Author Topic: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair  (Read 18658 times)

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Offline rtzlwitz

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #50 on: September 18, 2018, 08:18:36 AM »
I've bought a new old stock Vantage Pro 2, one month ago at ebay. It might be build before 2014 but was original packed and unused.
Mid of last week i bought a Weatherlink IP logger and I've been using it with weewx since then.
I also bought a used transmitter kit - which was always stored inside and is in a perfect condition (no corrosion - looks like new). On the console ond the Weatherlink IP I installed the newest firmware.

I also have this phenomenon that at night (maybe becuse it mor humid then) the transmission of windspeed and direction stops and starts again in the morning. It does no matter if i connect the aneometer to the ISS or the transmitter - it is always the same. So my conclusion ist, that it is not a corrosion, coating or contact problem on the board. In my opinion it is somwhat a problem of the (new old stock) aneometer itself. 

Does anyone have a suggestion for me, what to do? Most likely I will have no warranty from Davis because of the age.
TIA
« Last Edit: September 18, 2018, 08:25:28 AM by rtzlwitz »

Offline johnd

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #51 on: September 18, 2018, 08:39:05 AM »
1. Title refers to a Vue - presumably you do not mean this?
2. Warranty? For a 2014 system???
3. You haven't stated what happens with new transmitter batteries
4. Almost certainly the anemometer is OK - the issue is with the transmitters.
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Offline TomKeffer

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #52 on: September 18, 2018, 11:20:13 AM »
Most likely a bad battery or, even more likely, a bad supercapacitor --- common on those old VP2s.

https://www.manula.com/manuals/pws/davis-kb/1/en/topic/supercap-faults

Offline rtzlwitz

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #53 on: September 18, 2018, 11:26:31 AM »
Sorry, I have a Vantage Pro 2, not a Vue. But I‘m quite shure the hardware is very simular.
I use brand new batteries in both - ISS and transmitter. The software tells batterie voltage > 3 Volt. I checked the goldcap in the transmitter. It looks like new.  But even when ist gone, the transmitter should work as long as the batterie is in a good condition. Or I’m wrong?

Offline johnd

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #54 on: September 18, 2018, 01:45:23 PM »
But even when ist gone, the transmitter should work as long as the batterie is in a good condition. Or I’m wrong?

No, not necessarily. It sounds like you're losing the wireless connection overnight and so not getting any data updates. To lose only wind overnight from an ISS doesn't make much sense. But loss of wind readings is what you tend to notice most - sometimes eg temperature just stops updating but doesn't immediately dash out.

If batteries are good then the only other likely explanation is bad supercaps, but it's quite a coincidence to have two separate transmitters fail together. But, hmm, it sounds like at least one of them is second user so...

I don't know weewx well. If this were local Weatherlink I'd suggest plotting reception % vs time to get more insight into what's happening. Is that possible with weewx?
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Offline TomKeffer

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #55 on: September 18, 2018, 02:28:08 PM »
I don't know weewx well. If this were local Weatherlink I'd suggest plotting reception % vs time to get more insight into what's happening. Is that possible with weewx?

Yes. SQL field 'rxPercent' does this. Example:


Offline rtzlwitz

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #56 on: September 18, 2018, 04:00:29 PM »
Signal quality is good (>90%), all other readings are coming in without dropouts. Only windspeed and directon have this interruptions - no matter if the windsensor is connected to ISS or transmitter.
« Last Edit: September 18, 2018, 04:06:21 PM by rtzlwitz »

Offline johnd

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #57 on: September 19, 2018, 04:50:44 AM »
Signal quality is good (>90%), all other readings are coming in without dropouts. Only windspeed and directon have this interruptions - no matter if the windsensor is connected to ISS or transmitter.

Not questioning your report, but that doesn't really add up on two counts:

1. The anemometer is essentially just a passive unit - there's nothing about it that can be affected by day/night per se. So any issue - unless it's something really pretty obscure - has to be associated with the transmitters.

2. The wind data is what's typically used to calculate reception %, so again it doesn't add up that your reception % is good but no wind data is showing at night.

Can you post a graph of 24-hour wind data?

