Author Topic: Anyone have issues with Atlas Battery Pack?  (Read 2111 times)

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Offline ctccbc

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Anyone have issues with Atlas Battery Pack?
« on: January 02, 2020, 10:57:39 AM »
I got one of the battery packs for the Atlas for Christmas. I set it up and everything ran fine for about 4 hours, then it lost connectivity and would not come back. I ended up putting the batteries back in the main unit and will try again later. Has anyone else had issues with these battery packs working properly?

Thanks,
Chris

Offline hdtvluvr

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Re: Anyone have issues with Atlas Battery Pack?
« Reply #1 on: January 02, 2020, 11:25:12 AM »
I have the remote battery pack.  I did have issues at first with the Atlas & Access (displays worked fine).  Then for some unexplained reason it started working again.  It's been working for 7 days now - knock on wood.   :grin:

I like the idea of the remote battery pack so that I don't have to get up to the Atlas for a battery change.  If I do begin to have issues I'm going to try a 12v battery with a 5v converter (see thread here:  https://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=38392.0)   The AC adapter is rated 5v 100mA. 

I have a new 12v UPS battery, bought a 5v converter (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D27XD69/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and made 2 dummy batteries out of a dowel with screws in one end for terminals.  One "dowel/battery" screw is positive, the other "dowel/battery" screw is negative.  I'll start with just putting these in the remote battery box.  I would think the 5v would be better than the 3v from the 2 AA batteries.  If this works, I was going to upgrade it to 2 solar battery banks wired in parallel, connected to the dummy batteries  and the dummy batteries moved from the remote battery box to the Atlas itself using larger gauge wire and the exact length needed.  The wire on the remote battery box is about 30ft and I have about 20ft coiled and tied. 

I wish the remote battery box had 2 pairs of 3 batteries so it would be 2 banks of 4.5v in parallel.

For the solar battery banks, I was going to use these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NIGO4NM/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_3?smid=A1K0O9XEM4PWVI&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V5ZL4P6/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_2?smid=A2CALFMLWSNEFJ&psc=1

to get the power from the 2 battery banks in parallel and have the ability to add wire from the female USB up to the Atlas. 
« Last Edit: January 02, 2020, 11:30:42 AM by hdtvluvr »

Offline ctccbc

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Re: Anyone have issues with Atlas Battery Pack?
« Reply #2 on: January 03, 2020, 10:38:58 PM »
I started over with completely fresh batteries, plugged in everything tight, and it seems to be working okay now with no disconnects all day, so hopefully it is fixed!

Thanks,
Chris

Offline ctccbc

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Re: Anyone have issues with Atlas Battery Pack?
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2020, 04:18:53 AM »
Well I was wrong. I put in fresh batteries and the battery pack worked well for about 24 hours, then lost connectivity again and I lost an entire rain event. I just accept that for whatever reason, this setup does not work well with my unit. Lesson learned.

Chris

Offline hdtvluvr

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Re: Anyone have issues with Atlas Battery Pack?
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2020, 10:30:07 AM »
Mine is still working - almost 2 weeks now - so I can say it does work at least for me.  This is the longest I've not had any drop outs in over a year.  The Atlas replaced a 5in1 about 3 weeks ago.

There are other posts about losing connectivity that say to move the Access closer, move Access away from electronics, turn the access a 1/4 turn in relation to the Atlas, etc.  I might suggest to move it away from any 120v wiring and ethernet cables if there are any in the vicinity. 

Did you get the Access when you purchased the Atlas or was it older?  Might reach out to Acurite, tell them the issue and see if they will replace the Access.  They will look at your MyAcurite Dashboard and see the drops.

Offline DoctorKnow

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Re: Anyone have issues with Atlas Battery Pack?
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2020, 11:13:35 AM »
Did the signal drop from the display or Access or both? Some of these Atlas have issues with power from batteries for some reason... I have 3 Atlas sensors, and only one has an issue with Access when the sun is not hitting the sensor (display is not affected and never drops out) , but the displays will drop with the other two that work with Access randomly for a few minutes at a time, while the display is rock solid with the sensor that cannot be read by Access. Very odd.

Offline hdtvluvr

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Re: Anyone have issues with Atlas Battery Pack?
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2020, 07:21:34 PM »
For me, I have 2 displays both further distances from the Atlas than the Access and both never lost signal.  So only the Access had issues.

Offline kharris44

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Re: Anyone have issues with Atlas Battery Pack?
« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2020, 06:49:08 PM »
**WARNING** Your issue might not be over yet.

I had a battery pack that did exactly what you described with losing connectivity. Unfortunately, even after discontinuing use, my connection remained screwed up. I was in contact with Acurite and they told me there is an issue with some battery packs permanently messing up station transmission. I wound up with an entirely new unit after the episode. They also sent a new battery pack they assured me would not cause any more issues. I was hesitant to use it at all, but it's been fine since I installed it last month. The whole ordeal took place in the first half of 2019.

