Author Topic: Data logger options for using Vantage Vue with a MacBook Air  (Read 6256 times)

BartonCamberley

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Data logger options for using Vantage Vue with a MacBook Air
« on: December 27, 2015, 11:14:22 PM »
Thanks for all the welcome replies. Anne is a very keen gardener and weather watcher and recorder.
I am thinking about a set up that frees up the laptop as much as possible and use the IP logger that connects via Ethernet cable to my modem. Have read the Wiki on setting up the IP logger and it seemed I might need some expert help with this. As a newcomer I would appreciate any views on my proposed set up.

Blicj11

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Re: Data logger options for using Vantage Vue with a MacBook Air
« Reply #1 on: December 28, 2015, 03:24:27 PM »
Not sure what your questions are; if you could be specific it would help us help you.

I am using the IP data logger and once I got it setup the first time, I have never had to do a anything with it as it does not use drivers that require periodic updates.

WeatherCat does not play nice when hooked up to computer that goes to sleep. From your post it appears that you intend to shut down WeatherCat most of the time and run it periodically, to import data from the logger. Is this a correct assumption? I have never run WeatherCat this way, but I know we have some forum members who do.

For the data storage capacity of the data logger, see this Wiki article:

http://wiki.trixology.com/index.php/Capacity_of_the_Davis_data-logger_to_store_weather_data_depending_on_the_chosen_sampling_interval
Blick


elagache

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WeatherCat can do a lot. (Re: Vantage Vue with a MacBook Air)
« Reply #2 on: December 29, 2015, 12:51:57 AM »
Dear Ron, Blick, and WeatherCat "advisory committee" . . . .

We should probably explain why most WeatherCat users run their computers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  WeatherCat is a perfectly good tool for collecting and analyzing data coming from a weather station.  However, it does much more.  A good deal of WeatherCat's capability is in making data available on the Internet in various ways.  You can publish your own website with weather data - in real time if desired.  In addition, there are numerous data services that accept uploads from personal weather stations.   Since you are from England, you might be interested in the service provided by the Met Office: WOW (Weather Observations Website).  Here is the main website:

http://wow.metoffice.gov.uk/

Believe it or not, here are my submissions to the Met Office from northern California:

http://wow.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/view?siteID=10816276

WeatherCat handles the uploading of data to Met Office WOW and 6 other services like Met Office WOW.

This may not interest your wife, so running WeatherCat every now and then to download data from the Vantage Vue will work out just fine.  However, if the idea of uploading data is appealing, then you need to have WeatherCat running in order to carry out these data upload services.  Some of us have an older Mac dedicated to running WeatherCat.  Others use their desktop computer and simply don't turn it off at night.

It is a whole new dimension and turns out to be very appealing once you get used to it.  However, it might be a fly in the ointment for what you and your wife were initially planning.  Even so, if you were simply planning to collect data and nothing more, you can always change later on to uploading data if that becomes more interesting later on.

Hope this is some help in understanding how most of us use WeatherCat,

cheers, Edouard

BartonCamberley

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Re: Data logger options for using Vantage Vue with a MacBook Air
« Reply #3 on: December 29, 2015, 09:14:08 PM »
Block, Edouard,
Many thanks for your helpful replies.
We ( it's now a joint venture ) want to do most of the things Edouard mentioned e.g. Publish our own website with real time data, and now realise the limitations of not having a dedicated Mac running full time.
Also good to hear that Blick has had good experience with the IP data logger.
May take a few weeks but will let you know when we get everything up and running.

Ron






elagache

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Start collecting data in batch mode for now. (Re: Data logger options)
« Reply #4 on: December 29, 2015, 11:34:48 PM »
Dear Ron, Blick, and WeatherCat faithful,

May take a few weeks but will let you know when we get everything up and running.

If it isn't too much trouble., you could get a data logger ASAP and start collecting the data periodically so that it is archived.  It is quite easy to move WeatherCat installations from one Mac to another.  So your wife's MacBook can serve as a temporary location for running WeatherCat until you have secured another computer to run WeatherCat 24/7.  By doing this you'll have all the weather data in the interim even if you cannot publish it to the Internet yet. 

Considering that storm Frank is headed your way, you might want to have all the weather data you can collect this year!  [rain2]

Best of luck with your new WeatherCat installation!  [tup]

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

BartonCamberley

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Re: Data logger options for using Vantage Vue with a MacBook Air
« Reply #5 on: December 30, 2015, 01:31:55 PM »
Edouard,

Thanks again.
We will be shopping for another MacBook Air and ordering the IP logger in the next few days.

Storm Frank seems to be heading for the north of England where there is still severe floods following Eva.
We have had little rain in the south and only 6.4mm in the last 7 days according to our weather station. Pressure is now 1008mb falling rapidly and the wind speed rising so expect rain later today. Outside temperature is 12 deg C .Very mild here so far this winter- only one frost that I can remember as that occurred before I installed the Vantage Vue.
Saw daffodils in bloom today - not usually seen until February.

Ron and Anne

BartonCamberley

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Re: Data logger options for using Vantage Vue with a MacBook Air
« Reply #6 on: January 09, 2016, 03:43:30 PM »
Edouard, Blick

Delighted to let you know that we now have WeatherCat running [cheer]
Set up was fairly straight forward. Decided to opt for the USB logger and an
iMac in the end. Higher cost of the IP logger could not be justified.
Just collecting data while we get more acquainted with all the other capabilities.
The iMac is in a temporary work station at present but, hopefully, will be in a permanent position shortly.

