Sandaysoft

It's still not clear exactly what you're doing. If you're running the same copy of Cumulus swapping back and forth between two different weather stations you will inevitably get rainfall issues. Other than what's in the FAQ, the pressure and wind readings should be correct (the wind reading will be affected by your loss of sensor contact). You're selecting the correct weather station type?

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Steve
Sanday Weather
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OK - it looks like I am somewhat misguided. I have indeed been swapping over between the two stations using the same Cumulus.I did make sure that I disconnected the 1080 and waited a few minutes.I then reset the 3080 LCD and changed the settings so that they would match up with the settings used for 1080 like wind speed in mph etc. this took a little time - thus there was a gap before the readings from the 3080 started to upload & no overlap. I assumed ( obviously wrongly) that the new readings would just carry on where the old ones left off. Just a point - the 3080 LCD was showing pretty accurate readings straight from the default settings - just not going into Cumulus. I should point out that I have not downloaded my new copy of Easyweather as I reasoned that 2 copies on the same computer would probably also cause problems.

My big fear is that I have nearly 3 years of records so didn't want to lose continuity.
Please advise ?

Cheers,
Chris - clearly not a computer wizard!!

Cheers,
Chris

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http://www.burnhamthorpeweather.co.uk

Cumulus uses the rain total counter from the rain sensor to keep track of rain, it's the only value the station supplies. Your two stations will have different totals stored, so swapping between the two will cause Cumulus to lose track of the rain figures and give incorrect values.

If it's the units on the console that you're changing, that doesn't make any difference, Cumulus uses the units that you have configured in Cumulus.

If you are running the same copy of Cumulus with the 1080 and the 3080, how are you changing the station type? If you try to use a 3080 with the 1080 station type, then any data downloaded from the logger will be incorrect (the format of the logger entries is different).

Cumulus copes reasonably well with changing from one station to another so long as you change the station type correctly and amend the rainfall data when you change, if required.

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Steve
Sanday Weather
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Many thanks for the various comments & advice. I decided in the end to make a backup copy of Cumulus 1.9.1 that I had happily used with the 1080 & I have stored it in 'Documents" out of the way so my records are safe. I then removed any other Cumulus from the laptop (Acer - Windows Vista) I then did a clean installation of 1.9.2,onto the C drive, organised the settings etc. & connected 3080 via USB. It worked fine & with some help from Dave - dc1500 - managed to get it back on the web. The clean installation is producing the data OK. I am adjusting the web files to the way I had them set up before but with the new parameters such as Solar & Lux . I will remove evapotranspiration when I get round to it & make other slight changes in good time.
The main problem is that the Console keeps cutting out whatever I try to do. I have moved it around, away from my wifi & computer,
I added a coiled USB extension cable - I have put a ferrite ring filter on the USB cable - all to no avail.The transmitter is no more than 20feet away from the console. It can cut out as much as every 4 minutes - the inside data returns almost immediately but the external data can take a couple of minutes to return. I don't think it can be the batteries - I charged them before putting them in only a few days ago. I'm not sure how you can check if they are OK by looking at the console. If I disconnect the USB the console does not lose contact. A few days ago I did a trial run of 1.9.2 on my Apple Mac using XP & it did not cut out at all. The obvious answer would seem to be to run my web site from the Apple but this is not possible as this lip top has to be moved around quite a bit & it is not convenient to have a console & USB lead tagging along. Is it time to think about returning the console to Signatrol? I don't think that the data is being lost but the beep of the alarm every few minutes is infuriating.

Cheers,
Chris

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http://www.burnhamthorpeweather.co.uk

Hi Chris,

That it's working fine on the Apple rather implies that it's your (Windows) computer hardware causing the problem. Maybe just an "unfortunate" clock frequency creating interference or perhaps a USB glitch. Otherwise, I would consider returning it to Signatrol as a lot of 3080s do seem to have problems.

I don't really understand this. Are you saying that the whole LCD goes blank? What makes the beep, the console or the PC (e.g. the USB disconnect/connect alarm)? Do you hear the relay in the console click when the USB is plugged in and out, or at any other time?

I wouldn't be too sure, do you have a proper battery charger for rechargeable alkalines? However, if the battery voltage is low then a "Low TX" icon should appear on the LCD. But I would certainly try a pair of fresh normal alkalines in the transmitter, you're not going to have any risk of them being "over-charged" by the solar unit at this time of the year.

