My VP2+ config is a standard ISS with solar/UV and a separate solar powered transmitter (6332OV) with the anemometer connected to it. This is working well. I have a problem with the solar/UV sensors in that they are shielded by buildings in the early morning and a tree in the evening. I could move the whole ISS up higher to avoid this, but that would probably affect the rain readings with wind effects higher up (the rain collector is relatively well shielded from the wind where it’s located.)
So I wondered whether I could remove the solar/UV sensor mount from the ISS and locate it on the anemometer mast. It could then connect to the 6332 transmitter used for the anemometer. The 6332 transmitter manual says that you can connect solar/UV sensors to it, but that transmitter then needs to be designated as an ISS. I think the rain sensor must also be connected to an ISS transmitter and a console can only listen to one ISS at a time. So it sounds like I can’t do what I want?
Has anyone done this and if so how did you set it up?
Long ago before some design changes, the Solar (and uv mount) were ‘loose’ or separate and connected with a typical RJ-plug into the ISS.
I had mine mounted maybe 10 above the ISS on a tower where the sunlight shading effect from trees was minimized, and just ran a length of flat wire extention down to plug in. Can you not just remove the sensors and you mention and extend them up, without doing the same for the wind and rain sensors?
Just a thought. Dale
The solar/UV sensors still plug in with an RJ-11 (?) plug and the mounting plate can be removed from the ISS because it’s still an optional extra. However, I’d need to engineer a 12-15ft mast/pole above the ISS to get the solar/UV sensors high enough to be out of the shadow of the tree in the evening. Unfortunately the tree belongs to next door so I can’t prune it to give more sky view to the West and my garden isn’t really big enough to mount the ISS in a better position.
I’ve already got the anemometer remote from the ISS on another mast with it’s own transmitter and that mast would be a great place to put the solar/UV sensors but I’m not sure it can be done.
Chris, you have exactly the same dilemma as me. There are a few solutions…
- Buy a Davis WLL, that will cope with any combination of transmitters and sensors. It costs though, and if you want historic data (for emulating a logger), then there is also a annual subscription.
- Buy a Meteobridge PRO, like the WLL it copes with any combination.
- Roll your own solution which is what I have done. I bought a Moteino board (a combined Arduino and radio module), this recevies the transmissions from my ISS (Id=2)and anemo transmitter, (id=1) extracts the solar data and combines it with the ISS and retransmits it as another ISS with id=3. Then you just tune your vp2 console to tx IDs 1 & 3.
I have made the Arduino code available.
Hi Mark
Thanks for the very useful info.
I deliberately didn’t buy a WLL when I got my station because the annual subscription seemed way too expensive for what it is, but then I guess that’s just Davis pricing. I have a MeteoBridge SD Nano in my console so I know that technology is good, but it would mean the Davis console would be useless. It seems a shame to make a £350 console redundant by buying a £360 Meteobridge Pro!
So, your Moteino approach sounds very interesting and as I have plenty of time to experiment it sounds like a fun project. The one thing I note is that the Moteino doesn’t appear to be available to buy in the UK. I’m wary of buying things like this from outside the UK (or EU for now) because the shipping costs + Tax/VAT + custom collection fees can often triple the cost of items around the price of a Moteino. What appears on the face of it to be a $20 item suddenly costs $60! Do you know if any of any devices more readily available in the UK will do the same thing, e.g. Adafruit Feather 32u4 Radio with RFM69HCW Module? That looks to be functionally similar (Arduino + 868MHz RFM69 transceiver module + USB port) and seems to be readily available for about £20.
Yep, I had to buy my Moteino from the USA, as you say you can get stung. But any Ardunio/RFM69 should work OK, the Moteino is just a nice package, and a built-in USB port for programming and power. It was a “fun” project for me too, but it has worked out really well. If you want to take it further, then I’m happy to chat via email.
I have my solar sensor mounter with the anemometer on my roof and both are cabled to the ISS in the garden. I was lucky to be able to cable them both because of their proximity to each other, I used standard Davis cable extension kit for the solar, the solar sensor is on a home made mount.
Stuart
Chris,
I had exactly the same problem as you with shadowing in the morning and evening. I also used the standard extension kit, and now my solar sensor is located at the top of my pole about 2m above the raingauge. It has been that way for about 8 years, and worked flawlessly. Just need to make sure you properly waterproof the connections.
Paul
I looked at doing that Stuart but the anemometer is about 15ft horizontally and 15 ft vertically from the ISS with a well used concrete path between that I can’t go under. The only sensible route for the cable would add 50-60ft of cable for the two sensors It’s not an ideal routing as it would be liable to being dug up as it would cross an actively planted area. I also don’t know whether 50-60ft of additional cable would cause problems with the sensors.
I’m going to go the route that Mark Crossley suggested with an Arduino ‘converter’. That will be an interesting project and preferable to hard work with a spade 
Hi Paul.
My ISS is already at the top of a fence post so I’d need to engineer some kind of extension to the post to get the solar sensors higher. not impossible but likely to be more expensive than the Arduino hardware/software solution.