Nice one Edouard - thanks for this [tup]
Thanks Edouard for the Maintenance checklist. I used it when cleaning my station over the weekend. [tup]
As recommended on the Wiki, I also put the VP2 console in diagnostics mode to "...avoid collecting erroneous data that might be caused by your mucking around with the instruments."
However, when I reconnected it again after an hour or so, and put it back into normal mode, the console showed 1376,2mm daily rain. ???
So had to go and edit all data manually.
How do I prevent this? My experience is that putting the console in Setup or Diagnostics mode does not prevent erroneous data. I considered clearing the Archive Memory before reconnecting but I think I need Weatherlink for that?
What is your experience? Have I overlooked something obvious?
Unplugging all sensors before any maintenance activities eliminates the need for diagnostics mode. Plug the sensors back in when finished and there will be no bad data - at least this has been the case for me.
I cleaned up my Davis station today and put Rain-X in the rain cup for the first time.
Negatory on putting it in the buckets.
I did my annual maintenance thing this morning and have a couple of questions.
I forgot to unplug my rain sensor cable, so I have 7 errant bucket tips.
What is the best way to get rid of that .07 in of rain? Do I just use the Daily Rain Editor or do I edit the data file? If I edit the data file should WeatherCat be shut down at the time? I could also use the Data Viewer/Editor tool and zero out all rain fields, i.e. Rain/hr, Daily Rain and Raw Rain.
Whilst doing this I noticed my bubble level on the ISS itself (not the UV or radiation sensors) was not on center.
My ISS had to be installed higher than ideal because it needs to clear 5 - 8 feet of accumulated snow. I have to have a ladder to get to itIf that ladder is leaning on the 'pole', it could be very easy to cause it to be off from vertical. That ladder creates a pretty efficient 'lever' to move the 'pole'. "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world", John Archimedes (very early Internet guru).
The ladder is leading against a 14-inch diameter log vertically mounted in 5 feet of concrete.Well, there's your problem! [banghead] That "system" must weigh a couple of tons! Did you do a soil compression test before you dug that "basement"?! [rolleyes2] The only thing that will save your "Leaning Tower of Utah" is the fact that termites have probably eaten most of that buried log by now. Of course, that also means you may next see your "weather" info reporting a sudden decrease in altitude and your Solar sensor reporting total darkness! I'll bet you didn't even mount a two-axis spirit level on that concrete, either. :o
Lessons learned:
- Unplug your sensor cables (or otherwise disable data) whilst cleaning out your ISS - its much easier than editing your data
- Stay hydrated and eat lots of snacks - this is one of the lessons learned on every project I do
Davis Tech Support told me that putting the console into setup mode does not prevent errant data during maintenance when you have a data logger.
So did Davis recommend anything else other than unplugging the sensors? That seems a little extreme and on my setup would definitely be inconvenient since my rain gauge is far away from the ISS.
Just cleaned mine and it needed it. Davis has a nice video about cleaning the solar and UV sensors
Although good luck finding anything on that new website of theirs.