Photo 2a—The main parts of the finished tipping bucket rain gauge are housed in a piece of 6² aluminum pipe. Water drains out of the bottom, which is screened to keep out insects. b—The tipping bucket’s design is the same in the finished unit as it is in the prototype. The optointerrupter is blocked most of the time. It unblocks momentarily when the bucket tips. I didn’t use a connector because I was concerned about water damage.

a)

b)