I must say that I'm currently experiencing some mysterious USB-disconnect issues, but only with my "test" 1080 (the 1081 is fine so it's not a cable or PC fault). It only occurs when I unplug one specific piece of mains equipment, which suggests radio interference, perhaps into the RCC circuit(s).

Cheers, Alan.

Hi Alan,
Thanks for your reply.
It is still running on XP on the Apple - Vista on the Acer. Not quite sure what you mean by an "unfortunate" clock frequency.The 1080 ran on the Acer laptop for nearly 3 years without any connection problems whatsoever - that was on 868.3MHz. The 3080 is on 433MHz. I have tried both USB cables - the old one & the new one but it makes no difference.
The bleep comes from the console - not the computer. The screen of the console goes blank except for the pressure reading which has just changed from 1013.2 to the figures 2748 (different each time)- in the date it showed 3.80 & then reverts back to 1. 1 & the clock resets to 12.00 , then the other figures appear & pressure goes back to normal. I can hear a click when the USB is pulled in & out of the console but the corresponding bleep drowns out any other noise when it cuts out. The laptop makes a noise when I remove or replace the USB but not when the console loses contact.
Is there a special battery charger for alkaline batteries? I charged them with a Rayovac Battery charger that I use for Nickel hydride rechargeables. I charged the alkalines before I put them in outside & the console picked up the external readings.Certainly no Low TX on the console. When it goes off the radio symbol appears in the top right corner of the console above the external relative humidity symbol I disappears when the readings come through.


Cheers,
Chris

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http://www.burnhamthorpeweather.co.uk

Hi Chris,

The "headline" frequency of a computer (e.g. 2.2GHz or whatever) only occurs within the microprocessor, but there are much lower frequencies on the motherboard, so it's just possible that the Acer radiates a "subharmonic" in the 434MHz band which interferes with the radio transmissions. However, the general behaviour of your console sounds as if it has a hardware fault which causes it to "crash" regularly, so a return under warranty may be required.

NiMH cells nominally work at 1.2 volts but alkalines at 1.5 volts (and they have other operational differences) so AFAIK different chargers are nearly always required. The simplest NiMH chargers just "push" some current into the cell(s), usually for a fixed time, so they may charge up alkalines as well, to some extent. But most chargers are now of the "intelligent" type and stop charging when each cell reaches about 1.45 volts, which is unlikely to charge an alkaline effectively.

The available "alkaline chargers" are actually intended (or claimed) to recharge NON-rechargeable alkalines. However the general view is that they are a waste of money as they only produce a very small recharge capacity and few satisfactory discharge cycles. Chargers specifically for rechargeable alkalines are rare, as are the cells themselves! Rechargeable alkalines are so inferior to NiMH and other technologies that I think they are only used by manufacturers who can obtain them very cheaply (and of course the voltage is "compatible" with normal alkalines so they don't have to modify the "low battery" detection, etc.).

Cheers, Alan.

Hi Alan,
I phoned up Signatrol & was put through to Martin who thinks that it is a USB socket problem. He is putting me another console in the post today to try. Very helpful. Will keep you informed.

Cheers,
Chris

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http://www.burnhamthorpeweather.co.uk

Great news - the console from Martin at Signitrol arrived today & is up & running - it has not cut out once, so it was clearly a hardware problem. Great service, I only phoned him up yesterday. Many thanks.

Cheers,
Chris

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http://www.burnhamthorpeweather.co.uk

Have a look at the thread with pictures of the internals of the WH1080 (the WH3080 base station would have similar electronics).
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=640

There is a relay that switches out the batteries when the USB is plugged in. The relay is powered from the computer's USB +5v. It does this so that the USB power doesn't attempt to charge the batteries.

The problem you had with your first unit possibly could have been a fault with the components around the relay. Maybe a faulty or missing electrolytic capacitor. The capacitor holds enough charge to run the microprocessor in the WH3080 while the relay is switching over. If the capacitor is faulty or missing, it could cause the unit to reset when plugging or unplugging the USB cable. Otherwise, it could cause the microprocessor to glitch and lose sync with the sensor transmitter, which explains why some of your readings have gone blank.

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