Author Topic: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable  (Read 11642 times)

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Offline bmcgregor3

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #25 on: October 11, 2014, 08:51:39 AM »
...  However since the boards can be daisy chained (read on another post that someone shorted the dip switches on wired boards and hooked up multiple ISS's to a single console) ......

Please supply the link to that post.


I have a feeling that I did not get a chance to read the entire post about connecting multipe ISS Sim boards to a cabled console which ultimately did not work.  http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=19070.msg184097#msg184097.

Offline ziofil

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #26 on: October 27, 2014, 04:38:06 PM »
Does anyone know if the communication protocol between cabled iss and console is the same as wireless iss described here: https://github.com/dekay/im-me/blob/master/pocketwx/src/protocol.txt? if so one could write a driver and avoid buying the console saving a lot of money. Thanks for your answer,

Filippo


Offline bmcgregor3

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #27 on: October 27, 2014, 05:24:15 PM »
Does anyone know if the communication protocol between cabled iss and console is the same as wireless iss described here: https://github.com/dekay/im-me/blob/master/pocketwx/src/protocol.txt? if so one could write a driver and avoid buying the console saving a lot of money. Thanks for your answer,

Filippo

I have not had a chance to really watch the data from the serial connection and compare it to what DeKay deciphered.  One of the things on my bucket list though. 

I do have the ISS hooked up to a Raspberry Pi running Meteohub and everything is working perfectly.  This is about the cheapest setup from what I can figure.  I may install a second ISS in a satellite location and pipe that data back through IP since Meteohub can handle multiple stations. 

Offline ziofil

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #28 on: October 28, 2014, 06:23:37 AM »
According to this page http://vp-kb.wikispaces.com/Adv+Cabled+Stations "The ISS data packet format and transmission for the cabled VP stations is thought to be identical to that of wireless VP stations operating on channel #1". If I am not mistaken, the command strmon to get raw data input was available for both wired and wireless console. Then it would be enough to compare the output of this command (if still available) and compare it with that from wireless console. Anyway I will get a cabled ISS within one-two months, connect it to pc with a rs422-usb converter and dump data to verify which protocol is used. If the protocol is the same of what Dekay deciphered I should be able to write a simple Python decoder and share it with you (very easy job compared to deciphering)

Offline ziofil

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #29 on: October 28, 2014, 06:45:22 AM »
Does anyone know if the communication protocol between cabled iss and console is the same as wireless iss described here: https://github.com/dekay/im-me/blob/master/pocketwx/src/protocol.txt? if so one could write a driver and avoid buying the console saving a lot of money. Thanks for your answer,

Filippo

I have not had a chance to really watch the data from the serial connection and compare it to what DeKay deciphered.  One of the things on my bucket list though. 

I do have the ISS hooked up to a Raspberry Pi running Meteohub and everything is working perfectly.  This is about the cheapest setup from what I can figure.  I may install a second ISS in a satellite location and pipe that data back through IP since Meteohub can handle multiple stations.

The problem with meteohub is that it is not open source and provide web interfaces which I don't need. I only need to interface the wired ISS with a mini-pc or a microcontroller, compute average and min/max, and send data to a remote server in battery operating enviroment.

Online johnd

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #30 on: October 30, 2014, 03:56:22 AM »
According to this page http://vp-kb.wikispaces.com/Adv+Cabled+Stations...

Since you're kind enough to mention our old knowledgebase site, I should perhaps highlight that the platform that this site uses is being discontinued by the platform owners, wikispaces, (at least on a free basis, which was its main appeal). So the knowledgebase is vulnerable to vanishing completely I'm afraid and with no further warning. So far it hasn't happened, but that's the threat.

There will be a replacement in due course, which I've started to work on, but it may be some months away from launch.
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Offline dwall

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #31 on: August 14, 2017, 03:04:29 PM »
The wiki is definitely gone now.  Does it have a new location?

Online johnd

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #32 on: August 14, 2017, 03:09:47 PM »
The wiki is definitely gone now.  Does it have a new location?

The content has been rewritten, largely from scratch so quotes and content details in the original KB won't necessarily be found. But if you're interested it's at:

www.manula.com/manuals/pws/davis-kb

« Last Edit: August 14, 2017, 03:11:29 PM by johnd »
Prodata Weather Systems
Prodata's FAQ/support site for Davis stations
Includes many details on 6313 Weatherlink console.
UK Davis Premier Dealer - All Davis stations, accessories and spares
Cambridge UK

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 dwall

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #33 on: August 14, 2017, 03:11:21 PM »
Thanks.
« Last Edit: August 14, 2017, 03:32:06 PM by dwall »

Offline dwall

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #34 on: August 15, 2017, 04:04:55 PM »
Not sure if I should post this here or start a new topic.  I am also trying to figure out the ISS Transmitter message protocol (I want to connect an ISS directly to an Arduino without a VP2/Console).

