no wind or stuck instrument

[malc-c]

Not sure if the wind gauge on my WH1081 was stuck through the early hours of this morning or we simply had no wind for hours on end



The station has been transmitting data as all the other graphs show data being collected.

Any comments, or has anyone else local noticed calm conditions for several hours

[beteljuice]

If it got a bit wet yesterday, it may have got frozen up with this mornings sub-zero temperatures, although I would have expected those 12 mph gusts to keep it clear.

Keep an eye on it.

[steve]

Yes, looking at your temperature graph, I'd say it was quite possibly frozen up. That wind graph certainly doesn't look like a genuine calm period.

Browsing your graphs, I noticed that your rain total looks a bit odd - have you 'zoomed' it? Unfortunately, because of the way the 'save image' code works, anything you do to the graph in Cumulus will be reflected in the image on your web site.

Also, the rain total should have reset at midnight, and the times of your 'yesterday' highs and lows look suspicious - something seems to have gone wrong with your midnight reset.

[malc-c]

Thanks for the comments guys,

Is it worth giving it a squirt of WD40 ?

[steve]

I was editing my reply, so you may not have seen this bit:

Browsing your graphs, I noticed that your rain total looks a bit odd - have you 'zoomed' it? Unfortunately, because of the way the 'save image' code works, anything you do to the graph in Cumulus will be reflected in the image on your web site.

Also, the rain total should have reset at midnight, and the times of your 'yesterday' highs and lows look suspicious - something seems to have gone wrong with your midnight reset.

[malc-c]

Steve,

I've done nothing. I shut down Cumulus between midnight and 12:20am when I shut the PC down and went to bed. Looked out the window this morning and noted that whilst the wind direction vein was moving slightly the wind speed sensor wasn't rotating. I booted the PC up and looked at the graphs which was when I noticed the lack of data on the wind speed graph. I was just going to get the ladders out and noticed the thing moving and checked Cumulus to see data being recorded.

Any suggestions

[malc-c]

Copy of my "yesterday file"

Code: Select all

[General]
Date=30/01/2010
[Wind]
Speed=3.1
SpTime=00:01
Gust=7.6
Time=00:01
Bearing=270
Direction=W
Windrun=0.0372822731733322
[Temp]
Low=-1.4
LTime=00:00
High=-1.4
HTime=00:00
[Pressure]
Low=984.5
LTime=00:01
High=984.8
HTime=00:00
[Rain]
High=0.0
HTime=00:00

and my "today"

Code: Select all

[General]
Date=30/01/2010
Timestamp=30/01/2010 12:30:00
[Wind]
Speed=6.03972816467285
SpTime=03:57
Gust=13.6453113555908
Time=03:12
Bearing=315
Direction=NW
Windrun=15.5243282318115
[Temp]
Low=-3.29999995231628
LTime=08:02
High=4.19999980926514
HTime=12:30
Total=-737.899536132813
Samples=752
[Pressure]
Low=984.400024414063
LTime=00:37
High=990.900024414063
HTime=11:42
[Rain]
High=0
HTime=00:02
Start=40.7999992370605
Yesterday=4.5

And some entries from the "jan10log" file

First the change over at midnight

Code: Select all

29/01/10,23:53,-1.4,79,-4.6,1.6,10.7,281,0.0,4.5,984.7,45.3,21.0,58,5.4,-1.4,-1.4
29/01/10,23:58,-1.4,79,-4.6,1.6,6.0,312,0.0,4.5,984.8,45.3,20.9,59,4.5,-1.4,-1.4
30/01/10,00:02,-1.4,78,-4.7,2.2,6.9,270,0.0,4.5,984.6,45.3,20.8,59,6.9,-1.4,-1.4
30/01/10,00:07,-1.4,78,-4.7,3.1,6.9,290,0.0,4.5,984.6,45.3,20.9,59,6.0,-3.2,-1.4
30/01/10,00:12,-1.5,77,-5.0,1.6,6.9,298,0.0,4.5,984.5,45.3,20.8,59,5.4,-1.5,-1.5
30/01/10,00:17,-1.5,77,-5.0,3.1,6.0,322,0.0,4.5,984.5,45.3,20.8,59,6.0,-3.3,-1.5
30/01/10,00:22,-1.5,77,-5.0,0.7,6.0,324,0.0,4.5,984.5,45.3,20.7,59,3.1,-1.5,-1.5
30/01/10,00:27,-1.6,77,-5.1,1.6,6.0,311,0.0,4.5,984.6,45.3,20.6,59,4.5,-1.6,-1.6
30/01/10,00:32,-1.5,76,-5.2,1.6,6.0,260,0.0,4.5,984.6,45.3,20.6,59,6.0,-1.5,-1.5
30/01/10,00:37,-1.5,76,-5.2,5.4,9.8,279,0.0,4.5,984.4,45.3,20.5,59,9.8,-4.7,-1.5
30/01/10,00:42,-1.4,76,-5.1,5.4,10.7,320,0.0,4.5,984.4,45.3,20.4,59,10.7,-4.6,-1.4

