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External Extra Sensors

Discussion of the Cumulusutils tool and website generator.

Moderator: HansR

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Dador
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External Extra Sensors

Post by Dador »

Hi,

thanks to the new cumulusutils functionality, I will finally have a chance to create graphs for soil sensors. Cumulus v1 is currently collecting data, but it's not a problem to transfer data to CMX.

Currently, Cumulus v1 saves data from sensors in the Extralog <yearmonth>.txt file. Below is an example of a 5-minute line. You can see that there are a lot of zero items

30-03-22;15:25;0,0;0,0;0,0;0,0;0,0;0,0;0,0;0,0;0,0;0,0;0;0;0;0;0;0;0;0;0;0;0,0;0,0;0,0;0,0;0,0;0,0;0,0;0,0;0,0;0,0;12,2;10,0;7,8;6,7;42;32;31;20;0,0;0,0;0;0

What should the entry in ExternalExtraSensors?

An example is ExternalExtraSensors=GeigerCounter[, sensor2 [,sensor3]] => A comma separated list of strings naming one or more External Extra Sensors the user wishes to use

Should it be like this?

ExternalExtraSensors=Extralog[,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,tempsoil1,tempsoil2,tempsoil3,tempsoil4,humsoil1,humsoil2,humsoil3,humsoil4]

Each comma is the omitted value. Maybe you don't need so many commas?
I will be grateful for the hints.
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Re: External Extra Sensors

Post by HansR »

Hi Dador,

From what I understand now - but you may have to explain further - I don't think you need the External Extra Sensors.
I know nothing about Cumulus 1 (maybe somebody else can enlighten me here) but I get the impression that the Extra Sensor log is exactly the same as with CMX. If that is so then why are you not just only using CMX? You also are using the ChartsCompiler for which you need CMX datafiles?

Anyway, for ExtraSensors you can use CumulusUtils straight away if you have the extrasensor log and the Strings.ini file. To skip all your zero values you just define the Extra Sensors correctly, see the Cutils Wiki for ExtraSensors and it will be the task of CUtils to create the webpage and the charts.

For the data you will need to run Cutils every 10 or 15 minutes with the UserAskedData argument

The ExternalExtraSensors feature is an addition to the ExtraSensor module and the parameter you point to is meant to define one or more names of sensors which are not at all connected to CMX (or Cumulus 1). You can read the functionality on this Wiki page. The logfile for such sensor will have the name of the sensor with month and year. The contents will be just the date and the value. In the current version only one value is accepted. So it is quite different from what you think it is. Sorry for that, but I think the ExtraSensors module can be useful.
Hans

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Re: External Extra Sensors

Post by PaulMy »

I know nothing about Cumulus 1 (maybe somebody else can enlighten me here) but I get the impression that the Extra Sensor log is exactly the same as with CMX.
The text in the Cumulus 1 Configuration > Station [Help] says:
Extra Sensors - Set this if you have additional sensors (e.g. a Davis Soil Wetness probe) to make Cumulus read, display, and log the readings from the sensors. You don't need to select this for Solar/UV sensors.
I don't have extra extra sensors on my Cumulus 1 but I expect, as Hans says, that is the same as in CumulusMX > Station settings > Common Options > Extra sensors.
The additional CumulusMX > Extra sensors tab is only for the extra sensors listed there.

Enjoy,
Paul
Davis Vantage Pro2+
C1 www.komokaweather.com/komokaweather-ca
MX www.komokaweather.com/cumulusmx/index.htm /index.html /index.php
MX www.komokaweather.com/cumulusmxwll/index.htm /index.html /index.php
MX www. komokaweather.com/cumulusmx4/index.htm

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Dador
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Re: External Extra Sensors

Post by Dador »

Ok what i have done so far

cumulusutils.ini

Code: Select all

[ExtraSensors]
ExtraSensors=true
ParticipatesSensorCommunity=false
UserModificationExtraSensorCharts=true
CleanupExtraSensorslog=false
ExternalExtraSensors=Gleba,SoilTemp1,SoilTemp2,SoilTemp3,SoilTemp4,SoilHum1,SoilHum2,SoilHum3,SoilHum4
CutilsCharts.def

