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Latest Cumulus MX V3 release 3.28.6 (build 3283) - 21 March 2024
Cumulus MX V4 beta test release 4.0.0 (build 4017) - 17 March 2024
Legacy Cumulus 1 release v1.9.4 (build 1099) - 28 November 2014 (a patch is available for 1.9.4 build 1099 that extends the date range of drop-down menus to 2030)
Download the Software (Cumulus MX / Cumulus 1 and other related items) from the Wiki
Lost Sensor Contact!!
- hans
- Posts: 171
- Joined: Sun 18 Jan 2009 9:27 pm
- Weather Station: wh1080 /ws4000(alecto)
- Operating System: Windows 10 64 bit
- Location: leiden,Netherlands
- Contact:
Re: Lost Sensor Contact!!
you can try improving the reception of the station.
inside the basestation there is a wire alongside the pcb.
been a long time but i thought it was roughly 16cm long,which is a quarter wave length of 433mhz.
you can replace(!) the wire for a 34cm long one ,which is a 1/2 wave,that could give you abetter reception,if possible stick it outside the station.
inside the basestation there is a wire alongside the pcb.
been a long time but i thought it was roughly 16cm long,which is a quarter wave length of 433mhz.
you can replace(!) the wire for a 34cm long one ,which is a 1/2 wave,that could give you abetter reception,if possible stick it outside the station.
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- Posts: 556
- Joined: Fri 08 May 2009 3:12 pm
- Weather Station: Davis Vantage Vue
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Location: Pembrokeshire West Wales UK
- Contact:
Re: Lost Sensor Contact!!
I don't think that is the issue if they wont talk at a distance of a couple of metres.hans wrote:you can try improving the reception of the station..
.................................Sprang back to life sometime between 3.30 and 4.30 this afternoon. Logged in to Cumulus and we are back to normal... it seemed to have been saving data while out of touch so it looks like the problem is maintaining the link.
Furthermore I've just received an email from Maplins with a "Returns Number" (I will have to dismantle it and pack it up to send back to them) and they offer a replacement "if the engineers find a fault" .... I don't know how rigorous there 'testing' is, but I supect it will work fine for them if I do as they ask. It was bought last June 2009.
Decisions.....decisions!
- daj
- Posts: 2041
- Joined: Tue 29 Jul 2008 8:00 pm
- Weather Station: WH1081
- Operating System: Pi & MX
- Location: SW Scotland
- Contact:
Re: Lost Sensor Contact!!
This is exactly the same as my issue -- but what confuses me is 'what' is saving the data? I did not think the transmitter could, but as you say, when it comes back online there is valid data -- me confused!geoffw wrote:[... Logged in to Cumulus and we are back to normal... it seemed to have been saving data while out of touch so it looks like the problem is maintaining the link.
-
- Posts: 556
- Joined: Fri 08 May 2009 3:12 pm
- Weather Station: Davis Vantage Vue
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Location: Pembrokeshire West Wales UK
- Contact:
Re: Lost Sensor Contact!!
As Maplins have conditionally offered a replacement I think I must make it clear to them that this appears to me an intermittent fault, and not a complete failure of the unit. In other words I don't want them to test it and simply say it is working for them..daj wrote:This is exactly the same as my issue -- but what confuses me is 'what' is saving the data? I did not think the transmitter could, but as you say, when it comes back online there is valid data -- me confused!geoffw wrote:[... Logged in to Cumulus and we are back to normal... it seemed to have been saving data while out of touch so it looks like the problem is maintaining the link.
How old it yours Dave? - mine was purchased last June!
- steve
- Cumulus Author
- Posts: 26702
- Joined: Mon 02 Jun 2008 6:49 pm
- Weather Station: None
- Operating System: None
- Location: Vienne, France
- Contact:
Re: Lost Sensor Contact!!
I don't think the transmitter can be saving data.
