Lufft WS501 Compact Weather Station

Lufft WS501 Compact Weather Sensor

The WS501 accurately measures:
  • Air temperature
  • Relative humidity
  • Air pressure
  • Wind speed
  • Wind direction
  • Solar Irradiance
Features:
  • Serial Output – RS485 Modbus or SDI-12
  • Low power consumption
  • Aspirated radiation shield
  • Optional remote temperature probe
  • Integrated heater

Description

Lufft WS501 all-in-one compact weather station

The Lufft WS501 is ideal for measuring air temperature, relative humidity, solar irradiance, and air pressure. It is suitable for high-end applications where accuracy and build quality cannot be compromised.

The sensors are protected by a radiation shell for protection and to ensure measurement accuracy, making the WS501 compliant according to WMO guidelines.

The top-mounted tipping bucket rain gauge provides excellent measurements of precipitation. The gauge means you do not need to have a separately mounted rain gauge, so no requirements to make a separate plinth.

The WS501 is suitable for all climates, with a temperature range of -50 to +60 °C. There are no moving parts and data processing is built-in. This makes the WS501 incredibly robust and easy to use.

As standard, we supply the Lufft WS501 with Modbus communications. However, it is possible to supply the sensor with SDI-12. Please let us know at the time of ordering which you would prefer.

As with all WS series compact weather sensors, it is possible to fit a temperature probe. The probe measures surface temperature and is ideal for the PV solar sector to measure the back of panel temperature.

General
Dimensions Ø approx. 150 mm, height approx. 332 mm
Weight Approx. 1.5 kg
Interface RS485, 2 – wire, half – duplex
Power supply 11…32 VDC
Power supply 5…11 VDC (electronics with limited precision of measurements)
Power supply 24 VDC +/- 10% (heater)
Power consumption 20 VA (heater)
Operating temperature -50…60 °C (with heater)
Operating rel. humidity 0…100 % RH
Cable length 10 m
Protection level housing IP66
Standards/Regulations Compliant to IEC 61724-1:2017 Class C
Mast mounting suitable for Mast diameter 60 – 76 mm
Temperature
Principle  NTC
Measuring range   -50 to 60 °C
Unit  °C
Accuracy  ±0.2 °C (-20…50 °C), otherwise ±0.5 °C (>-30 °C)
Relative humidity
Principle  Capacitive
Measuring range  0 to  100 % RH
Unit  % RH
Accuracy  ±2 % RH
Air pressure
Principle  MEMS capacitive
Measuring range   300 to 1200 hPa
Unit  hPa
Accuracy  ±0.5 hPa (0 to 40 °C)
Wind direction
Principle Ultrasonic
Measuring range 0 … 359.9 °
Unit °
Accuracy < 3 ° RMSE > 1.0 m/s
Resolution 0.1
Wind speed
Principle Ultrasonic
Measuring range 0 … 75 m/s
Unit m/s
Accuracy ±0.3 m/s or ±3 % (0…35 m/s) ±5 % (>35 m/s) RMS
Resolution 0.1 m/s
Radiation
Response time (95%) < 18 s
Non-stability (change/year) < 1 %
Non-linearity (0 to 1,000W/m²) < 1 %
Directional error (at 80° with 1,000W/m²) < 20 W/m²
Temperature dependence of sensitivity < 5 % (–10… +40 °C)
Tilt error (at 1000W/m²) < 1 %
Spectral range 300…2800 nm
Measuring range 2000 W/m²
Compass
Measurement range 0 … 359°
Resolution 1.0°
Accuracy +/-10°
Sampling rate 5 minutes


WS Series Frequently asked questions.

How do I mount my WS sensors? 

The sensor can be mounted directly onto a 60mm diameter pole. The sensors come with ‘U’ mounting brackets. A mounting arm (which can attach to 40-80mm diameter poles) can be supplied too.

Are other communications protocols possible?

Possible interfaces are RS485 with supported protocols UMB-Binary, UMB-ASCII, Modbus-RTU, Modbus-ASCII, XDR, and SDI-12.

What data logger is the WS501 compatible with?

The WS501 is compatible with many commercially available Met/HydroMet dataloggers and PLS systems thanks to an open communication protocol.

Optional Extras:
  • External temperature probe (can be used as a back of module temperature sensor)
  • Rain gauge Lufft WTB100