Finding the links I need
After six days in the doldrums, the breeze has returned. Oddest thing; I installed the new weather station hardware last Saturday morning, and the world around me went to calm. Until this evening, I wondered if I’d even tightened the set screw properly. Maybe the whirlygig wasn’t anything more than an ornament. Oh well, if controlling the climate was that simple, someone else would have already created a commercial system.
I think I’ve found the ideal software for my proposed back yard webcam. After looking at various products, both from the camera maker and other companies, I’ve settled on an open source product called FWINK which does exactly what I want, in a minimalist fashion. You install, you identify your video source and your FTP target, you complete the credentials screen and you leave the thing alone. On a regular schedule, a new .JPG will drop into the directory of your choice, ready for inclusion in a web page. How easy is that?
My target machine is ready. An older box, hiding away in the basement with honest to goodness serial ports. After all, USB is no excuse for poorly run peripherals. I have used adaptors to get RS-232 access (my GPS, for example), but the next project involving weather data is “old school”. Once my finaly piece of hardware (the data logger) arrives, I’ll put the current observations on line for the rest of the world to study. My weather is at least as important as my neighbour’s, and I want to get the numbers into public view.
