La Crosse 2350 - Cumulus problems communicating with console

[Eugen-Oradea]

Hello to you all,
I heard about Cumulus software a month ago and 'thought of trying it.
It's been running for a month now only on the desktop, 24/7.
Sometimes, for no apparent reason, the cumulus software stops communicating with the console and in the nov09log.txt appears of retrieving data every 5 minutes but for hours there is no change, all the data are the same for hours. When I try to fix this a strange message appears informing me that there is an error and the only way I can fix this problem is to restart the PC.
After the restart everything is working properly but the nov09log.txt remains with those hours when there was no communication with the console, only the same rows of data for hours.
How can I prevent that, or if there is nothing to do about it, how can I retrieve the missing data from the console for those hours with rows of the same data ?!
To have an idea of what I'm talking about it I will send an attachment with the nov09log.txt.
Thanks, Eugen Radu, Oradea, Romania.

[steve]

How is your station connected? Using a USB/serial adapter, or via a real serial port?

When Cumulus loses contact with the station, it just keeps logging the last data it received. To attempt to get the correct data, you can stop Cumulus and use one of the sets of files from the backup folder - just copy them into the data folder and then start Cumulus. It will then attempt to download the data from the logger from the time of the backup.

[Eugen-Oradea]

Thanks for the fast reply.
The station uses USB/serial port adapter.
"stop Cumulus and use one of the sets of files from the backup folder ", where exactly do I find this backup folder ?
And everyday in the "recent extremes-today or yesterday" column I find bogus figures.
Any of those figures are not in the min/max on the console.
How can I fix this ?!
I attach a print-screen of what I mean.
Thanks, Eugen Radu, Oradea

[steve]

"stop Cumulus and use one of the sets of files from the backup folder ", where exactly do I find this backup folder ?

In the folder where you installed Cumulus. Except on Vista or Windows 7, where it may be in C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\Cumulus

And everyday in the "recent extremes-today or yesterday" column I find bogus figures.
Any of those figures are not in the min/max on the console.
How can I fix this ?!

From the Cumulus readme.txt file:

"Warning: If your weather station is a La Crosse and it is
connected using a serial/USB adapter, then you will probably
have problems using it with Cumulus, in that you will get
erroneous data from time to time. These weather stations are
known to have problems with serial/USB adapters, and for some
reason Cumulus seems to suffer more than other software. There
doesn't seem to be anything I can do about this. For this
reason, I am sorry to say that I cannot support the use of
Cumulus in this way."

[Eugen-Oradea]

Thanks again.
Well, I've found 3 backup files in the C:/Program files/Cumulus... but they all contain the same type of error, from 8:00 AM up to 2:00 PM there are rows of data with the same data received at 7:55, how can I retrieve the data from the console in this interval ?!
I've heard a lot about these USB adapters and the errors generated because of them, I guess I really have to find a way to get another serial port on my PC, I have 3 serial ports but all 3 of them are busy.
I can cope with that and I'm absolutely delighted that I can correct the errors in the history data base and the graphics are all fine afterwards.
Thanks, Eugen Radu, Oradea, Romania.

[steve]

Well, I've found 3 backup files in the C:/Program files/Cumulus... but they all contain the same type of error, from 8:00 AM up to 2:00 PM there are rows of data with the same data received at 7:55, how can I retrieve the data from the console in this interval ?!

If you haven't got a backup set that lets you go back far enough (I think that's what you're saying) then you could try editing the files so that you 'rewind' manually. With Cumulus stopped, edit the today.ini file in the data folder, and set the timestamp line to the date/time that you want to retrieve the data from. You will also need to edit your data files before you start Cumulus to remove any data from after that point. This isn't quite as good as using a backup (because the rest of the today.ini lines should really be changed too).

I've heard a lot about these USB adapters and the errors generated because of them, I guess I really have to find a way to get another serial port on my PC, I have 3 serial ports but all 3 of them are busy.

Some people do seem to be able to use serial/USB adapters without problems, I think it depends on the chipset used.

[Eugen-Oradea]

I'm not so sure I understood how to do it with this retrieval stuff, it's a little bit annoying.
There could be a solution if I could prevent this kind of frozen communication between the Cumulus and the console, in many cases everything works quite OK for days then suddenly I have a breakdown like this. I also keep a record on a different computer using the original software: heavy weather. I like Cumulus very much and I wanted to send data to Wunderground with it but it seemed too complicated to do it, as long as I use the Wuhu software for the 2nd station, La Crosse 3600.
Cumulus is the best solution to have on the same computer 2 different types of La Crosse weather stations and I was quite surprised to find out that I can have a history data base and also graphics that I couldn't have with the original software. It's a pity that sometimes without any reason the Cumulus stops communicating with the console and retrieves the same data, as the last time that communicated with the console, over and over again until I check it out and have to start everything all over again. Why is this happening ? And how can I prevent it ?
Thanks again and I hope I'm not too much trouble with all these kind of questions.
Eugen, Oradea.

