Author Topic: Davis VP2 rain sensor  (Read 8672 times)

michael252

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Davis VP2 rain sensor
« on: August 26, 2012, 09:39:03 PM »
Has anyone had a Davis VP2 rain sensor fail? I assume it's the reed switch, but I'm not for sure. Has anyone ever changed one?

Thanks,
Michael

elagache

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Not unheard of (Re: Davis VP2 rain sensor)
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2012, 10:52:30 PM »
Dear Michael,

Has anyone had a Davis VP2 rain sensor fail? I assume it's the reed switch, but I'm not for sure. Has anyone ever changed one?

It is a rare event, but I think at least one WeatherCat user (Doc) has had to do this.  You might need to send him a private message if doesn't chime in on this question. 

Just out of curiosity, what are the symptoms you are seeing?  The rain buckets are tipping but nothing is being recorded?  You might check for loose connections.  Not very likely, but it is possible your rain gauge isn't making good contact anymore in the ISS.

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

michael252

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Re: Davis VP2 rain sensor
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2012, 11:24:07 PM »
All other sensors are working and talking to the consoles. Yesterday, we had a pretty hard rain for about 1/2 hour. I estimated 1/3 to 1/2 inch. When I looked at the console, it read .01 inch. I checked a station about a mile from here and he got .31. I manually tipped my cups 30 times to try to stay fairly accurate. The station only recorded .02. I finally tipped it enough to get .24, but it took way more than 24 tips. Does that sound like a reed problem?

(on a side note, Davis's website seems to be non-existent right now, at least for me)

embayweather

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Re: Davis VP2 rain sensor
« Reply #3 on: August 27, 2012, 11:39:03 PM »
Try a look at this link, seems like the same, repairable problem.

http://www.theweatheroutlook.com/twocommunity/yaf_postst7871_Reed-switch-in-Davis-raingauge.aspx

Best wishes

Mike

michael252

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Re: Davis VP2 rain sensor
« Reply #4 on: August 28, 2012, 02:57:03 AM »
Hi Mike,

I checked out that link and tried to test my reed switch using my multimeter. No reading on the meter, but when I went back in the house, the rain read .06 on my gauges. (and that's about how many I tipped during my test) Go figure. Anyway, I can't for the life of me get rid of the .06 in the software...(psssst...don't tell anybody...but I'm still on LWC 2.1) That data editor has always stumped me, especially how the rain data works.

To make a long story short, I still don't know if my reed switch is good or beginning to fail.  [banghead]

Thanks for yor help.
Michael

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Re: Davis VP2 rain sensor
« Reply #5 on: August 28, 2012, 04:11:21 PM »
If you manually move the buckets you can just hear the reed switch click. Using a multimeter across it will simulate a closed switch and thus trigger a response on the console. I had the same thing testing my Davis gauge when I was attaching it to the Oregon system. Disconnect the gauge from the system and retry , if no response from the switch then I think that will be your problem.

Best wishes

Mike

Doc

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Re: Davis VP2 rain sensor
« Reply #6 on: August 28, 2012, 06:02:31 PM »
All other sensors are working and talking to the consoles. Yesterday, we had a pretty hard rain for about 1/2 hour. I estimated 1/3 to 1/2 inch. When I looked at the console, it read .01 inch. I checked a station about a mile from here and he got .31. I manually tipped my cups 30 times to try to stay fairly accurate. The station only recorded .02. I finally tipped it enough to get .24, but it took way more than 24 tips. Does that sound like a reed problem?

(on a side note, Davis's website seems to be non-existent right now, at least for me)


Hi Mike, yes, it's possible for the reed switch to go bad, they are VERY fragile devices and can break at the least effort.  They can be a pain to replace, but it's a doable fix.  You can get the reeds from Davis, it's in their parts list, or call them, you should order several since they tend to not cooperate and not all of them work out of the box.  Be very careful with their alignment, the switch works best if the parts are parallel to the base of the rain gauge.  Once you get the new one installed it's best to carefully bend one of the wires up at a 90? angle so that you can turn it if you need to, take an ohm meter to it and make sure it's normally open (do this before you start, saves time), tip the mechanism a few times and see if the meter registers the switch.  If necessary twist the switch a little bit to give you optimum performance, once set you might tack it down with a little gorilla glue across each lead, and verify that nothing shifted when you did this, after that, solder the leads to your sensor wires and you should be all set. 

I've had to repair a dozen or so of these in the last year and they have all had bad switches in them, a real pain till you get used to fixing them.  The switches usually fail due to either the capsule breaking or the contacts burning out.   [banghead]

Good luck

Doc


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