Author Topic: ISS Transmitting Board  (Read 35163 times)

Bull Winkus

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Re: ISS Transmitting Board
« Reply #15 on: November 02, 2015, 10:17:39 PM »
Quote
I'm waiting for Herb to recommend wrapping my head in aluminum foil to keep out the voices.

Voices? You hear 'em too? ?



Let's not talk about voices. Nooo?sireee?
Herb

Blicj11

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Re: ISS Transmitting Board
« Reply #16 on: November 21, 2015, 07:51:23 AM »
Just after midnight, yesterday, my console stopped receiving readings from all outside sensors. Normally, one would expect to have an ISS battery failure with this development. However, about 90 minutes later, the problem corrected itself. The battery tests just fine. This is pretty weird behaviour. I did get a bunch of WeatherCat messages like this:

11/20/15 1:52:03.476 AM WeatherCat[45569]: ***WARNING*** WeatherCat was not able to fetch all the weather data from the hardware after repeated tries.

Since I replaced my ISS transmitter board just three weeks ago, it may be that I have a bad replacement board. Just have to keep an eye on it and see if it happens again.
Blick


Bull Winkus

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Re: ISS Transmitting Board
« Reply #17 on: November 21, 2015, 06:57:28 PM »
Intermittent failures like you describe can be caused by several things, but given your extreme conditions and Davis' 70's technology, I would expect it to be either a cold solder joint, or other type bad connection. Changing temperature with thermal expansion/contraction, and/or wind causes the electrical path of a cold solder to be broken intermittently.

Since you've already replaced the board, and the symptoms having reappeared look very much the same as 3 weeks ago, I think you need to look at the rest of the connections for the source. Since power keeps getting interrupted, perhaps the battery socket or super capacitor has a cold solder joint.

Did you know, you can "press and hold TEMP and press HUM to display statistical and reception diagnostics on the console." I didn't until just now. I discovered that on page 18 of the ISS Installation Manual. More information on this feature is on page 36 thru 39 of the Vantage Pro2 Console Manual.

The Console Diagnostics Mode consists of two screens, the Statistical Diagnostic Screen and the Reception Diagnostic Screen.

Diagnostic Screen Commands
? Press and hold TEMP, then press HUM to display the Statistical Diagnostic screen.
? Press the > key to display signal statistics for the next installed transmitter ID.
? Press 2ND and then press CHILL to toggle between the Statistical and Reception
Diagnostic screens.
? A degree (?) sign displays in right corner of value 1 of the Reception Diagnostic
screen (screen 2) to differentiate which screen is currently displayed.
? Press DONE to exit the diagnostic screen.


An explanation of the screen display is also represented. Seems like it might be useful upon discovery that you've experience a data gap that fixed itself. You may already use this, but I haven't seen it mentioned in any of the threads, even with Edouard's similar issues.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 [cheers1]
Herb

Blicj11

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Re: ISS Transmitting Board
« Reply #18 on: November 21, 2015, 07:37:24 PM »
Thanks Herb. I just reviewed those two screens on the console. I have 99% good packets and have not had a repeat of the issue, but it's only been one day. I'll keep you posted.
Blick


elagache

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Gotta be d'em gremlins!! (Re: ISS Transmitting Board)
« Reply #19 on: November 21, 2015, 10:09:35 PM »
Dear Blick, Herb, and WeatherCat station troubleshooters,

Just after midnight, yesterday, my console stopped receiving readings from all outside sensors.

Of course, just after midnight when you were asleep - right?  [bed]

Sure looks like the fingerprints of one sort of villain - gremlins!

Thanks Herb. I just reviewed those two screens on the console. I have 99% good packets and have not had a repeat of the issue, but it's only been one day. I'll keep you posted.

Something else to keep in mind is that it could be some sort of EFI interference that was strong enough to effectively "jam" the signal from your ISS to your console.  If you see it again while you are up and available to troubleshoot, something else to check is if the ISS is actually transmitting.  You can turn on the LED that indicates when data is transmitted using the dip switches.  If that LED doesn't come on, then you know for sure the board has a problem.  If the LED is working, it could be EFI issue.

Cheers, Edouard

Blicj11

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Re: Gotta be d'em gremlins!! (Re: ISS Transmitting Board)
« Reply #20 on: November 22, 2015, 03:49:52 AM »
Of course, just after midnight when you were asleep - right?  [bed]

[Snip]

Something else to keep in mind is that it could be some sort of EFI interference that was strong enough to effectively "jam" the signal from your ISS to your console.  If you see it again while you are up and available to troubleshoot, something else to check is if the ISS is actually transmitting.  You can turn on the LED that indicates when data is transmitted using the dip switches.  If that LED doesn't come on, then you know for sure the board has a problem.  If the LED is working, it could be EFI issue.

