Stupid little problem with Cumulus and VP2!

[gemini06720]

OK, my situation is somewhat unusual as I have two weather receivers, a Vantage Pro2 console and a Vantage Envoy, both receiving from the same ISS.

Here is my situation...

My Cumulus was getting its data from my VP2 console through a WeatherLinkIP datalogger. On new year day, I decided to clear Cumulus of all its previous weather data, to start as if it was the first time it was run.

Upon starting Cumulus, it imported the weather data stored into the VP2 console as expected. But, what was wrong it that Cumulus decided to placed last year rain data in both 'Today' and 'This year' boxes and files! I would have accepted that Cumulus placed last year rain quantity/level in the 'This year' box only, but by placing the same information on the 'Today' box is creating problems with other data and gauges.

So, what I was to delete the last year rain quantity/level from my VP2 console - this way, Cumulus eventually started to new year with zero rain quantity/level in both 'Today' and 'This year' boxes.

Because I wanted to do some tests with the WeatherLinkIP that is connected to my Vantage Pro2 console, I decided to connect Cumulus to the Vantage Envoy (through Virtual VP). Well, the rai data is again 'screwed up' again as Cumulus imported last year rain quantity/level from my Vantage Envoy and placed that data in both 'Today' and 'Last year' boxes.

Steve, my expected question is why must the rain data be imported into both 'Today' and 'This year' boxes and data files? Could the rain data not be only imported into the 'Last year' box and data file?

By the way, even editing the files in the 'data' folder does not correct the problem - as soon as Cumulus is restarted, the last year rain quantity/level is again imported and, again, into both 'Today' and 'This year' boxes and data files!

[steve]

I'm not following what you're saying. When Cumulus runs for the first time, which is how it would appear if you deleted all of the files in the data folder to reset it, it doesn't download the logger data, and starts counting rainfall from the point at which you first run it. So there is no 'last year' rain to consider because it doesn't look for any data from before you first run it.

If you zip up the diags files I can have a look to see what it did when you first ran it.

[gemini06720]

Steve, after shutting down Cumulus, I removed all the files that were in the 'backup' and 'data' folders, thus clearing Cumulus of all previously saved information.

I then restarted Cumulus and the first thing Cumulus did was to download all the saved data that was inside either the Vantage Pro2 console or the Vantage Envoy.

...it doesn't download the logger data, and starts counting rainfall from the point at which you first run it...

If that is true, after restarting Cumulus, why is 743.4 mm of rain appearing in both the 'Today' and the 'This year' boxes on the main Cumulus screen?

And why is that amount of rain appearing for both today and this year?

Could you please be more specific as to which files you want, 'zip up the diags files' has no meaning to me!

[steve]

I then restarted Cumulus and the first thing Cumulus did was to download all the saved data that was inside either the Vantage Pro2 console or the Vantage Envoy.

Very strange, Cumulus doesn't do that on new installs, as new users who haven't read the FAQ keep commenting.

Could you please be more specific as to which files you want, 'zip up the diags files' has no meaning to me!

Inside the folder where you installed Cumulus is a folder called 'Diags'. Compress the contents of that folder into a single .zip file using Winzip or a similar utility, and attach it to a message posted to this thread, please.

[gemini06720]

Very strange, Cumulus doesn't do that on new installs, as new users who haven't read the FAQ keep commenting.

Well, might it be that Cumulus does not detect/see/view this as a new installation - more likely since there is an already fully operational 'cumulus.ini' file...

...is a folder called 'Diags'...

The ZIP file contains 4 files, one file for December 30 and 3 files for January 6.

[steve]

You closed Cumulus down at 19:50 on 30th Dec:

2009-12-30 19:50:51 : Writing todayfile, LastUpdateTime = 12/30/2009 19:50:00 raindaystart = 868.799987792969

The next time you ran it was 03:56 on 6th Jan:

2010-01-06 03:56:36 : Read today file: Date = 12/30/2009, LastUpdateTime = 12/30/2009 19:50:00

No sign of it being run on New Year's Day, and the today.ini file existed, with the date and time of the previous close down, so no sign of the data being deleted.

There are some problems with the rainfall counter indicated in the files, and it looks like you hit the 'rain reset' bug that was in 1.8.9 at the time, so that would have given some odd values, but the files don't match your description of what you say you did.

[gemini06720]

Steve, my mistake... I sent you the wrong files... I sent you the Cumulus files from my 'development' computer rather than the file from the Cumulus on the 'weather' computer...

I guess I should not 'drive' onto the Internet when I take medication...

[steve]

The files don't cover the period before 6th Jan. But there are some very peculiar things in there which would certainly cause odd rainfall figures:

The first three have a station type of WS2300 and a rainfal counter of around 43:

2010-01-06 04:13:00 : Looking for strings file: C:\Cumulus\strings.ini
2010-01-06 04:13:00 : Station type: LaCrosse WS2300
2010-01-06 04:13:00 : Loading all time records file C:\Cumulus\data\alltime.rec
2010-01-06 04:13:00 : Showing main form
2010-01-06 04:13:00 : Looking for C:\Cumulus\data\today.ini
2010-01-06 04:13:00 : Today.ini exists
2010-01-06 04:13:00 : Read today file: Date = 01/06/2010, LastUpdateTime = 01/06/2010 03:30:00
2010-01-06 04:13:00 : Todayfileraindaystart = 43.5999984741211

Later, it switches to VP2, but the total counter is 787

2010-01-06 20:51:12 : VP2: Setting raintotal from current station value: 787

But as I say, the files don't go back far enough to cover the start of the year; only the last 10 starts are kept.

[gemini06720]

Steve, I do not know what is going on...

So, I have decided to start new again. All files in the the 'backup', 'data' and 'Diags' folders have been deleted again. Cumulus was restarted and downloaded something ... probably not very much as the download screen was on for a very short time.

Cumulus was closed and opened a few times. So far the last year rainfall total amount (from the Vantage Envoy) has not been added to either the 'Today' or the 'Last year' rainfall boxes.

I have now added last year rainfall total amount into the 'Year to date rainfall' box on the 'Station Settings' screen. Closing and starting Cumulus a few more times has not reproduced the problem - the last year rainfall amount is only showing in the 'This year' box - as it is supposed to do...

I will keep you posted if something 'weird' happens again... Thank you...