Author Topic: WeatherCat crashing  (Read 10409 times)

elagache

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Time to consider a station upgrade? (Re: WeatherCat crashing)
« Reply #15 on: March 03, 2017, 11:36:40 PM »
Dear Terry and WeatherCat station caregivers,

Sorry to report WeatherCat crashed again at 3.17 a.m. GMT this morning.  I reset it at about 10 a.m. (leaving the batteries out for 30 minutes!!!!) and hopefully it will be OK for a time.

It did run for 11 days without crashing so it is still a success compared with previous performance.

Sorry to hear that.  You might still collect the crash log and send it to Stu so that he can have a look at it.   He might be able to tell you in more detail what is going on.

Still, other WeatherCat users have had good reliability with Fine Offset stations.  Considering that they are relatively inexpensive, you might consider purchasing another one and hope it will be more reliable.  Alternatively, you might consider upgrading to another station model.  If you are starting to enjoy having all that data, you might want to upgrade to a station that is more bullet-proof.

Sorry, when handed a lemon,  :( we all need to decide what is the best way to make it into lemonade!  :)

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

Terryap

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Re: WeatherCat crashing
« Reply #16 on: March 04, 2017, 02:40:45 PM »
I knew it was too good to be true - it crashed again at 3.30 a.m. this morning again so I have reset it and this time leaving the batteries out for at least 2 hours!

The Weather Station itself works fine.  It continues working and storing data while the link to my MacBook is down.

How do I send the report to Stu?  Do I just copy and paste here as I did previously or is there a more direct way?

Best wishes

Terry
Best wishes

Terry

xairbusdriver

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Re: WeatherCat crashing
« Reply #17 on: March 04, 2017, 04:31:17 PM »
Quote
How do I send the report to Stu?
I'd suggest creating a new thread in Trixology ? WeatherCat ? WeatherCat Bugs. However, I'm not sure you have narrowed down the problem to WC. You should probably summarize your trouble-shooting steps, including tests for hardware (the data logger, in particular).
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF COUNTRIES
Those that use metric = #1 Measurement system
And the United States = The Banana system


wurzelmac

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Re: WeatherCat crashing
« Reply #18 on: March 04, 2017, 05:56:17 PM »
Or, if you can find the related crash report in Activity Monitor, save it to the desktop and attach it in your next post (Attachements and other options just beneath the window you fill in the text when posting).
Good luck on finding the problem!
Reinhard


elagache

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Instructions on sending a crash report (Re: WeatherCat crashing)
« Reply #19 on: March 04, 2017, 10:28:48 PM »
Dear Terry, X-Air, Reinhard, and WeatherCat troubleshooters,

I knew it was too good to be true - it crashed again at 3.30 a.m. this morning again so I have reset it and this time leaving the batteries out for at least 2 hours!

The Weather Station itself works fine.  It continues working and storing data while the link to my MacBook is down.

Unfortunately while the station works most of the time, that doesn't mean there isn't some sort of intermittent failure that is causing WeatherCat to crash.  As I've pointed out we have a number of people using this station and nobody else is having the problem you are having.  This is an inexpensive station so it stands to reason quality control isn't as rigorous as you might find for a more expensive station.


How do I send the report to Stu?  Do I just copy and paste here as I did previously or is there a more direct way?

It is extremely important to retrieve a copy of the crash report file and attach it either to a post or better still email it directly to WeatherCat technical support.  A link to the instructions on how to locate a crash report are included on this thread:

http://athena.trixology.com/index.php?topic=1785.msg15752#msg15752

The name of the file you are looking for should be something like this: WeatherCat_2017-02-17-142855_MacintoshName.crash .  Try to send the latest crash (the date is part of the name.)

With that file, Stu can bring up the crash in his development environment which saves him time and allows him to better understand the circumstances of the crash.  You will find instructions on how to contact WeatherCat technical support on this page of the Trixology website:

http://trixology.com/support/

Let us know if you have any problems doing this and/or what you uncover.

Cheers, Edouard

Terryap

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Re: WeatherCat crashing
« Reply #20 on: March 05, 2017, 10:51:36 PM »
Many thanks all

Crash report sent.  All working OK at the moment

Best wishes

Terry

Terryap

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Re: WeatherCat crashing
« Reply #21 on: March 13, 2017, 02:20:55 PM »
An update

There appears to be a problem with my MacBook charger which may have caused disconnections to take place.  I am trying a different charger to see if that cure s the problem.

Best wishes

Terry

elagache

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Keep us posted (Re: WeatherCat crashing)
« Reply #22 on: March 13, 2017, 10:34:21 PM »
Dear Terry and WeatherCat troubleshooters,

There appears to be a problem with my MacBook charger which may have caused disconnections to take place.  I am trying a different charger to see if that cure s the problem.

Okay, that's an interesting development.  Does the cable from your station have Ferrite Cores to reduce interference?  That's a recommendation for Davis Stations that you'll find on the WeatherCat Wiki:

http://wiki.trixology.com/index.php?title=Electronic_Interference_Effects_on_Station_Hardware/Data_Logger/USB_Cable

It might take some searching to find Ferrite Cores that would fit on the your cable, but that might cure the disconnect problem.

Keep us posted, . . . . .

Cheers, Edouard

Terryap

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Re: WeatherCat crashing
« Reply #23 on: April 13, 2018, 02:27:03 PM »
I haven't given an update for some time but I seem to have touched on the reason for the crashing (I Think!!!???).

