Rain Gauge Recommendation?

[ControlFreak]

Any recommendations for a rain gauge that easily can be read by CQC?

I don't need full blown weather station:
* I already have very reliable wind (via wunderground site nearby)
* I already have very reliable outside temperature via my tekmar thermostat system

It is raining pretty hard right now at my house, and I just realized that the CurPrecip from the wunderground location nearby, which I was relying on to close skylights, is reporting 0.0000 in/hr precipitation. There is a wunderground site a few miles away showing 0.20 in/hr which is probably closer to accurate, but I'd like one much closer to home.

Prefer ethernet communication. RS 485 would probably work as well.

Another approach would be a rain sensor that was just a binary switch attached to a zone input on my HAI Omni.

Suggestions?

Thanks!

[sic0048]

Without getting a full blown weather system, the only thing I can think of is a 1-wire rain gauge.

[ControlFreak]

Thanks.

I just found this:
http://www.rainsensors.com/

I can attach this to my HAI omni (2 wires for power; 2 wires for data).
this has a micro heater to reduce condensation effects (good since I am near the coast and it can get foggy).

Relay is normally open and closes on first rain drop.

It has different modes and can be used as "tipping bucket" mode, "it's raining now mode".

since I just want to avoid getting rain in the sky vents, I just want to know that "it's raining now".

cost about $60 on amzn.

detailed specs at the link above.

I'll try to review it after I get it up and running.

[znelbok]

Looks like it also supports RS232 so there may be some other data that you can get out of it or at least connect it directly to CQC via a serial port.