Touch Screen - replaced by switches

[sanramonrover]

Parts of this idea have been covered in several other threads. Perhaps there is enough interest in this mod to bring it all together?

In the sticky, "The inside of the ws-1081", hans made this diagram of his touch screen.


He partially mapped the functions of the 8 wires.

My display for a 256NC, looks rather different, thus:

so the functions of hans' cable may be different.

Since I broke my touch screen, I can't test each wire's function, but did manage to make this table:


From this it would appear 16 switches would be needed to cover all possible valid connections. I really only need to reset the memory, and would like to set the clock - for times when WWV is not in range.

Anyone else have any input on replacing the touch screen with switches?

[Gina]

There is really no need to clear the memory. I never have since initial testing. The memory simply reuses the oldest locations when full and the oldest data is overwritten.

Once things like the pressure offset are set up there is nothing that needs changing. The clock is unimportant as Cumulus uses the PC clock and ignores the station time. Only use the console clock if you want a small digital clock. In any case things can be set with Easy Weather software. (Exit Cumulus before running it and vice versa.)

I can't remember when I last altered any console settings.

[sooty]

The clock is unimportant as Cumulus uses the PC clock and ignores the station time.

The stored data will be tagged with station time, so it's not totally irrelevant.

[Gina]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the data Cumulus stores uses Cumulus time ie. computer time. I'm not at my XP PC running Cumulus so can't check at this time. As I recall the data the FO console sends to the computer doesn't even contain the date.

[steve]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the data Cumulus stores uses Cumulus time ie. computer time. I'm not at my XP PC running Cumulus so can't check at this time. As I recall the data the FO console sends to the computer doesn't even contain the date.

Yes, that's correct.

[sanramonrover]

Thanks for all the input. I assumed the touch screen wasn't important as I do use Cumulus. The clock might be the only real useful bit.

Then again perhaps it's just an engineering challenge

[sooty]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the data Cumulus stores uses Cumulus time ie. computer time. I'm not at my XP PC running Cumulus so can't check at this time. As I recall the data the FO console sends to the computer doesn't even contain the date.

That's true for live data, but doesn't this station have a data logger that's downloaded by Cumulus at start up to fill in downtime? That's the "stored data" to which I was referring.

[steve]

doesn't this station have a data logger that's downloaded by Cumulus at start up to fill in downtime?

Yes, it does, but as Gina says, the data from the logger isn't timestamped, so the station clock setting is irrelevant as far as Cumulus is concerned.

[sooty]

Interesting, I'm a Davis user, I don't understand how you can figure out the correct time for the stored records unless they are time stamped.

[steve]

I don't understand how you can figure out the correct time for the stored records unless they are time stamped.

Each entry has an "interval" in minutes; you take the current time and work backwards from the latest, generating your own timestamps as you go.

[sooty]

So you know the last record because the data doesn't wraparound like the VP? This statement "The memory simply reuses the oldest locations when full and the oldest data is overwritten" made it sound like it does wraparound, hence my confusion.

[mcrossley]

It is a circular memory, the unit provides you with a pointer to the latest record, then you can step back through the records until you reach the oldest. If you know the logging interval you can work out the time of each one - assuming the base unit was switched on for the whole period you are interested in.

[sanramonrover]

So, getting back to the original theme
I remember reading a post somewhere where Steve said something like - if there is a ridiculous value stored in the EW console memory, Cumulus will ignore downloading all data. I think I have that right, but can't find the post.

My Cumulus has been ignoring all data from the console whenever I have left it unplugged from the USB, or the PC has hibernated. Therefore, I suspect Steve's theory.

Now I'll need to purge the console's memory - but without touchscreen nor switches cannot do that.
Any thoughts on this?

[wd40]

There are several post recommending you not let your computer enter the sleep mode while running Cumulus.

You may not need to delete the memory.

Randy

[steve]

if there is a ridiculous value stored in the EW console memory, Cumulus will ignore downloading all data. I think I have that right, but can't find the post.

If one of the values in a particular entry in the logger is invalid, all of the values in that entry are ignored.