It looks like Davis themselves are publishing their datacom specifications (where did you get the FW dump?)
Well, I guess I could say that I de-capped the processor and used a laser to clear the protection fuse on the Atmel micro (which Davis almost certainly would have set when they flashed the chip), and then used a JTAG board to read the firmware out bit by bit. But the truth of the matter is, I just downloaded it
from the Davis website.
So let's say you click that link and go to their website. Davis says
Our Firmware is downloadable at no charge, but requires use of our Vantage Pro Updater for Vantage Pro2 or Vantage Pro Updater for Original Vantage Pro, which are available for purchase through our secure e-commerce system.
This isn't true anymore. With the firmware, a free program called
avrdude, and a hacked up parallel printer cable or other inexpensive programmer, you could do it yourself. Note that the signals that avrdude needs to reprogram the processor are available on the expansion port pinout shown on my blog. This only makes sense, right? Davis would want to make any process requiring a firmware update simple to do. Not that there is much point in doing this as the latest firmware is dated Nov 2005. But you could have fun with this, and use a hex editor to change the "It's raining cats and dogs" message to something more... colorful. Or you could screw up the process and totally brick your console.
Edit: Looks like avrdude and a custom cable would not be required. See
this post.
Then file your OWN patents before you go into overseas production of your third-party dataloggers. (Just be sure to keep the price low enough that someone NEW doesn't develop a desire to try to hack it.)
This is left as an exercise for the reader.
Thanks for sharing, DeKay. Cracking the Davis DNA makes you the Francis Crick of WX hacking. ![Applause =D>](https://www.wxforum.net/Smileys/default/eusa_clap.gif)
I'm more a Tyler Durden kind of guy.