WXforum.net
Weather Station Hardware => AcuRite Weather Stations => Topic started by: txagwx on November 02, 2011, 11:10:01 AM
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My comparisons:
Acurite reads slightly warmer than the Vantage Vue (about 1F). In full sunlight (direct) the Acurite is about 1-2F warmer than the Vue. However, when the sun sets and the Vue shield gets hit by radiation, the Vue reads warmer. At night they are within 1F of each other.
Last rain I had: .68" Acurite, .66 Vue, .63 NWS clear 11" gauge.
Wind gusts are about the same.
Dewpoint sensor reads slightly lower than the Vue. Obviously the wind cups on the Acurite are more sensitive -- I like that. But the vane is too chaotic (needs more weight).
More info later.
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dew point sensor?
do you mean instead that the humidity reading is lower on the accurite, i.e given a warmer temperature, the resultant dew point is lower...
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No, the dewpoint (or rh) reads slightly lower than the Vue. I think the Vue reads a little too moist.
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how do you mean no?
as that is what I was explaining.
How do you know the Vue is reading too high for humidity-> dew point?
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The Vue has higher humidity (dewpoint) when both stations are near the same temp.
Furthermore, my Vue reads a little higher than a nearby ASOS.
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Furthermore, my Vue reads a little higher than a nearby ASOS.
for dew point?
how far away is the ASOS station
and how much is a little higher exactly?
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No, the dewpoint (or rh) reads slightly lower than the Vue. I think the Vue reads a little too moist.
Is the Vue reading to moist or is the acu-rite reading too dry? If you have any local PWS's around you on the Wunderground or CWOP networks you can compair the readings. Maybe the Vue is too moist maybe or the Acu-rite is too dry.
My WMR100, I bought 2 THGR810's for it last year and they seems to be lower than my Vantage Pro2, and my Vantage Pro2 compairs with all other stations in the area. It uses the standard (passive) radiation sheild. The Acu-rite's 5 N 1 uses a solar powered fan.
Do you use the 3 N 1 or the 5 N 1 sensor configurations?
The 3 N 1 doesn't have the wind vane or rain gauge.
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Is the Vue reading to moist or is the acu-rite reading too dry? If you have any local PWS's around you
he said he is comparing to a nearby ASOS station
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Is the Vue reading to moist or is the acu-rite reading too dry? If you have any local PWS's around you
he said he is comparing to a nearby ASOS station
Like what you asked earlier, how far is it? I've had events where all stations to the east of me are reading cooler or dryer than those to the west or vis versa. Gauging accuracy can be a science in it's self. So we can define "accurate" and go around in circles. I pay attention MADIS Quality cheaks, but they use the same formula of compairing to closest stations. If you live in a contry area this can be tricky. That's why I've learned to be sceptical. Even though I'm in a suburban area surrounded by what seems like a family of stations. It can be hard to gauge accuracy.
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My comparisons:
Acurite reads slightly warmer than the Vantage Vue (about 1F). In full sunlight (direct) the Acurite is about 1-2F warmer than the Vue. However, when the sun sets and the Vue shield gets hit by radiation, the Vue reads warmer. At night they are within 1F of each other.
If your nick indicates you are in TX, then you probably won't be able to answer my next question...
How does it compare when it gets cold? Unless Acu-Rite is using different temp sensors for the "professional" WS, I have found that for temps below about 40F the various garden-center specials consistently start to creep toward warm. I usually have a few of them in my van for work to take course measurements (min/max recording in equipment closets just to verify if A/C is running). For example, when my other thermometers indicate 32F before sunrise, the Acu-Rites might read 36F. If it gets down to 20F (rare here) it may read 28F.
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My comparisons:
Acurite reads slightly warmer than the Vantage Vue (about 1F). In full sunlight (direct) the Acurite is about 1-2F warmer than the Vue. However, when the sun sets and the Vue shield gets hit by radiation, the Vue reads warmer. At night they are within 1F of each other.
If your nick indicates you are in TX, then you probably won't be able to answer my next question...
How does it compare when it gets cold? Unless Acu-Rite is using different temp sensors for the "professional" WS, I have found that for temps below about 40F the various garden-center specials consistently start to creep toward warm. I usually have a few of them in my van for work to take course measurements (min/max recording in equipment closets just to verify if A/C is running). For example, when my other thermometers indicate 32F before sunrise, the Acu-Rites might read 36F. If it gets down to 20F (rare here) it may read 28F.
