Author Topic: VP2 excessive random rain  (Read 1235 times)

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Offline duncans

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VP2 excessive random rain
« on: June 02, 2021, 05:29:10 AM »
Hi WXForum, looking for some help please.

My ageing VP2 wireless has started to throw out some very odd rain data. Random spikes of very high rainfall with rates in excess of 1000 mm/hr and daily total in excess of 600 mm. No, it's not raining :-)

Suspected a bad reed switch, so swapped that out, no joy. Suspected a bad sensor, so swapped the tipping bucket for the new single bucket, no joy. Now suspect a bad PCB..

Has anyone had a similar experience and hopefully a fix?

Thanks.

Mfg Code A41120A69
Firmware April 10 2006

Offline johnd

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2021, 06:15:39 AM »
That is one of the very first VP2's so it wouldn't be too surprising if the SIM board is starting to show its age after 16-17 years.

You've tried the most obvious fixes, but you need to be 100% sure that there's no moisture able to get into rain gauge plug/socket on the SIM board. Even if the weather is currently dry then moisture that has penetrated into the socket can take a while to evaporate.

But yes, failing that then the SIM board is the next most likely cause. I don't know what else you might have replaced in the interim, but if it's not much then I'd be quite tempted to look at a new VP2 ISS rather than just replacing the SIM board. The ISS units do last well, but that's not quite the same as forever.

No chance I suppose that you could be picking up someone else's ISS nearby? Always worth changing the transmit channel just to double-check.
Prodata Weather Systems
Prodata's FAQ/support site for Davis stations
Includes many details on 6313 Weatherlink console.
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Cambridge UK

Sorry, but I don't usually have time to help with individual issues by email unless you are a Prodata customer. Please post your issue in the relevant forum section here & I will comment there if I have anything useful to add.

Offline dcaysinger

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2021, 06:38:09 AM »

No chance I suppose that you could be picking up someone else's ISS nearby? Always worth changing the transmit channel just to double-check.

Changing the channel on mine solved some very strange behavior with my solar and wind sensors.  There was interference in the neighborhood. 

Offline duncans

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2021, 07:22:04 AM »
OK - Transmitter ID changed and RJ contacts cleaned. I'll let you know what happens.

Offline wxman91

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #4 on: June 12, 2021, 08:25:42 PM »
OK - Transmitter ID changed and RJ contacts cleaned. I'll let you know what happens.

Any luck with this?  I'm also getting similar strange rainfall readings.  It has happened a couple of times recently.  It has not rained today, let alone a 14.4" rate and >200".

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Offline doubleohwhatever

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #5 on: June 12, 2021, 10:29:24 PM »
Have you removed the rain bucket and checked for pests around the tipping spoon(s)?

Offline Mattk

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #6 on: June 13, 2021, 03:22:11 AM »
Have you removed the rain bucket and checked for pests around the tipping spoon(s)?

Exactly, Seen many Davis rain gauges getting 3 frogs to the litre  :shock:

Offline wxman91

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #7 on: June 13, 2021, 03:38:57 PM »
Have you removed the rain bucket and checked for pests around the tipping spoon(s)?

There was some gunk on the pins where the ethernet cable attaches.  Cleaned that out with rubbing alcohol.  Has worked so far today so we'll see if it holds.

Offline duncans

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #8 on: June 13, 2021, 05:34:03 PM »
Still getting bad rain data :-(. I have tried all the channels and cleaning the pins. Next step is soldering on a new RJ connector. After that, it’s a new ISS module I think.

Oh and no frogs  [tup]

Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #9 on: December 10, 2021, 08:46:04 AM »
Sorry for resurrecting an old topic but I’m very lucky I found this. I’m having the same problem and the new reed switch I ordered clearly won’t solve the problem.

My station recorded 70” of rain yesterday which is clearly erroneous given the rain lead wasn’t even plugged into the socket.

I’ve spoken to ProData (UK) this morning and ordered the 6322WOV. My VP2 was bought in April 2009 so almost 13 years of service is pretty good I think.

Once installed I’ll correct all the bad rain data but it’s reassuring I can do that with the excellent but now redundant Cumulus software.

Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #10 on: December 15, 2021, 03:02:56 PM »
A follow up to my post which may be helpful to others. After the new ISS was installed yesterday everything was fine until 8 hours later and it was dark. The outside temperature spiked up by 5°C and stayed there for two hours.

During that time the umbrella icon was shown but it wasn’t raining. The rain rate was >10”/hr. And then the ISS battery status showed LOW.

How could a new ISS exhibit the same problem as the one it replaced? A bit of logical thinking. It had to be the console. I took out one C battery, unplugged the mains lead and removed the data logger.

After 30 seconds I restored them in reverse order. After the transmitters synced the outside temp returned to the same as nearby stations, the umbrella icon disappeared and within 10 minutes the battery status on my website showed OK.

Speaking to ProData this morning it’s not something they’ve come across before but 24 hours later nine of the problems above have returned.