Thanks to what I've been able to learn on this forum, I am able to successfully read the data packets coming from 4-wire RJ11 cable that normally goes to the VP2 (using an Arduino RS422 shield board, 4800baud 8N1).  One data packet is received each time the D21 LED on the ISS blinks (that's the good news).

The bad news is, the packet does NOT conform to STRMON message or RF packets that others have kindly documented on this forum and elsewhere.  For starters, there is only 6 bytes rather than 8.  Through some experimentation, I've discovered that the byte 1 (when counting from 0) is wind direction the same as byte 2 in STRMON (FF=North).  The most-significant nibble of byte 0 is F when the anemometer is still and some other number when it's spinning so this is presumably a low-resolution wind speed number (where F=0mph, weird).  Other than these two values, everything else changes with every packet.  The least-significant nibble of byte 0 is probably the message type as it changes in roughly the same way as described for the STRMON packet (after a couple of hours, I got 1000 messages each of types 5/8/E, 400 message of type 9, 200 messages of types 3/A/D and no messages of any other type (0/1/2/4/6/7/B/C/F).  Since I don't have a Solar or UV sensor, this makes some amount of sense.  However, if I try to decode the remaining bytes the way they are decoded for those sensor types in the STRMON message, the results do not work out.

If someone has already worked this out or wants to help me figure it out, I'd appreciate it.  The following is a sample of each sensor message under the conditions WindDir=North, WindSpeed=0mph, Rain=none, Temp=29DegC, Humidity=42%:

F3 FF FF F9 FF C9
F5 FF 01 46 3B 01
F8 FF FF 7E 35 67
F9 FF 9B 72 A3 30
FA FF 01 1E 59 10
FD FF 01 1E 33 11
FE FF 99 49 FF CB



Offline rdsman

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #35 on: August 16, 2017, 02:10:49 PM »
Can you post a few more examples with a different temperature and humidity reading.  Leave wind speed and direction the same.
Ray

Offline dwall

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #36 on: August 16, 2017, 03:35:06 PM »
I should have access to a temperature controlled chamber later this week.  In the meantime, here's some data to puzzle over.  I have the wind vane, anemometer and rain bucket taped so they can't move to minimize the number of things that can change while I analyze the data.  Then I unplugged the wind sensor, which I assumed would look the same as a motionless wind sensor.  I was wrong.  I guess maybe there is a pullup on the anemometer input so that it looks like it's spinning at maximum when it's unplugged?  If that's true, it looks like instead of giving windspeed its own fixed byte like in STRMON, they put it into whatever unused bytes there are in each sensor message? Or maybe it's just an error message?  In any case, perhaps it's a way to identify the important bytes/bits in each sensor message?

Before unplugging (sensors taped motionless):

F8 FF E3 7E 03 06
FE FF 99 49 FF CB
F5 FF 01 46 3B 01
F9 FF B7 A9 FF 3D
FA FF 01 1E 59 10


After unplugging (max speed?? error message??):

F8 FF E3 7D 57 D3
FE FF 99 65 FF 99
F5 FF 01 45 6F 49
F9 FF AD A5 FF ED
FA FF 01 1D 0D 4B


After plugging back in:

F8 FF E3 7E 03 06
FE FF 99 29 FF C1
F5 FF 01 46 3B 01
F9 FF B9 A9 FF 37
FA FF 01 1E 59 10


Interestingly, the first nibble stays at F, unlike when the anemometer is actually spinning.  Weird.  ](*,)
« Last Edit: August 16, 2017, 03:40:18 PM by dwall »

Offline SLOweather

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #37 on: August 16, 2017, 04:53:44 PM »
Davis seems to feed back voltage on one wire of most sensors to the SIM board as a 'sensor present ' signal.

Offline dwall

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #38 on: August 18, 2017, 02:46:37 PM »
 #-o  Ignore pretty much everything I posted in the last three days.

I had the A & B inputs of my RS422/485 converter reversed which seems to have the effect of inverting and shifting bits.  Long story short, the raw ISS-to-console data packets ARE almost identical to the STRMON/RF packets with the one exception that there are no checksum bytes (thus 6 bytes instead of 8 ).  If I find anything interesting, I'll post more.


Offline cokey

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #39 on: August 25, 2017, 02:18:40 AM »
Hey

I have a wireless ISS that I want to run a cabled and read the data from an Arduino. However, I am having issues getting any "data".

Since it's a wireless ISS, it doesn't have the ADM348 RS-422/RS-485 chip U91. I soldered one in, hoping that was all what was needed to get the data out of the RJ11 jack. Strangely enough, that was not the case.

