The reed of the ws65 ( osprey Y shaped sensor ) is located in a small board inside the rain bucket.
Not that difficult to unsolder in case it is faulty
P.S.
On the ecowitt forum there is a topic about rain bucket maintenance
Thanks!. Those pictures are really helpful!. I'll have to find a proper screwdriver that fits. I When I get it out, I will let everyne know if the part looks waterlogged or corroded.
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Bit of a delay.. had for wait for a Wiha Phillips #1 screwdriver to arrive. It is the only screwdriver that fits the screws that attach the rain gauge to the array.
A tip of the hat to galfert for the suggestion!.
Good news. There was no corrosion of any sort. The bad news is that I lost both screws in the long grass doing the field repair. The good news is that I forgot to turn off the WS-2000 during the disassembly process and got 76mm rain on the console!!
Maybe a loose wire? Sticky reed switch?
I reinstalled all the components and used a trickle of water from a garden hose to simulate rain.
I hurriedly ran into the house to see my self-repairing rain.gauge that had come back from the dead and what i saw surprised.me. Now the bad news. The rain gauge did not move and still registered the same 76 mm of rain.
Arghh....
... At least I can post some pictures and a bit of a how-to to disassemble a Osprey rain gauge.
But I think right now a liquid refreshment may be in order.
Good news. Found one screw which is more than good enough to tie down the rain gauge.
Now to remove the rain gauge sensor...
Tools required:
1. Wiha Phillips Phillips #1
2 Wiha Phillips #0
3. One or two tiny precision slotted screwdrivers in order to pry out the ribbon cable connectors from their sockets.
Follow galferts disassembly instruction to remove the entire rain gauge/solar radiation shield from the body of the array so you can access the rain sensor printed circuit board (PCB).
https://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=37532.msg386150#msg386150Locate the rain gauge sensor. That is the part with the black heat shrink tape located just behind the plastic enclosed magnet of the dipper spoon assembly. The heat shrink can be cut away with a sharp blade but steer clear of the circuit traces on the board.
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There will be lots of a clear gel or grease like substance surrounding the sockets- waterproofing material probably - that can wiped up with clean cloth. Do so now as it will get everywhere!
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I believe it's the back of the PCB that faces the magnet. Note: take picture first prior to disassembly.
Use the Phillips #0 screwdriver to remove the 2 small crews holding the PCB in place. The PCB easily slides out of its molded plastic channel.
Next step is to remove the two ribbon cables. One cable goes to the main array and the other cable continues on to the temperature and humidity sensor located in the solar radiation shield. You do not have to make a note of which connector goes where as one will be larger than the other and the plug goes in one way only.
Although there is probably some sort of specialty tool for removing the connectors, I had to make do with what I had. When tiny needle nose pliers did not work for me, I used a very small slotted screwdriver to pry out the corner of each connector by gently levering out each side of the connector using the edge of the circuit board as a fulcrum. Be gentle as the white plastic connectors are quite soft.
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When you have removed the PCB inspect the connections for corrosion. In my case the board looked in remarkably good condition for something that is over 2 ½ years old. There is not much to this board as there is only a reed switch and a tiny capacitor. This is the first time I’ve seen a reed switch. It is two thin metal strips(the reed?) that overlap in the centre all of which is enclosed in a glass tube.
I’ve ordered a replacement part from Ecowitt. We'll see from there...