Herb and I are the only ones I know who are up past midnight when we shouldn't be.

Yes, the ISS board LED transmitting light was on my list of things to check, but not at 1:00 in the morning. By the time I got up in the morning, things were back to normal.
Blick


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Re: ISS Transmitting Board
« Reply #21 on: December 08, 2015, 11:17:49 PM »
Just after midnight I had a repeat of this same weird issue of the console not receiving data from the external sensors. It started at 00:18 and continued until 4:38. Then it started receiving data again. This is the third time this has happened in 3 months.

I had another consult with Ryan at Scaled Instruments and then talked to Davis Tech Support. The best theory at this point is that there is some kind of electrical interference on the frequency of the Transmitter ID. Each of these blackout periods have occurred on ID 5 so today I changed the ID to 8. It only happens about once a month so I'll just wait and see what happens. There are at least three more things I can try, but I don't want to change more than one variable at a time so I can reliably rule things out.

It is so nice to get out in the snow and work on the ISS.  ::)

I'll keep you posted.
Blick


Bull Winkus

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Re: ISS Transmitting Board
« Reply #22 on: December 09, 2015, 05:24:55 AM »
Well, if you had a second Vantage Pro 2 console, and a second computer, you could listen to the signal on both devices & computers to see if they both wink out at the same time.

Come on. For a few seconds there, you gave it some thought. Didn't you?

 [lol2]
Herb

elagache

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Seeing this as well occasionally (Re: ISS Transmitting Board)
« Reply #23 on: December 09, 2015, 11:43:33 PM »
Dear Blick, Herb, and WeatherCat station troubleshooters,

Just after midnight I had a repeat of this same weird issue of the console not receiving data from the external sensors. It started at 00:18 and continued until 4:38. Then it started receiving data again. This is the third time this has happened in 3 months.

I had another consult with Ryan at Scaled Instruments and then talked to Davis Tech Support. The best theory at this point is that there is some kind of electrical interference on the frequency of the Transmitter ID. Each of these blackout periods have occurred on ID 5 so today I changed the ID to 8. It only happens about once a month so I'll just wait and see what happens. There are at least three more things I can try, but I don't want to change more than one variable at a time so I can reliably rule things out.

I'm seeing this also occurring also in the same time-frame - shortly after midnight.  I've written the problem off as having too much electronics in the computer room, but perhaps that's a mistake on my part.  Since it always happens after midnight, I'm usually asleep and when I do get up it doesn't occur to me to check WeatherCat.

I was reasonably certain that the problem wasn't happening between my ISS and my console.  I have my console retransmitting to the Weather Envoy.  This really shouldn't fail and it shouldn't happen mostly at night.

So perhaps there is something going on that explains the problem.  Could there be some processes that OS X performs after midnight that would involve a lot hard drive activity maybe?  Perhaps Time Machine purging?

I'll keep a closer eye on it since you are also having this problem.

Edouard

P.S. I did try a few different transmitter IDs but didn't see any obvious improvement.  Nonetheless, since it is so rare, perhaps I should have experimented some more.

Bull Winkus

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Re: ISS Transmitting Board
« Reply #24 on: December 10, 2015, 05:30:00 AM »
Re: Time Machine activity

If Time Machine is still set to default mode, it backs up every hour. I suppose it could do housekeeping on its hard drive at certain times, since the older backups are not so granular as one hour. That might cause a regular run of high hard drive activity. I have read reports complaining that USB 3 leaks radio interference. If your Time Machine is a USB 3 HD device, it could explain a lot. Shielding the cable with aluminum foil may isolate the interference if that were the case.

A test might be improvised where the drive was made busy by a long read/write during the day to observe for interference. It wouldn't be conclusive unless positive interference was observed, though.

On my setup, I've incorporated an app called TimeMachineEditor, which forgoes the hourly backups to perform a single early morning one each day.
 [cheers1]
Herb

Blicj11

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Re: Seeing this as well occasionally (Re: ISS Transmitting Board)
« Reply #25 on: December 10, 2015, 11:14:17 PM »
I'm seeing this also occurring also in the same time-frame - shortly after midnight.  I've written the problem off as having too much electronics in the computer room, but perhaps that's a mistake on my part.  Since it always happens after midnight, I'm usually asleep and when I do get up it doesn't occur to me to check WeatherCat.
 [snip]
I'll keep a closer eye on it since you are also having this problem.

Misery loves company Edouard and I welcome yours!

On my setup, I've incorporated an app called TimeMachineEditor, which forgoes the hourly backups to perform a single early morning one each day.

