I don’t have graphs on my own website but I upload to Wunderground - IENGLAND203 and Weathercloud, Darwen Lancashire.
When it stops receiving data, WD screen is “frozen”. But outdoor temp (3rd down on left of screen) goes blank. No updates of values and no movement of the graphs. When I restart WD the extraction fills in the graphs.
It’s not a battery problem as it’s a cabled system, not wireless.
I’m not too concerned about loss of, or incorrect, data for short periods (hours, not days)
Today I was looking at the 22023extralog.csv file and hum4, which I presume is UV, had odd readings.
I unplugged the UV sensor this afternoon and WD has been working ok… until a few minutes ago. It stopped at a count of 18208
The last data created logs at 23:16 but I can’t see any odd readings in any log file.
Well I can try, but there are backup batteries in the console and I have an in-line USB meter that’s showing 5.05v, but I’ll try a different power supply.
The fact WD is not logging data when “frozen” is an important clue. Next time it happens check the clock display on the WD console and see if it’s stuck. If the clock is not running then neither is WD.
WD clock still runs. Watching the screen, after a short time (1-2 minutes) the data quality flashes red and the outdoor temperature disappears from the main WD display.
Latest thing I’ve tried is deleting the WDISPLAY.ini cofig file and replacing it with the archived file from January (i.e. before the problems started)
Based on Brian’s comment that an out of range value may cause WD to stop logging, I was looking through the config file (comparing Jan with Feb) and noticed -
[Vp low soil] value2 was 1000.0 in Jan, 100.0 in Feb. I exited WD and changed it to 1000.0 and restarted WD
In the wiki I found -
%vpreception%…The recpetion of the data from the ISS status,Total packets received, Total packets missed, Number of resynchronizations, The largest number of packets in a row that were received., and the number of CRC errors detected
I think I’ve found that displayed with View/extra sensor info. Just looked at that now and shows zero errors. I’ll look again if/when data received stops. Note - this is a wired VP2, not wireless, so reception should always be 100%
That’s good info…it does sound like WD is ignoring data and still running. In the advanced setup there is an option to log raw data that I would try and see if you can catch an anomaly with your data values. I would ask Brian exactly which values can cause WD to stop logging, and why does WD not recover when readings return to “normal” levels. I’d also be curious to know if wind speed and direction have any influence on values passing WD’s sanity check.
I’m logging raw data but nothing unusual pops up until it stop receiving data. See pic.
I’ve emailed Brian and had some replies, but nothing specific. Only that an out of range reading could be the cause, but I’ve not found any that coincide with the stoppage.
And nothing appears in Program event log.
It’s a pity it’s not displaying ALL the data received. Is that possible with some setting that I haven’t discovered?
It’s frustrating because it will run ok for 10minutes or 4 hours or anything inbetween, so I can’t sit in front of the screen to watch the dials or readings in the main WD screen waiting for it to stop.
No progess so far but at least I can fill in the gaps when it stops with extraction from the Davis data logger.
Regarding sensors sending an strange value, so far I’ve run WD without solar or UV. WD still showed the problem. I suppose I could try unplugging wind or temp/humidity but I would need to leave WD running for 24 hours without them to see if they have any effect.
Another thing to try is a different PC in case there’s something about the serial port or its driver.
[Edit] Just noticed my “spare” laptop doesn’t have a serial port, only USB[\Edit]
Another possibilty is to use the Davis Weatherlink software for 24 hours to see if that captures any “out of range” values.
[Edit]Now running Weatherlink to see if it lists any strange values[\Edit]
I find it strange that the datalogger contains the data that for some reason was not sent to WD.
Another thing to try is a different PC in case there's something about the serial port or its driver.
You could try the 2wd.txt method to run another instance of WD. A great troubleshooting technique that isn’t well documented or understood, the FAQ explains how to use it.
Look for “Multiple instances of WD on same computer” (http://discourse.weather-watch.com/t/10889)
Another possibilty is to use the Davis Weatherlink software for 24 hours to see if that captures any "out of range" values.
[Edit]Now running Weatherlink to see if it lists any strange values[\Edit]
A great idea. Hopefully provides some clues to solve this mystery.
I’m running Weatherlink for 24 hours. Very important to note that it’s a cabled VP2+, not wireless.
Looking at the data/graphs in Weatherlink there are dips in ISS reception, one as low as 56%. I thought that shouldn’t happen with a cabled system.
But then I noted in the WeatherLink Help it states - The ISS Reception rate shows the percentage of wind data packets that have been successfully received by the Vantage Pro/Vantage Pro2 or Vantage Vue console.
Maybe some of the data packets are corrupt and that’s what WD is receiving? It’s worked fine for 18 months, so cable length is obviously not an issue.
I’ve unplugged all the connectors (including one in the loft which I’d forgotten about - an extension on the wind instrument) and cleaned the plugs. I use a toothbrush. You don’t want anything abrasive that could damage the gold plating.