I verified with Rhino that these Acu-Rite stations are using the same temp/humidty sensor element chip that Davis and other mfr's are using, the Sensirion SHTxx (http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss324/DanS_photo_09/TempHumid.jpg) . But the firmware used in the various stations to calculate Dewpoint could give different results.
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I verified with Rhino that these Acu-Rite stations are using the same temp/humidty sensor element chip that Davis and other mfr's are using
That's important to know. Thanks for your research.
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Interesting that they are using the same chip.
I am expecting 34F tonight, so should see how it compares. So far I have been impressed with the solar fan aspiration as it compares reasonably well with the vantage vue. I just hope it will be soon that they get the bridge so I can start posting it to the internet.
The ASOS is only 2.5 miles from my house, and the dewpoint sensor there reads about 1-2F cooler than my vantage vue.
The other Davis's read the same as mine, so maybe an error in the ASOS or Davis.
Anybody buy the accurite 8" weather station from walmart that has the solar radiation shield and wind? How does that radiation shield work? Thought about buying one for my father in-law.
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My comparisons:
Acurite reads slightly warmer than the Vantage Vue (about 1F). In full sunlight (direct) the Acurite is about 1-2F warmer than the Vue. However, when the sun sets and the Vue shield gets hit by radiation, the Vue reads warmer. At night they are within 1F of each other.
If your nick indicates you are in TX, then you probably won't be able to answer my next question...
How does it compare when it gets cold? Unless Acu-Rite is using different temp sensors for the "professional" WS, I have found that for temps below about 40F the various garden-center specials consistently start to creep toward warm. I usually have a few of them in my van for work to take course measurements (min/max recording in equipment closets just to verify if A/C is running). For example, when my other thermometers indicate 32F before sunrise, the Acu-Rites might read 36F. If it gets down to 20F (rare here) it may read 28F.
I verified with Rhino that these Acu-Rite stations are using the same temp/humidty sensor element chip that Davis and other mfr's are using, the Sensirion SHTxx (http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss324/DanS_photo_09/TempHumid.jpg) . But the firmware used in the various stations to calculate Dewpoint could give different results.
Really? the EXACT same one? Unless the exact model number is given there could be significant differences.
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My comparisons:
Acurite reads slightly warmer than the Vantage Vue (about 1F). In full sunlight (direct) the Acurite is about 1-2F warmer than the Vue. However, when the sun sets and the Vue shield gets hit by radiation, the Vue reads warmer. At night they are within 1F of each other.
If your nick indicates you are in TX, then you probably won't be able to answer my next question...
How does it compare when it gets cold? Unless Acu-Rite is using different temp sensors for the "professional" WS, I have found that for temps below about 40F the various garden-center specials consistently start to creep toward warm. I usually have a few of them in my van for work to take course measurements (min/max recording in equipment closets just to verify if A/C is running). For example, when my other thermometers indicate 32F before sunrise, the Acu-Rites might read 36F. If it gets down to 20F (rare here) it may read 28F.
I verified with Rhino that these Acu-Rite stations are using the same temp/humidty sensor element chip that Davis and other mfr's are using, the Sensirion SHTxx (http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss324/DanS_photo_09/TempHumid.jpg) . But the firmware used in the various stations to calculate Dewpoint could give different results.
Really? the EXACT same one? Unless the exact model number is given there could be significant differences.
with the production code stamped on, (http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss324/DanS_photo_09/DavisTempChip.jpg)
Of course there are the individual chip tolerances, station placement/environment, etc. to consider that can vary the readings from station to station.
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Last night both the Acurite and the Vue read the same. Low was 34F this morning, dewpoint sensors were about the same.
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Hey guys- gotta clear this up- there was a misunderstanding. Acurite does NOT use the exact same sensor component as Davis- uses the same TYPE of capacitive sensor:
AcuRite Humidity Sensor:
Sentrion industrial grade capacitive type humidity sensor module
Supply Voltage: DC 2.5 ~ 3.3V
Current Consumption: 150 ~ 200uA
Operating Temperature Range: -40 ~ 90ºC
Operating Humidity Range: 1 ~ 99%RH
Accuracy: +/-5%RH (at 5ºC ~60ºC)
Hysteresis: +/-1%RH (30 ~ 90%RH)
Repeatability: +/- 0.5%RH
Response Time: 10 sec.