Hmm, I wonder if this is simply a failing anemometer with maybe a faulty reed switch if it's an older unit. Perhaps colder temperatures or damper conditions at night are causing the switch to stick and hence a dropout of speed indication. And zero wind speed = no direction of course.
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Offline rtzlwitz

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #58 on: September 19, 2018, 06:30:40 AM »

1. The anemometer is essentially just a passive unit - there's nothing about it that can be affected by day/night per se. So any issue - unless it's something really pretty obscure - has to be associated with the transmitters.

That's why I spend a lot of time to check, if transmitter, ISS or the Wheatherlink IP logger showed any problem. I also checked the entries in the Weewx database. So I always get entries for Temp, HUM, etc., only windspeed and direction are missing during this strange interruption periods.

2. The wind data is what's typically used to calculate reception %, so again it doesn't add up that your reception % is good but no wind data is showing at night.

But that's exactly what happens. Signal % is high but windspeed dirction data is missing.

Hmm, I wonder if this is simply a failing anemometer with maybe a faulty reed switch if it's an older unit. Perhaps colder temperatures or damper conditions at night are causing the switch to stick and hence a dropout of speed indication. And zero wind speed = no direction of course.
Actually I guess it is a some problem with the sensor. This night it was windy and less humid. So it was the first time, I had no interruption, till the wind was low and dew point was near the outside temp.
Maybe some vibration on the sensor from wind prevents it from losing signal. Seems for me lika a contact or cable problem. [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Offline johnd

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #59 on: September 19, 2018, 07:25:06 AM »
My guess would be that you need a new anemometer. Unlikely to be a cable fault that only happens at night.
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Offline Willum

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #60 on: September 20, 2018, 02:33:29 PM »
Just to add to the fun, mine is yet another one that's lost its wind speed.
Happened 2 days ago, anemometer spinning happily, all other indications - including wind direction - fine, ISS in the same place for the last 18 months, battery recently replaced, console on the mains adapter - then no warnings, or problems, just no wind speed :roll:
It's 2 years and 4 months old.  I've emailed the retailer to see what's to be done.
Fingers crossed.
Will

Offline Willum

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #61 on: October 03, 2018, 05:16:33 PM »
Just to add to the fun, mine is yet another one that's lost its wind speed.
Happened 2 days ago, anemometer spinning happily, all other indications - including wind direction - fine, ISS in the same place for the last 18 months, battery recently replaced, console on the mains adapter - then no warnings, or problems, just no wind speed :roll:
It's 2 years and 4 months old.  I've emailed the retailer to see what's to be done.
Fingers crossed.
Will
My unit now seems to have fallen into the recognisable pattern of working OK when it's warmer and low humidity (usually daytime), then quits again in the cool and damp of night time.
A bit of good news!
The vendor originally offered a 2 year guarantee but they contacted Davis and I've been offered a new unit/part with a 1 year guarantee.
Unfortunately the email didn't say what part Davis were going to replace, so I just don't know exactly which bit I'll be getting................ although the email had an attached set of instructions on how to dismantle the ISS, along with information on how to return the faulty parts.
I'll contact them tomorrow to find out what's coming
Will

Offline rtzlwitz

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #62 on: October 04, 2018, 04:07:16 PM »
I guess the problem layed somewhere between my ears. I realized: as soon the windspeed drops to zero, no more diection information is trasmitted. It‘s not a bug, it‘s a feature.

Offline Willum

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #63 on: October 05, 2018, 03:13:52 AM »
I guess the problem layed somewhere between my ears. I realized: as soon the windspeed drops to zero, no more diection information is trasmitted. It‘s not a bug, it‘s a feature.
Errrrrm............... Don't think the bug is necessarily between your ears, rtzlwitx.  Mine continued to transmit Direction information data all the time, unless you have a different problem associated with connecting the data links to the transmitter?

Just to cheer you up, the vendor has told me that 'the inside transmitter' is the part that Davis are sending me and giving it a 1 year guarantee.  From what I can glean from this forum and a bit of You Tube, I suspect it will turn out to be the whole of the electronics internals since mine is a later model and won't be plugged together.

Maybe, as someone said earlier in this thread, Davis have become concerned that there is a problem with the circuit boards.

