Topic: Vantage Vue - unbox to setup

[needtrees]

Seems there's alot of interest in the Davis Vantage Vue these days, so thought I would post my setup.  Soup to nuts as they say.

Open box, yay!


Pieces parts


bottom- opening for rain collector, battery, and mounting pole:


top: mount for wind cups, rain collector, and level bubble:


wind cups and anny installed:


These pins provided to attach the rain collector and battery would not fit into the main unit.  They were bending in half when I tried to push or screw them in.


Nevermind, wood screws and duct tape to the rescue.

Wood screw for the rain collector

.
Just some duct tape for the battery cover.


Ready to go:


Test mount (on the top of a rake):


Firing up the console, needs to get warmed up...


There we go, going through the power-on setup sequence:


Receiving data from the station:


Data logger disguised as software!  (serial version)


Unboxed data logger, serial adapter and software:


Data logger plugged into back of console:


Plug this into COM1:


Weather Link running on Windows VM:


Finally, installed for the season:


Sweet...



Currently I'm trying to get it running on Weather Display on Xubuntu.  I have an old laptop that needs to be re-purposed

[utahweatherbear]

great job...excellent pics! 

[PaulMy]

Way the go and looks great.  Fun doing it!?!  Thanks for posting.

  Paul

[kray1000]

I was never impressed with how Davis supplied power to their VP consoles.  I hope there's more than a couple pins securing the power port onto the board inside.  It wouldn't take much to pull that loose.  I have a spare VP1 console that became a "batteries-only" unit for that reason.  Hopefully Davis has addressed that issue in these Vue units.

Likewise, it looks like the power and data cables could pull against one another.  Hopefully the power cord won't pull out the datalogger.

[killwilly]

Duct tape, are you kidding? 

[mcneese832000]

Great Job!

[Dennis Rogers]

I myself am getting a Vantage Vue. Thanks for the photos.

My biggest concern is where the pole goes, the bracket on the Vue looks flimsy plastic, whereas the U bolt is metal, tighten it up to much and the bracket would break. My concern is the whole unit could come off the pole if not careful, or tight enough. Davis should have had some extra locking system to prevent it ever happening.

My concern if it fall of the pipe it's a lot of money to replace

[needtrees]

The plastic feels pretty solid overall.  The manual specifies you can use a 1-1.75" diameter  pole.  I went with 1.5" wooden pole, so the u-bolt kind of bit into it.  I think the u-bolt metal bracket provided would bend before breaking anything plastic.  Not worried about it falling off, but yeah all your eggs are in one basket with this thing.

[mackbig]

Nice pix.

I would lose the duct tape. Not sure the purpose, but duct tape gets really nasty after time, heating and cooling, etc.  So to avoid a gooey mess I would remove asap.

Andrew

[Dennis Rogers]

Get some outdoor repair tape that is weather and weather proof, as well as UV proof, works well. I  use to to tape my pole to a post for my weather station, works well.

[Garth Bock]

Thanks for posting the pics !!! I have a VPro 2 (with solar) and have wondered how the Vue went together.

[needtrees]

Nice pix.

I would lose the duct tape. Not sure the purpose, but duct tape gets really nasty after time, heating and cooling, etc.  So to avoid a gooey mess I would remove asap.

Andrew

The purpose is to hold the battery cover on...yes I need to find a permanent solution.  The pins provided to secure the battery cover and rain bucket would not fit, they just bend in half when I try to force them in.

[SlowModem]

The purpose is to hold the battery cover on...yes I need to find a permanent solution.  The pins provided to secure the battery cover and rain bucket would not fit, they just bend in half when I try to force them in.

If it's bad out of the box, you should certainly call Davis.  My dealings with their staff have been A+.

[mcneese832000]

I agree with Slow Modem. I just purchased a Vantage Vue earlier this month and I had no issues with the pins. If it is giving you trouble, I would definitely get with Davis.