Topic: High current drain batteries fail to charge

[cyberstace]

Hi, does anybody have any idea what causes high current drain on the outdoor unit? I replaced the rechargeable batteries but now they run flat really quickly and now even the LED does not flash or come on. I measured the current and it's drawing around 200mA, just wondering if the electrolytic capacitors have dried and shorted out after this real hot summer we just had. There are 5 of them 10uF 25VDC.

[Mandrake]

You don't say what model of station you are using.
In general it is not recommended to use rechargeable cells in the weather stations with Solar power.
Rechargeable cells have a lower voltage than lithium/alkaline cells which impacts the station electronics.
Secondly the Solar side of the station does not recharge the batteries in any way, the super capacitors are supposed to act as a buffer to power the station for as long as possible after daylight and then the battery power comes into play as backup when the capacitors are exhausted. This way a set of batteries should last approx. 2 years for most locations (unless you live in the far North).
Hope that clarifies things...

[cyberstace]

Hi, station is the (Maplin) N23DQ fitted with rechargeable batteries and the PCB does not have any supper capacitors. I recently discovered that the I2C hygro/temp sensor PCB has gone short circuit hence the high current drain. The station is around 3 years old so I think I might just buy a new one.

[Mandrake]

Since the demise of Maplin in the UK you will be best placed to order direct from Ecowitt
Contact Lucy at support@ecowitt.com and identify what you would like and she will give you a price in USD (which you can play via Paypal) and then they will put together the kit in Hong Kong and ship to you. Sometimes there is a little bit of a lead time but you are getting it from the source point and its tested before shipping.

If you are handy with a soldering iron though, you can purchase new SHT sensors from ebay and fix your old station. You might also be able to get a replacement sensor array from Froggitt in Germany if you are not so

[weather34]

Hi, station is the (Maplin) N23DQ fitted with rechargeable batteries and the PCB does not have any supper capacitors. I recently discovered that the I2C hygro/temp sensor PCB has gone short circuit hence the high current drain. The station is around 3 years old so I think I might just buy a new one.

if your in the uk might as well get a new similar spec one from a trusted uk dealer at least you have localized support and no import duty hassles plus a valid warranty ..

https://www.weatherspares.co.uk/ventus-w830-colour-weather-station-with-wifi-internet-connection-542-p.asp

[cyberstace]

I did look at this Unit, there are a few models around all sharing the same components. Amazon do the Froggit WH3000 SE (2018) for £149.99.

A seller on Ebay has offered me a brand new sealed Maplin N23DQ for £130 but I think I will go for something different this time.

[weather34]

I did look at this Unit, there are a few models around all sharing the same components. Amazon do the Froggit WH3000 SE (2018) for £149.99.

A seller on Ebay has offered me a brand new sealed Maplin N23DQ for £130 but I think I will go for something different this time.

whatever suits you best but i wouldnt spend more than 50 quid on a n23dq somewhat  dated now . only advice is buy from a localized dealer electronics can fail at anytime , im sure your find something to suit your budget. good luck.. ps once you get a new one , dont throw away the nd23 but dismantle the solar panel which is quite useful as its ready to go for charging 4 aa batteries  for numerous projects if thats your thing ..i.e diy aspirator 

[Mandrake]

Like I said, Froggitt do sell spares so you could just buy the sensor unit, but I certainly would not buy a whole new station using those components now. Its very old hat.

As for buying from Ecowitt, I think you will find their support is excellent should you have any hardware issues. I would not be concerned there at all.