And around 4.00 am when things seem to of gone AWAL

Code: Select all

30/01/10,04:12,-1.5,78,-4.8,0.0,11.4,0,0.0,4.5,985.2,45.3,18.2,59,0.0,-1.5,-1.5
30/01/10,04:17,-1.5,79,-4.7,0.0,11.4,0,0.0,4.5,985.4,45.3,18.2,59,0.0,-1.5,-1.5
30/01/10,04:22,-1.7,83,-4.2,0.0,0.0,0,0.0,4.5,985.5,45.3,18.1,59,0.0,-1.7,-1.7
30/01/10,04:27,-2.0,87,-3.9,0.0,0.0,0,0.0,4.5,985.7,45.3,18.1,59,0.0,-2.0,-2.0
30/01/10,04:32,-2.2,89,-3.8,0.0,0.0,0,0.0,4.5,985.6,45.3,18.1,59,0.0,-2.2,-2.2
30/01/10,04:37,-2.3,91,-3.6,0.0,0.0,0,0.0,4.5,985.7,45.3,18.0,59,0.0,-2.3,-2.3
30/01/10,04:42,-2.3,91,-3.6,0.0,0.0,0,0.0,4.5,985.8,45.3,18.0,59,0.0,-2.3,-2.3
30/01/10,04:47,-2.3,91,-3.6,0.0,0.0,0,0.0,4.5,985.8,45.3,17.9,59,0.0,-2.3,-2.3
30/01/10,04:52,-2.3,92,-3.4,0.0,0.0,0,0.0,4.5,985.9,45.3,17.9,59,0.0,-2.3,-2.3

[malc-c]

Oh and here from the time it all started working

Code: Select all

30/01/10,09:42,0.2,71,-4.5,0.0,0.0,0,0.0,4.5,989.7,45.3,17.9,57,0.0,0.2,0.2
30/01/10,09:47,0.4,70,-4.5,0.0,0.0,0,0.0,4.5,989.8,45.3,17.9,57,0.0,0.4,0.4
30/01/10,09:52,0.4,70,-4.5,0.0,0.0,0,0.0,4.5,989.9,45.3,17.8,57,0.0,0.4,0.4
30/01/10,10:00,1.3,69,-3.8,0.0,0.0,0,0.0,4.5,990.0,45.3,17.8,58,0.0,1.3,1.3
30/01/10,10:05,1.4,67,-4.1,3.1,8.3,19,0.0,4.5,990.0,45.3,17.7,59,5.4,0.0,1.4
30/01/10,10:10,1.6,69,-3.5,0.7,8.3,13,0.0,4.5,990.1,45.3,17.7,59,3.8,1.6,1.6
30/01/10,10:15,1.7,69,-3.4,2.2,8.3,349,0.0,4.5,990.2,45.3,17.7,59,5.4,1.7,1.7
30/01/10,10:20,1.8,69,-3.3,1.6,8.3,330,0.0,4.5,990.2,45.3,17.7,59,5.4,1.8,1.8
30/01/10,10:25,1.8,70,-3.1,1.6,7.6,337,0.0,4.5,990.3,45.3,17.7,59,3.8,1.8,1.8
30/01/10,10:30,2.2,69,-3.0,1.6,7.6,334,0.0,4.5,990.2,45.3,17.7,58,4.5,2.2,2.2
30/01/10,10:35,2.3,68,-3.1,1.6,6.9,342,0.0,4.5,990.4,45.3,17.7,58,3.1,2.3,2.3
30/01/10,10:40,2.6,68,-2.8,3.1,7.6,339,0.0,4.5,990.1,45.3,17.7,58,7.6,1.3,2.6

[steve]

First of all, this is (almost certainly) nothing to do with the zero wind speed issue, which is probably a frozen anemometer, so apologies for confusing things by mentioning the rollover problem.