As I expected, that did cause a dip in the ISS reception. I’ll monitor the ISS reception now for another 24 hours and see if the dips stop.
If that does turn out to be the cause, it’s a pity that WD can’t identify it in the debug info screen.
It does show VP reception 100% success with 23479 packets.
I looked at your WU data and noticed your wind speed/direction graphs have gaps of no data even though other graphs clearly show valid data. I seem to recall that WD has some reliance on wind data. There is a big difference between bad readings and no readings at all. Is it possible loop data will fail if zero wind speed/direction packets are present?
I don’t think so. Inside the cover of the ISS was surprising dry. I suspect that’s because although it’s a good fit it’s not completely sealed, so doesn’t allow condensation to accumulate. The only other connectors are indoors in the loft.
I haven’t actually looked at wunderground or weathercloud. I upload to both.
I’ll take a look. The issue only started early February and often it stopped in the middle of the night.
I’ll take a look at the WU graphs.
I’ve now some more “data”.
I exited WD 23/02/2023 21:55 and ran the Davis Weatherlink. I cleaned all the RJ connectors.
I ran WL for 24 hours and the only dip in the ISS reception graph was to 95.7% at exactly midnight. Maybe that’s a “feature” of WL while it might be updating daily records.
I’ve now restarted WD and extracted the Davis data (that took nearly 10 minutes! but it was about 38 hours of data at 1 minute intervals)
I’ll now keep an eye on how WD behaves and in the meantime have a look at wunderground graphs to see if I can see what NorCal Dan noticed.
Summary -
Vantage Pro2+, cabled, not wireless.
WD stopped receiving data at random times. 10 minutes or 8 hours or anything inbetween, after starting WD
After a couple of minutes (of not receiving data) data quality flashed red and outdoor temperature in main WD display went blank.
I couldn’t find any errors in any logs.
I ran the Davis WeatherLink software for 24 hours and noticed the ISS reception graph showing random dips.
I thought that being cabled it should be 100% or 0%.
The WeatherLink Help states The ISS Reception rate shows the percentage of wind data packets that have been successfully received by the Vantage Pro/Vantage Pro2 or Vantage Vue console.
My wind instrument has an extension cable with the RJ plugs and coupler in the (dry) loft. I unplugged those and cleaned the contacts with a toothbrush (Never use anything abrasive that could damage the gold plating of the contacts).
Replaced the plugs in the coupler and ran WeatherLink for 24 hours with no more random dips in ISS reception.
Restarted WD and now it has run for over 24 hours with no ‘data received’ issues.
Just hope it stays that way, but I’ll remember to clean all plug contacts if it happens again.
[Edit to add…] It seems just cleaning the plug contacts didn’t fully solve the problem. I’ve now tried to clean the socket contacts as well. I’m going to email Davis and see what they recommend. I’m not a big fan of Servisol, mentioned in a post I read. I’m hoping denatured alcohol is a better choice.
No doubt RJ4 connectors are a pain as they easily corrode if exposed to condensation and/or water. The telephone cable can also easily be compromised as they are not a good design for outdoor environments. The VP2 anemometer is cabled using an RJ4 connector in the ISS and I would definitely be checking that connector and cable.
I’ve used something like this → https://www.amazon.co.uk/VCELINK-Waterproof-Ethernet-Connector-Shielded/dp/B0B55PSQSD?ref_=ast_sto_dp to good effect to protect a joint in my anemometer cable. It’s been outside for a couple of years completely exposed to the elements and I’ve not had any problems. I know your loft is dry but as it’s probably outside your house insulation it probably can get cold and damp-ish, so it could be worth treating it as if it’s completely outdoors?
I’ve unplugged all the connectors in the ISS, one at a time, cleaned the sockets with a cotton bud dipped in ethanol and applied some Electrolube to the plugs. Now waiting to see if that’s had any effect.
My old 1-wire system used 8p8c RJ’s and I had very few problems over the 10 years or so it was in use, but the cable (4 twisted pairs) was specifically designed for outdoor use.
As it seems my problems are much more likely to be mechanical/electrical, rather than the WD software, I’ll suggest this thread is ended and further comments made on the weather station equipment list Davis VP2+ temperature sensor fault? where I’ve also posted about my problems. I’ll amend the subject here to remove the word solved.
I use the same type of joint cover on my cctv cable cameras. No problems with those.
I have a loft ladder and boarded loft so can get up there very easily. I did see some corrosion on the contacts in the in-line coupler (extension to the anemometer cable) so I replaced that and thought I had solved the problem when WeatherLink ISS reception graph stopped showing random dips (to as low as 60%).
As my reply to NorCal Dan, I think it’s better to continue on the weather station equipment list (subject started by me) so there won’t be two lists with very similar discussions.