I suggest opening a support request with Acurite to let them know about the issue in case your whole unit is now fried. Sorry... 

Offline boardinbum

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Re: Anyone have issues with Atlas Battery Pack?
« Reply #8 on: February 20, 2020, 03:31:54 PM »
I have had problems with the Atlas and a battery pack. The batteries die every couple of months. I have confirmed with support that if the Atlas is mounted to a metal pole. It can short out the batteries. I also had a older 5 in 1 that was mounted on a metal pole and never had this issue. The battery pack was designed poorly i guess for the Atlas.....

Offline bgtoups

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Re: Anyone have issues with Atlas Battery Pack?
« Reply #9 on: May 26, 2020, 04:10:47 PM »
I purchased an AcuRite 5 in 1 in Oct of 2019.  Worked for 6 months continuously without dropping connections.  Decided to move that to another location and replace it with an Atlas to get the UV sensor that it is fitted with, and did so in April of 2020.  I purchased the Atlas system directly from AcuRite.  At the same time as I purchased the Atlas, I purchased the Atlas display, the optional lightening sensor, the AC power adapter, an additional indoor Temp/RH sensor, and a new Access unit.  I would have purchased the remote battery pack but they were out of stock when  I placed my order for the Atlas. 

Once I received the new order (Atlas, indoor temp/RH, Access, etc) in April, I set it up at ground level just to check everything out.  Good thing, because my atlas temp sensor was reading between -20 and -50.  Indoor display temp was consistent with the indoor Temp/RH unit and the Access and the 5-in-1 unit I had operating concurrently, and both sensors consistently showed a signal strength of 4 both for the Atlas and for the indoor T/RH sensor.   Only the Atlas temp sensor appeared to be dysfunctional.  After several back and forth discussions with AcuRite, the replacement Atlas arrived and I had purchased a remote battery pack(which was back in stock at the time) and it arrived along with the replacement atlas.  I set it up at ground level and let it run about 4 days on Remote Battery Pack, as my goal was to install the remote battery pack because the location of my Atlas is not easily accessible.  After 4 days, I decided that all was good, and so I place the Atlas in its permanent position (see photo). 

From April 27, 2020 thru May 17, 2020 or so, I experienced several different problems with signal loss from the Atlas.  Such signal loss was exhibited by a '0' signal strength reading on the Access, and the numbers on the display unit being frozen while the signal was not being sent from the Atlas.  All the while, my indoor T/RH sensor showing signal strength of 4.   

The first power failure occurred about two days after I mounted the Atlas in its permanent position.  I first tried reinstalling the batteries into the remote battery pack, but that did not restore the signal.   i again removed the atlas from its mounted perch and brought it back to ground level. From the point on, the problems of loss of Atlas system signal occurred regardless of how I was powering the Atlas:  when fresh batteries were placed directly in the Atlas, when the AC adapter was plugged into the Atlas in place of the batteries, and when the remote battery pack was used.  Signal loss would occur within 4 hours to  5 days of powering the unit up. I had one signal loss event occur about 2 am under calm and dry conditions, another during early afternoon during normal and mild afternoon conditions.   There was no events (no weather pattern of rain, high wind, blustery wind,  time of day, or anything else) that seem related to signal loss events. 

My thoughts at this point:  the next time the Atlas loses signal, it is going back to AcuRite for a swap out.  They can troubleshoot it to their heart's content.   I think the problem actually exists in the Atlas' power supply electronics/components as the plug on the end of the battery pack or AC adapter appear identical.  I think the receptacle for the power supply in the Atlas is part of the problem, the other part may be the power supply onboard. For some reason, the Atlas is unable to keep the power flowing, hence, it loses signal.   Since I have the remote battery pack for the 5-in-1 and the Atlas, I can compare them.  The 5-in-1 essentially replicates batteries as if they were loaded into the system.  I think the Atlas remote battery pack should probably follow that design.    AcuRite says that they can swap the unit out if the next signal loss is also accompanied by a loss of the red flashing led visible from the bottom of the unit. I presume that flashing led means that it is transmitting.

I was really disappointed to run into such problems (and they are not yet over, in my estimation) with the Atlas.  I guess my experience with the 5-in-1 led me to believe that the Atlas would be at least as stable and durable.  Perhaps it is, but so far my experience says otherwise.

Offline least43

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Re: Anyone have issues with Atlas Battery Pack?
« Reply #10 on: July 07, 2020, 12:17:58 PM »
I had continual problems with the batteries so switched to a power pack plugged into a small ups.  It has worked fine since. Fingers crossed!