Will

Offline rtzlwitz

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #64 on: October 05, 2018, 05:37:20 AM »
You‘re right. The console still shows a direction - even when windspeed is zero. But weewx always has ‚nul‘ in the database when windspeed is 0. So maybe its not a Davis issue but a weewx issue.
But it makes absolutely sense for me. If there is no speed, there is no direction. By making a statistic for wind direction, it is much more accurate to ignore any more or less random direction value while the directon sensor doesn‘t move for a long time.
 

Offline thewebgal

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #65 on: October 05, 2018, 06:07:11 AM »
My Vantage Vue console shows zero windspeed, tho direction is working fine.
I call that a broken weather station, and unacceptable performance,
since the whole reason we bought it was to alert us after the Direchio a few years back!
If I have to buy a replacement system, it will be a different brand,
since I can see how the Davis brand holds up over time.

Offline tommyr

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #66 on: October 05, 2018, 07:22:11 AM »
You probably just need a new wind speed cartridge. www.scaledinstruments.com sells them. I replaced mine when my wind speed stop working. About $18 IIRC.

Offline dalecoy

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #67 on: October 05, 2018, 10:10:00 AM »
My Vantage Vue console shows zero windspeed, tho direction is working fine.
I call that a broken weather station, and unacceptable performance,
.....
If I have to buy a replacement system, it will be a different brand,
.....

What brand will you buy?

Offline Willum

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #68 on: October 05, 2018, 12:42:41 PM »
My Vantage Vue console shows zero windspeed, tho direction is working fine.
I call that a broken weather station, and unacceptable performance,
since the whole reason we bought it was to alert us after the Direchio a few years back!
If I have to buy a replacement system, it will be a different brand,
since I can see how the Davis brand holds up over time.
How long have you had it?
Before you buy a new one, is it worth a word with Davis?  It seems there is a problem with them but isn't it worth giving them a chance to do something about it?
Will

Offline Willum

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #69 on: October 10, 2018, 06:21:06 AM »
Well, the retailer/Vendor and Davis have done themselves proud.
I received a whole new 'Transmitter' in the post yesterday, fitted it - with ease - in half an hour and we are back in action.
If it's of any interest to any of the electronics wizards on here, I can find several faults that are obvious to the eye and all are associated with the wind speed and temp/humidity detector part of the board.  I've annotated a photo of what I can see:
 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
There's lots of damage.  The 'Blister' fell of altogether during the process, exposing the end of the Wind Speed Sensor.  The Temperature/Humidity Sensor component is completely uncovered.  The wiring attachment point has obviously never had a full coating.  Bit of a wonder it lasted as long as it did, or worked at all. 
There was one other 'incident' to report during the repair.
If, like me, you think the Temperature Sensor cover looks a bit grubby (we had been in Spain in a Saharan desert originated dust storm) and you decide to clean it. beware:
I swished it about in a bowl of soapy water and left it to soak a few minutes.
This photo shows what I found in the bottom of the bowl:
 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
It was a bit of a 'gulp! What have I done?' moment but with a little study and careful (gentle) work, it went back together easily enough.
 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I have quite a few more photos of the internals if anyone wants to see them.
Interestingly neither Davis, nor the Vendor, wanted the internals returned. 
Doubtless the board has significant damage but it all still worked when dry and warm.  Anyone think it could be worth trying to repair?
Will
ps:  to anyone who has seen this post appear/disappear/change:  Apologies:
I had a bit of a battle with the Forum, trying to get it to work, mainly associated with a corrupted Photo 1 that uploaded and I could not then get rid of once I saw it was corrupted.  I can see how to mark that I don't want it to display an attachment - but not how to delete it if it makes your post too large (<2048 Kb) and of course, it did!
« Last Edit: October 10, 2018, 06:33:46 AM by Willum »

Offline johnd

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #70 on: October 10, 2018, 07:26:01 AM »
Anyone think it could be worth trying to repair?

No, at least not unless you really, really like tinkering with old boards. Three are no published schematics for the boards and you'd still have the problem of diagnosing the fault and then sourcing a component to fix it. No-one repairs these boards nowadays - it's just not cost-effective, commercially at least.
« Last Edit: October 10, 2018, 08:05:07 AM by johnd »
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Includes many details on 6313 Weatherlink console.
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Sorry, but I don't usually have time to help with individual issues by email unless you are a Prodata customer. Please post your issue in the relevant forum section here & I will comment there if I have anything useful to add.

