WH3081 Faulty Light/UV sensor

[changed_daily]

Hi,

My new WH3081 worked perfectly for about 4 weeks until the Light/UV sensor died. I've checked the connections & done a reset but to no avail. I'm fairly sure the sensor itself has died - all other readings are being received OK.

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what the little red LED does? It's situated right next to the solar panel under the clear plastic cover. I'm guessing it reacts to the light levels? It used to flash - I seem to recall it flashing when I got the sensor out of the box, even before connecting everything up.

It doesn't flash any more!

[AllyCat]

done a reset but to no avail.

Hi,

There are several different ways to "reset" the system (plug in the solar pod, or press the button on solar pod, or remove/replace batteries in transmitter or console, etc.). Have you tried the "Hold in the <down-arrow> button on the Console for at least 8 seconds" method?

The red LED on the solar pod should flash once each 60 seconds (not the 48 seconds of the one on the "transmitter") to indicate that it is sending data. The solar data is processed in the Pod, but sent to the Temp/Hygrometer module which contains the actual wireless transmitter. There is a tiny icon at top-right of the Console LCD which should "flash" when it's expecting a signal from either the transmitter or the Pod.

You may need to try all the reset methods above (in various combinations) which may take some time. Always use the <down-arrow> after each reset and wait several minutes to check for reception of "Normal" and Solar data separately.

However, many users have experienced problems with these stations and their "rechargeable" batteries (search for 3080 or 3081 in this forum) so you may indeed have a faulty unit which needs to be replaced.

Cheers, Alan.

[enzoweb]

I've got the same thing. It worked for about 3 days, now I just see dashes on the console.

Not sure what to do - it's not really something I'm interested in, but then again I did pay for it.

[AllyCat]

Not sure what to do -

Hi,

Have you tried the <down arrow> reset on the Console? Note that ALL the "external" data (barometer is measured internally) should go to dashes on the Console screen and then solar/other data return independently within a few minutes. This is best done when the external unit is not too far away and/or with the USB cable disconnected (reconnect before restarting Cumulus).

If the above does not help, then look through the Cumulus log/graphs to the point where the solar data stopped. Were the UV or Lux values very high (e.g. UV >12, Lux > 100k)? There have been several "known faults" with many of the solar pods, do you have the opportunity to return it to the seller (for exchange) if necessary?

Cheers, Alan.

[changed_daily]

I got a second WH3081 kit - partly for spares, but mostly for a second display panel (which receives the same data) & an extra mounting pole.

As soon as I connected the new Light/UV sensor (after a down-arrow reset), I started receiving the light & UV readings. The original sensor is obviously at fault.

Yes, in my case, I have contacted the supplier. They want me to return the light sensor, the outdoor transmitter unit and indoor display panel. That's probably fair enough, but to be honest I'm not sure it's worth spending the money.

No, again in my case, the light levels weren't particularly high.

[EverythingInNothing]

Well I must say that I'm extremely disappointed in the Fine Offset weather station series, I'm onto my third station in two years and it's basically the same problem every time, the sensor doesn't sense or send any data to the receiver unit - I've done hours and hours of troubleshooting work over a week and still no luck - The red light on the transmitter stays on, the reset button don't work, the holding down button on receiver don't work (it does put it into manual RF mode), but I mean it doesn't receive anything from the unit, even though I'm working on them in a room only meters from each other.

I won't be buying a forth, I'll be putting the money towards a Davis station - There is only so many hundreds I can outlay to something that consistently breaks.

[StormCapture]

Hey mate,
I know the feeling of having the UV and light sensor crashing constantly,

Where I am in Australia it is a well known fault that it crashes under high light levels, when I purchased the 3081 back in July 2012, it crashed almost immediately, didn't think much of it until it became such a repetitive problem until I gave up in the end and ripped off the shield that came with it and plonked the standard one that comes with the 1081 as had an old one of them before a storm took care of it and I found that the solar panel kept discharging the batteries rapidly.

Definitely save for a Davis Station, best investment anyone can do as I have one since August 2012, despite it costing me around $1200AUD, it has lasted me quite a while, needs a new anemometer as rabbits decided to chew the cable so did a rough soldiering job on that.

SC

[philcdav]

Hi guys.

As noted frequently in the forum, this is an expected fault.

However, the remedy seems to be very simple and I have just applied it with success (so far).

Cut a 3 * 1 cm strip of plastic film. I used a CD flimsy case.

Fold it to 1 * 1 cm and Sellotape over the UV sensor. Use tape wide enough to not foul the sensor so it can be easily removed.

This will reduce the UV and Solar intensities but also removes the 'crashing effect' allegedly associated with the charging system.

Thanks to various contributors for this 'patch'