Author Topic: Can one Rainwise receiver power both a console and a computer interface?  (Read 3275 times)

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Offline DaleReid

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Since I have purchased some things to expand my Rainwise setups from eBay, not everything arrives in working shape.

Now I have a nice Mark III at the old or lower frequency beeping out it's telemetry every 30 seconds or so, and a nice Oracle display with a working receiver.

I have a non-LR computer interface, which when plugged into the receiver is just fine.

I don't have a second working receiver to run both at the same time.

I know the interface and the display draw power from the wall-wart, so trying to piggy back both onto one receiver by the use of one of those phone splitters that allows a phone and an answering machine to plug into the same line would require evaluation of how much power each drew.

Secondly, and this is my question (other than has someone done this and succeeded, or don't it and incurred a very expensive replacement or repair) are the computer interface and display just passively sitting there reading whatever the receiver box puts out, or does the display and interface send a request to transmit to the receiver, and then it blips back a data string?

If both the display and interface were passive and just waited for a start byte and then read the info as it came out, there may be a chance that I could feed both of them from the same receiver.  If the other way around was true, that is the console and interface made a request for a data transfer, then each would be possibly in contention with the other device.

Worse yet, connecting the two might create some dreaded circuit path and invoking the smoke reply when things got too hot.

Comments?

Anyone doing this/done this/ heard yes or no from Rainwise themselves?

Thanks for any comments.
Dale
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Offline VaJim

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Dale

I'm pretty sure a single 'receiver' (small back box with antenna) can NOT power 2 displays or anything other than what it was intended for.

Before I can comment further, what do you mean by interface?


From my understanding of the typical Rainwise operating station, the station (sensors in yard) sends signal that it 'received' by both the display receiver and perhaps a data logger receiver, if that's what you're using.

Newer gear now includes the IP-100.  The MKIII (regular) IP-100 has an external antenna while the MKIII LR IP-100 does not.  The IP-100 act as a sort of a transmitter, it receives the data and then turns around and passes it to the Rainwisenet and other slected weather sites.


Offline DaleReid

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Just Closing The Loop:  Getting back to the question, after a couple calls to the tech guys they seemed almost amazed that I wasn't already driving both my Oracle display and the WS-2000 computer interface from one receiver with one power supply.

I heard the one fellow ask another in the background if I could do this, and he quickly rattled off the kind of two way telephone splitter (2-line, split to two phones or a phone and answering machine) in the same breath.

After trying it and failing, I called back to clarify and then heard that they felt a more robust power supply than the wall wart that was supplied earlier in production with each receiver might be needed.

The receiver draws some current and when the display's demand is added, the current supplied is nearly maxed out on the older wall warts.

I found a suitable 1 amp switching wall supply at Jameco and plugged it in, with appropriate four wire phone cables that matched the ones that came with the display, and voila, both the WS-2000 is blinking away sending data to my computer, AND I can see what is actually happening across the room on the Oracle display.

Just in case anyone wants to pick up a WS-2000 off the internet sales and not want to buy a relatively expensive receiver and wall supply to drive it too.

Thanks to the patience of the good folks at RainWise for helping.
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Offline WVZR-1

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Just Closing The Loop:  Getting back to the question, after a couple calls to the tech guys they seemed almost amazed that I wasn't already driving both my Oracle display and the WS-2000 computer interface from one receiver with one power supply.

I heard the one fellow ask another in the background if I could do this, and he quickly rattled off the kind of two way telephone splitter (2-line, split to two phones or a phone and answering machine) in the same breath.

After trying it and failing, I called back to clarify and then heard that they felt a more robust power supply than the wall wart that was supplied earlier in production with each receiver might be needed.

The receiver draws some current and when the display's demand is added, the current supplied is nearly maxed out on the older wall warts.

I found a suitable 1 amp switching wall supply at Jameco and plugged it in, with appropriate four wire phone cables that matched the ones that came with the display, and voila, both the WS-2000 is blinking away sending data to my computer, AND I can see what is actually happening across the room on the Oracle display.

Just in case anyone wants to pick up a WS-2000 off the internet sales and not want to buy a relatively expensive receiver and wall supply to drive it too.

Thanks to the patience of the good folks at RainWise for helping.

I understand this is an older thread but thought it best to address the question here vs. a new one.

Dale - This continues to work for you with no further aggravation? Do you believe this might also work using a single receiver to supply data to an Oracle and an IP-100?

Offline DaleReid

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I don't know the IP-100's power needs but to re-iterate what I said about my system, the supplied power wall wart wasn't NOT gutsy enough to make the CC-3000 work along with the Oracle, while it did just fine with each one.

I called Rainwise a couple times, first saying is it possible to use a telephone line splitter to give signal to both, or was there some sort of bidirectional communication, and was told that the receiver just sent out the data stream over and over, and indeed, the splitter was the way to do it.

After frustration with that method with both of the units plugged in, I called again and a little chatter in the background was going on, but Richie came back on and said that in some instances a beefier supply might be needed, something like an amp or 1.5 amps.  I got one, plugged in and has been peachy ever since.

I don't know if their web page has specs on the draw of the IP-100 vs. the CC-3000, but again I'd try it with an adequage power supply and if not working as hoped, give tech support a call. They've always been top notch.

And let us know either way if it works or isn't the same setup with the IP-100

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Offline WVZR-1

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And let us know either way if it works or isn't the same setup with the IP-100

I have enough of the receivers so I actually don't need to do that BUT I may try anyway. I found a 1.5 AMP but I didn't check the adapter dimensions to the receiver yet. It might uncomplicate my install but I'm waiting parts so it could be likely a week before I'm actually operational.
« Last Edit: April 17, 2015, 10:25:38 AM by WVZR-1 »

Offline DaleReid

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My motto is to never waste a receiver nor the wall wart, nor the multiple sockets needed to plug said devices into.

Either way, it still is fun, ain't it?

Dale
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Offline WVZR-1

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My motto is to never waste a receiver nor the wall wart, nor the multiple sockets needed to plug said devices into.

Either way, it still is fun, ain't it?

Dale

Mine so far I can't say has been fun. An experience, yes and after my last little "bump in the road" I hope the fun begins. Soon I hope, maybe Wednesday or Thursday. Richie has been more than accommodating on the RainWise end of this. I have no second thoughts regarding my RW choice.

 

anything