Temperature Dependence: 0.57%RH/ºC (5ºC ~ 45ºC)
Long Term Stability: +/- 0.5%RH/ yr.
Sorry for the confusion!
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That makes a bit more sense that you use the SENTRION . Thanks for clarifying that Accurite does not use the Sensiron sensor (retails for ~$20/piece). The specs are quite a bit different than the SENSIRON (note the similarity in name ! ) units. I guess you are using the GHM50 from SenTrion?
EDIT: I just checked pricing: Sentrion sensors go for about a a buck and a quarter each
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Woah! Yeah, those are retail prices for one sensor- way out of wack. The Sensiron sensor is certainly not worth $19 more. Lacrosse actually uses that same Sensiron sensor in allot of it's low end thermometers that retail for $8-$20.
Truth is, at our high volumes both the sensiron and sentrion sensors are comparable. We saw very similar performance out of these sensors going back through almost 2 years of testing.
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The SHT and Sentrion sensors have vastly different performance so I am not sure how you could say they perform the same. But I will grant you that once you price in the tens of thousands of pieces, prices get much closer.
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The specs do indeed show variances- but the VUE and the AcuRite 5n1 I have testing are always within a few degrees of each other. Real world tests show that they are similar in performance. Many folks, including some on this forum, are also reporting readings of AcuRite and VUE very much in-line with each other.
I have been very happy with how the AcuRite 5N1 stacks up against the competition.
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I agree that initial testing results are promising for a value priced unit. But there is no way that an SHT with 2% accuracy will not deliver better results than your sensor (5%)
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Hey guys- gotta clear this up- there was a misunderstanding. Acurite does NOT use the exact same sensor component as Davis- uses the same TYPE of capacitive sensor:
AcuRite Humidity Sensor:
Sentrion industrial grade capacitive type humidity sensor module
Supply Voltage: DC 2.5 ~ 3.3V
Current Consumption: 150 ~ 200uA
Operating Temperature Range: -40 ~ 90ºC
Operating Humidity Range: 1 ~ 99%RH
Accuracy: +/-5%RH (at 5ºC ~60ºC)
Hysteresis: +/-1%RH (30 ~ 90%RH)
Repeatability: +/- 0.5%RH
Response Time: 10 sec.
Temperature Dependence: 0.57%RH/ºC (5ºC ~ 45ºC)
Long Term Stability: +/- 0.5%RH/ yr.
Sorry for the confusion!
mental note corrected here. guess the similarity in the chip mfr. names caused the mix up in our PM's. #-o I see 'Sentrion's' VFC-1 now. First I've heard of them.
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In my side-by-side comparison of the 5-n-1 and the Vue; I see less than 1ºF difference in the temperatures displayed on the consoles. I have no calibration factor set into either console. I have the Vue sending data to a VP2 console with temperature displayed in tenths of a degree. The Acu-Rite 1010 and 1015 consoles display in whole degrees only. Occasionally rounding causes the temperature to indicate 1 degree difference. I have the 5-N-1 and the Vue mounted on a 'T' at the top of the same mast at the same level.
I also have the 3-N-1 sensor but it's mounted on a dormer near the roof. It's warmer so I never monitor the temperature up there. I use that sensor for wind speed.
http://www.lexingtonwx.com/assets/images/webcam.jpg (http://www.lexingtonwx.com/assets/images/webcam.jpg) Acu-Rite and Vue side by side.
Note: the NWS Nimbux max/min temp system uses an analog RTD sensor.
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Do you have a picture of the sensors outside? That is so cool that you are comparing it the MMTS.
I have been looking to find a nimbus / mmts, but can't find one anywhere.
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Had some rain today...
Acurite .80
Vantage Vue .80
NWS 11 gauge .73 (don't know why this seems to under report).
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Do you have a picture of the sensors outside? That is so cool that you are comparing it the MMTS
Attached is a picture of the Downtown Lexington wx sensors.
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rain today:
Accurite 1.33
Davis 1.23
NWS 4": 1.22
Accurite 4" gage: 1.25
So far I have been impressed with the accurite...especially for the price.
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but that result shows the accurite overead by a significant amount
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but that result shows the accurite overead by a significant amount
It was a classic hp supercell downpour. I got all of that it in minutes, and my accurite is about 50 feet away.