Your rain total didn't reset at midnight, it stayed on 4.5:

29/01/10,23:58,-1.4,79,-4.6,1.6,6.0,312,0.0,4.5,984.8,45.3,20.9,59,4.5,-1.4,-1.4
30/01/10,00:02,-1.4,78,-4.7,2.2,6.9,270,0.0,4.5,984.6,45.3,20.8,59,6.9,-1.4,-1.4

So for some reason it apparently didn't do the reset. The fact that you say you shut down near midnight worries me. I always get nervous about that sort of thing because of the way Cumulus has to try to work out if the rollover has been done or not when it starts up again. If you zip up your diags folder and attach it, I'll have a look.

[malc-c]

Steve, zipped up folder as requested.

[steve]

You shut down at about a minute to midnight, which is something I would never do (if I used a midnight rollover). I know it's my code and I should trust it. Or maybe, I know it's my code, therefore I shouldn't trust it!

It should be OK, and indeed, it was OK:

2010-01-30 09:56:49 : EWUSB: Lastupdatetime = 29/01/2010 23:58:11
2010-01-30 09:56:49 : 09:55:58 EWUSB: Processing history data
2010-01-30 09:56:49 : EWUSB: Number of entries = 119
2010-01-30 09:56:49 : EWUSB: First history data timestamp = 30/01/2010 00:02:53
2010-01-30 09:56:49 : EWUSB: Today file last updated = 29/01/2010 23:58:11
2010-01-30 09:56:49 : EWUSB: Raindaystart = 45.2999992370605
2010-01-30 09:56:49 : 09:55:58 EWUSB: Processing history data for = 30/01/2010 00:02:53
2010-01-30 09:56:49 : EWUSB: Day rollover 30/01/2010 00:02:53
2010-01-30 09:56:49 : === Day reset for 30/01/2010 00:02:53
2010-01-30 09:56:49 : Raintotal = 49.7999992370605 Raindaystart = 45.2999992370605
2010-01-30 09:56:49 : Rainyesterday (calibrated) set to 4.5
2010-01-30 09:56:50 : Raindaystart set to 49.7999992370605
2010-01-30 09:56:50 : Writing todayfile, LastUpdateTime = 29/01/2010 23:58:11 raindaystart = 49.7999992370605
2010-01-30 09:56:50 : === Day reset complete

So it did the rollover correctly, but then:

2010-01-30 09:56:50 : Writing todayfile, LastUpdateTime = 29/01/2010 23:58:11 raindaystart = 49.7999992370605
2010-01-30 09:56:50 : 09:55:58 ****Rain reset? raindaystart = 49.7999992370605, raintotal = 45.2999992370605

The rain counter apparently went down (and then back up again) so the rain got counted again. Some glitch in the archive data, I guess. There's code in 1.8.9 so that a single problem with the rain counter doesn't cause a reset, to reduce the effect of the rain counter doing something silly.

[malc-c]

Hi Steve, and thanks for taking time out to diagnose the issue.

I assume that I had two separate issue, one being a frozen anemometer, and the glitch in the data giving a false reading for rain fall.

Any suggestions on what I need to edit / try to reset the data ?

[steve]

I assume that I had two separate issue, one being a frozen anemometer, and the glitch in the data giving a false reading for rain fall.

Yes, it looks that way.

Any suggestions on what I need to edit / try to reset the data ?

Edit today.ini to add 4.5 to the Start= value (there's a more detailed set of instructions in the FAQ). You will also need to edit the 'today's total so far' figures in your january log file.

[malc-c]

Thanks again,

I've sorted the rain fall readings out... but I guess with a frozen wind speed sensor there is no way of correcting the graph data as the weather station data would show the same readings.