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Weather Software => WeatherLink/weatherlink.com by Davis Instruments => Topic started by: BigD on September 22, 2009, 11:15:47 AM

Title: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: BigD on September 22, 2009, 11:15:47 AM
Hello Fellow WL users.... ,

I upgraded to 5.90 and found my WeatherLink "upload" stopped working.

I use a USB datalogger in a Virtual Com Port setup using Virtual VP to send data to WeatherLink and other applications. 

My WeatherLink log:  ---->  - Unable to upload data profile - # because of error/s please see message below.
                                         Error reading data from the station

I called Davis and the Tech Department was real helpful, There is a download available from Davis (a modified executable of 5.90 they call 5.91.

I downloaded the executable and copied it to the weather link directory and then changed all old WL references to the new exe and the internet upload works now.

Here is the link to the download in the Davis Toolbox:  http://toolbox.davisnet.com/downloads/temp/wl_5_9_1/

DISCLAIMER: Use this information at your own risk, if you mess up yer weather station it ain't my fault, but if your like me and use a similar setup and are experiencing this error it may help you.


Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Mark / Ohio on September 23, 2009, 02:08:35 AM
Thanks for posting that Big D!   8-)

I too use Virtual VP and was seeing that.  I don't actually upload with WL but transfer to a file that VWS uploads.  None the less that executable seems to have got it working again.

Weird how everything else seemed to work except when it was processing for file transfer or uploads.  :???:
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: W3DRM on September 23, 2009, 10:50:54 AM
I also use VVP as Mark does. Does that mean you load 5.9.0 and then install the 5.9.1 version or can you just go directly to 5.9.1???

Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Bushman on September 23, 2009, 11:27:21 AM
If you loaded 5.9.0, just replace the existing weatherlink.exe with the new one.
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Cienega32 on September 23, 2009, 01:44:59 PM
I'm now finding "Error reading data from the station" entries here and there that I never had.
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Bushman on September 23, 2009, 02:01:50 PM
I think I will wait for 5.9.3   :roll:
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Mark / Ohio on September 23, 2009, 09:40:23 PM
I'm now finding "Error reading data from the station" entries here and there that I never had.

I'm still getting more of the errors using the 5.9.1 executable then I was with 5.8.3.
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Bruiser on September 23, 2009, 11:27:37 PM
I had issues also with the newer EXE.  Believe it or not, I am still using version 5.7.1 which works just fine for me.  Of course I have an original Vantage Pro so there is not alot else a new version brings me...
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: BigD on September 24, 2009, 08:57:16 AM
Sorry I should have mentioned I installed 5.90 and then copied over the exe to the Weatherlink directory.

My upload is working but I do notice a few of those error reading data from weather station messages in the log.

I don't like the Upload processing window is gone, I used to rely on seeing that and then I knew it was working.

Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Cienega32 on September 24, 2009, 01:11:28 PM
I was on 5.8.2 before going to 5.9.x First threw in 583 then 590 then copied the 591 exec file over. Many "can't read station" errors but I have to wonder if it's just an enhanced logging feature. It now shows which graph file was slow to upload and FTP being reset. Never had those before but did have the upload screen stutter on a graph file here and there with previous versions. That makes me wonder if those stutters are now being logged as such.

I agree with Big D - without that upload screen, I wonder if the program hung or what not. Two-edged sword, I guess. It used to annoy me by blocking my view and now it annoys me that I can't tell if the app is running if it's minimized and I try to open the window.
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Bushman on September 24, 2009, 01:39:41 PM
I have to wonder why the upload window was not just made optional instead of being removed?
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: BigD on September 24, 2009, 09:10:44 PM

Well it's been two days with 5.9.1 now and I'm still getting more upload errors than I had with 5.8.3....   "Can't upload Profile # - Error reading data from station.   I haven't seen any NEW log entries though like xxx.gif error or FTP error or anything....   

I wanted the extra logging so if the USB locked up or something I would see it in the log but Honestly, So far I'd say I may have to go back to 583 to be more reliable and troublefree.



Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: dalecoy on September 25, 2009, 01:42:37 PM
5.9.1 seems to still be "Beta" - it's not available through the regular link.

So, perhaps waiting for 5.9.2 or 5.9.x would be even better.
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: thalderman on September 26, 2009, 12:46:10 AM
I now have the 5.9.1 patch running well on my machine. After dealing with the install issues and then FTP errors, I decided to change my StartWatch settings. I originally had it set to restart WL if any of the conditions StartWatch checked for were to happen. I decided to go back to just one setting - if the program crashed or exited. For whatever reason, everything started working fine after that. I haven't had to do anything to my weather server now for over 4 days. FTP's are going well.  I wonder if StartWatch is incorrectly detecting something during the FTP process and thus killing the application? This would also explain why my two ".dat" files in my weather station directory were getting corrupted and needed to be manually deleted. Just a theory ... but I am up and running. I am not sure how good StartWatch will be for me if all I can have it do is test for Crashed or Exited.
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Mark / Ohio on September 26, 2009, 11:07:11 PM
I kept having the downloading errors logged worse then before, also started to note it was hanging up at times on my laptop when trying to open the bulletin window even with the 5.9.1 executable installed.  So I just dropped back to WL 5.8.2. That was the last one that was really trouble free for me.  5.8.3. had that annoying error pop up when switching between bulletin and summary windows.
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Cienega32 on October 03, 2009, 01:48:05 PM
I noticed a new upload error being reported for me - ARPS uploads. This is where WL would hang crash for me in the past. As mentioned in another thread, it would freeze during this event and make no log mention of it being a problem. Now, it just reports the upload error and moves on.

WL hasn't hung since the upgrade and no alerts posted in StartWatch or VVP.
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: tinplate on November 08, 2009, 03:38:09 AM
I've been working on trying to fix VVP to work with 5.9.0, but after much tearing of hair, I began to wonder if something in the communications code in WL was fundamentally changed in a way that still happened to work when directly connected to the console but not when connected through a virtual serial port to VVP (I'm not implying it was intentional to break VVP). The thing I'm trying to get working is WL bulletin mode. At first, I thought it was because VVP doesn't support the NVER command. But I added support for that and the problem persisted. After much tracing with a port monitor, and running out of things to try, I had VVP toss in an extra LFCR to the end of the response it sends back for the NVER command, and that made WL happy, but then it just moved to the next problem with the live LOOP data. What's interesting is if I have WL 5.9.0 connect to VVP using TCP/IP, then bulletin mode works like a charm, and even seems faster then serial. So it seems to be something in the COM communication in WL or VVP; maybe a timeout problem in WL. While searching for others having problems, I found this thread. I'm downloading the 5.9.1 right now, and will see what effect that has.

Steve
SoftWx
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: tinplate on November 08, 2009, 01:11:14 PM
Well, I think I have a fix for VVP when used with WL 5.9.x. I haven't tested other parts of WL yet, but have concentrated on the bulletin mode (live data). There seem to be two important changes that Davis made in the bulletin mode initialization. The sequence used to be to get the firmware version date and some of the configuration values out of EEPROM, then download the archive data, then start getting loop (live) data. Now, right after downloading the archive data, it sends the command to the console to get the firmware version number (NVER). This is a command added to the firmware a couple years ago. Consoles with earlier firmware will treat this as an unknown command, and just send back <LF><CR>. But consoles with the newer firmware will send back <LF><CR>OK<LF><CR>1.73<LF><CR> (with 1.73 replaced with whatever the firmware version is). The problem for WL, or any program using this command, is that after getting back the first <LF><CR>, you may or may not get the rest of the data, depending on whether the firmware supports NVER. So you have to set a relatively tight timeout, and either get the additional data or timeout. That's fine, and I've added NVER support to VVP to send that along from the console. The next thing that Davis changed though, was more problematic for VVP. After getting the NVER response, WL then sends a LOOP 1 and has a very tight timeout on that. If it doesn't get an immediate loop packet back, then it times out, and then goes back and resends NVER command followed by the LOOP 1 (with the very short timeout again). If there is another program connected to VVP, then VVP will already be getting loop data from the console, and will send the loop packet to WL, making it happy. But if there are no other programs getting loop data, then VVP will not be getting frequent loop data either, so when WL asks for the loop data, VVP has to start up the looping with the console, and this little bit of extra processing is enough to go over the very short timeout. So then WL timesout and starts over, just as VVP is sending the loop packet that was just requested, and the two programs get in dance where they don't sync up. The error that you eventually see in WL is that the station isn't responding. If people are getting this station not responding error sometimes with WL 5.9 connected direct to the console, I think it may be the same problem of WL now having much tighter timeouts for the serial communications. I'd like to hear if any of the people reporting these station not responding problems are getting them even without using VVP.

