Anemometers

Analyzing wind speed

Lesson plan and more resources are

available at: aka.ms/hackingstem
Hacking STEM
Hacking STEM is a resource for teachers, delivering inquiry and project-
based lessons that complement current STEM curriculum. In this project we
explore the phenomenon of wind.

Analyzing wind speed with

anemometers
Wind varies in intensity from a light breeze to a hurricane. Understanding the
impact of wind on weather promotes investigation into its influence on food Lesson plan
production and the growing potential of wind as a source of renewable energy.
Contains lessons, materials, and
To understand the phenomenon of wind, well make anemometers from activities to support teaching
everyday objects and use them to calculate wind speed. Well equip them with the phenomenon of wind.
Arduinos to collect, visualize, and analyze real-time wind speed data. Mapped to the NGSS and ISTE
standards.

Go to aka.ms/hackingstem for
Contents these and more notebooks.

03 Activity overview

04 Basic anemometer instructions

09 Sensor-enabled anemometer instructions

12 Connecting your sensor-enabled anemometer

15 Motorized anemometer instructions

18 Connecting your motorized anemometer

20 Excel workbook user guide

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Activity overview
Hack our projects
This activity focuses on building anemometers from everyday objects, to measure wind
speed. It starts with a simple mechanical engineering problem, then progresses to include We love innovation and
electrical and software engineering tasks. In the sensor-enabled portion of the project, encourage you to hack
students capture and display data in Microsoft Excel. In the motorized anemometer our projects and make
portion, students collect and visualize data sent to the anemometer from a global them your own.
weather web service. In the Excel workbook, students can select a city on the map, and
the wind speed at that location will be simulated on the anemometer theyve built. Their
anemometer will spin at the same wind speed as the city theyve chosen.

Basic Anemometer Steps for success

The basic model can be delivered as a stand-alone lesson or enhanced to support the For those who tend
construction of two variations of connected anemometers. In its simple form, the basic to use instructions as
anemometer supports students in mathematically determining wind speed. Students loose guidelines, weve
use a stopwatch while counting the revolutions of the anemometer, then use math to indicated integral steps
determine the wind speed. with the A-Ok hand
symbol. Read and follow

Connected anemometers these steps precisely to

increase your likelihood
of success.
Sensor-enabled anemometer
The basic model can be modified to collect, calculate, and record wind speed data in
an Excel workbook. This involves attaching an Arduino microcontroller and a few other
components then connecting it to a computer.

Motorized anemometer
With an internet connection and the addition of a small motor the basic anemometer can
mimic wind speed data received from a global weather website.

Substituting everyday
objects
Data Visualization
Similar items can be
Students use their anemometers to substituted/hacked for
visualize and analyze wind speed data. most materials according
This lesson puts them in the role of a to availability and the
student design process.
field scientist, gathering data to make
decisions about viable locations for a
wind farm. Students analyze data from
a variety of wind sources, modeling how
engineers and scientists use data gath-
ering tools to make real-world decisions
related to renewable energy sites.
Sourcing specialized
materials

21st century technical skills explored in this activity include: Many of these items can
be easily found online or at
your local hardware store.
You can find an online
shopping list for this entire
lesson at:
https://aka.ms/
seismographshoppinglist

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Anemometer
Basic
Mechanical
Engineering
Things youll need
Materials for basic anemometer
Note: Please double all materials if you plan to complete the full activity, as you will need two completed anemometers.

1 small paper plate

1 clear plastic 12 oz cup
5 paper 12 oz cups
1 plastic drinking straw
1 wooden spool (the center hole should be slightly wider than straw diameter)
2 bamboo skewers, at least 24 cm long

Tools
hot glue gun Substituting everyday objects
metric ruler
pencil Similar items can be substituted/hacked for
pushpin most materials, according to availability and
safety goggles the student design process.
scissors
stopwatch

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 1 2

Take a paper cup and a metric ruler. Measure 5.5 cm from Connect the dashes to make a solid line. Cut along the line
the bottom of the cup and draw a dash. Continue drawing a focusing on accuracy.
dashed line around the cup at 5.5 cm from the bottom.

3 4

At 2 cm from the bottom of the cup, draw a dot. Draw Color or mark the cup to make it obvious that this is the
another dot on the opposite side, also at 2 cm from the pattern cup. It should not be used as one of the actual wind
bottom. Using the pushpin, carefully punch holes through cups, as the dimensions are different.
the dots.

