Sudden drop in pressure values - help needed

[werribee_au]

Excellent news Bob!
Yeah Jens, let's see what Steve suggests.

Now my dilemma, I had lost sensor contact the other day for about 45mns and as I haven't replaced the transmitter batteries since I put up the station (About 12 months now) I thought I would treat it to some of those energizer lithium AA batteries. I checked the voltage before putting them in and found them to be 1.8vdc each. I also had removed the console from the pc usb and removed the batteries from it prior to removing the batteries from the transmitter. Put the lithium's into the transmitter, treated the console to new alkaline batteries, then I noticed the outdoor humidity dropped of a couple of percent afterwards, I thought ummm higher voltage maybe, then I noticed the indoor humidity was at 99%, ummm this is strange. So after some screwing around with tapping, moving it next the the wood fireplace the value changed but was not stable, eg: 10%, 50%, 99%. So I think that (Hopefully) there is a dry solder joint at the humidity sensor in the console. I will have to pull it apart and check it. Damn, the only thing I did was change the batteries. This may be tomorrows task.

At the moment it is switching from 54% to 99% and then back again. So the sensor must be ok. (see my graphs) Like I said I hope it is a soldering problem.

Oh well, I'll keep you all posted.

[jensdk]

Gerard: Maybe Gina would give us an expert comment on the battery/soldering problem

After looking at the graph on your site my only suggestion is that you have to get out of that house right now

[Gina]

The intermittent indoor humidity readings certainly sound like a bad connection or dry joint. I suggest checking the battery connections in the console for corrosion or foreign matter and giving them a good clean. Maybe also check that there is a good contact - I have found some makes of battery that have a smaller pip on the positive terminal and don't reach the contact properly. I haven't had this with the weather station as I recall but have with other equipment.

If the indoor humidity problem continues I would suspect bad soldering somewhere around the sensor. You may be able to see this under a good magnifier or microscope if you have one.

EDIT... I've just checked the position of the humidity sensor on the console board in hans' thread (2nd sticky in this forum). You can see this as the sensor second away from the battery contacts. The sensor is mounted on a small board with two surface mount chips. I suspect the solder connections onto the main board as vibration could cause flexing of these connections. Check the little board is not loose. If you can see something obvious, you may not need to dismantle further. This stage only needs the back taken off.

As for a drop in readings like your pressure, I have had similar when I've had the batteries out and put them back but with the outdoor temperature and humidity. I've no idea why and just edited the data to make it look right. The pressure drop was evidently due to misreading the abs/rel pressure difference in your case. After many years experience I'm sure there is a certain amount of magic in anything electronic

[werribee_au]

lol Jens, no wonder my glasses keep fogging up

Gina, when I held the console near the fireplace and it warmed up a little the humidity reverted to a valid figure so I suspect that the small amount of expansion of the solder may have made a better contact. I don't fancy separating the display from the main board so I hope a repair can be carried out without doing that.

Reading harrym1byt's post in hans' thread, the humidity sensor is located next to the middle battery terminal, No 2 in the attached pic and No1 is the temp sensor. Can you have another look at the pics I've attached and confirm this?

With the battery compartment, it is as clean as a whistle. And I only put alkaline batteries in not the lithium, I don't know why I changed them as the console is connected to the USB 24/7 anyway.

Looking at the pics the production soldering does look very ordinary, even I could do better then that I'd reckon.

Oh well, I should be able to have a look at it later on today.

Thanks

[werribee_au]

Treat the sensor No 2 in the pic with kit gloves, it must be the pressure sensor. I didn't, thinking it was the humidity sensor and I may have ruined it, we'll see!

I believe that the temp and humidity sensor is a combined unit No 1. I haven't resolved the indoor pressure issue and from today's experience I do not want to do more than pull the back cover off again.

I'm off to the re-seller to try to order another console, sadly it is only out of warranty by 30 days. All I did was change the batteries for heavens sake.

If I can't get the console only, I might have to purchase a complete setup, and then I wonder if I need to think of looking at other brands.

Oh well!

Look at the pics, there is a difference with (what now I know is) the pressure sensor.

Sorry about the quality of the pics as I only took them with my iphone.

