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Davis firmware updater for VP2 needed

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Weatherjunkie
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Davis firmware updater for VP2 needed

Post by Weatherjunkie »

Hi I'm in need of a Davis firmware updater, P/N# 06311VP2, to update the firmware on my Davis Vantage Pro 2. The firmware revision date May 2005 which will not update without it. I would be will to rent/borrow it from a form member. Please let me know what you have and the cost of renting it.
RayProudfoot
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Re: Davis firmware updater for VP2 needed

Post by RayProudfoot »

Why don't you contact Davis as you're based in the US? They have an excellent customer service.
Cheers,
Ray, Cheshire.

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raul_sbd
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Re: Davis firmware updater for VP2 needed

Post by raul_sbd »

Same situation here i need one of those updaters i have firmware date of May 2005.. Not sure if it will be worth the hassle and if many things will change on the console with the updates up to the actual one 3.80

Anyone knows where i can borrow one of those updaters to bring my new Pro 2 to firmware Nov 2005?

Thanks in advance
My Weather Site Sale M33 (Uk)

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mcrossley
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Re: Davis firmware updater for VP2 needed

Post by mcrossley »

You can only update old consoles to v1.90 firmware, iirc the hardware updater can update the console directly to that version.
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raul_sbd
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Re: Davis firmware updater for VP2 needed

Post by raul_sbd »

Thank you Mark so for what it is and all the hassle do you think will be wise to leave it as it is on May 2005 version? Not sure where or how i can get an updater here in the UK..

Those are the releases after mine: (reading through them doesnt seem to be a major changes for my wireless version station up to v1.90

WOP uploads will now contain 2 min average wind speed, 10 min wind gust and direction of gust, last 15 minutes of rain, last 1 hour of rain and Altimeter. Must also have WeatherLink software v5.9.0 or later to use this feature.
Fixed clearing of yearly ET history data.
Fixed a bug that caused the barometer value to have a large error after updating to firmware version 1.82.
Fixed a bug that when changing units in software caused the console to not reflect the change immediately.
Fixed graph so that zooming to a different span always starts at the first point.
Fixed display of historical yearly rain totals over 813 mm for 0.2 mm rain collectors (highs, lows and graphs).
You can now only get to the Receive Diagnostics Screen from the Current Screen.

Version 1.82 (December 30, 2008) – Wireless Version

Version 1.82 (December 30, 2008) – Cabled Version

Corrected Issues:
Changed “ALL CLEAR” function so that it does not clear any user-set calibration numbers.
Improved wind speed translation algorithm for increased accuracy.
Improved data logging of high wind speed measurements in environments that get poor reception.
Fixed a communication problem where the console output an extra “\n\r” if it received binary data containing a 10 (x0A) or a 13 (x0D). Note: This issue only affects third-party software developers.

Version 1.80 (July 14, 2008)- Wireless Version

Version 1.80 (July 14, 2008)- Cabled Version

Corrected Issues:
Modified wind measurements to accommodate a new version of wind cups.
Fixed a bug dealing with the digital barometer measurements taken at high temperatures.

Version 1.75 (February 12, 2008)- Wireless Version

Version 1.75 (February 12, 2008)- Cabled Version

Corrected Issues:
Fixed a bug that causes the console to display incorrect yearly rain values when the unit of measure for rain is set to millimeters.

Version 1.73 (November 2, 2007)- Wireless Version

Version 1.73 (November 2, 2007)- Cabled Version

Corrected Issues:
Fixed a bug that gave the High Rain Rate an incorrect time stamp.
Fixed a bug that caused an inaccurate barometric reading at high elevation.
Extended the amount of time the lamp stays on from 10 seconds to 15 seconds. If a key is pressed within 15 seconds, the lamp stays on for an additional 60 seconds instead of 20 seconds.

Version 1.7 (June 6, 2007) – Wireless Version

Version 1.7 (June 6, 2007) – Cabled Version

Corrected Issues:
Fixed a bug that caused the barometric data to spike after a firmware upgrade had occurred.
The 2ND key function is now enabled longer after being pressed. The timeout period for pressing the 2ND key and then pressing another 2ND key function was previously 4 seconds but is now 8 seconds.
Wireless Version Only – Fixed an issue in handling temperature data when an extra temperature station signal is lost.

Version 1.6 (December 1, 2006) – Wireless Version

Version 1.6 (January 8, 2007) – Cabled Version

Corrected Issues:
Changed the firmware version information displayed in the ticker tape from revision date to a revision version number.
Fixed a bug that caused the hourly digital barometric data to spike.
Changed the daylight savings bit in the EEPROM to report whether Daylight Savings time is on or off when the Automatic mode in the Daylight Savings Setup screen is selected on the console.

April 10, 2006

Corrected Issues
Wireless Version Only – Fixed issue with temperature reading not dashing out when the console has lost connection with a Temperature/Humidity station.