5 6

Use the pattern cup to mark the cut line and holes on the Using the pushpin, make two small holes about .5 cm from
other four cups. Cut along the line and punch in the holes, the top of the straw. Each hole should be directly opposite
until you have four completed wind cups. of each other through the straw.
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 7 8

Insert one of the skewers through the holes. Repeat steps 1-3, but this time make the holes below the
first skewer and at a 90 degree angle so the inserted skew-
ers create an X.

9 10

Slide the skewers out of the straw and make a mark 24 cm Reinsert the skewers into the straw and center them. Slide
up from the blunt end of the skewer. Score the skewer with the wind cups onto the ends making sure they face the
a pair of scissors and snap off the sharp end of the skewer. same direction. Secure the cups on the skewer ends with
hot glue.

11 12

Take the clear cup and without squeezing out any glue, Glue the spool to the center of the plate. Be careful, try
melt a hole in the bottom center of the cup. Make the hole not to get glue inside the spool - it can create drag for the
just slightly wider than the diameter of the straw. rotating straw, impacting the accuracy of your readings.
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 13 14

Insert the wind cup support structure into the cup and Great work! You now have a completed basic anemometer.
spool. When youre satisfied that its straight, glue the clear Test it by blowing on the cups to see if it rotates easily.
cup to the plate.

Measure wind speed

Now that youve completed the basic anemometer, you can use it to determine wind speed in kilometers per hour (km/h)
using the following steps:

1. Carefully, make a large, visible symbol on the top of one cup. This will be the marker you will count as the anemometer
rotates.

2. Go outside to measure actual wind, or use a fan indoors to simulate wind. Using a stopwatch, count how many times the
symbol passes a certain point within 10 seconds.

Number of rotations:________________________________

3. To calculate the rotations per second, divide the number of rotations above by 10.

Rotations per second:________________________________

4. Now you will determine the rotational circumference (3.14 x the diameter of the wind cup structure). The diameter is the
length of the skewer connecting two wind cups - it should be 24 cm (as determined in step 4 in Build the cup support
structure above).

Rotational circumference:____________________________

5. To determine the distance (in cm) traveled per second, multiply the number of rotations per second by the circumfer-
ence.

Distance traveled per second:________________________

6. To determine the distance (in cm) traveled in 1 hour, multiply the distance traveled in one second by 3600 .

Distance traveled in one hour:_______________________

7. To convert this into km/h - divide the distance (cm) traveled in one hour by 100,000. This gives you the wind speed in
km/h.

Wind speed in km/hr:________________________________

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Connected anemometer
Sensor-enabled
Mechanical Electrical
Engineering Engineering

Software Data
Engineering Science
Things youll need
Materials for the sensor-enabled anemometer
1 completed basic anemometer
1 reed switch
2 pin-ended aligator clips
1 plastic drinking straw
2 mini neodymium circular magnets (4mm diameter)

Also needed
Arduino activity on page 13

Tools
adhesive tape
hot glue gun
marker
metric ruler
scissors

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Add a sensor to the anemometer
1 2

On one end of the straw, cut two small v-shaped notches. The end of your straw should look like this.
This will create a groove for the reed switch.

3 4

Position the reed switch into the notch you made and se- Tape the reed switch straw to the plastic cup of the ane-
cure it with a small piece of tape. Next, bend the two leads mometer. Position the straw so that the reed switch sits just
of the reed switch downward. below the lower skewer without touching the skewer.

5 6

Attach two 4mm magnets with hot glue on the underside Lastly, connect the alligator clips to the two leads on the
of the upper skewer so as they rotate, the magnets pass di- reed switch.
rectly over the reed switch. You should hear a faint clicking
sound when the maget passes over the read switch.
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Connect the microcontroller

Things youll need

Materials for sensor-enabled anemometer Arduino component

PC running Windows 10
1 Arduino UNO board
1 breadboard
1 USB cable (USB micro) Arduino programming cable (2 meters)
1 temperature sensor (TMP 36)
1 resistor
5 jumper wires (color does not matter)

Software available at:

aka.ms/hackingstem

Arduino IDE
Arduino UNO Flash Code
Measuring Windspeed workbook (pg 20)

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 1 2

Start by connect your Arduino UNO to your computer with Go to aka.ms/flashcode and download the flash code.
the USB cord, then download and install the Arduino IDE, by
following the prompts.

3 4

Open your downloaded file to launch the Arduino App. Next, select: Tools > Port > COM4 (Arduino Uno) Your com
port may be different than COM4.

5 6

Then select Tools > Board: Arduino/Genuino Uno > Click on the circular right arrow button to upload.
Arduino/Genuino Uno.