Offline g3yjr

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #71 on: October 10, 2018, 10:37:02 AM »
Reed switches commonly fail intermittently - AIUI the thin glass envelope can become cracked or microporous and allow ambient air inside. Especially when there's high humidity, moisture can form on the contacts and cause them to stick.

Any type of light mechanical shock, eg a sharp tap to the body of a VP2 anemometer can often cause speed sensing to be restored temporarily, and even handling a Vue PCBA could have the same result (though I don't disagree that a stronger magnetic field would also help). But sticking contacts typically worsens over time and becomes more frequent. Eventually the switch has to be replaced (eg by replacing with a new PCBA or harness). So other solutions are potentially a short-term fix though occasionally you may get several months of revived operation

I also have the no wind speed transmitted fault on my Vantage Vue.  All other data is received fine. The temperature sensor on the same board as the anemometer sensor works fine. The board looks the same as Willum's board. The temperature sensor is similarly uncovered; so perhaps this is intentional? I cannot see any obvious corrosion on the board.

It has been working for two & a half years from new, so it is just outside its 2 year warranty.

I have a similar board to Nixxon's:
VV1.1 TH-SPEED
ASSY 07315.294B
REV B1

Does this board have a reed sensor or the Wiegland?

I might have a go at repairing it.

Offline Willum

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #72 on: October 11, 2018, 03:54:07 AM »
....................."It has been working for two & a half years from new, so it is just outside its 2 year warranty"...........................

Try going back to the Vendor.  I did when mine was two and a half years old.  The first thing they asked for was the Manufacturing Code - I'd guess to determine the batch of internals used.  Then, judging by the timescales, they seem to have gone back to Davis and Davis have supplied a new Transmitter set.  That's my take on it, anyhow.
I'll offer the following but the usual caveat applies in that you need to check and research the detail.  I'm simply repeating what I've tried in the hope it's of some use.
I think I see that you're UK based, so if you get no reasonable response, there is always the Consumer Rights Act 2015 as a last resort.  If you're trying to negotiate a deal I'd avoid it until all else fails, but  .............
An example of the appropriate wording is the following:
"The Consumer Rights Act 2015 makes it an implied term of the contract I have with (insert name of Vendor) that goods be as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality.
As you are in breach of contract and I've owned the product for less than 6 years, I am within my statutory rights to ask for it to be repaired at no further cost to me."
.
Like I said, it's a bit heavy handed and I have personal experience of using it too soon but it's there if needed.
I used Davis kit in a professional capacity for nearly 20 years.  Some of the original Davis equipment bought for the job is still going.  Two and a half years for the lifespan of something like the Vantage Vue is pretty poor.

Will
ps if you work out how to repair it, I'd be interested to know.................

Offline g3yjr

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #73 on: October 11, 2018, 04:25:40 AM »
Thank you for the advice Willum. I don't know what the device is which is used as a sensor, but it does not seem to behave as a reed switch, broken or otherwise.

I have emailed the UK vendor. I paid about £600 for the Vantage Vue bundle, so I expected it to be of good quality and last many years.

Offline zazzy

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Re: Vantage Vue no wind speed and repair
« Reply #74 on: October 15, 2018, 10:21:01 PM »
I bought a new Vantage Pro 2. On the 4th day of having it (and it being in service), the anemometer stopped reporting wind speed. That was about 1 1/2 months ago. Sometimes it transmits but most of the time, there is nothing. One day was a bit windy and it briefly reported wind speed (27 mph max, wind run was 51 miles). But, it stopped reporting for most of the day. I also took video of the winds. Davis  gave me a case ID, which was on September 4th. I got one email telling me to change the station ID. Did that. No wind speed. Then, I got an email asking for my address so they can send me a test cable. Nothing yet.

I'm tempted to drive to Hayward because it might be quicker. I sent them an email reminder. Hopefully, I hear something this week.

Initially, I was impressed at the quality of their product. Now, I'm not so impressed.

 

anything