Something to bear in mind if you start getting stupid data from your ISS. Maybe I didn’t need a replacement ISS but as mine was 13 years old I can live with that.

Offline dalecoy

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #11 on: December 15, 2021, 08:47:02 PM »
Have you tried changing the channel being used?   That has been previously suggested, but I didn't see your answer.

Offline Mattk

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #12 on: December 15, 2021, 09:40:38 PM »
With all the obvious things checked then I would be looking at the cable itself. If as old as the station and unprotected, it's possible to be deteriorated right through to the conductors at some point which is typically the point/s where it's most exposed to the elements.   

Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #13 on: December 16, 2021, 03:57:42 AM »
@dalecoy, I haven’t changed the channel number in years. Since my last post the station has been fine.

@Mattk, which cable? Remember the latest problem occurred with a brand new station that had been running for less than 10 hours. The fact I was getting the same problem with a new ISS points to the console, not the old ISS.

Offline Mattk

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #14 on: December 16, 2021, 04:05:18 AM »
@Mattk, which cable? Remember the latest problem occurred with a brand new station that had been running for less than 10 hours. The fact I was getting the same problem with a new ISS points to the console, not the old ISS.

The cable that runs from the rain collector to the ISS, was this changed with this "brand new station"

Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #15 on: December 16, 2021, 04:13:46 AM »
The cable that runs from the rain collector to the ISS, was this changed with this "brand new station"

The whole ISS was changed. A replacement one from ProData.

Offline johnd

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #16 on: December 16, 2021, 04:50:11 AM »
Re the oddities when you were switching ISS units: I don't know whether or not you switched the transmitter channel on the old ISS before activating the new one, but a wireless ISS can potentially continue transmitting for several hours even after the battery has been removed. And the console could typically continue to receive from the old ISS until eg it was rebooted or the old ISS signal got too weak to receive. It's this sort of thing that can give transient odd results when switching transmitters, especially if the ISS units were in different locations with different temperatures etc.

But obviously this wouldn't apply if the old ISS had had its channel switched during swapout.
Prodata Weather Systems
Prodata's FAQ/support site for Davis stations
Includes many details on 6313 Weatherlink console.
UK Davis Premier Dealer - All Davis stations, accessories and spares
Cambridge UK

Sorry, but I don't usually have time to help with individual issues by email unless you are a Prodata customer. Please post your issue in the relevant forum section here & I will comment there if I have anything useful to add.

Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #17 on: December 16, 2021, 05:36:17 AM »
Hello John. Thanks for your post. No, I didn’t change the channel number on the old ISS. The thought never occurred to me.

But if that was the cause of the temp spike, battery status issue and huge rain rate it’s curious that it only started at 19:00 - 7.5 hours after it was replaced by the new one. Why not earlier?

Had those problems started straight after the swap it would have made sense. Everything points to the console software being the problem because a reset cured all three problems. I spoke to Peter yesterday and he said they’d never come across this before. As someone who has worked in IT most computer problems are cured by turning it off and in again.  :grin:

Given the data logger and power lead had not been removed for many years everything points to the console being the problem.

Offline johnd

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #18 on: December 16, 2021, 05:56:51 AM »
Obviously I don't know exactly what happened at the swapout but I could imagine a situation where eg the old ISS was later brought closer to the console (maybe indoors with a different temperature) so that its residual signal became strong enough to be preferred by the console.

But this is just idle speculation really - in this sort of situation it's often impossible retrospectively to work out exactly what happened and as long as the data continue to behave OK then the old quirks are perhaps simply best forgotten.

FWIW I'd be quite surprised if this were simply a console issue, but we'll probably never know. That said, almost whatever the issue it's always worth trying a console reboot - it's quick and simple to do and you'll lose little if any data if done quickly. Sometimes that's all it takes eg to reset a logger.
Prodata Weather Systems
Prodata's FAQ/support site for Davis stations
Includes many details on 6313 Weatherlink console.
UK Davis Premier Dealer - All Davis stations, accessories and spares
Cambridge UK

Sorry, but I don't usually have time to help with individual issues by email unless you are a Prodata customer. Please post your issue in the relevant forum section here & I will comment there if I have anything useful to add.

Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: VP2 excessive random rain
« Reply #19 on: December 16, 2021, 06:07:33 AM »
Hi John. I live in a smallish semi-detached house and the old ISS was taken through the lounge where the console is to an upstairs bedroom where it was placed in the box of the new one. A signal could easily be sent to the console as it would only need to go through a ceiling to the lounge below.

Yes, resetting the console can clear a lot of problems and doing it last week may well have solved the rain problem without needing to buy a new ISS. I’d only be able to prove this by reinstalling the old one but it’s too much hassle. I have a new problem-free station and have learned a valuable lesson about the console.

After a week of having to make multiple corrections to my weather data I just want a quiet life now. Lessons learned as they say!  [tup]

 

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