The way the station works, there is no difference between 'current' data and 'archive' data. It has a set of 4000+ memory locations, and as each set of data comes in from the sensors, it writes that data to the current location. When the logger interval expires, it moves on to the next location, leaving behind the last set of readings. If it loses contact with the sensors, it sets a flag (a 'bit') as part of the data. So, if the lost sensor condition exists at the time it moves on to the next location, the archived data has the flags set. So even if sensor contact is lost for a period, it continues logging and moving on as usual.
I've looked at the Cumulus code and realised that it doesn't check the 'sensor lost' flag when it's processing archive data. It probably should. What surprises me is that you apparently don't get 'bad' data values. I would expect it to be storing some sort of 'invalid' value while sensor contact is lost. But you would notice if that was the case.
I've just noticed that mine has lost contact - I moved it earlier to look for something. I'll start up Cumulus now and see what I get.
The way the station works, there is no difference between 'current' data and 'archive' data. It has a set of 4000+ memory locations, and as each set of data comes in from the sensors, it writes that data to the current location. When the logger interval expires, it moves on to the next location, leaving behind the last set of readings. If it loses contact with the sensors, it sets a flag (a 'bit') as part of the data. So, if the lost sensor condition exists at the time it moves on to the next location, the archived data has the flags set. So even if sensor contact is lost for a period, it continues logging and moving on as usual.
I've looked at the Cumulus code and realised that it doesn't check the 'sensor lost' flag when it's processing archive data. It probably should. What surprises me is that you apparently don't get 'bad' data values. I would expect it to be storing some sort of 'invalid' value while sensor contact is lost. But you would notice if that was the case.
I've just noticed that mine has lost contact - I moved it earlier to look for something. I'll start up Cumulus now and see what I get.
Steve
- daj
- Posts: 2041
- Joined: Tue 29 Jul 2008 8:00 pm
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Re: Lost Sensor Contact!!
Aug 2008, so 18 monthsgeoffw wrote:How old it yours Dave? - mine was purchased last June!
- daj
- Posts: 2041
- Joined: Tue 29 Jul 2008 8:00 pm
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Re: Lost Sensor Contact!!
I don't think so either -- which therefore means that it is making periodic connections to the console and storing data. So when we do start backup we are getting some data. My logging interval is 10 minutes so I assume within that 10 minutes it is getting the data at least once as I have not really had any bad data (nothing obvious anyway)steve wrote:I don't think the transmitter can be saving data. .
-
- Posts: 1885
- Joined: Sat 21 Feb 2009 12:41 pm
- Weather Station: Nothing working ATM - making one
- Operating System: OS X, Linux Mint, Win7 & XP
- Location: Devon UK
Re: Lost Sensor Contact!!
Nothing worse than an intermittent fault
Gina
Sorry, no banner - weather station out of action. Hoping to be up and running with a new home-made one soon.
Sorry, no banner - weather station out of action. Hoping to be up and running with a new home-made one soon.
-
- Posts: 556
- Joined: Fri 08 May 2009 3:12 pm
- Weather Station: Davis Vantage Vue
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Location: Pembrokeshire West Wales UK
- Contact:
Re: Lost Sensor Contact!!
I think they are the worst kindGina wrote:Nothing worse than an intermittent fault
If it just goes dead, at least you know where you stand, Gina.
Here I am coming to the end of the guarantee period.
Do I dismantle it ....... send it back to Maplin ...... they check out and it works ........ have a dispute ........ finally get something back that may or may not work ...... have to set it all up again ...... loose weeks of data? ..... GRRH!
Do I accept these outage periods and do nothing?
Do I wait to see whether it fails again?
Do I hang on until the guarantee period ends and then I can't send it back?
I'll keep you all posted ..... so now to get on with my life and stop feeling sory for myself. I have a gate post to concrete in today!
- steve
- Cumulus Author
- Posts: 26702
- Joined: Mon 02 Jun 2008 6:49 pm
- Weather Station: None
- Operating System: None
- Location: Vienne, France
- Contact:
Re: Lost Sensor Contact!!