Once again thanks for your help.

Ron and Anne  [cheers1]

elagache

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Congratulations!! (Re: Data logger options)
« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2016, 09:59:07 PM »
Dear Ron, Anne, and WeatherCat fans, . . . .

Delighted to let you know that we now have WeatherCat running [cheer]

Congratulations!  [tup]

Set up was fairly straight forward. Decided to opt for the USB logger and an
iMac in the end. Higher cost of the IP logger could not be justified.

Actually the vast majority of us use the USB logger.  That's somewhat in part because some of us old timers set up a station before the IP logger was introduced, but obviously since our stations are still up - it is a safe choice.

Just collecting data while we get more acquainted with all the other capabilities.
The iMac is in a temporary work station at present but, hopefully, will be in a permanent position shortly.

Once again thanks for your help.

Glad to hear everything has come up smoothly.  Should you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask - that's what we are here for!  :)

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

BartonCamberley

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Re: Data logger options for using Vantage Vue with a MacBook Air
« Reply #8 on: January 09, 2016, 11:28:25 PM »
Edouard,

I'm sure we will have more questions as we are new to Macs as well as WeatherCat and have lots to learn.
For now, I would like to know the ideal settings on the iMac for 24/7/365  running with WeatherCat.
Operating system for the iMac is OS X El Capitan v.10.11.2.
Currently running with screen saver set to come on after 30 minutes and set the following in the Energy saving preferences:
Turn display off after 1 hour
Tick for "Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off"
Untucked "Put hard disk to sleep when possible"
Tick for "Wake for network access"
Tick for "Start up automatically after a power failure
Unticked "Enable Power Nap

Appreciate any comments and help with these settings.

On a lighter note, can you tell me how to get the great emojis you have on the forum?

Weather is lousy here at the moment so ideal for working indoors. [rainyluck]

Kind Regards,

Ron



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Re: Data logger options for using Vantage Vue with a MacBook Air
« Reply #9 on: January 10, 2016, 07:38:15 AM »
Ron:

Glad to hear you are up and running. I like your OS X settings.
Blick


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Energy saver settings (Was: Data logger options)
« Reply #10 on: January 10, 2016, 10:09:58 PM »
Dear Ron, Blick, and WeatherCat weather station caregivers, . . . .

Currently running with screen saver set to come on after 30 minutes and set the following in the Energy saving preferences:

. . . .

Appreciate any comments and help with these settings.

You seem to be in good shape overall, there are just some tweaks you might consider for convenience.

Okay, as far as I know, you can set your display settings to whatever is comfortable for you.  You can have the display turned off sooner if you like, it isn't supposed to effect the computer at all.  On OS 10.10 Yosemite there is an option in energy savers to allow your computer to go to sleep and I have this set to never.  Am I correct in assuming this has changed for El Capitan?

Otherwise I agree with Blick, you're good to go.

On a lighter note, can you tell me how to get the great emojis you have on the forum?

Actually, I've collected them over the years from various websites (mostly other forums) and parked them on the same server that hosts my weather web pages.  I figure mooching these things for personal postings is "fair use."  I haven't gotten into emojis yet.  I guess I'm showing my age!

Weather is lousy here at the moment so ideal for working indoors. [rainyluck]

The weather isn't very good here either but that doesn't spare me from working in the yard . . .  >:(

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

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Re: Energy saver settings (Was: Data logger options)
« Reply #11 on: January 10, 2016, 10:57:29 PM »
On OS 10.10 Yosemite there is an option in energy savers to allow your computer to go to sleep and I have this set to never.  Am I correct in assuming this has changed for El Capitan?

Nope, in the words of the Talking Heads, it is the "same as it ever was" in 10.11.2

Steve - Avon, Ohio, USA


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Re: Data logger options for using Vantage Vue with a MacBook Air
« Reply #12 on: January 11, 2016, 01:15:33 AM »
First, congrats on getting things up and running! I think that's one of the best things to do with lousy weather! :) There are some fine, friendly folks here that are hard to stump with questions about anything from anemometers to zoology!

Only thing I would suggest is to run as few other apps as possible on the iMac. And shut them down when they aren't needed. And if you find any program that has a memory leak, absolutely shut it down when it's not needed. When the computer runs 24/7, those leaks become a problem more often than if you reboot daily.

If it's to be dedicated to WC, there's no point in wasting disk space for huge apps like Photoshop, Office Suite, etc. OTOH, if you will be using it for normal things, even Photoshop, you'll find that WC is already designed to be as good a neighbor as possible.

With WC updating files every two minutes or so, I doubt there'd be much time for a drive to ever go to sleep. Animated screen savers do use the cpu. I just let the screen of black. OTOH, if you have several cats that like to watch those screen savers...  [biggrin]
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BartonCamberley

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Re: Data logger options for using Vantage Vue with a MacBook Air
« Reply #13 on: January 12, 2016, 08:17:08 PM »
Thank-you all for your responses.
We will make a few tweaks as you suggest.

Weather here is turning much colder  [snow] and we are being inundated with WC emails so will have to do some editing.
Finding the WC manual an excellent tool for information and exploring all the possible things we can now do with all that data!

Ron and Anne