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Knowing this
0% open (5.0vdc)
25% open (6.5vdc)
50% open (8.0vdc)
75% open (9.5vdc)
100% open (11vdc)

Close enough and observation will do from there.

I had that backwards. 11 vdc is actually retracted and 5 vdc is extended. Scaling that will make it 0% = open and 100% = closed. My brain will never deal with that.

Now I have to figure out how to reverse the numbers. From what I gather, it's called an Inverse Function in algebra but I never could get my head wrapped around algebra. Video preview screens don't look promising.

Just spent 5 minutes redesigning the mechanical aspect of the tunnel sides so that when the actuators retract, it opens the sides. Now it will be 0% = closed and 100% = open; as soon as I rewatch a video tutorial on linear equations aka scaling. Gable vents and my seed room will be easy as they're small. Just add a 4" arm sticking out 90 degrees at the top and pull it down to open instead of pushing out on the bottom. It will actually work out better because the 4" actuator is 14" long and would stick out into the room that far. Had no idea how I was going to mount it like that. Now I can just mount it vertically against the wall. For the gable vents, I can mount the base end to the bottom of the vent frame.

I'm already using an arm on the sides so the redesign was simply mounting the stationary end of the actuator in the opposite direction to pull the arm instead of push. Way easier than algebra. Either way, it was going to need a counterweight like old house windows had as a helper. I'm going to set it up so I can open them by hand easily and then add the actuator.

If an actuator fails, I can pull the pins to detach it and open the side by hand. I can make an adjustable rod to use in it's place. One tube that slides inside another with holes for a pin to lock it in different positions. I fact, I think I'll do that to start so I can open/close manually until I can afford the motorization components. I already have the specs for the long actuators with distance between mounting pins when retracted/extended.

Full screen with the browser makes the tunnel PC look like a control panel.

This little display came with the rain gauge. The little arrow is pointing to where a decimal point should be (0.52). Only three digits so I don't know what happens after 9.99 inches.

Finally got the rain gauge connected to an input module. Every time the tipping bucket tips, a reed switch sends a pulse of voltage. The input module counts the pulses just like the display did. The 0.30" of rain reading below was just me tipping the tipping bucket back and forth to get a reading. I could tip it back and forth 22 more times until it reads the same 0.52 inches. Took a few tries tipping it several times at a time to get the reading to show which is why it made it to 0.30(30 tips at 0.01).

Tweaked the default colors in the browser and made it easy on the eyes.(screenshot) Reality looks mostly like this but a little like the phone pic above.

Now I have to figure out how often to reset the rain counter and how often to take a log and whether the log taking will be based on time duration like weekly or triggered by a value like 1.00 inches - or both.