Cumulus Support

Hi, I have recently set up a new WMR200 with Cumulus. I have found that after periods varying from 10 minutes to 5 or 6 hours Cumulus hangs and windows gives it the 'program not responding' status and all I can do is use the close cross in the top right corner of the Cumulus window. I can restart and it recovers but the same happens again after a while.
I have now tried Cumulus and the WMR200 on 3 different laptops. Two are running Windows 10 64 bit, one of them is brand new with nothing other than a fresh Windows 10 install - this laptop was purchased to be a dedicated PC for the weather station. Both these Windows 10 laptops fail as described above. I might be thinking WMR200 problem were it not for the 3rd laptop, old and clunky DELL running Vista; on here Cumulus runs fine. I need Cumulus to run on the new laptop needless to say. On the new lap top I have even tried running in safemode, (with networking as I am uploading to Wunderground), no difference at all.
In all cases I disable power management for all HID and USB devices. I only run on mains power and sleep/standby mode is set to 'never'. I also have screen saver delayed for many hours.

A typical cumulus file from the Diags folder ends like this:

11/10/2015 15:54:01.028 : New monthly record, month = 10: 2015-10-11 15:54 19.854 "High daily windrun" 2015-10-11 15:53 19.808
11/10/2015 15:54:22.336 : HISTORY_AVAILABLE_PACKET_TYPE
11/10/2015 15:54:22.337 : Sending DA response
11/10/2015 15:54:52.337 : HISTORY_AVAILABLE_PACKET_TYPE
11/10/2015 15:54:52.337 : Sending DA response
11/10/2015 15:55:00.282 : New monthly record, month = 10: 2015-10-11 15:55 19.902 "High daily windrun" 2015-10-11 15:54 19.854
11/10/2015 15:55:22.329 : HISTORY_AVAILABLE_PACKET_TYPE
11/10/2015 15:55:22.329 : Sending DA response
11/10/2015 15:55:52.336 : HISTORY_AVAILABLE_PACKET_TYPE
11/10/2015 15:55:52.336 : Sending DA response
11/10/2015 15:56:00.560 : New monthly record, month = 10: 2015-10-11 15:56 19.951 "High daily windrun" 2015-10-11 15:55 19.902
11/10/2015 15:56:22.336 : HISTORY_AVAILABLE_PACKET_TYPE
11/10/2015 15:56:22.336 : Sending DA response
11/10/2015 15:56:52.336 : HISTORY_AVAILABLE_PACKET_TYPE
11/10/2015 15:56:52.336 : Sending DA response
11/10/2015 15:57:00.838 : New monthly record, month = 10: 2015-10-11 15:57 19.998 "High daily windrun" 2015-10-11 15:56 19.951
11/10/2015 15:57:22.344 : HISTORY_AVAILABLE_PACKET_TYPE
11/10/2015 15:57:22.344 : Sending DA response


I suspect that this is enough information from me for now and I would appreciate any thoughts on what I can try to either solve or narrow down my problem.

Many thanks,

Paul

PS. I really like the Cumulus capability and display and do want this to work!

A few others have reported similar problems, but most, including myself with my test station, do not see this. I haven't run with the WMR200 for extended periods since installing Windows 10, so perhaps it is something to do with the USB drivers in Windows 10. The fact that it goes unresponsive suggests some kind of driver issue. I'll give it a try when I get chance. If you're willing, you could perhaps give Cumulus MX a try to see if you get the same problem with that.

Steve, I would agree it feels like a driver issue. With the Vista laptop running 32 bit drivers I unfortunately can't try those, (despite spending quite a while having a go). Microsoft won't allow you to re-install Windows 10 as 32 bit if it is already a 64 bit version - at least that is my conclusion having tried and searched for ways around. I would be quite happy to try Cumulus MX - I get the impression that needs a door opening by yourself or similar? Point me in the right direction and I will happily give it a try.
thanks,
Paul

You can download MX from this thread - https://cumulus.hosiene.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=12908

It's an attachment at the end of the first post. Its architecture is completely different to Cumulus 1, and it it still evolving. You may or may not like it, compared to Cumulus 1, but bear in mind that it is the future, I will not be developing Cumulus 1 any further. But the main thing to begin with is to see if you have any issues with it with your WMR200.

