Please Wait - Dowloading Data - why?

steve · **Posted:** Sat Feb 25, 2012 8:09 am

Feek wrote:

Is there any way to alert to these flatlines? ie if Cumulus sees all figures unchanged for [say] ten minutes, it can trigger an alert, be it audible, email, whatever?

It should flash the error light and report a 'data stopped' error, unless you've told it not to (via ReportDataStoppedErrors=0 cumulus.ini setting). You can also get it to restart on data stopped errors (station settings); it most likely won't be able to read any data, but at least it won't flatline.

If you have to reset the station to get it going again, don't you lose the data from the logger anyway, though?

Feek · **Posted:** Sat Feb 25, 2012 8:19 am

The error light was flashing but I suspect many people will be running Cumulus on headless computers and won't be watching it to see. A subtle low beeping could alert on certain errors. I don't think it's needed for ftp errors as I generally get one or two of those a day but they're nothing to worry about. I certainly don't keep an eye on my website all the time and so that's why it was nearly 24 hours before I noticed it had flatlined.

I thought that I was going to lose all the data when I pulled the batteries from the console but that wasn't the case. When I restarted Cumulus after doing that, it pulled a couple of hours worth of data out of the console, back to when my daughter reset the computer. I'm guessing that Cumulus assumed it had good data up until that point and so it didn't go back any further.

Super-T · **Posted:** Sat Feb 25, 2012 9:28 am

When you removed the batteries did you also unplug the USB?

Feek · **Posted:** Sat Feb 25, 2012 10:36 am

Yes. I had to reset the pressure to the correct local value once I put the battery back and plugged the USB back in.

I only removed one battery, the very top one. The display went blank and I had the beep when I put it back in after a few seconds.

pete_c · **Posted:** Sat Feb 25, 2012 6:12 pm

Steve,

Curious.

I have to remove and install the batteries now about twice in the last 3 weeks. I never had to do that with the previous before the 1030 build. (over 8 months or so on previous versions).

Could the issue be related to the USB communications and application causing the "hiccup'?

The reason I am asking is because I was going to move the Fine Offset weather station to FL. That said if it hiccups when I am not there I would have to find a remote means of removing the batteries/USB cable. For the cable piece I could just reboot the computer remotely.

I guess I could remove the batteries and use some sort of AC to DC adapter on a remote power switch. Its 4.5 VDC via batteries. Anyone out there doing this today maybe with a 5VDC PS?

steve · **Posted:** Sat Feb 25, 2012 8:27 pm

I'm prepared to accept that Cumulus might have something to do with the stations needing to be reset. After all, I'm working from very limited information about these stations and I don't really know what I'm doing. Until I wrote the code for the Fine Offset stations I had never written code to talk to a USB device before. However:

1. This problem apparently occurs when using other software too.
2. The code in Cumulus which interfaces with the USB/station hasn't changed in a very long time.
3. Cumulus never writes to the station, it only ever reads, so it's hard to see how it could cause an effect which isn't cleared by a reboot of Windows and instead needs the station to be reset.

pete_c · **Posted:** Sat Feb 25, 2012 10:26 pm

Understood and thank you Steve.

I wasn't aware that it happened with other weather software. First time it happened here was just a bit ago.

I currently have the Fine Offset connected to a W2003 machine. Its the only one though on the server rack that I use to access the Internet. Its MS updated and runs AVG Server edition and Malawarebytes Anti-malware.

Personally the fix has been just to take the batteries out/in and unplug/plug in the USB cable on the Fine Offset.

I'll move it over to another W2003 box that isn't used for anything but storage and see if that makes any difference. I also move the Fine Offset to a powered USB hub.

steve · **Posted:** Sun Feb 26, 2012 9:15 am

Have you been getting any 'sensor contact lost' messages? In a few cases where I've looked at diags files from people with this problem, in the period leading up to the lock up they were getting sensor contact lost. The diags files from the original poster in this thread were showing that, for example. Perhaps the station is trying to handle the loss of sensor contact and locks up, in some situations?

pete_c · **Posted:** Sun Feb 26, 2012 5:17 pm

Thank-you Steve,

I do get the "sensor lost" messages. I have always recieved those messages. Sometimes maybe once a week or so. I've never looked to coordinate those same said messages with the "downloading data" message/lockup.

The Fine Offset instruments are about 75 feet or so away from the console. The console is buried between servers in the basement; so most likely its not an ideal situation. I've never tried; but can connect the console to a USB to network device (IE: I utilize a Digi USB Anywhere and a similiar Lantronix box); and move it to the main floor/second floor of the house. Funny cuz the Davis weather instrument is literally hundreds of feet from the Davis console and it never loses connectivity. Will try moving the Fine Offset to an optimal location for reception of the signals.

Paul-G0HWC · **Posted:** Sat May 26, 2012 9:05 am

Hi Steve,

I have had 2 lockups in the last 3 days "downloading data" I have been looking through the
log files and it seems that I get a few "ftpQuitAnync Errcode = 500" then at the point when I
get "ftpPutAnync Errcode = 425" it all locks up ?

I have been running my W-8681 for around 2 months now with no problems and now this
twice in 3 days..

Only fix has been a full reset of station then when i re start Cumulus it downloads loads
of data and starts working again.

Paul

steve · **Posted:** Sat May 26, 2012 9:33 am

Paul-G0HWC wrote:

I have had 2 lockups in the last 3 days "downloading data" I have been looking through the
log files and it seems that I get a few "ftpQuitAnync Errcode = 500" then at the point when I
get "ftpPutAnync Errcode = 425" it all locks up ?

It's unlikely that ftp errors could be connected with the station locking up (or vice versa), but anything's possible.

Quote:

Only fix has been a full reset of station

It's the fact that a reset of the station is always required that makes me reasonably confident that this isn't a Cumulus issue.

Paul-G0HWC · **Posted:** Sat May 26, 2012 9:43 am

Here is my Diags zipped up

http://www.g0hwc.com/cumulus-diags.zip

Paul

steve · **Posted:** Sat May 26, 2012 11:28 am

Yes, it's the same issue reported earlier in this thread. The station stops responding to requests for data.

mooba · **Posted:** Wed May 30, 2012 2:12 pm

Update - from the original post I have to report that after Steves kind help I eventualy swapped out my base station at the begining of March. Things have been remarkably stable until a couple of days ago. Unrelated, the transmitter died, those nice Maplin chaps exchanged it without question. However, today, interesting weather approaching, big spots of rain, lightening and a crack of thunder - game over.
Resart; adopting proceedure already posted less steps 4 & 6. :?:

Paul-G0HWC · **Posted:** Fri Jun 01, 2012 12:16 pm

My W-8681 locked up again "downloading data" while I was off trucking round the
UK. If there is not a fix for this I would like advice on another weather station that
is not going to cost me a fortune that is more stable that this fine offset ?

Paul

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