I have a lightning detector hooked up to Home Assistant. It plays a little sound on a buzzer if there are more than a handful of strikes. It's a pretty reliable warning a storm is coming, and my partner (who is a prolific runner) knows not to go out for a run or to turn around.
I've also done sciencey type testing work outdoors, the ranges all had lightning detectors and all work would stop and you had to take shelter if lightning was detected. Mostly wide open space so getting struck by lightning was a serious danger.
I spent a LOT of time on this website as a 90's kid. One of many that inspired me to get an EE degree. Projects like this always felt like some incredible magic, and came with an artistic aesthetic that I find inescapably captivating. We've instead got little bits of black epoxy everywhere these days and it's just not the same!
I was recently introduced to fully integrated lightning sensor ICs: https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/a/ams/as3935-fr... - supply it a repurposed RFID coil and it will tell you when it detects lightning and how far the storm front is. I have one in my weather station just for fun, but it's a highly practical device for golf courses, swimming pools, sporting facilities, etc. where knowing how far away lightning is is operationally important.
Skip the perfboard with nails and you would have had an actual breadboard... What a weird prototyping approach... Nails in a perfboard... Never seen it before.
I remember seeing an overly simplified lightning detector presented in a book: just an antenna, Neon bulb and a ground wire. I thought it was too simple to work.
Here it is discussed though by someone who tried it (and improved it):
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[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 29.7 ms ] threadI've also done sciencey type testing work outdoors, the ranges all had lightning detectors and all work would stop and you had to take shelter if lightning was detected. Mostly wide open space so getting struck by lightning was a serious danger.
> We welcome offers of hosting a new WWLLN lightning sensor. All hosts receive all the world-wide data for their own research.
https://wwlln.net/#home
Posted this some time ago, but it got no traction :(
Here it is discussed though by someone who tried it (and improved it):
https://www.angelfire.com/oh3/ebjoew/Charged_Cloud_Alert.htm...
(Ha ha, angelfire)
Pahaha pure Spinal Tap moment
https://www.blitzortung.org/en/whats_new.php https://www.blitzortung.org/en/cover_your_area.php https://forum.blitzortung.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=30