How does a tipping bucket stainless steel rain gauge work?

The tipping bucket rain gauge works by counting the number of times the tipping bucket falls. Made of stainless steel, the tipping bucket is divided into two half-cone chambers of equal volume by a central partition, forming a mechanical bistable structure.

When one chamber receives water, the other remains on standby. Rainwater collected by the receiving port enters the metering bucket through a funnel. As the received rainwater reaches 0.2mm, the chamber overturns due to gravity, entering a standby state. The other chamber then begins to receive water.

Upon reaching the predetermined volume, the bucket overturns again, continuing the cycle. Magnetic steel on the sidewall of the tipping bucket scans the dry reed tube as the bucket flips, turning it on and off. Each time the tipping bucket overturns, the dry reed tube switches on and sends out a pulse or 485 signal. This is the working principle of the stainless steel tipping bucket rain gauge.