Author Topic: VP2 anemometer cups sticking  (Read 21575 times)

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Offline piconut

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #50 on: February 20, 2017, 12:25:33 AM »
Cool, those charts are "live"...they've updated.


Holy cow, you're right!  I just copy and pasted the image URL and didn't think about the fact that the image name and path doesn't change and is updated in semi-realtime.  Oh well, I guess that blows my supportive argument. 


Let me know what you determine regarding your wind speeds.
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Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #51 on: March 26, 2017, 10:19:11 AM »
I'm having the same problem. Original anemometer purchased together with ISS in April 2009 worked fine until high winds (55mph) broke the cups in December 2013.

Bought the new reedless anemometer from my UK supplier and it was fine until last September when the cups were reluctant to move in a light breeze. But the next day they were fine and have remained so until today. They do spin but it requires a fair amount of wind to get them to move. The wind vane does more though so I'm concerned that a repair or replacement is needed.

But this kit is very expensive now in the UK and given Davis's reputation for quality I'm a bit annoyed that something like this has only lasted just over 3 years before it starts playing up again.

I'll speak to my UK supplier tomorrow and see if any other UK owners have had similar problems with the new Mk 2 anemometer.

Offline gsfarm

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #52 on: March 26, 2017, 10:31:46 AM »
The replacement part is not expensive, however the shipping can be.
Mine is not the reedless model. It has a magnet on the opposite end of the anemometer cups, pressed onto the shaft. I am unaware of a reedless model, maybe someone can post a link? What sort of sensor would it have? Maybe hall effect?
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Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #53 on: March 26, 2017, 11:42:29 AM »
The replacement part is not expensive, however the shipping can be.
Mine is not the reedless model. It has a magnet on the opposite end of the anemometer cups, pressed onto the shaft. I am unaware of a reedless model, maybe someone can post a link? What sort of sensor would it have? Maybe hall effect?
-G.

I'm hopeful my UK supplier may have some of these in stock especially as he's already chipped in with the discussion. I'll know more tomorrow.

The reedless model has a brass tip on the wind vane. Easily distinguishable.  :grin:

Offline gsfarm

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #54 on: March 27, 2017, 09:29:35 AM »
Ray,
Mine has the brass tip. It's a year and a half old. Maybe it does have another type of sensor but it has the magnet that rotates so the pickup must be an induction coil of some sort to pick up the rotation if it's not a reed switch. I have noticed that when the wind cups turn very slowly (<5kph) sometimes it doesn't read, or shows zero wind. The old VP weather station will read unless the wind cups actually stop; and the old kit uses a reed switch, I recently replaced the switch and wind cups on that unit and it still works great after 10+ years. (Kids knocked over the unit when playing soccer in the back field, breaking the wind cups, anemometer mast bracket, and glass reed switch). This might be an indication that it is something other than a reed switch?

Someone on this forum should know for sure the type of sensor in the new anemometer assembly, would be interested in details.
Here's a picture of bearing with the shaft/magnet in the foreground.

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Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #55 on: March 27, 2017, 06:10:57 PM »
Hi gsfarm,

Thanks for that info. Yours is newer than mine which I can now confirm is in its death throes. Strange really as it came back to life just before midnight last night and all looked well until 10:30 this morning when despite a light breeze the cups failed to rotate except in stronger gusts.

I have spoken to my UK retailer (ProData) and they have asked me to return it to them so they can check it thoroughly and give a report back to Davis. There has to be something fundamentally wrong with its design for it to fail so soon. It didn't even last as long as my Mk 1 anemometer with a reed switch.  :-(

Fortunately I have a spare as part of a Davis spares pack people in the US could buy and a mate who has a relation over there bought two of them. I was wondering how long I would have to wait before it would be needed. It is also the Mk 2 with brass tip.

I'm afraid I'm not technically minded at all so can't really offer an opinion about the design. It would be interesting to run a survey here on how long VP2 owners have had a problem-free anemometer. Certainly where I live in NW England well away from the coast and with a high wind gust of 56mph in 8 years it's not especially hostile to weather stations.

