Topic: Console time slipping, slipping...

[Ravenstar]

My Vantage Pro 2 console is losing minutes very quickly recently. I'd say in the past three weeks around 15 minutes all together I've had to set it ahead. My PC time is to the second per an atomic clock app I have loaded, and I doubled checked it to an online atomic clock real time.

Any ideas?

[ncpilot]

I've noticed that myself on mine, I keep re-synching it with my computer time, which sets itself to one of the NIST time servers...

I don't think it's losing as much time as yours, but it is noticeable.

Sorry, no ideas, but at least you're not alone...

Maybe an issue to submit to Davis?

[Ravenstar]

pilot do you by chance have your console plugged into a UPS?

[SLOweather]

pilot do you by chance have your console plugged into a UPS?

Why would that matter?

[Ravenstar]

Don't know, just taking a stab in the dark. It's the only thing I changed recently.

Brian co-author of WD showed me how to have WD update the console time and sync it to the PC so for now I'm not gonna mess with it. Too much hastle pulling the UPS out from under this desk with all the wires and such to remove it from the UPS.

[ncpilot]

pilot do you by chance have your console plugged into a UPS?

Why yes, I do have the AC power adapter plugged into a UPS... into one of the backup outlets (as opposed to one of the filter only outlets).

"...now I'm not gonna mess with it. Too much hastle pulling the UPS out from under this desk with all the wires and such to remove it from the UPS."

Ha ha, that's why I've got my UPS and all other wiring mess for my HTPC, electronics, weather station, etc out in the "open" on my floor...

I'll have to post a picture sometime... I can do it, since I'm the only one that lives in the house... no one around to complain...

[Ravenstar]

I'm ansious to see your spaghetti mess

[ncpilot]

I've got some pictures somewhere, but I'll probably have to take a new one at lunch time when I go home, then post it...

[SLOweather]

Here's mine...

The back of the computer...



The Brain Room, on the other side of that wall. Video distribution, home cable network, phone system, audio distribution and amp, 12 VDC distribution...



Brain Room side wall. Alarm panel, irrigation, home automation, network...

[ncpilot]

Holy sh!t.... Mine's not near that "bad"... but it is in my living/home theater room...

[Ravenstar]

 

[PSJohn]

This is great! I also have an interesting pile!

we could start a new thread and have everyone post all theirs spaghettis!  Or better yet....  how about a monthly featured "Desk mess monthly"award!  (first award goes to SLOweather)  

i'm just kidding,  thanks all for making my work day a little easier!  

[Anole]

You guys are making me feel all anal retentive about my setup  

[saratogaWX]

Anole, you setup looks great.  Mine looks more like SLOweather's, and I'd post a picture, but the camera is around here somewhere under all this stuff  

I'm a long time user of the "heap-sort" method of filing.. mental index remembers which heap is likely to contain the desired item (except for the camera).  Since the weather station occupies two systems in the office, there is a REAL rats-nest of cables running every which way, but it is home-sweet-home.  

Ken

[capeweather]

Larry, that is a nice setup. Where did you get that keyboard with the metallic looking keys? Pretty sweet looking.  

[capeweather]

2 PC's, one used for WVS and the other used for lightning. On the very top is a 1500va UPS with a smaller 720va towards the bottom. Everything had to get shoved behind my computer armoire because my wife didnt want to see them. Damn women, lol.     My only concern right now is ventilation for my office. It gets blistering hot in here sometimes with 3 PC's on 24/7.  

[capeweather]

WOW, just need a little sauce and garlic bread to go with it now!     Just kidding Chris. Mine isnt any better.

Here's mine...

The back of the computer...

[Anole]

Larry, that is a nice setup. Where did you get that keyboard with the metallic looking keys? Pretty sweet looking.  

It's a Saitek Eclipse KU-0418. I bought it because the lighted keys. My office config used to be different and I used to work a lot with the lights off. Unfortunately you have to be looking basically stright down on it to see the light shining through the letters so it didn't give me what I wanted. It is a nice keyboard though. I like the key feel , and there's not a lot of BS buttons on it. I don't remember where I got it, probably newegg.com.

EDIT:
This is a different model number but its the same keyboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16823175103

The complaints in the reviews about the backlighting being disappointing I agree with but I've not had any wear of the gray key paint that folks complaned about and I've been using it pretty intensively for over a year. Might be a difference in the model numbers though.

EDIT of the EDIT:
Actually, I just looked at the model number again and I see that the "Art" # matches the keyboard in the link above, so it is the exact same keyboard.

[capeweather]

I'm assuming this is it. Pretty slick!

[ncpilot]

pilot do you by chance have your console plugged into a UPS?

Now the question... why did you suspect that?

I unplugged the ac adaptor last thur or fri, put it in a surge strip on a different outlet, and the console time seems to have stabilized...

Some kind of frequency leak into the adaptor getting passed along with the dc voltage to the console?

Odd...

[Ravenstar]

Just a gut feeling pilot, it was the only thing I changed before this started happening. I know nothing of electronics but I have been a trouble shooter for several years, lots of it is common sense, don't need a masters degree

[jaded]

My setup used to look a lot like SLOweather's.  It was pretty awful (no offense intended.)  

The good news is it was easy to take care of, once I put my mind to it.  I first used a Brother labelmaker to print up tags for each power brick so I'd be sure what it was used for (after the first 12 they all start to look alike.)  Then I gutted the area under the desk, disconnected every cord and brick and emptied it out.  I bought a couple of large multi-outlet power strips (12 outlets each, with nice separation for putting bricks side-by-side.)  I then mounted them high up under the keyboard tray.  The bricks were plugged back in, and to minimize the mess the cords were each wrapped short, near the brick.

I bought the 50-pack of velcro cord ties, and highly recommend them.  

Yeah, it's still kind of a mess, but it's not gotten much worse in the year since I rearranged everything.

[ncpilot]

Since unplugging my console from my UPS about 10 days ago, it has kept perfect time...

Notified Davis of the issue, thought I might get more of a response other than "Thanks for the information."

[Ravenstar]

Hey pilot, "Thanks for the info!"  

I unplugged mine from the UPS today and put it in an AC outlet since I had to unplug it anways, I updated my consoles firmware today with the updater. I'll see if the time holds up in a week or so, mine was losing it so fast.

The update went flawlessly except I lost my Hi/Lows for the day  

Oh well least I'm ready for the time change coming in March I think.

[W3DRM]

If your UPS produces it's own A/C voltage then it's possible that the frequency it generates is slightly more than or less than the exact 60Hz needed to keep in sync with the commercial power that is feeding the UPS. Any difference in output frequency will likely cause the drifting to take place. Of course that assumes that the frequency generator in your station uses the A/C line as a reference.