Ecowitt LDS-01 Rain Barrel Mount

This print holds an Ecowitt LDS-01 on top of a rain barrel. 

I purchased rain barrels through rainbarrel.ca  and wanted to mount my new Ecowitt LDS-01 laser distance sensor to be able to determine the amount of water in the barrel. These rain barrels have a center hole with a mesh screen to keep bugs, critters, and debris out of the barrel. The center insert that came with the barrel is 2 parts, a mounting ring and a central mesh ring that is inserted in the mounting ring. 

This model replaces the main mounting ring with one that the mesh ring can be place into, and a hole cut in the mesh to allow the LDS-01 to view through the center. This keeps the functionality of the strainer intact while allowing the LDS-01 to sit high enough to be out of the standing water.

The main ring holds a 145mm mesh ring, and mounts into a 151-155mm hole in the rain barrel lid. There are pre-"drilled" screw locations, I just used the screws that came with the LDS-01. 

Printing instructions 

• Recommend PETG or other outdoor friendly filament.
• Print as the STL is oriented.
• Print the ring with supports.
• Recommend printing ring at 100% or increase shell thickness to make solid. 
• The separate mount can be 30%+

Assembly Instructions 

1. Before assembly, place ring in top of rain barrel and use a measuring tape to measure from the bottom of the barrel to the top edge of the inner ring the sensor points through. Convert to decimal units. Use this as your depth setting for the LDS-01 calibration settings in your Ecowitt hub.
2. Screw gray LDS-01 bracket into top of mount.
3. Press fit mesh ring into base.
4. Hold upside down, place ring onto bottom of mount, and pull mesh smooth. 
5. Screw ring to mount though the mesh. Make sure there is little to no gap between components. 
6. Use a razor blade to cut out the mesh. 
7. Press LDS-01 into gray bracket. Place this print in the hole and mount the rest of the LDS components nearby or leave them on top of the barrel. You may need to adjust the angle of the components to get them to sit level if your rain barrel is not already leveled. 

Some ideas for a v2 if you want to remix it (I threw this together in tinkercad, these .stl's are the best I can share)

• A way to clip the ring into the barrel lid securely, like a big screw ring? press fit clips? (I use a combination of gravity and a brick that holds the downspout in place)
• A little more clearance in the mesh ring space. Its a tight fit and would likely require prying it out. 
• A more secure way to hold the cut mesh in the middle. Its just clamped in between the two pieces, maybe some kind of spikey pattern to better hold it.