Code: Select all

Chart Gleba Title Wykres gleby dodatkowych czujników
  Plot Extra SoilTemp1
  Plot Extra SoilTemp2
  Plot Extra SoilTemp3
  Plot Extra SoilTemp4
  Plot Extra SoilHum1
  Plot Extra SoilHum2
  Plot Extra SoilHum3
  Plot Extra SoilHum4
EndChart
I also have the Gleba202203.txt file in the CMX/data folder. Unfortunately, UserAskedData returns an error.
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Re: External Extra Sensors

Post by HansR »

OK. I'll try to guide you through the setup.

I think we will need to treat this as simple ExtraSensors.
I assume you are using Davis VP2+ and that means you are also using Davis extra sensors for the soil temperature and wetness.
This thread is interesting and especially from here.
I will assume the Cumulus 1 Extra Sensor logfile is identical to the CMX Extra Sensor logfile as @PaulMy more or less confirms this. If that is not the case we will have an issue.

So:

1) cumulusutils.ini

Code: Select all

[ExtraSensors]
ExtraSensors=true
ParticipatesSensorCommunity=false
UserModificationExtraSensorCharts=false 
CleanupExtraSensorslog=false
ExternalExtraSensors=
NOTE: I assume you have your Cumulus.ini file as well (you must have otherwise CUtils does not run) and make sure LogExtraSensors=1!
NOTE: setting the UserModificationExtraSensorCharts=true to get the charts as you want, I would like to do in a second stage. First step is to get the whole thing started.

We treat this as simple ExtraSensors and not as External!

2) Do not touch the CutilsCharts.def at the moment, we will do that later when we are ready to set UserModificationExtraSensorCharts=true.

3) I assume you have a strings.ini file, if not copy the samplestrings.ini to strings.ini.

4) Edit the strings.ini to contain the following:

Code: Select all

[SoilTempCaptions]
Sensor1=SoilTemp1
Sensor2=SoilTemp2
Sensor3=SoilTemp3
Sensor4=SoilTemp4
and

Code: Select all

[SoilMoistureCaptions]
Sensor1=SoilHum1
Sensor2=SoilHum2
Sensor3=SoilHum3
Sensor4=SoilHum4
Make sure none of the other extra sensors are edited. Any deviation from the default value (or empty) will be interpreted as a presence of an Extra Sensor.

5) Set the parameter TraceInfoLevel=Info

6) Run

Code: Select all

utils/bin/cumulusutils.exe ExtraSensors
7) This should give you in the utils directory the following output:

Code: Select all

extrasensorsrealtime.txt
extrasensors.txt
extrasensorscharts.txt
As you use CUtils modular, there is no way to check it immediately, but we will make that step after I examine the output and the log.

8) Please send me the ouput (3 files) and the logfile. Then we'll see where we stand.

One additional question: do you have FTP configured or do you copy the files manually to your website?
Hans

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Re: External Extra Sensors

Post by Dador »

The situation for me looks like this

1. CMX-> GW1000-> 8 extra temperature/humidity sensors WH31. This configuration produces this effect:

https://pogodarybnik.pl/cumulusMX/extrasensorscharts.html

2. Cumulus v1-> Davis VP2 + soil sensors (4 soil temperature sensors + 4 soil moisture sensors). Of course, Cumulus v1 saves data from extra sensors to Extralog <yearmonth> .txt files

After introducing the feature to add non-CMX sensors, I figured it would now be possible to plot soil sensors.
I tried to follow your instructions, Hans, but it didn't help much. I know that ditching Cumulus v1 and only migrating to CMX would fix the problem, but I'm not ready for it right now. I am trying to combine CMX and Cumulus1 to work together via CUtils :) .