I also think Davis have acknowledged there is a problem with the anemometer by making the replacement cartridge available for around $30. Make that £40 in the UK!

I'm shipping this busted anemometer back to ProData on Wednesday. I'll post their findings here when I have them.

Offline CW2274

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #56 on: March 27, 2017, 06:22:17 PM »
It would be interesting to run a survey here on how long VP2 owners have had a problem-free anemometer..
My first one lasted about 6 years until presumably a large flying creature struck it and smashed the daylights out of it. The replacement, an upgraded one, has been problem free for 4 years, along with the transmitter.

Offline W3DRM

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #57 on: March 28, 2017, 12:43:18 AM »
My original VP2 anemometer had several failures in the first five years or so of operation. The problems ranged from reed-switch failures to broken cable wiring due to flexing of the solid wire cable. All of the reed-switch problems were rectified by Davis sending me a new anemometer assembly. The last failure was several years ago. Davis then sent me a new-style anemometer that uses the hall-effect sensor rather than the reed-switch. So far, I've had zero anemometer issues since installing the new version.

If anyone has an older anemometer with the reed-switch that fails, I would suggest they not try to repair it but to simply replace it with the new model with the new hall-effect sensor.
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Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #58 on: March 28, 2017, 01:48:25 PM »
Thank you CW2274 and W3DRM. My mate took down the malfunctioning anemometer today and we put the replacement up. On examining the area the cups attach to there is an awful lot of dirt there and some rust. This photo shows the state of it. Bear in mind this is the new reedless anemometer purchased in December 2013 for £180 or around $300.

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For a supposedly improved design something is very wrong. How can that much muck get inside and find its way to the bearings. It has sprung back into life on two occasions in the last 72 hours suggesting if it's cleaned and somehow sealed I should have many more years service from it.

I only hope the replacement put up today has a better sealing system than the one it replaced.

Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #59 on: April 03, 2017, 11:41:55 AM »
My anemometer is now back with ProData in England. They have examined it and will be replacing the wind cartridge free of charge once they have some from Davis. Nice of them and much appreciated.  =D&gt;

Interesting that Davis have now made a replacement cartridge available. Might it mean they have concerns about the design which as you can clearly see allows muck into the assembly causing it to eventually stick. Or just permanently tweaking the design to make it better.  :-) Hopefully this won't happen again and not for many years if it does.

Offline openvista

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #60 on: April 03, 2017, 11:45:17 AM »
What do you mean when you say "the cartridge"? Are you referring to the bearing?
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Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #61 on: April 08, 2017, 10:59:27 AM »
What do you mean when you say "the cartridge"? Are you referring to the bearing?

It's a module that replaces the existing bearing and perhaps something else. My supplier doesn't have any yet so they were short on the detail.

I still get no emails when a reply is posted. Why? I have the option selected and nothing comes through.

Offline pfletch101

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #62 on: April 08, 2017, 04:41:43 PM »

I still get no emails when a reply is posted. Why? I have the option selected and nothing comes through.

The most likely reason is that there is a 'spam trap' somewhere in the server sequence the board's mail server and your client which is discarding these messages. Most ISPs seem to default created mailboxes to use their built-in spam filters. These are very frequently less than optimal (particularly) at telling real spam from wanted auto-notifications and almost always default to discarding (what they believe to be) spam. I recently wasted a huge amount of my and a website ISP support technician's time investigating an auto-notification non-delivery problem that ultimately turned out to have resulted from my cable provider switching their 'spam protection' back on for a mailbox on which I had switched it off for years!
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Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #63 on: April 09, 2017, 03:23:12 AM »
Thanks pfletch. I solved it. I just unsubscribed and then subscribed and that seems to have done the trick. Maybe the option times out if you don't post frequently enough. The posts weren't going to my ISP's spam box. That's the first place I check.

