I understood about 60% of the explanation. That may sound bad but it’s actually way more than I usually do. Good job. Very interesting and I really like the fact you post even when it doesn’t work out the way you planned. Ty

Every AM radio from the 1940’s uses a 455kHz Intermediate Frequency, so you can rip out the front end, and Local Oscillator, and start with the IF section, and you have an AM radio with about 20-30 KHz bandpass area. Then you could hear through audio, what your washing machine, dishwasher, and even light switches sound like. I’m sure any of that will be triggering it too, unless you make the effort to stop any mains switching loads in your house. I’ve never looked into ways to discriminate between lightning and the noise, but lightning does have distinguishing characteristics.

I just found you channel last week and I love it

Thanks - I built Charles Wenzels circuit some years ago, but never really picked up any lightning, it would detect the start-up of the old fluorescent tube above the bench though. BTW Mr Wenzel is a smart man, and a true gentleman - I enquired to him where I could get the inductors needed, and he sent me a bag full (internationall) and wouldn't accept a cent back.... Your explanation is great, I searched YT just now, as I'm planning on doing exactly what you are doing - hook it up to an arduino to log pulses.... wish me luck!

Advanced mode project is to work out how to detect the amplitude and duration, as well as directionize the detectors so you can work out the direction of the strike.

Great video again Tanner. I've learned heaps from your vids and this one in no exception. Keep 'em coming 👍

Your explanation of the circuit was very clear. Do you have an oscilloscope to check the input going into the Arduino? Perhaps even a small capacitor inline there will help smooth out the pulse if it is "bouncy". Do you have a real time clock module? With an RTC module you can set your pulse input as an interrupt and then just read the time stamp. Another thing you can do is have it start counting pulses from that point and then only reset the interrupt to active if you have had no pulses for a given time. This will give you a set of time and count values which may help you to distinguish between a sharp clean pulse sources and a more noisy one so that you can discard some on that basis.

Awesome video only criticism is there's not enough of them keep them coming! More people need to see this kind of thing

Thanks for the help Tanner !

Your videos are very informative and interesting. New sub yesterday.

Good science- thank you. Liked and subscribed.

thanks a lot for explaining the working of circuit...

GREAT GREAT JOB YOU DID !!! Thanx for your explanation !!!

Fun channel. Ever build out on this experiment?

Excellent. I enjoyed it - This is exactly the kind of stuff I've been working on lately. My Arduino Uno-based experiments frequently registered false positives (from TV's, appliances, etc.). That might be what happened there with yours.

Hi mr. Tanner...:) can i ask if what minimum voltage can it detect? I'm planning to build this as my school project... But i don't have a high frequency radio transmitter... I'm planning to build a high viltage supply to test it... but i don't know how. Thank you for your video :)

A long time ago, I had a wired intercom. The wires feeding the speaker were way on the other side of the warehouse. I could tell if a lightning storm was coming easily, even if it was a State away by the crackling sounds. The volume would increase as the storm approached closer.

I thought you said the circuit is at 5v and goes low when it detects a strike so wouldn't you have the arduino record 0s not the 1s ? or did you add an inverter transistor before the arduino input ?? nice vid fella

Sick dude!

Thanks! Correct me if I'm wrong, So basically antenna with receiver to CE transistor amplifier to LED trigger circuit? I definitely want to build one!

Hey! Great video! A question... I am searching for a solution that would warn me if a storm is coming, however, if possible, something resistant to the HF radio operation. You keyed the RIG with minimal power to an antenna out of the house, which caused the detector catching false positives... I run ~100W on HF into my wire antenna in my garden and I am afraid that it would "blow this detector's mind"... Maybe a tuned antenna? Maybe a low pass filter? Or would the detector have to be "remote"? What I search for is something that would constantly run and in case of a storm coming, it would tell me "Hey dude, disconnect your coax cables from the shack!"

"now I'm going to leave this running while I'm at school today.... teaching the introduction to electromagnetics course"

Congratulations! What's you're qrz?

hi tanner, good job on the video. you forgot to place a link to the fellow's blog that had the circuit you used. any chance you can add it? thanks?

The strike counter program way to complex for the job. You only needed to read the Pin state. High or low. Add 1 to count when the state changes. If pin is Low then add one to the count. That Guy has a name it's Charles Wenzel the least you could do was to use his name correctly after all he did the work for you. He's not just some Guy.

Impressive.

Interesting video Tanner. What would the chances be of another close by Ham Radio station or RF source at 400 KHz causing the circuit to trigger falsely?

You have my attention!

I’m going to try this with a ZN414 which from the datasheet can go from 150khz to 3Mhz which could simplify the radio side a bit….

Circuits are awesome .

Is it possible you picked up a spark plug firing during the day? Perhaps the antenna needs to be smaller? I say this because once I picked up a lightning detector at a moving sale. Added a 20 foot long wire antenna and the thing went wild when the neighbor began running his weed eater. Cut the antenna down to 6 inches and solved that problem.

might help to add a 10k from the test point to ground to avoid positive spikes

Very interesting, and excellent project/presentation. Could a barometric sensor be added to confirm storm conditions. Keep up the good work.

Cool vid

Can u clearly show every part of component u use?

And you use a radio shack multi meter I'm giving you a shout-out out

Now make an advanced detection sensor that will sound an alarm when a lightning strike is soon to strike in the vicinity of the detector. Then you will be a trillionare.

LoL, you're wasting your time going to school... :) You will help this world one way or another with your intelligence ! Keep on thinkin'

Current leak?

i didn't understand the way he connect arduino and circuit to make data recording

Sorry my team might have broke your code

Noiceeee 🔥

You can also simulate a lightning strike using a propane cigarette lighter.

Bro my detector is not sensitive enough like you... what to do?

Why not replace the led with a speaker

where is the v out

Did it not occur to you that you may have been picking up lightning strikes from all over the world?- not just in your local area! I think it worked fine- you just second guessed yourself too much!!