November 28, 2005 – Wireless Version

November 30, 2005 – Cabled Version

Added
Added the capability to load future firmware directly from a computer to the console through the data logger without use of a Vantage Pro2 Updater. Note: This capability requires an updater with the latest updater Firmware (dated October 5, 2005). To make sure that your updater is equipped with correct firmware, consult the firmware sticker on the updater for the date. If the updater has an older version of updater firmware, see “Contacting Davis Technical Support” on page 11 for more information.
Included the new Daylight Savings Time change that becomes effective in 2007. Currently, Daylight Savings Time starts on the first Sunday in April and stops on the last Sunday in October. With the new change effective in 2007, Daylight Savings Time starts the second Sunday in March and ends the first Sunday in November.
Corrected Issues:
Wireless Version Only – Modified the keystroke combination for displaying repeater information in Setup Screen 2 of the Setup Mode from pressing WIND to pressing 2ND and WIND. Previously, the keystroke combination for displaying repeater information in Setup Screen 2 required pressing only WIND. The change in keystroke combination makes it harder to turn on the repeater function by accident.
Wireless Version Only – Improved the radio’s gain and made gain an automatic feature. Previously, radio gain was controlled by turning gain on and off in the Diagnostic Screens. The Gain Setting that displayed in the banner of the Diagnostic Screens is replaced with “Background Noise Level,” which is used to determine if the console should turn the gain on and off.
Wireless Version Only – Fixed issue with the temperature reading not dashing out when the console has lost connection with a Temperature/Humidity station.
Cabled Version Only – The default year was changed to display 2005.
My Weather Site Sale M33 (Uk)

http://raulsbd.co.uk/index.htm
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mcrossley
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Re: Davis firmware updater for VP2 needed

Post by mcrossley »

I have an old station and updated it to v1.90 - there are some undocumented changes as well I believe such as the wind speed correction table which has been updated a couple times, though I do not know in which versions.

Updating is always a risk though, it can go wrong.

Prodata used to offer the update service in the UK. No idea if they still do nor how much they charge.
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raul_sbd
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Re: Davis firmware updater for VP2 needed

Post by raul_sbd »

I will try prodata... but if it is a lot of hassle i will leave it with the current firmware May 2005 as i would not like to brick the new console.

Is your old weather station on v1.90 performing well? can you not update to 3.80 using the datalogger as prodata show on their site?

Thanks again
My Weather Site Sale M33 (Uk)

http://raulsbd.co.uk/index.htm
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mcrossley
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Re: Davis firmware updater for VP2 needed

Post by mcrossley »

There was a hardware change in the console during 2006 (different air pressure sensor iirc) that prevents firmware later than 1.90 running on the old consoles.
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raul_sbd
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Re: Davis firmware updater for VP2 needed

Post by raul_sbd »

Ahh I see.. thanks for the advise Mark. So will you recommend me to leave it as it is to avoid any issues?
My Weather Site Sale M33 (Uk)

http://raulsbd.co.uk/index.htm
Phil23
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Re: Davis firmware updater for VP2 needed

Post by Phil23 »

mcrossley wrote: Thu 03 Sep 2020 2:36 pm Updating is always a risk though, it can go wrong.
Bit off Topic.....

Probably why I'm still on 3.15. Upgrade Paranoia.

Over the past 30 years the number of firmware upgrades I've done is easily in the 1000.
Despite that it only takes a few failures to leave a bad taste in your mouth.
I think from memory I've only had 3.

A D-Link router (I considered junky), bricked straight out of the box on upgrade.
RMA paperwork on that was just a PITA.

2nd was My Kestrel 4500 Weather Monitor.
Guided by Kestrel support on that one.
"Just do this......." was their instruction, over the phone as I did the upgraded.
It failed & bricked. Tech guy investigated my Serial Number & arranged a brand new one to arrive next day.
Issues known with a certain PCB revision apparently.

3rd was my 6 month old Canon EOS 7D2 DSLR.
That scared me the most. Got to some % & just sat there.
Tore my hair out over that one.
Happened on a weekend & needed it travel to an even with it in the next few days.

That one I recovered; the explanation of why it failed is interesting to anyone that understands IT.

To upgrade a Canon DSLR, you copy the firmware onto a freshly formatted card.
The camera boots, see's the firmware, upgrades. Simple.

In my case the "freshly formatted" card was used for ONE file a few days earlier....

Apparently the upgrade process uses the file system to about 30% of the progress status, then reads clusters consecutively from that point on.
My card simply didn't have the required data in the right clusters to complete.

Reformatted the card, & tried again it worked just fine.
(Add 5 or 6 hours off stress in there somewhere along the way).

Cheers.
:Now: :Today/Yesterday:

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galfert
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Re: Davis firmware updater for VP2 needed

Post by galfert »

It seems crazy to me that companies have not figured out how to do firmware flashing the safe way, the way Cisco enterprise hardware does. With a Cisco network device (router, switch, access point...etc.) the device has two storage partitions for firmware. The device writes new firmware into the alternate partition than the one active. Only when the firmware upgrade completes and it checked with MD5 or other checksum can that partition become marked active. This means that if any any point the firmware upgrade stops or crashes or the power gets pulled it didn't complete but it also doesn't affect the currently active partition with the firmware you were last on. Suppose then you mark the partition active and the device reboots and there is a problem with the configuration or it crashes upon boot there is still a recovery option to revert to the prior firmware because it is still there intact. If all is well then you are now running on the alternate partition with the new firmware. But you can still go back if you discover something you don't like later. Then when it comes to the next firmware update you end up flashing on that prior alternative partition. Its a game of flip flop. It works rather well and has many benefits.
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mcrossley
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Re: Davis firmware updater for VP2 needed

Post by mcrossley »

Most servers work that way too - having two firmware locations which you can switch between. The other approach is that the firmware update code is stored in a separate area from the "run" firmware. Then if the flash of the "run" firmware fails you can still boot back to the loader firmware and try again.

The problem manufacturers have with most consumer units is they are made to a very tight price and cannot afford the luxury of doubling up the flash memory size - or the tiny (cheap) microprocessors they use do not support it.
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