Offline Intheswamp

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #64 on: May 21, 2017, 06:14:52 PM »
Well, my anemometer has been sticking some more so I ordered one of the wind speed cartridges last week.  Ryan (www.scaledinstruments.com) said it'd fix the sticking problem.  The cartridge only works on the new (bell-shaped) anemometers.  While I was at it I ordered one of the new style rain buckets...hourglass-shaped and comes with bird spikes.  They should be here probably Tuesday or Wednesday...I might switch out the bucket but we're predicted to get up to 4" (or more) rain from now through Wednesday so most likely the wind speed cartridge will have to wait to be installed.

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Offline Intheswamp

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #65 on: September 10, 2017, 12:44:18 AM »
Ya'll can all just call me "Speedy".  :-P  I just now have installed the wind speed cartridge (shaft and bearings assembly)...the prospect of Hurricane Irma arriving in two days encouraged me to "get'er done!".  The new cartridge appears to be working well.  Though folks south of me are getting plenty of wind it is rather becalmed around here right now so I haven't seen it clock any high speeds yet.  Tomorrow, and especially Monday, Hurricane Irma should give it a good test. 

As long as you have the allen wrench that came with the station or a set with some *small* ones in it and a medium size phillips screwdriver you have all the tools you need to work on it. Naturally you will need other than the tools to lower the mast with.  Simple repair....even "Speedy" did it.  :-)

Observations:  I found that when I spin the stem of the old cartridge, with nothing attached to it and holding it in my hand, that the shaft/magnet(?) assembly will spin freely but suddenly "hit" something hard causing it to stop spinning.  Sometimes when it "hits" it will bounce back spinning a turn or two in the opposite direction.  It always "hits" when I spin it in the proper direction.  Oddly, when I spin it in the "wrong" direction, opposite of the design of the cups, it spins freely and doesn't "hit".  Also, if I hold on to the shaft and turn it while keeping my fingers on it (not simply free-spinning it) I can feel a rough scrubbing and it will lock up at times in either direction. 

I think something is inside that has "come lose", be it a ball bearing, a chip of metal, or ????, and it spins until that something jams the shaft or one of the bearings.  My old cartridge is not rusty or corroded and other than a small amount of spider web there wasn't any dirt or debris in it...it actually looks good.  It just suddenly stops when it when it "hits" that something.  :-|

The new one seems to be working good, so hopefully it will be good to go for several more years.  The first cartridge lasted just a tad over four years.

I just thought I'd share what I did/found.

Best wishes to all, and to everybody in the path of Irma be safe.
Ed

ETA:  Link to the part needed... https://www.scaledinstruments.com/product/davis-6410-anemometer-for-vantage-pro2-vantage-pro/
« Last Edit: September 10, 2017, 12:58:33 AM by Intheswamp »

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Offline Intheswamp

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #66 on: September 26, 2017, 09:57:22 PM »
I thought I'd follow-up in saying the anemometer is working great!!!  I also noticed that the link I put at the end of the message above is the wrong link...it linked to a complete anemometer.  Here is the correct one for the wind speed cartridge and it's on sale right now. 
https://www.scaledinstruments.com/product/davis-7345-999-pro2-anemometer-wind-speed-cartridge/

I noticed with the old cartridge the magnet was exposed with no cover to it.  The new cartridge has a cover/cap over the magnet...more of a sealed unit that *should* give longer service.  The addition of the cover seemed like a good improvement.

Back in 2013, not long after I installed my VP2 I noticed the 4x4 post had started to warp.  This caused the anemometer to not be level.  I don't think it had anything to do with the wind cartridge failing, but it bugged me.  So, while I was replacing the wind cartridge I decided to level up the anemometer.  It's kind of a semi-permanent fix, but it's level again and I don't think the 4x4 is going to warp anymore.

So, if you're having problems with your anemometer sticking on your VP2 then go ahead and replace the cartridge...it'll be like new!!!