Anyway, as a workaround, I'm just going to have VVP go right into loop mode right when it starts, and just stay in it, even if no programs are connected. I need to test it some more, but I should have a new version of VVP out later today.

Steve
SoftWx
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Weather Display on November 08, 2009, 06:38:49 PM
good working out there Steve!
yes I think people using WL stand alone were getting those station not responding problems
I think they have fixed that in the latest WL beta version
they must have discovered there time outs were too short
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Mark / Ohio on November 11, 2009, 01:01:41 AM
The originally posted link no longer seems to work.  Found a newer link:

http://toolbox.davisnet.com/downloads/temp/wl_5_9_1_beta/
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: BigD on November 11, 2009, 07:43:23 AM
Thanks for the link,  that along with Steve's new VVP may help.....

Anyone else have success with 5.91 and VVP?

Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: W3DRM on November 23, 2009, 01:41:37 PM
I seem to have missed the latest incarnations of this thread...

I just downloaded the latest version of VVP (1.2.2) released Nov 8, 2009 but now have question about it before I attempt to install.

I am still running WL 5.8.3. Will the new version of VVP run okay with it (5.8.3) or do I need to d/l WL 5.9.x?

Thanks...

p.s. - Just noticed that VVP shows "Registered" but when I click on Help | About VirtualVP... it says "Serial #: TRIAL (expires in 30 days)". Is this normal or is something not right with VVP? I haven't noticed this previously but it may have been there and I just didn't see it. See attached screen captures...
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Mark / Ohio on November 23, 2009, 09:34:32 PM
....I am still running WL 5.8.3. Will the new version of VVP run okay with it (5.8.3) or do I need to d/l WL 5.9.x?

Thanks...


I'm running WL 5.8.2 w/VVP 1.2.2.12

p.s. - Just noticed that VVP shows "Registered" but when I click on Help | About VirtualVP... it says "Serial #: TRIAL (expires in 30 days)". Is this normal or is something not right with VVP? I haven't noticed this previously but it may have been there and I just didn't see it. See attached screen captures...
....

I'm not seeing that here.  Shows registered both places on mine.
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Cienega32 on December 04, 2009, 07:07:23 PM
I just went back to 5.8.3 . Nothing but headaches for me lately. I first (way back when) copied the 5.9.1 exe file over the 5.9.0 and last nite installed to full beta version that announces that version on the info bar on top of the running window. The reason was that while Weather Display was running, data acquisition was filled with errors which aborted profile uploads. Without WD running, the errors were minimal but a few just the same. Cumulus keeps chugging along thru it all...

I updated VVP - no help. I found a CP210x DLL on Davis that had a more recent date but same version number - no help. The 5.9.1 shows a string of comm errors in the log and won't connect with the USB logger, VPP struggled with it all, it was 6AM and I said screw it. I aimed StartWatch at my old 5.8.3, it ran w/out errors and everything seemed happy so I went to bed.

I checked the log in WLink and no comm errors to be found other than one ACK error an hour later and one FTP error later in the day.

5.8.3 used to hang on me now & then so I'll see what happens with that but over that last 10 hours or so - not a problem. Besides that, I missed my upload progress window.
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: BigD on December 04, 2009, 07:26:41 PM
I haven't tried the latest Virtual VP or the NEW WeatherLink beta but I couldn't get the original 5.90 or 5.91 to run worth a darn here!