[steve]

I'm not sure whether I need to contribute anything to this thread now - you seem to have sorted it out? That 'trough' in the pressure graph is definitely the symptom of the station giving the wrong pressure offset when Cumulus starts, but I don't know why it happens. Using the in-file override is a good way of circumventing it.

[jensdk]

Thx Steve

Just wanted to be sure

[Gina]

I can't see anything wrong with the solder joints in your iPhone pics, Gerard, but occasionally joints can look OK even when they aren't. Alternatively, it could be a fine crack in a circuit board track. Very difficult to fault-find without sophisticated test equipment You might be able to do something with real-time data but I don't know.

[werribee_au]

Gina, I had a real task to get the console working properly the 2nd time I removed the circuit board. 3 or more hands were required to get it back together and I only had 2.

If I do get another console or station I'll have another go at it, I think I've got the pressure sensor working again but with a much greater offset for relative pressure that what I had before so I don't know how reliable it will be. I'll have to carry our some comparisons with the BOM stations locally in the days ahead.

My current graph work around has been to set the InsideHumColour to that of the Background colour in cumulus.ini so it isn't noisy anymore.

I guess I should fix the pressure entries in the data file to tidy things up as well. Never enough time though

Thanks

[Gina]

Gina, I had a real task to get the console working properly the 2nd time I removed the circuit board. 3 or more hands were required to get it back together and I only had 2.

I had the same problem when I put mine back together after fixing the USB connection. That rubbery connector strip between circuit board and display is a very awkward beast!

If I do get another console or station I'll have another go at it, I think I've got the pressure sensor working again but with a much greater offset for relative pressure that what I had before so I don't know how reliable it will be. I'll have to carry our some comparisons with the BOM stations locally in the days ahead.

Yes, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you and hope it's alright.

My current graph work around has been to set the InsideHumColour to that of the Background colour in cumulus.ini so it isn't noisy anymore.

Yes, I saw you're other post about this. I agree that to be able to disable a particular sensor display would be nice. I also know what it's like to design software that "does everything" So see Steve's point of view.

I guess I should fix the pressure entries in the data file to tidy things up as well. Never enough time though

I know what you mean - only too well!

[jensdk]

I have now edited my "cumulus.ini" and written a line: "EWpressureoffset=11.5". It seemes like Cumulus still gets the offset values from the console, and nothing is changed.
It still says 9.2 - and I have restarted Cumulus
Pls help someone (Steve)

[steve]

Your PC is set up to use commas for decimals, so you have to use commas in the cumulus.ini file. So

EWpressureoffset=11.5

should be

EWpressureoffset=11,5

[jensdk]

ahem...

thx Steve

Edit: Everything works ok now

[hurring]

Hey Gerard,
Did you manage to get a new console?? If so where from as mine has a bad pressure sensor as well and it prevents cumulus reading any of my data. I would love to get a new console without buying the whole kit. I have found a place in the USA and have sent an email to see if they will post to Australia. I have sent an email to manufacture but had no response.
thanks
Adrian

[werribee_au]

Hi Adrian, I didn't.

Like you I really don't want to buy a complete unit, but in saying that a spare set of outdoor sensors for replacement parts would be handy.

I called Jaycar (Werribee) and the Assistant Manager I spoke to last Monday said something about a $30 (He wasn't really sure) fee to have the console looked at and the parts on top of that if required. I asked for a replacement console so he phoned the supplier/repairer and they said that there was no process to supply a console only and even if they did they would not guarantee that it would work with the existing station. I think in here we know a little better than that. My guess is that the supplier is only that and they would not break open a box to sell only a single part of it.

But the assistant Manager did offer me a complete station discounted from $150.00 which I think was good of him.

I asked him about the solar powered models and they are not yet available in Australia and are waiting for the existing ones to sell out, the new ones will have the same Jaycar part number and most probably the same prise of $150.00, I'm thinking if I am going to purchase a complete unit I'll wait until then. I reckon if you call Jaycar in Geelong and tell the Manager your problem you may be able to get a discount too.

If you do get one shipped from the states make sure it is a 433MHz unit and not the 800MHz or you'll be up the creek without a paddle. What's the total cost landed from the states?

My pressure has settled down and is currently tracking Avalon, Laverton and Sheoaks BOM stations quite well for the moment and I'm not too fussed about the indoor humidity, I can gauge that one pretty well myself when the girls here get started.