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Re: Convert Weather Display data to Cumulus?

Posted: Sat 01 Feb 2014 5:49 pm
by Broadsword
I've just dipped my toe into the world of weather watching and have a Davis Vantage Vue, I have set this up OK and have got my custom website up using weatherlink at www.chiclana-weather.co.uk

However having looked at Cumulus I have decided that it is the way to go. My station has only been up and running since Jan 19th, but I still want to incorporate that data when I switch. I have run the converter OK and transferred the Jan file into the Cumulus data directory but when I look at the monthly data in Cumulus the Jan data is still not shown. I have even edited then cumulus ini file to set the date start date at 19th Jan but still no joy, Any ideas how to re-initialise the fdate files so that the Jan data shows.

Thanks

Re: Convert Weather Display data to Cumulus?

Posted: Sat 01 Feb 2014 8:00 pm
by duke
Have you used the correct converter? You state you have been using Weatherlink software, but, this thread is for the Weather Display converter?

Edit: I've just looked at your site and you are indeed using Weatherlink. Therefore you need the converter from this thread.

Edit again: You have a .co.uk address for your site which is apparently at Bateria Colorada :?

Re: Convert Weather Display data to Cumulus?

Posted: Sat 01 Feb 2014 9:37 pm
by Broadsword
I have sorted the problem out now by altering the timestamp date in the today.ini in Cumulus, everything now works OK

Yes my station is in Bateria Colorada, Chiclana, Southern Spain but I am english and my site is UK hosted, hence it was cheaper and easier for me to use a co.uk domain.

Incidentally, how did you know I was using Weatherlink?

Re: Convert Weather Display data to Cumulus?

Posted: Sat 01 Feb 2014 11:16 pm
by duke
Incidentally, how did you know I was using Weatherlink?
By your first post and by looking at your site. ;)

Re: Convert Weather Display data to Cumulus?

Posted: Sun 02 Feb 2014 12:02 am
by Adrian Hudson
*****SIGH*****

I so wish you had done all this 3 months earlier Steve! :-) I spent **ages** writing a script to convert from WD to Cumulus. I came up with something that worked for me - it was pretty specific to my PC (no language generalisations and only coded to convert to 9am reset files) but I would **so** much have preferred to use your utility. I gave up on things like rain rate and many other fields, setting them all to 999.

I deliberated about mentioning I had the script on the forums but decided that since I had coded them so specifically (and disgustingly ugly too) that I wouldn't.

Isn't it always the way!!

Re: Convert Weather Display data to Cumulus?

Posted: Sun 02 Feb 2014 4:12 pm
by Adrian Hudson
Just a thought. I am pretty sure that WD always has wind speeds in the log files in knots. I know that I used to have my log files set to "metric" but wind was always logged in knots. I assume it always is, although it could be that if units in WD are se to US - though, I think that means imperial ;-) -WD logs wind speeds in MPH.

Perhaps someone here knows?

edit: Looking through the WXSIM forums I am certain that if WD is set to metric, it stores wind in knots in the log files and if set to "US" I am "fairly certain" it stores MPH. So there is a little ambiguity with your converter Steve. People who select kph or m/s are going to get some strange results if you use wind in any of your calculations.

Re: Convert Weather Display data to Cumulus?

Posted: Sun 02 Feb 2014 5:46 pm
by steve
It uses the wind speed to calculate Wind Chill and Apparent Temperature, so yes, it makes a difference. All I need is the official spec for the lg.txt files from the WD documentation. Or I could just put a second set of unit selections for the WD files, and then it's no longer my problem, once I've written the code to cope with all of the potential unit conversions. Anyone converting their files will just need to know what units they have in them - somehow.

Re: Convert Weather Display data to Cumulus?

Posted: Sun 02 Feb 2014 7:28 pm
by Adrian Hudson
My advice is not to hold your breath for an official spec :-)

"WD documentation" ??

Re: Convert Weather Display data to Cumulus?

Posted: Sun 02 Feb 2014 8:32 pm
by Adrian Hudson
A useful file that you will almost certainly be asked to include in the conversion is called m[m]yyyyvantagelog.txt as in 12005vantagelog.txt

Those people who have Davis kit will have this file one-to-one correspondence with the lg.txt files. In it are records, again on a one to one correspondence with the records in the lg.txt files.

fields are:
day month year hour minute, Solar radation (sic), UV, Daily ET, soil moist, soil temp

all space separated like in the lg.txt files. when processing a lg.txt record, you look the corresponding record up in the vantagelog.txt file to get the extra info.

Re: Convert Weather Display data to Cumulus?

Posted: Sun 02 Feb 2014 8:44 pm
by steve
I thought there had to be more data somewhere, there's very little in the lg.txt files. I can see I'm going to regret starting this; it's always the same when there's no proper spec.

This is turning out to be quite an eye opener, after all the stick I've taken over the years from various people about the formats of the Cumulus logs, file naming, etc compared to 'other' software.

Re: Convert Weather Display data to Cumulus?

Posted: Sun 02 Feb 2014 9:18 pm
by duke
it's always the same when there's no proper spec.
I've searched for some time this evening and cannot find a 100% description of the file format, sorry.
I can see I'm going to regret starting this;
In case you decide to carry on, rather than give you just a couple of files I have zipped and attached what I believe to be one complete months worth of files from my 'WD logfiles' folder.

Hope it helps someone ;)

Re: Convert Weather Display data to Cumulus?

Posted: Sun 02 Feb 2014 10:17 pm
by Adrian Hudson
steve wrote:I can see I'm going to regret starting this; it's always the same when there's no proper spec.
I hope you don't (regret it), but you might.
steve wrote:This is turning out to be quite an eye opener, after all the stick I've taken over the years from various people about the formats of the Cumulus logs, file naming, etc compared to 'other' software.
Prepare to have your eyes opened :-) Your file formats are near perfect in comparison to 'other software' that displays weather.

If I can help, please, just ask.

Re: Convert Weather Display data to Cumulus?

Posted: Sun 02 Feb 2014 10:49 pm
by steve
Thanks, both of you; I'm sure we'll muddle through somehow :)

Re: Convert Weather Display data to Cumulus?

Posted: Fri 07 Feb 2014 3:39 pm
by steve
I think there may be a bug with the option to convert all files in the same folder where it actually processes the same file multiple times to produce multiple Cumulus log files all with the same data :oops:

And there's still the question of units...

Re: Convert Weather Display data to Cumulus?

Posted: Sun 09 Feb 2014 3:28 pm
by steve
I've uploaded v1.3 of the WD converter.

It fixes the bug with the multiple files option, sorts out all the unit conversions properly (hopefully), and processes the parallel 'indoor' and 'vantage' logs if they exist. I've given it some testing with the logs I've been given, and I haven't spotted any obvious bugs yet, but there probably are a few lurking somewhere, so be careful.