up with Tempest, so I figured I’d buy a Tempest and give it a try. It uses the REST API (not local communication).

Curious to learn if there is other important stuff that should be displayed.

23 Likes

That is very cool!

What a great idea.

1 Like

I love this. At some point I’m going to make my own.

2 Likes

Nice work. I just backed this project.

1 Like

Thanks all! One thing I quickly discovered with the rain here tonight is that, once it’s raining, it’s more important to see rain intensity than humidity.

Or at least that’s my feeling. Is there some reason you would want to see humidity while it’s actively raining?

Sorry, not a weather person :slight_smile:

i guess your resolution is too low to display all info. Why not cycle through 2 or 3 screens?

I was thinking about backing it last week - this just prompted me, so just backed :slight_smile:

It looks a nice device…

Andy

1 Like

Yeah, the resolution limits what you can show at once. But also I didn’t want to just clutter it with data.

Unfortunately since I’m new to this (literally got my Tempest a week ago), I’m not entirely sure what data is important or how exactly to display it.

Is this getting the data via UDP so it could update the wind every 3 seconds?

Nope, it uses the HTTP API. So the wind only updates every 10 seconds or so.

Ok, so it then won’t work without internet access. What about pulling info from a SKY and/or AIR unit? Maybe the HTTP API is the same for them, I don’t know. I’m trying to decide what data I might like on one and also where I can use it. If it could use UDP it could go with my RV for times when I don’t have internet access but can setup a WiFi network.

1 Like

I assume it’s all the same API? Just based on the documentation, it’s going off “stations” rather than “devices”, so I think whatever device generates the observations for a station, that will be displayed.

Yeah, UDP would be cool but it’d be a lot more work for this device. It was really quick to create a Weatherflow integration because of the current architecture where it’s connected to the Internet and you can write apps in Python with the development kit.

Having that all work without Internet for the RV scenario is certainly possible (I mean, anything’s possible :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: ), but it’d be a big architecture and firmware change.

1 Like

I need to stop reading about campaigns like this. I’m now a backer. :grin: Since you have Tempest info displayed and the night mode can show a clock I couldn’t resist.

For wall mounting if there were either holes or at least dimples where it would be safe to put screws on the back the end user could come up with a wall mount if you don’t have the option figured out by the time it ships.

1 Like

Yep that is definitely the “backup plan” :slight_smile:

LOL, you’re telling me, I have backed like 50 projects now :grimacing: Not sure how I missed Tempest when it was on Kickstarter actually.

1 Like

Is there room for a lightning bolt if the system has detected area lightning within the last, say, 5 minutes?

1 Like

Yeah totally. I was thinking of rigging up some sort of lightning bolt animation.

2 Likes

you could move the trend arrow to just after the pressure, remove the “mph” and just say SW 34 or something like that. That should give you space to display more info, like amount of rain & rain rate.

2 Likes

Awesome can I buy one?

Click the Tidbyt link in the original message.

1 Like