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Offline piconut

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #67 on: September 27, 2017, 11:51:14 AM »
I noticed with the old cartridge the magnet was exposed with no cover to it.  The new cartridge has a cover/cap over the magnet...more of a sealed unit that *should* give longer service.  The addition of the cover seemed like a good improvement.
By any chance, did you take a picture of the cover/cap over the magnet on the new cartridge?  I'm curious to see what improvement has been made. 
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Offline gvmelbrty

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #68 on: September 27, 2017, 08:16:22 PM »
FYI: There is also a "commercial grade" anemometer cartridge for $2 more.. seems it may have a higher quality bearing? The description says, "Commercial grade protection to resist corrosion and seizure." .. https://www.scaledinstruments.com/product/davis-7345-953-pro2-anemometer-commercial-grade-wind-speed-cartridge/


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Offline johnd

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #69 on: September 28, 2017, 03:24:50 AM »
Just to be clear, there is only one VP2 wind cartridge part on the official Davis spares list, which is 7345.953. My take on what's happened is as follows:

Although the new anemometer design (with the replaceable wind cartridge) has been around for 3-4 years or so, for some reason the wind cartridge did not appear on the Davis spares list until this year (2017), but was available unofficially on request from Davis. It seems like the official release of the wind cartridge and its designation as the .953 part has coincided with a slight change in design of cartridge very possibly, as Intheswamp suggests upthread, associated with the fact that there's now a cover or seal over the cartridge to prevent ingress of dust (and also, I'd speculate, to discourage slow loss of bearing lubricant from the cups side of the bearing).

So, in future, I'd expect that the .953 part will be the only spare available.
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Offline Intheswamp

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #70 on: September 28, 2017, 09:21:35 AM »
piconut, sorry, but I did not take a picture of the covered magnet area.  Envision, if you will, a small water bottle cap made of the same hard black plastic as the anemometer itself...smooth finish that fits nicely around the magnet and inserts into the anemometer frame very nicely, too.

gvmelbrty, I'm not sure about the "commercial" version.  The one that I ordered back in May of this year was the .999, Pro2 version.

But, sealed or not, I don't think that being un-sealed had anything to do with the old cartridge failing.  It will spin and suddenly lock-up when spinning in the designed direction...it will freely spin "backwards" without locking up.  The cartridge was very clean, no spiderwebs, no dirt/dust/debris...nothing visible to suggest any outside factor causing the failure...I think it was simply a design flaw and something failed internally.  Having the magnet end sealed can't hurt anything, though, at least I don't think it can.  ;)

But "commercial" or "Pro2".....it would be interesting to know the difference.

Ed

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Offline ct

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #71 on: September 28, 2017, 07:09:53 PM »
Here is a picture showing the cap and the underside

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Offline ct

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #72 on: September 28, 2017, 07:15:24 PM »
Having the magnet end sealed can't hurt anything, though, at least I don't think it can.  ;)

Unless there is debris stuck to the magnete before it is sealed.  Mine had an extra E-clip stuck to the magnet, which would fly around inside the capped area until the cups get stuck.  I had to remove the cap to fix it.  It doesn't seem designed to have the cap removed easily.

Offline piconut

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #73 on: September 28, 2017, 07:33:41 PM »
Here is a picture showing the cap and the underside




Okay, ...so there is also a protective cover on the bottom bearing as well.  Now I like that.  That looks like it will be alot better at keeping the water out. 


I recently replaced the bearings in mine (finally) because the original ones were starting to rust.  The bearings cost me almost as much as a new wind cartridge, although I opted for a hopefully better quality bearing than what Davis Instruments uses.
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Offline Intheswamp

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Re: VP2 anemometer cups sticking
« Reply #74 on: September 29, 2017, 09:13:13 AM »
I think the cover is a good idea.  But, in the case of my original cartridge (no cover) I don't think a cover would have helped.  It had to be a defect in the cartridge...it was almost spotlessly clean (a small spider web) and whatever is wrong is a severe problem.  The new one (covered) fits great and works great.

Ed

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