Don't forget your statutory rights under the Sale of Goods Act. Even after the guarantee period, a product has to work for a "reasonable" period of time.geoffw wrote:Here I am coming to the end of the guarantee period.
Steve
-
- Posts: 556
- Joined: Fri 08 May 2009 3:12 pm
- Weather Station: Davis Vantage Vue
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Location: Pembrokeshire West Wales UK
- Contact:
Re: Lost Sensor Contact!!
I've emailed Maplin's to see how long the Returns Number is valid so that I can at least wait till the Easter Holiday to go through the process of packing it, sending it back a waiting for their judgment. My weather station is linked our local primary school website http://www.spittalschool.org.uk/Pages/Weather.html Unless, of course it crashed out completely - which I suspect it will not do.steve wrote:Don't forget your statutory rights under the Sale of Goods Act. Even after the guarantee period, a product has to work for a "reasonable" period of time.geoffw wrote:Here I am coming to the end of the guarantee period.
I've just had a thought though ....... Could it be the result of the newly active SUN? A precursor to the Solar Storms that are going to trash the World's Communications very soon .......doom!.......doom!
-
- Posts: 1885
- Joined: Sat 21 Feb 2009 12:41 pm
- Weather Station: Nothing working ATM - making one
- Operating System: OS X, Linux Mint, Win7 & XP
- Location: Devon UK
Re: Lost Sensor Contact!!
I can certainly see the problems with returning it to Maplin - I'll give the problem some more thought. You're losing all outdoor data, aren't you? Does the console say you've lost contact? Most common cause of intermittent trouble is bad connections. Were the battery contacts clean?
I noticed you said it seemed to have data for when it was not working - could you attach the data files please? I would expect to see normal data for the indoor sensors but nothing (zero?) for the outdoor ones.
I think there's probably a few things to check before returning it. I can imagine how fed up you are with it!
I noticed you said it seemed to have data for when it was not working - could you attach the data files please? I would expect to see normal data for the indoor sensors but nothing (zero?) for the outdoor ones.
I think there's probably a few things to check before returning it. I can imagine how fed up you are with it!
Gina
Sorry, no banner - weather station out of action. Hoping to be up and running with a new home-made one soon.
Sorry, no banner - weather station out of action. Hoping to be up and running with a new home-made one soon.
- steve
- Cumulus Author
- Posts: 26702
- Joined: Mon 02 Jun 2008 6:49 pm
- Weather Station: None
- Operating System: None
- Location: Vienne, France
- Contact:
Re: Lost Sensor Contact!!
I've been trying to find out what it logs when it loses contact with the sensors, but annoyingly I can't actually get mine to lose contact at the moment (within the confines of my desk).Gina wrote:I would expect to see normal data for the indoor sensors but nothing (zero?) for the outdoor ones.
Steve
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- Posts: 363
- Joined: Thu 04 Feb 2010 12:22 pm
- Weather Station: 1wire-Cumulus & Fine Offset
- Operating System: Windows 7
- Location: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
Re: Lost Sensor Contact!!
Wrap it in tinfoil to make it lose contact?
-
- Posts: 1885
- Joined: Sat 21 Feb 2009 12:41 pm
- Weather Station: Nothing working ATM - making one
- Operating System: OS X, Linux Mint, Win7 & XP
- Location: Devon UK
Re: Lost Sensor Contact!!
Decided to check this out myself. Booted up into Win XP and installed Cumulus. Set it up and connected the console. Data transfer fine So I next tried to lose the signal from the outside sensors. Moving the console about withing range of the USB cable and the extension cable, I failed to lose the signal. So tried wrapping the console in baking foil. Guess what?!... It's still receiving!! Quite amazing. Want a good reliable signal - have problems... Try to lose the signal and it's rock solid!!! I'll have to connect it with a gert long USB extension cable and stick it behind a radiator or the Rayburn or something.
I'll be back...
I'll be back...
Gina
Sorry, no banner - weather station out of action. Hoping to be up and running with a new home-made one soon.
Sorry, no banner - weather station out of action. Hoping to be up and running with a new home-made one soon.