Since my last post last March I have had the same problems as before with Weathercat rarely staying stable for more than a day or two.  Sometimes crashing 2 or 3 times a day but it would restart itself each time so I put up with it.

I then recently installed WeatherCat 3 but when I tried to run it it just would not run.  I opened the previous version and disabled the webcam - WeatherCat 3 then opened and worked fine.  I removed the webcam (old Apple iSight with Firewire connection connected to thunderbolt socket on my MacMini with adapters). 

WeatherCat then worked without a crash for 14 days!!!!

I have bought a new USB webcam and connected it up to WeatherCat today and, lo and behold, WeatherCat has crashed 3 times already!!

Any ideas anyone?

Best wishes

Terry

xairbusdriver

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Re: WeatherCat crashing
« Reply #24 on: April 13, 2018, 05:18:51 PM »
"Web cams" can be particularly difficult to match up with anything, in my humble opinion.

Obviously, the first step is inserting the correct settings in WC Prefs->Webcam.
Might be nice to post or link to the make/model/specs of the camera. Perhaps some one here already is using it and can help quickly.
In the mean time:
    Did the cam come with any software for viewing its output or does it suggest a simple
url?
Does it have settings for image quality?
Does it produce jpeg or mp4 files or even some other format?
Does it store them on an SD card (or something similar) or simply stream the output?
Does it have a choice of  image sizes, bitrates, authentication, etc.?[/list]
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF COUNTRIES
Those that use metric = #1 Measurement system
And the United States = The Banana system


Terryap

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Re: WeatherCat crashing
« Reply #25 on: April 16, 2018, 11:15:58 AM »
Thanks for the reply

It is an extremely basic cheap and cheerful, plug and play, USB webcam I bought from e-bay.  There is no software, it worked straight out of the box, The only settings are via WeatherCat, there are no storage facilities, etc.  It is really intended for use with Skype, etc.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BOYNQ-Iris-Webcam-1-3MP-Plug-Play-Built-In-Mic-LED-Lights-USB-3-0-Windows-10/252803297040?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I have tried to get more info but the Boynq website is not available.  I suspect the Company has gone and these are being sold off cheap. 
Best wishes

Terry

xairbusdriver

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Re: WeatherCat crashing
« Reply #26 on: April 16, 2018, 03:41:01 PM »
Quote
There is no software, it worked straight out of the box
I am assuming this means it was simply connected to the computer via USB?
I am also assuming that you tried the three options in the WC webcam prefs section. Did you try a direct connection to the Mac or is it connected through a multi-outlet 'hub'? If it's a hub, is it a powered one?

Although the WC developer checks the posts here quite often, you might try a direct message. But developing WC is not his "real" job and he has a family!! ;)

I have to agree with your trepidation about support from the manufacturer (Made in China, although I think 99.3% of inexpensive web cams come from there) or the dealer (who may do nothing more than take orders.
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF COUNTRIES
Those that use metric = #1 Measurement system
And the United States = The Banana system


elagache

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Perhaps a case of getting what you paid for . . (Re: WeatherCat crashing)
« Reply #27 on: April 16, 2018, 11:18:41 PM »
Dear Terry, X-Air, and WeatherCat station caregivers,

It is an extremely basic cheap and cheerful, plug and play, USB webcam I bought from e-bay.  There is no software, it worked straight out of the box, The only settings are via WeatherCat, there are no storage facilities, etc.  It is really intended for use with Skype, etc.
. . .
I have tried to get more info but the Boynq website is not available.  I suspect the Company has gone and these are being sold off cheap.

X-Air has covered the basics and you could contact the developer directly.  Alas, I suspect you might be putting too much effort to continue using a device that might not be robust enough for the task.  If it was intended for occasional use like for Skype, there may be issues in the electronics that cannot cope with continuous use.

I haven't looked recently, but I have to believe there are USB webcams at a moderate cost from companies that are still in existence and can provide you with technical support if need be.

Cheers, Edouard

Terryap

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Re: WeatherCat crashing
« Reply #28 on: April 17, 2018, 11:00:53 AM »
Many thanks all

I agree that the webcam is not up to the job, in fact the picture is rubbish so I have disconnected it from WC.

However, do you think the problem might be with WC as the Apple iSight I used before was in use for many years with other software with absolutely no problems, WC 2 worked with it but regularly crashed and WC 3 just would not load when it was connected?  No crashing occurred when the webcam was not enabled.   It then seems too much of a coincidence that when a simple USB webcam is enabled WC crashes again.
Best wishes

Terry

elagache

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Anyone else having USB webcam problems? (Re: WeatherCat crashing)
« Reply #29 on: April 17, 2018, 10:43:54 PM »
Dear Terry and WeatherCat station caregivers,

However, do you think the problem might be with WC as the Apple iSight I used before was in use for many years with other software with absolutely no problems, WC 2 worked with it but regularly crashed and WC 3 just would not load when it was connected?  No crashing occurred when the webcam was not enabled.   It then seems too much of a coincidence that when a simple USB webcam is enabled WC crashes again.

I'm not sure what to tell you.  I was one of the private beta testers for WeatherCat 3 and it worked flawlessly with my "vintage" Logitech 9000.  However, USB webcams are becoming something of an "endangered species" since networked devices are so much more versatile.  Is anyone else running WeatherCat 3 and a USB webcam?  Anyone else having problems?

Cheers, Edouard