Re: Vantage Vue - crazy temp/humidity!
Posted: Thu 07 Aug 2014 12:21 am
What I should mention is that, not long before my temp/humidity conniptions, I had opened the Vantage Vue ISS to try to fix a prior problem - regular low battery warnings, and 'flat-lining' of various readings each night.
I found that the main electronics 'block' (encapsulated) was connected to various sensors, and the battery, via spring-loaded gold-plated contacts that pressed against a protrusion of the main PCB at the bottom of the electronics block. Those contacts, and the gold-plated fingers at the bottom edge of the PCB had been liberally smeared with silicone grease (at the factory).
My theory at the time (about the cause of the low-battery and flat-lining) was that some grease was between the contacts and fingers, causing high-resistance and/or intermittent contact. So I carefully removed the electronics module (or was it the contacts sub-assembly? – I can't remember) and then slid them back together again a couple of times, to allow the contacts to 'scrape' the grease away from the gold fingers.
Since then (now over a year ago) I've had not one instance of 'low-battery' or 'flat-lining'. Then the temp/humidity conniptions occurred, just for one day, then went away. So I'm suspecting that too was maybe an intermittent contact problem as the contacts and fingers settled into their 'new' relationship, over many thermal cycles.
Not a hiccup of any sort since the temp/humidity came good all by itself – I still have my brand-new sensor module in its plastic bag awaiting a 'final' failure. Fingers crossed, that will be another few years yet!
So, if you haven't already done so, I would recommend doing the same as I did, and re-mate the electronic module and its external contacts a few times to ensure clean mating surfaces.
I found that the main electronics 'block' (encapsulated) was connected to various sensors, and the battery, via spring-loaded gold-plated contacts that pressed against a protrusion of the main PCB at the bottom of the electronics block. Those contacts, and the gold-plated fingers at the bottom edge of the PCB had been liberally smeared with silicone grease (at the factory).
My theory at the time (about the cause of the low-battery and flat-lining) was that some grease was between the contacts and fingers, causing high-resistance and/or intermittent contact. So I carefully removed the electronics module (or was it the contacts sub-assembly? – I can't remember) and then slid them back together again a couple of times, to allow the contacts to 'scrape' the grease away from the gold fingers.
Since then (now over a year ago) I've had not one instance of 'low-battery' or 'flat-lining'. Then the temp/humidity conniptions occurred, just for one day, then went away. So I'm suspecting that too was maybe an intermittent contact problem as the contacts and fingers settled into their 'new' relationship, over many thermal cycles.
Not a hiccup of any sort since the temp/humidity came good all by itself – I still have my brand-new sensor module in its plastic bag awaiting a 'final' failure. Fingers crossed, that will be another few years yet!
So, if you haven't already done so, I would recommend doing the same as I did, and re-mate the electronic module and its external contacts a few times to ensure clean mating surfaces.