My vue clocked 9"/hr rainfall rate!
I trust it.
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50 ft away from the other rain gauges?
if so then you are not going to be able to compare as well to the other gauges
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50 ft away from the other rain gauges?
if so then you are not going to be able to compare as well to the other gauges
I had it right next to it last few times....seems very close to the Davis. Believe me, I have 4-5 rain gauges in my backyard, and none of them read the same. With heavy down pours in Houston, you can easily differences of .05 to .10.
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I know this is an old thread, but thought I'd throw in my $.02. I've had an Acurite 5-in-1 for about 8 months now and I just bought the Davis Vantage Vue about a month ago. They are both mounted on the same pole, but the davis is about 3 feet higher than the Acurite. I've noticed that sometimes they are exactly the same and others they times they are off by up to 5 degrees. For example, right now we're are at the tail end of a snowstorm here in MN, so it's overcast the snow has ended and there's a light wind.
Davis Vantage Vue:
Temp: 28.2
Dew Point: 25.1
Acurite 5-in-1
Temp: 33
Dew Point: 30.1
There are 2 other Davis stations, another Vantage Vue and an Pro 2 near me that are reporting 27 to Weather Underground.
Both are in full sun and I upgraded the Acurite to have the Pro anemometer so it has the dual solar panel for more accurate temps. The fan is starting to sound sick though, you can hear it making noise so I don't know how long it's going to last. From what I've noticed so far, the Acurite seems to fluctuate in it's temps more than the Davis. But they are pretty close most of the time.
What did it for me was when we had a week of record low temps here at the end of January and I look at my Acurite console and it said it was -6 (for the high temp for the day), whereas on Weather Underground most others in the area were reporting -15 so that was the last straw for me. I'm also thinking of modding the Davis to add a fan aspirated radiation shield maybe when all this snow melts.
Anyway, just thought I'd throw that in there.
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Pretty often other local wu sites near me read 10deg F above mine (typically at night when it is very cold and there is little or no wind). I put out a glass thermometer to verify the 5-1 and the 5-1 is always correct.
Your immediate micro-climate could have an effect on differences between your unit and the others in your area (but not your Vue). Which is correct your Vue or your 5-1?
Eight months for a 5-1 to start failing sounds premature. The 5-1 motor is pretty noisy but steady. Is yours making new and different sounds compared to when new?
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Usually the Davis is more in line with the other ones around, but it varies. Sometimes the direct sun on the radiation shield makes it warmer though.
Overall for me it was worth it to upgrade, because of the 2.5 second updates and being able to use rapid fire on Weather Underground using WeeWx. Also the Acurite console would often return bad data and I had to resort to using an SDR and different sensor to get pressure. Haven't had any bad data issues with Davis, at least not yet. From what I've read Acurite refuses to give any technical specs out so the WeeWx developers had to reverse engineer to get it to work. Not so with Davis and because of that there is better support.
My plan is to eventually upgrade to a VP2, but that will be down the line.
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I'm also thinking of modding the Davis to add a fan aspirated radiation shield maybe when all this snow melts.
With a Vue, that'll be next to impossible without completely changing the physical structure of the ISS. The VP2 however, is easily modded.
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I found in the Winter months, the single solar panel aspirator worked better than the dual. I think the sun angle is worse and doesn't fire the fan up to full power.
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I don't have a direct comparison but the two stations closest to me (less than .5 miles) are both Vantage Pro 2s and during the middle of the day, even if it's overcast, they have been reading 2 or 3 degrees below my 5 in 1. At night we match up pretty well. It could be that the 5 in 1's solar panel is covered in snow right now.
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I've got two 5-n-1s and a Davis VP2 running on my property. The Davis and one of the Acurite's are on the same mast, and the other Acurite is 500 feet away on a 4x4 post.
The Acurite stations ALWAYS read higher than the Davis station. In clouds or hours of darkness, it's usually about 1°F. In sunshine I've seen it as much as 5°F higher. This summer when it's actually hot outside, I expect that the Acurite may go as much as 10°F too high.
For the money spent, the 5-n-1 does an excellent job. But the housing and aspirating fan just can't keep up with sunshine. That's where the Davis unit excels.
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Wow. This is an old thread. Here's some history to avoid confusion.
The older section is from 2011 when the 5n1 used a two-chip setup (Sentrion?) for the temp-humidity module.