I started Cumulus 1.9.4 on my Windows 10 (x64) PC with my WMR200 at about 1100 yesterday, and it's been running for 24 hours now without any problems. So I'm no closer to understanding why you are having issues. Have you turned off all USB power saving - in device manager and in the power settings? Are you using a USB port on your motherboard, or via a hub (and if a hub, powered or unpowered?). Are you running the WMR200 on mains or batteries?

I'm using a USB3 port on my motherboard, and running the WMR200 on batteries.

Steve, I left it a good while before replying to your suggestion of using Cumulus MX so that I had useful data. I am pleased to say that with the MX software I have had no issues at all for what is now 26 hours. Apart from restarting MX after about 2 minutes once I had configured the station I have not shut it down at all nor done anything else to alter anything. It is happily updating Wunderground too.

The WMR200 is mains powered, on the laptop the power management options both through device driver and overall PC are all disabled. The laptop is permanently mains powered too with no sleep. The WMR200 appears as a 'human interface device', sub title USB device on port_#0002.Hub_#0001 according to the location in a screen entitled USB device properties, general tab. Driver version is 10.0.10240.16384 dated 21/06/2006 by Microsoft. When Cumulus 1 failed I closed it down using the cross in the top right hand corner and acknowledging the Windows message that came up. I immediately restarted it, doing nothing else and all came to life fine for another period.

In round numbers the WMR200 was running for 10 days with me trying all sorts of different things to isolate the issue, including moving between 3 laptops as I said before. The Vista laptop managed 24 hours at first time of asking the other two never did more than 5 hours and that was unusual. At a guess the average run time was 60-90 minutes. I am happy to try any suggestions you have but am a bit close to total frustration with the config presently, (it will wear off ). The success of the MX version which I had definitely hoped you might suggest based on where my evaluation had led me is very encouraging and while not the same interface that I had initially liked with Cumulus will probably grow on me and like you see is the right way forwards for the product technically.

Two small things to ask, that probably now belong in the MX sub section:

1. What is the kind way to close down Cumulus MX, both the browser window and the CumulusMX.exe window that sits quietly with a last line saying Switch to normal running. Is there an order to close down for example, is it Ctrl-C to end the .exe window?

2. I suspect you might reply post as enhancement request but just in case I am missing it.... I have an additional temp/humidity sensor in the greenhouse that comes up as sensor 2 that on the Cumulus 1 edition really neatly rotates with the solar measurements. Is this facility lost for now on MX and using the extra sensors tab the only way to view it?

Overall I am thinking great strides forward after some substantial frustration, of course it would be nice to identify the root cause of Cumulus 1 issue to help any other folk and satisfy thee and me but I suspect I will stick with putting most of my endeavours into MX going forwards. Thanks, Paul

So it looks like there is some kind of incompatibility between the USB runtime code which Cumulus 1 uses and your system (and those of a few others), since MX works OK. I have no idea what that incompatibility might be.

1. What is the kind way to close down Cumulus MX, both the browser window and the CumulusMX.exe window that sits quietly with a last line saying Switch to normal running. Is there an order to close down for example, is it Ctrl-C to end the .exe window?

Yes, just CTRL-C it - there should be a message to that effect after you start it. It doesn't matter what you do with the browser.

2. I suspect you might reply post as enhancement request but just in case I am missing it.... I have an additional temp/humidity sensor in the greenhouse that comes up as sensor 2 that on the Cumulus 1 edition really neatly rotates with the solar measurements. Is this facility lost for now on MX and using the extra sensors tab the only way to view it?

It's possible that I could add the required data to the web sockets stream at some point, so the dashboard page could do a similar thing.