AI-Thinker t5 board as APRS weather station

Introduction

This esp8266 board has a DHT11 (temperature and humidity sensors). With some changes it can be able to use it as an APRS weather station.

Ebay AI-Thinker t5 board

Usb to ESP01 adapter

By default this card can only be programmed by AT commands. To change software into esp8266 you must remove STC 15L2K32S2 chip.

Start to unsolder the buzzer. Remove STC by using dremel tool around the chip, then Remove pins with soldering station.

After, add wires like this. SCL and SDA is not used for the moment so you need only to add 2 wires.

• One between DHT and GPIO 2 (1)
• Another to power up ESP (2)

There is a good description here with schematics.

https://esp8266hints.wordpress.com/2015/12/07/reworking-the-ai-thinker-t5-board/

Use an adapter to program ESP, like ESP01

Don’t forget strap (pink color) to force GPIO0 to ground before flash ESP

Remove Strap to launch software inside it and do power cycle.

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Software (T5-Esp8266 folder)

https://github.com/f4goh/Weather

Two ways to programming esp8266

• Use nodemcu 0.9 programmer (T5-Esp8266.bin)
  • Plug strap (pink color),
  • plug usb adapter
  • launch nodemcu 0.9 programmer
  • load your firmware
  • flash esp8266
  • when finished unplug adapter
  • unplug strap
  • plug usb adapter
  • launch serial terminal (115200 bps)
  • type m key to get the config menu (m key with Line Feed)

 

• recompile all with Arduino IDE
  • install esp8266 in Arduino environment https://github.com/esp8266/Arduino
  • install both library NTPtimeESP-master https://github.com/SensorsIot/NTPtimeESP
  • And DHT-sensor-library (T5-Esp8266 folder on github)
  • Load T5-Esp8266.ino
  • According to esp, configure your model (here esp8266 generic)
  • Program ESP
  • launch serial terminal (115200 bps)
  • type m key to get the config menu (m key with Line Feed)

 

If this is the 1st time esp is programed, config menu starting, type ‘m’ if it doesn’t appears

Configure ESP like BME280 version

https://hamprojects.wordpress.com/2017/02/19/esp8266-weather-station/

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Things changes

Change BME280 menu by DHT 11 menu

———–

Config menu

0 Quit menu

1 format file system

2 config wifi access point

3 config weather station

4 test ntp

5 test DHT 11

6 test server upload

7 print weather data logger (historic)

8 create and erase weather data logger

———–

Temperature: 28.00 degrees C

%RH: 52.00 %

Add GMT to adjust country hours

———–

Config weather station

0 Save and exit weather station menu

1 set callsign station

2 set longitude

3 set latitude

4 set server address

5 set server port

6 set transmit delay

7 logger enable

8 set GMT

9 show weather config

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Conclusion

Use AI-Thinker t5 board is very interesting, but pressure measurement isn’t included, so you must add external I²C sensors. Relay isn’t used; perhaps you will find an application with it.

I work on multi HF/VHF beacon shield for ESPduino controled by HTML. So come back at 1^st week of October 2017.

73 Anthony F4GOH

 

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