Pole Mount for PCR800 by jman

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

For some reason the PCR800 rain gauge is designed to be mounted on a flat surface, and this has always bugged me. Surely it should mount on a pole!
Specifically it should be mounted on a piece of 20mm plastic conduit, or 25mm aluminum tube.
So I made this adapter to fit your PCR800 (Oregon Scientific Rain Gauge) onto a vertical pole. There are two parts, the adapter to the PCR800, and a mount for the bottom, which has a hole in it so the measured water runs straight out.
One side benefit of this mount is that by enclosing the base of the rain gauge it reduces the likelihood of bug/spider infestation. It is also easier to get down when you need to change the batteries.
I've used OpenSCAD so folk can adapt and adjust to get the result they want, and provided pre-made STLs for poles of 20mm and 25mm diameter. I printed mine in ASA (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate) for maximum durability, but ABS will probably do.
There is a small amount of support to remove, in the areas where the PCR800 feet are bolted on. I used 10mm M3 stainless steel bolts. If the fit on the pole is not tight (like mine) just drill a small hole and insert a small screw to stop anything blowing away!
The photos should show how it goes together.
One consideration when printing is that you need to have a warm / hot build surface and environment to stop warping, but as the print gets near the top part of the cone you may want more ventilation, as the plastic may not harden enough between layers (and there will be some 'slumping').