[steve]

I like Cumulus very much and I wanted to send data to Wunderground with it but it seemed too complicated to do it,

Too complicated? You put your Wunderground station ID and password in the boxes on the internet settings screen, tick "enabled" and set an interval. how could I have made it less complicated?

It's a pity that sometimes without any reason the Cumulus stops communicating with the console and retrieves the same data, as the last time that communicated with the console, over and over again until I check it out and have to start everything all over again. Why is this happening ? And how can I prevent it ?

I thought we'd done this one? It's your serial/USB adapter.

[Gordon-Loomberah]

Are you sure it is Cumulus that is not communicating with the console? I have a 2350 and it is always the case that the outside sensor unit is not communicating with the console... like right now at 10:20am, continuing since before 9am, so I have -500 as the high temp and 999 as the min temp for today. I wish Cumulus would carry over the last temperature (20.5, which does show in the "now" weather) instead of putting those values in as max and min though.(bug in Cumulus?) It does continue with the wind speed, its been a rather steady 8.6km/hr for about 2 hours now and that is what shows as max and min, no sign of 999km/hr winds here
Sooner or later the outside sensor will wake up and start sending data again, but it is extremely annoying that it is so unreliable. I see frequent gaps of 5-15 mins, but sometimes up to 8 or more hours of no outside data. The batteries are fresh, the contacts are clean, I cant figure out what the problem with it is. The retailer kept telling me it was interference to the wireless transmissions, but that cant be the case, as it happens when there is nothing on (I am off-grid with stand alone solar power), and generally doesnt happen when I am doing electrically noisy things like welding or running a pump. I've taken the console outside and held it right next to the outside sensor unit when its been having a sleep, but still no data transmission. The retailer wasn't interested in sending me another outside sensor unit either.

Biggest waste of $450 ever, I'm thinking about throwing it in the bin if the plastic is not recyclable, when I can afford to buy a Davis.

[Eugen-Oradea]

Well, well, it seems I'm not the only one with this problem.
But in my case when Cumulus stops communicating with the console, the console works OK and communicates with the thermo-hygro sensor outside, I can see that on the console and also if I use Heavy weather I can have access to all the data that Cumulus didn't store in the history data base. Usually when Cumulus freezes to some data retrieved at some point on the screen appears a message like there has been some bug or something and you have 3 alternatives, to stop it, to restart it or to report the case.
Regarding the bogus figures with the temperature or wind speed, or with this freezing of the Cumulus, Steve said that the blame is on the USB adapter. Do you use the USB serial adapter or you have a serial port and you use it ?!
I'm very sorry that I don't have a free serial port to use it with my LC 2350, that way I would know for sure what is the problem with all these bogus figures of the temperature and wind speed and the Cumulus freezing.
If you have a serial port on your computer and you can use it, do it !
This way we could find out if this theory with the USB serial adapter problem is confirmed.
If you keep on eye on my station you'll see some min/max just like yours.
And I have no alternative right now and I gotta use zhe USB serial adapter.
http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstat ... IBIHOROR10
Regards, Eugen

[steve]

I wish Cumulus would carry over the last temperature (20.5, which does show in the "now" weather) instead of putting those values in as max and min though.(bug in Cumulus?)

It's because of the 'automatic' way that Cumulus works out the max and min. At start of day, it sets the min to a very high value, and the max to a very low value, so that when the first 'real' reading is obtained, the max and min are automatically set to that without doing any special checking for start of day. If I didn't do it that way, I would have a set a flag and check it each time. Unfortunately, it means that until you do get a real reading, the 'silly' values appear as the max and min.

Cumulus 2 shouldn't have the same problem (eventually).

[steve]

Well, well, it seems I'm not the only one with this problem.

The problem Gordon is describing is a completely different problem, as he points out. His problem is where the remote sensors stop communicating with the console, so whether he uses a USB adapter or not is irrelevent.

[Eugen-Oradea]

Steve, thanks for all the explanations, I'm glad it works just the way it does, at least for the moment. Is there a way to detect somehow with a warning of somekind when the Cumulus freezes to a certain value retrieved at some point or the only way is to check it constantly?!
Thanks, Eugen

[steve]

Is there a way to detect somehow with a warning of somekind when the Cumulus freezes to a certain value retrieved at some point

I would have to change the way Cumulus works, and it's a big change (or I would have done it a long time ago). I'm not doing any major changes to version 1 now, but I will try to make sure that Cumulus 2 doesn't have the same problem (of repeatedly logging the same data when contact is lost). The underlying problem, whatever it is, will probably still exist, though.

[Eugen-Oradea]

I saved the bug report that sometimes appear.
The cause of this failure was a temporary interruption between the serial port and USB adapter.
Eugen