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Hello,
I would like to connect 6 Terros 12 sensors with a Raspberry pi 4 and want to know which product is most suitable for this, and what extra parts I may need.
Also, do you have an estimate of how long the shipment may take?
Thank you for the help and support!
Alexis
Hi Alexis,
To connect to raspberry pi computers, I recommend the SDI-12 microUSB adapter. It has 4 SDI-12 terminals to easily wire up 4 TER12 sensors. Just choose the "regular" option.
https://liudr.square.site/product/sdi-12-microusb-adapter/50?cs=true&cst=custom
If you wish to wire up more, you could get an extension board with 4 additional SDI-12 terminals.
https://liudr.square.site/product/extra-sdi-12-expansion-board/65
The extension board will come with standoffs and screws to be mounted on top of the adapter.
If your TER12 sensors come with TRS (stereo) connectors, you need some adapters to convert them into wire leads:
https://www.amazon.com/Fancasee-Replacement-Connector-Headphone-Earphone/dp/B082VVWND3/
If your TER12 sensors come with wire leads, please follow the wiring diagram in the manual. If memory serves, black is ground, red is power, and white is SDI-12, same as these stereo adapter cables.
I recommend you start with a single sensor and go through my videos and basic python scripts to make sure you know how to read sensors. Then you can use my Python script to log all 6 sensors.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwsP5zYBAWdlna4-7TAlXw9Q4U6Us9mvq
Manual, python scripts:
https://liudresllc.com/gadget/sdi-12-usb-adapter/
Dr. Liu
Thank you Dr. Liu for the fast and comprehensive reply! I just ordered 2 microUSB boards and 2 extension kits. I have 16 sensors in total. Looking forward to try them out!
Regards,
Alexis
Hello again,
I received the boards, thank you for shipping them so fast. The two PCB's are still connected but i'd like to separate them so that I have two individual boards, each with its extension. Is it OK to simply cut through them?
I also wanted to ask about the power, as I didnt quite get it from the videos. Are these boards powered from the usb connection of the (e.g.) raspberry? I want to connect the to a RPi4 that's already busy doing other things, so I'm wondering if they draw a lot of energy and I should better buy a new Rpi for them. Would they work with the zero?
Thank you for the help!
@shakasaki Sorry I have been away for a while. Yes, the boards are connected because they were on a panel of boards. Feel free to break them apart by bending them backwards and they easily break apart. The adapter itself doesn't consume much power so RPI0 or 0W would work with a proper USB-OTG adapter dongle.
Hi,
I am trying to access the sensor from a raspberry pi 4. I connected it and can find the usb port. Its USB0. I tried with screen "screen /dev/ttyUSB0" but I just get a blank screen and no access to the datalogger. I also tried running the python scripts but still doesnt work.
Do I need to externally power the PCB with 12 V battery to have access to it? I looked at the manual through the link you provided above but it was unclear if this is the case.
Thank you for the help!