What comes out of the two central lines of the RJ11 jack does not seem to be an RS-422 protocol. First I have tried a RS-422/USB converter set to 4,800 baud 8N1, but got only <BREAK> signals all over. They are repeating every 2.5 seconds or so. After looking at the stream with an oscilloscope, the signal is quite strange.

The signal seems to start with something like a large start bit, then followed by alternating highs and lows (or 1 and 0 bits, much like the byte 0x55). The strange thing is that the "bits" are 26us long, which relates exactly to 38,400 baud rate. And indeed, if I connect with a terminal set to 38,400 8N1, then I see a good RS-422 protocol, no breaks and frame errors, but the incoming data is 0x55, 0x55, etc. Which is not the data I was expecting.

Now I thought let's see what's coming out of the MCU into the DI pin (pin #4) of ADM348, or in other words what exactly is the MCU sending out as data. And guess what, the MCU is sending exactly this data. So the ADM348 chip I soldered is not damaged, it's working as expected. I have observed the orientation, pins and everything. Verified that VCC (pin #8) is indeed tied to VCC, ground is good, even DE (pin #3) is set to high to enable output. Everything looks fine, except the data itself.

Perhaps the firmware is quite different for cabled and wireless ISS. Does anyone have any experience converting a wireless ISS to cabled?

I'm attaching some screenshots to illustrate my findings.
D0 is on the DI pin of ADM348
D1 is on the A line of the RJ11 jack.

Cheers
Mladen

Offline dwall

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #40 on: August 25, 2017, 08:00:47 AM »
I suspect you are correct that the firmware is different between the wired and wireless versions. 0x55 is a stream of alternating 0's and 1's, suspiciously like a clock signal.  Perhaps DI of U91 also goes to the clock pin of the RF chip, thus only one or the other can be installed?

Offline cokey

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #41 on: August 25, 2017, 03:53:55 PM »
A clock signal is unlikely to only occur every 2.5 seconds, being prefaced with a start bit...

Offline dupreezd

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #42 on: August 25, 2017, 04:56:04 PM »
Can it be a watchdog timer to show that the unit is running? Have you tried pressing enter a few times to see if you get a response?
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Offline SLOweather

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #43 on: August 25, 2017, 05:30:55 PM »
Can it be a watchdog timer to show that the unit is running? Have you tried pressing enter a few times to see if you get a response?

It can't be coincidental that 2.5 seconds is the update period of the ISS...

Offline dalecoy

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #44 on: August 25, 2017, 10:40:31 PM »
Of course, I'm not sure it makes a difference -- but did you try all of the Channel dip-switch settings?

Online johnd

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #45 on: August 26, 2017, 03:59:57 AM »
Of course, I'm not sure it makes a difference -- but did you try all of the Channel dip-switch settings?

On a cabled ISS??

Edit Ah sorry - I forgot the OP is trying to convert a wireless SIM.
« Last Edit: August 26, 2017, 09:05:46 AM by johnd »
Prodata Weather Systems
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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 cokey

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #46 on: August 26, 2017, 04:03:07 AM »
@dupreezd, ISS is transmit only via cable, the receiving part of U91 is not wired. I can't possibly press Enter and expect to make a difference =)

@dalecoy yes, I tried various settings of the dip switch, to no avail. As far as I understand it, the dip switch is only used for the wireless part - to set the channel ID and enable the "test" mode (switch #4). Now I tried enabling test mode and the LED starts blinking but the signal doesn't change.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Offline cokey

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #47 on: August 26, 2017, 10:20:00 AM »
Does anyone know how to obtain the ISS CPU firmware? Not the console firmware, but one for the weather station itself. Davis support website contains only formats for the consoles

@DeKay mentions in one of his awesome blog posts that the cpu firmware was available from Davis, but I couldn't find any other info
« Last Edit: August 26, 2017, 10:23:50 AM by cokey »

Offline dalecoy

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #48 on: August 26, 2017, 10:27:55 AM »
How is power being supplied to the ISS, in your test configuration?

Does anyone know how to obtain the ISS CPU firmware? Not the console firmware, but one for the weather station itself. Davis support website contains only formats for the consoles

@DeKay mentions in one of his awesome blog posts that the cpu firmware was available from Davis, but I couldn't find any other info

.....and, if firmware is available, how to install it. 

Offline cokey

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Re: Vantage Pro2 ISS direct to Computer via Cable
« Reply #49 on: August 26, 2017, 10:59:09 AM »
My station is powered by the battery inside. It's a Li-Ion battery only available in the wireless ISS, I believe. In fact the station is powered by a supercap, charged by a solar panel. The battery is used only when the supercap is drained and there's no sun power. The battery is not rechargeable.

But since I perform the tests indoors, the station uses power from the battery

I also tried supplying power to the small power jack, with the battery disconnected (and the supercap discharged), and got the same results

 

anything