In the attachment there is an example log from Cumulus1. I would like to get these few data out of the box, but maybe it can't be done that easily.
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Re: External Extra Sensors

Post by HansR »

Dador wrote: Thu 31 Mar 2022 11:28 am After introducing the feature to add non-CMX sensors, I figured it would now be possible to plot soil sensors.
It will not solve your problem in its current state. It is currently only possible to have external sensors which produce only one value per sensor and which have their own logfiles (one per sensor).
Dador wrote: Thu 31 Mar 2022 11:28 am I am trying to combine CMX and Cumulus1 to work together via CUtils .
OK, so let's see how far we can get.
Apparently you have 8 WH31 sensors and 8 Davis sensors. As far as I understand it you have the Davis sensors read by Cumulus 1 and the Ecowitt sensors by CumlusMX. Is that correct?
Dador wrote: Thu 31 Mar 2022 11:28 am 1. CMX-> GW1000-> 8 extra temperature/humidity sensors WH31. This configuration produces this effect:

https://pogodarybnik.pl/cumulusMX/extra ... harts.html
For which strangely enough I only see three Temp sensors in the chart. I checked the logfile and only at 6h30 a fourth temperature comes up. Do you correctly have configured those temp sensors in strings.ini? It seems as if the first is missing.

But having said that, the log line in your first post is the same from what I see in this file. So where do you have your data for the Davis sensors? Because the only solution I see is a merge between your Davis data and the WH31 data resulting in ONE (1) ExtraLog<yearmonth>.txt file.

If that is not possible, you must create - complex solution - eight different sensors, name these in the ExternalExtraSensors parameter:

Code: Select all

ExternalExtraSensors=tempsoil1,tempsoil2,tempsoil3,tempsoil4,humsoil1,humsoil2,humsoil3,humsoil4
and then create 8 different logfiles for these i.e. tempsoil1<yearmonth>.txt and fill those with their timedate and value (comma separated).

This is not a very friendly way to get your charts and currently the External sensor feature is not fully developed (in beta). Even if it were, I doubt it would fully support what you want. Your hybrid system of Cumulus 1 and CumulusMX will end somewhere (interesting as it is in itself :clap: ).

Could you share why you want to keep Cumulus 1 beside CumulusMX? Does that have to do with your website or are there other (technical) reasons?

I hope you understand that my support for a hybrid C1 and CMX situation is limited unless the solution can be generalized.

But having said all the above: I think you should aim for one ExtraLog file and configure all ExtraSensors in strings.ini. That would solve the problem.
Dador wrote: Thu 31 Mar 2022 11:28 am I am trying to combine CMX and Cumulus1 to work together via CUtils :) .
:D Truly, I feel flattered
Hans

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Re: External Extra Sensors

Post by Dador »

HansR wrote: Thu 31 Mar 2022 12:22 pm
Could you share why you want to keep Cumulus 1 beside CumulusMX? Does that have to do with your website or are there other (technical) reasons?
It sure is a habit. Additionally, I like the Cumlus1 GUI. I know that I will be switching to CMX sooner or later. I remember you announced a big change for spring in CMX. I am waiting for what new and interesting will appear there. Maybe then I'll ditch Cumulus1 for CMX.

Besides, I would like to thank you for your willingness and patience in explaining the secrets of CUtils to us. You are doing a good job :clap: .
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Re: External Extra Sensors

Post by HansR »

Dador wrote: Fri 01 Apr 2022 12:38 pm It sure is a habit. Additionally, I like the Cumlus1 GUI. I know that I will be switching to CMX sooner or later. I remember you announced a big change for spring in CMX. I am waiting for what new and interesting will appear there. Maybe then I'll ditch Cumulus1 for CMX.
Yes, habit makes it difficult to separate. You are not the only one ;)

The big change for CMX is currently on hold apparently (after a tech issue) and you should ask Mark when he thinks this will continue.
Dador wrote: Fri 01 Apr 2022 12:38 pm Besides, I would like to thank you for your willingness and patience in explaining the secrets of CUtils to us. You are doing a good job :clap: .
Thanks. You're welcome, I like to see Cutils being used well :D
Hans

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