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N96FY - no rain recordings

Discussion specific to Fine Offset and similar rebadged weather stations
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CBers
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue 06 Aug 2013 1:36 pm
Weather Station: N96FY
Operating System: Windows 10
Location: Kent

N96FY - no rain recordings

Post by CBers »

Hi.

My N96FY weather station has stopped reporting rainfall over the last few weeks.

I have checked the connections in the sensor, changed the batteries and made sure there was no blockage in/out, but still nothing.

Wind and temperature are recording fine, just not rainfall.

Any ideas on how to fix this, if it is fixable please ?

If not, can a replacement rain sensor be purchased for these weather stations ??

TIA.
goldrush
Posts: 183
Joined: Mon 27 Oct 2008 4:50 pm
Weather Station: Fine Offset WH1081
Location: Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Contact:

Re: N96FY - no rain recordings

Post by goldrush »

You say you have checked for blockages... sometimes "wee beasties" decide to live in the rain sensor and often leave a sticky goo all over the pivots.
I suggest you take the "lid" off (unclip it) and cycle the bucket a couple of times (with everything connected).... If rain is recorded then the bucket was "Stuck".
If no rain recorded, you can check further by shorting the sensor leads together a few times.... if it then records it is the bucket switched, if not and you are certain the connections to the transmitter are ok, often the contacts need careful cleaning... they oxydise and look black. if you do not have access to an electrical contact cleaner, careful use of a small ink rubber works well, if no joy then the rain bucket assembly needs replacing.
Yes replacements are available...
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User avatar
CBers
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue 06 Aug 2013 1:36 pm
Weather Station: N96FY
Operating System: Windows 10
Location: Kent

Re: N96FY - no rain recordings

Post by CBers »

Hi goldrush.

Yes, I've taken the water collection bucket apart and made sure it was operational.

I'll double-check the connections over the weekend, or when it stops raining, whatever is first :D

Thanks for the info.
AllyCat
Posts: 1124
Joined: Sat 26 Feb 2011 1:58 pm
Weather Station: Fine Offset 1080/1 & 3080
Operating System: Windows XP SP3
Location: SE London

Re: N96FY - no rain recordings

Post by AllyCat »

Hi,

A simple test is to briefly exchange the Wind and Rain plugs into the transmitter. That should exchange Windspeed with enormous amounts of rain. But don't forget that data is only transmitted at most once every 48 seconds.

If faulty, it's probably repairable, but at £4.99 (plus shipping, or Maybe Click-and-Collect) from Maplin you might not want to bother.

Cheers, Alan.
User avatar
CBers
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue 06 Aug 2013 1:36 pm
Weather Station: N96FY
Operating System: Windows 10
Location: Kent

Re: N96FY - no rain recordings

Post by CBers »

Thanks AllyCat.
User avatar
CBers
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue 06 Aug 2013 1:36 pm
Weather Station: N96FY
Operating System: Windows 10
Location: Kent

Re: N96FY - no rain recordings

Post by CBers »

AllyCat wrote:Hi,

A simple test is to briefly exchange the Wind and Rain plugs into the transmitter. That should exchange Windspeed with enormous amounts of rain. But don't forget that data is only transmitted at most once every 48 seconds.

If faulty, it's probably repairable, but at £4.99 (plus shipping, or Maybe Click-and-Collect) from Maplin you might not want to bother.

Cheers, Alan.
OK, I tried your test and left them swapped overnight.

We had no rain, so it didn't show up, but there was no "wind" detected either.

This morning I ran water through the rain sensor and it detected wind at 0.1mph, but still no "rain" through the wind sensor.

So I believe that the rain sensor is OK, and the socket when the rain sensor is plugged into is the problem.

Does this make sense ??

I have looked at the rain sensor connection socket and it looks fine.
AllyCat
Posts: 1124
Joined: Sat 26 Feb 2011 1:58 pm
Weather Station: Fine Offset 1080/1 & 3080
Operating System: Windows XP SP3
Location: SE London

Re: N96FY - no rain recordings

Post by AllyCat »

Hi,

Yes it does sound rather like a faulty (input to the) transmitter unit. However, it's difficult to judge if the little wire contacts in the plugs are making good contact, so try wriggling the plugs in their sockets. Also make sure that you check the (accumulated) "Rain" display on the Console, to eliminate any possible confusion caused by Cumulus spike elimination or any other computer interface issues.

But if everything (transmitter, cables and connectors) is absolutely dry, and you still cannot cause any "rain" to be detected, then I'm afraid we do have to assume that the external transmitter module is faulty.

Cheers, Alan.
User avatar
CBers
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue 06 Aug 2013 1:36 pm
Weather Station: N96FY
Operating System: Windows 10
Location: Kent

Re: N96FY - no rain recordings

Post by CBers »

Thanks AllyCat - looks like I'll be ordering a Replacement Wireless Weather Transmitter from Maplin then.

I'll try some WD40 in the meantime :D
AllyCat
Posts: 1124
Joined: Sat 26 Feb 2011 1:58 pm
Weather Station: Fine Offset 1080/1 & 3080
Operating System: Windows XP SP3
Location: SE London

Re: N96FY - no rain recordings

Post by AllyCat »

Hi,

Is it a moderately "recent" Maplin station? The transmitter wireless protocol (NOT the frequency) was changed about two years ago, even though the Maplin Part/Order number remained the same. Older Consoles will not work with the "replacement" Maplin transmitters (and vice versa).

There are a number of threads on the forum concerning this, but AFAIK there is no "easy" solution.

Cheers, Alan.
User avatar
CBers
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue 06 Aug 2013 1:36 pm
Weather Station: N96FY
Operating System: Windows 10
Location: Kent

Re: N96FY - no rain recordings

Post by CBers »

@AllyCat - yes, I only bought it in August 2013.
AllyCat
Posts: 1124
Joined: Sat 26 Feb 2011 1:58 pm
Weather Station: Fine Offset 1080/1 & 3080
Operating System: Windows XP SP3
Location: SE London

Re: N96FY - no rain recordings

Post by AllyCat »

Hi,

That's good, Maplin should replace it under warranty. :)

However, Maplin may well take several weeks to "test" it, so you may prefer to buy a replacement anyway. "Spares" can often come in useful with Fine Offset stations. ;)

Cheers, Alan.
User avatar
CBers
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue 06 Aug 2013 1:36 pm
Weather Station: N96FY
Operating System: Windows 10
Location: Kent

Re: N96FY - no rain recordings

Post by CBers »

Thanks Alan - didn't even think about a warranty fix :D
cancunia
Posts: 49
Joined: Tue 04 Oct 2011 6:52 pm
Weather Station: fine offset
Operating System: RPI B+
Location: england

Re: N96FY - no rain recordings

Post by cancunia »

Maplins advertise a 'no quibble' refund, may be worth exchanging the whole unit to ensure compatibility.

From their website:
"365 day product quality no quibble guarantee"

Actually I have a problem with my transmitter unit which was bought in Aug 2011, not from Maplin. I was going to buy a spare from there, but on reading this thread, I now wonder if it'll work. I'll post a separate thread and see if anyone has some ideas.
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