I went back to 5.8.3 all was well except for the ocasional FTP error, and the usual warnings in Vplive and VVP logs but it works!

I too missed the Upload dialog box, When I'm in the room and its not in screensaver, it pops up and I can see it out of the corner of my eye so I know its working.

One of these days I may try again, but probably not for quite a while .. If it ain't broke.....



 
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Mark / Ohio on December 04, 2009, 11:28:52 PM
I haven't tried the latest Virtual VP or the NEW WeatherLink beta but I couldn't get the original 5.90 or 5.91 to run worth a darn here!

Same here.  I tried it again with the latest VirtualVP on my laptop as a test before doing it on the weather computer.  Still had a ton of "Error reading data from the station" messages compared to before.  With 5.83 I was getting maybe 1-2 of the errors every 24 downloads (22-23 successful out of 24 attempts) .  But with 5.90 no downloads would work and with 5.91 I would get around 18 errors per 24 downloads (6 successful out of 24 attempts).
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Weather Display on December 04, 2009, 11:47:02 PM
seems davis made some big changes with comm time outs or similar, for the worse?
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Mark / Ohio on December 05, 2009, 12:09:48 AM
Leaves one wondering what their objective was for making the changes.  If it was in attempt to make USB loggers more stable they in the end just shuffled around the problems in some cases to those that were not having problem.
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Cienega32 on December 05, 2009, 01:18:03 AM
I didn't try it as a stand-alone so it really makes you wonder... if you're using VVP. My USB logger has never had a comm problem to the extent that others have had.

I wouldn't have noticed the problem if I wasn't busy trying to get WD to reflect the METAR conditions during my snowfall event. I happened to notice my WLink profiles that update every minute were lagging for 5 minutes or so and things weren't updating normally on that site. I rarely check the logs as long as the site updates. Seeing that WD raised my error counts thru the roof got me real curious but even running Wlink alone with VVP gave me a few errors.

I used to roll the WLink updates right into use but not anymore and I doubt I'll ever get rid of either WLink or WD so 5.8.3 it'll be for me.
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: thalderman on December 13, 2009, 11:00:10 PM
We just had our first significant rain event in my area, southern California, and I noticed that the APRS data was not sending rain for the last hour - only daily accumulating rain amounts. This used to work. You can see the plot here:
http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/wxpage.cgi?CW7445 It is the red line on the plot. The blue line is the accumulated. If anyone knows why the 5.91 upgrade of WL or firmware upgrade to 1.82 would cause this, please let me know.  Thanks!
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: dalor1wx on December 21, 2009, 01:23:47 PM
I tried WL 5.9.0 and had the same problem (UNABLE TO READ STATION DATA) for about 50% of the uploads. Then I tried the WL 5.9.1 Beta and it seemed to solve that problem but was not uploading the 1 hour and 24 hour rainfall. Went back to WL 5.8.3 and have had no Problems.

dalor1wx
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Strgazr27 on December 22, 2009, 05:04:44 AM
Does anybody know where I can get the 5.8 version so I can stop pulling my hair out  ](*,)  I don't have a lot to lose  :-P
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: BigD on December 22, 2009, 08:08:26 AM
Here Ya go:  http://toolbox.davisnet.com/downloads/Weather/software/Weatherlink%205.8.3a_install/

There's an upgrade and full install available here.

Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Strgazr27 on December 22, 2009, 09:04:13 AM
Big D!

Thank you VERY much !!  =D&gt; I'll give it a try as soon as I get home.

Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Colgarv on January 01, 2010, 11:50:26 PM
Found a link to Weather Link 5.91 full executable and update at http://toolbox.davisnet.com/downloads/Weather/software/wl_5_9_1_beta/ (http://toolbox.davisnet.com/downloads/Weather/software/wl_5_9_1_beta/)
Title: Re: Weather Link 5.91 may be needed if you use USB datalogger and Virtual Com Ports
Post by: Cienega32 on January 02, 2010, 03:06:38 AM
That's the one I mentioned that I overwrote with 5.8.3