Herb, I tried one of these a few years ago and it did not work. I like this idea a lot because I only need a daily backup. I will give it shot, so thanks for the link.
Blick


Bull Winkus

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Re: ISS Transmitting Board
« Reply #26 on: December 11, 2015, 04:23:57 AM »
Works like a charm for me; both computers. Can't understand why anyone would need an hourly backup.

In fact, while I was fetching the link, I noticed that the program had been updated for El Capitan, so I downloaded it. The installed one being replaced was a whole number behind, but it still worked.

You must turn off Time Machine in System Preferences, because it wants to do the backup every hour. TimeMachineEditor lets you set the interval and then executes from there. You still end up with 2 months of daily backups and older than that, weekly backups. It must do the housekeeping at the end of the month. Right now, it has daily all of November and December to date. All previous months, starting with October going backwards are weekly records.

 [cheers1]
Herb

xairbusdriver

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Re: ISS Transmitting Board
« Reply #27 on: December 11, 2015, 05:08:14 PM »
Since these erros seem to occur at nearly the same time, how about setting your computer to a different time zone for a few weeks or even longer. If the errors still occur at the same 'computer' time, if problem is computer related. However, if the errors occur at a time difference associated with the time zone difference, the cause is most likely external interference (local radio activity) or with the ISS 'day' event. Or, something else. [banghead]

Quote
Can't understand why anyone would need an hourly backup.
I think it does depend on the individual user. However, if all I wanted were daily backups, I'd use SuperDuper or CarbonCopyCloner. In fact, I use both of them! ;) The reason I wouldn't use TM for that task is because both those apps make bootable copies. TM does not make a bootable copy, nor is it designed to. It was not designed to replace apps like SD or CCC. It is designed to make backups without much thought on the part of users (who too often simply give no thought to any kind of backup, I'm married to one of those people... and there are at least two more people living in this household with a similar lack of concern [rolleyes2] ).

The whole point of TM is to have an incremental backup of any work you do during the last hour, plus all the versions of a file since it was created. SD and/or CCC will just have what was on the computer yesterday, not the originals of anything that changed. When your computer crashes after a days worth of work, that work will not be on any 'daily' backup that you have, even if it is a modified TM backup.

One of the reasons TM is so un-intrusice is because it does not have to make a complete backup of every single file on the drive. All it adds to the backup are the files that have changed in the last hour. If you change the hourly backup to something/anything longer, you will simply make those backups take longer, also.

TM hourly backups have saved by bacon too many times to remember. As I age I find it even easier to delete the wrong version of a file! So far, I have never ever needed/used either a SD or CCC backup. I still use them, even pay for them, but TM is much more important to my daily computer usage (stupidity recoveries or simply "let's just start over from the beginning").

SD/CCC: bootable recovery with whatever was on the machine when it was made
TM: recovery of any version of anything made since the last backup (normally not more than 1 hours ago)
Different apps/methods for different purposes/uses.  [tup]

Of course, YMMV. :)

We now return to the regularly scheduled topic subject...
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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My turn for sensor errors . . . (Re: ISS Transmitting Board)
« Reply #28 on: December 15, 2015, 11:39:09 PM »
Dear Blick and WeatherCat station troubleshooters, . . .

I'm in panic mode trying to keep ahead of Christmas, so of course my station decided to goof off today . . . .



As you can see I had two episodes.  One in the early morning hours and the second one while . . . I was fighting to mail a package at the post office.  [banghead]

We are having very dry and windy weather.  I was wondering if that caused an increase in static electricity that could be contributing.

Since I've never tried this before, I moved the ID that I'm retransmitting from 3 to 8.  Since the second episode occurred in the daytime, I can confirm that the ISS to console connection is working just fine.  It is the console retransmission to the Weather Envoy that is failing.  It is a ridiculous 30 feet at the most, but it is all inside the house and as I've reported, this house has the old-school plaster walls with steel mesh to support the plaster.  Not the best environment for radio signals.  Nonetheless, if the transmitter IDs are "next to each other" in frequency, perhaps choosing an ID that is "farther away" will reduce any interference between IDs caused by other sources of RFI . . . .

We'll see, . . . Edouard 

P.S. The ISS transmits to the console on ID #2.  I also have a Temperature/Humidity station transmitting on ID #4.

Steve

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Re: ISS Transmitting Board
« Reply #29 on: December 16, 2015, 04:40:50 AM »
My soil station transmitter does this every few days for no apparent reason. I've changed channels, replaced batteries, moved wires and antenna around, but it still occurs. I just ignore them...
Steve - Avon, Ohio, USA


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