In 2012 the 5n1 design changed to use the Sensirion (not Sentrion) SHT21. About this time Acurite also replaced many 5n1 systems that had "stuck" humidity sensors. I had one of those, and the new system sent to me had the SHT21 chip.
The physical layout of the temp/humidity module slowly changed over the years. Originally it was a two-board arrangement that was quite bulky and made it easy for nesting insects to block things up. Today the module is a slim, single board.
I've no idea what changes the Vantage Vue may have gone through during this period.
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Nice late October afternoon. Not even close. Can't see why Acurite bothers to put a fan in these units.
During the hours of darkness it's fine. As soon as the sun is up, cloudy or sunny, temp. readings go straight in the trash.
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Pull of the bottom of the pagoda and make sure the temp/humidity wasn't dislodged during shipping, blocking the fan. No tools needed.
Never mind. That's a 5n1 display. Did you check to make sure the fan or wind tunnel isn't blocked by something like an insect nest? Or possibly a defective fan?
Seriously, they do work. Physics is physics.
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Are these stations both in the sunshine? If so, the fan on the 5n1 is not working right. There should not be that much difference... maybe one or 2 degrees, but not 6 F.
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Are these stations both in the sunshine? If so, the fan on the 5n1 is not working right. There should not be that much difference... maybe one or 2 degrees, but not 6 F.
Yes, both are mounted to the same tower. And I confirmed that the fans are working on both. Acurite has been like that since day 1. It just can't keep up with the sun light.
In the summer, it can sometimes be more than 6 degrees high.
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Mine used to be too high on my previous 5n1, by 5 F sometimes, but the latest one I bought seems to be much better. I think it has to do with the actual sensor itself being improved from what it was in some earlier models. I put the old fan that has 2 solar cells on the new sensor, and it worked very well, so I know that in my case, the fan was not the issue.
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Are these stations both in the sunshine? If so, the fan on the 5n1 is not working right. There should not be that much difference... maybe one or 2 degrees, but not 6 F.
Yes, both are mounted to the same tower. And I confirmed that the fans are working on both. Acurite has been like that since day 1. It just can't keep up with the sun light.
In the summer, it can sometimes be more than 6 degrees high.
Did you contact Acurite support? Something is obviously wrong if it is reading 6F degrees high, especially from day 1.
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Are these stations both in the sunshine? If so, the fan on the 5n1 is not working right. There should not be that much difference... maybe one or 2 degrees, but not 6 F.
Yes, both are mounted to the same tower. And I confirmed that the fans are working on both. Acurite has been like that since day 1. It just can't keep up with the sun light.
In the summer, it can sometimes be more than 6 degrees high.
Did you contact Acurite support? Something is obviously wrong if it is reading 6F degrees high, especially from day 1.
Yes, but the Acurite customer support process was worse than buying a house. They wanted to know my blood type, what date my son was born on, my mother's maiden name, how many cats we owned, and what color the house was even after I explained the issue in detail and provided photos. I finally got tired of the cat and mouse games and said screw it.
I don't know what could be "wrong" with the unit. From sunset to sunrise it's spot-on. The fan works. The sensors are all working. The case isn't cracked or damaged. To me it simply has trouble keeping up with the effect of solar radiation. It needed a higher volume fan and/or better shielding around the sensors. Looking at it right now, it's 9 degrees higher than the Davis.
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There must be something very unique about your situation.
That's likely why support was asking you so many questions.
Good luck.
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Sounds very much to me like a bad fan motor. Sometimes they will run, and other times not, or they will run slower than they should.
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There must be something very unique about your situation.
That's likely why support was asking you so many questions.
Good luck.
Possibly, but it's the most basic installation you could have. One Rhon TV tower with the Acurite and Davis stations mounted to the same tower, just a couple feet apart. Both with solar panels facing south. Both display consoles in the same room of the house. Nothing broken or damaged on either station. Both stations about 1 year old. And the fans work on both stations every single time I check them including when the sun is up and the Acurite is way off. There is no hardware failure going on, only a poor design IMO.
As soon as I showed them photos of my Acuwrong station being so far out of whack, the questions should have ended there. Most every other company I've ever dealt with would end the questions there. But no, this company made it seem as if they were just trying to get out of doing a warranty replacement. #-o
No biggie though... now that Davis has finally moved into the 21st century and has the Weatherlink Live available, I will get one of those soon and never look back.