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Assemble your electrical components

GND

9
8

7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
AREF

13
12

10
11
RESET

RX0
TX0
DIGITAL (PWM= )
ICSP2
L
Plug USB cable here
TX ON
Arduino
TM

RX
1

ICSP
jumper wire
~9 to E2
jumper wire
E1 to 5V
Temperature
sensor POWER ANALOG IN
RESET
IOREF

GND
GND
jumper wire
3V3

VIN
i12, i13, i14 5V

A0

A1

A2

A3

A4

A5
AD to G13

jumper wire
D1 to H12
10

15

20

25

30
1

5
J

J
I

I
F G H

F G H
jumper wire
C6 to H14
resistor
A B C D E

A B C D E

D2 to D6
jumper wire
A6 to GND
to reed switch
red A1, black A2
10

15

20

25

30
1

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Connected anemometer
Motorized
Mechanical Electrical
Engineering Engineering

Software Data
Engineering Science
Things youll need
Materials for the motorized anemometer
1 completed basic anemometer
1 LEGO Technic motor (Part 888: Power Functions M-Motor)
1 LEGO Technic 2.5 cm pulley (Part 4185: Wedge-Belt Wheel)
1 LEGO Technic axle (Part 3705: Cross Axle 4M)
1 LEGO Technic bushing (Part 32123: Bush)
1 wooden skewer
1 small rubber band (3 cm diameter)
Arduino Instructions

Also needed
Measuring Windspeed workbook (pg 20)

Tools
metric ruler
scissors
clear tape
wire stripper or razor blade

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 1 2

Take the base of your basic anemometer and a wooden Evenly cut the plug off the Lego motor control wire with
skewer. Place the wood skewer into the spool and mark 4 scissors. Use wire strippers or a razor to remove the coating
cm above the top of the cup. Then, cut the wood skewer at on the wires, exposing about 1 cm of bare wire and cut off
the 4 cm mark. Discard the short piece of the cut skewer. the two outer wires.

3 4

Assemble the Lego motor, axle, bushing, and pulley, as Now, tape the motor to the side of the cup as shown in the
shown in the photos. photo above. The axle must be parallel to the skewer. The
motor must be vertical in order to operate properly.

5 6

Place the top of your anemometer with wind cups back Your motorized anemometer should look like this.
into the base and apply the rubber band on the motor and
the straw for the anemometer making sure it fits snug.

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Connect the microcontroller

Things youll need

Materials for the extension of this Arduino component

1 diode
4 alligator clips
1 jumper wire
1 resistor
1 transistor
(1) 9V battery

Also needed
Measuring Windspeed workbook (pg 20)

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Assemble the electronic pieces

GND

9
8

7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
AREF

13
12

10
11
RESET

RX0
TX0
DIGITAL (PWM= )
ICSP2
L

TX ON
Arduino
TM

RX
1

ICSP
POWER ANALOG IN

RESET
IOREF

GND
GND
3V3

VIN
5V

A0

A1

A2

A3

A4

A5
transistor
i4 to i9
10

15

20

25

30
1

5
J

J
I

I
F G H

F G H
Transistor
E7, E8, E10

jumper wire
diode
A B C D E

A B C D E
G9 to A8
D11 to D15
lead to alligator
clips on reed
10

15

20

25

30

switch
1

attached to battery
via alligator clips
black B7, red E14

lead to alligator clips

on Lego motor
black A10, red A14

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Get ready to visualize data
To complete the full project, make sure you meet these technical requirements:

PC running Windows 10, and Excel 2016 (Desktop)

Project Cordoba Add-In: Update your existing copy of Microsoft Excel 2016 with a free add-in to support real-time data
streaming from your projects available at: aka.ms/getaccess
Customized Excel Workbook available at: aka.ms/excelworkbook

Excel workbook basics

Temperature

Data is displayed in Celcius in the range of -10 to 40 C. To stimulate the sensor, try
squeezing the temperature sensor on your device, applying friction, or hot arit from
a hair dryer.

Beaufort Number

This rating system indicates windspeed from a Light Air (1) to a Hurricane Force (12).

Wind Speed

Displays the current windspeed as read by your anemometer. The inner dial
reflects speeds on a range of 0-5 km/h. The outer dial reflects speeds on a range
of 0-50 km/h.

RPM Counter

Visualizes the calculated revolutions per minute of the anemometers cup rotor.

View Weather Locations

The map is connected to the Bing Weather

API and in real-time, pulls the prevalent wind
speed and temperature data in the 10 cities
(marked on the map). Click on the radio
buttons to select a location and see the Bing
Weather data on the charts. If you connect a
motorized anemometer and select the Wind
Simulator check box, youll be able to see your
anemometer spin as if it were in that selected
location.

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