Vantage Pro2 Serial Conneced or not?

[René G.]

Hy i am trying to fix setup issue on my Pi connected seriall on a Davis Vantage Pro 2 powered by weewx.

Raspberry PI is connecetd to ttyAMA0 (serial IOport on Pi)

config:

[Vantage]

    type = serial

    port = /dev/ttyAMA0

    host = 1.2.3.4

    # Serial baud rate (usually 19200)

    baudrate = 19200

Manually i can check the connection by typing:

sudo wee_config_vantage --set-lamp=on --> YEAH lamp is on 

Output syslog:

Jul 11 19:00:07 wetter wee_config_vantage[12285]: vantage: Opened up serial port /dev/ttyAMA0, baudrate 19200

Jul 11 19:00:08 wetter wee_config_vantage[12285]: vantage: successfully woke up console

Jul 11 19:00:08 wetter wee_config_vantage[12285]: vantage: successfully woke up console

Jul 11 19:00:09 wetter wee_config_vantage[12285]: vantage: Lamp set to 'on'

sudo wee_config_vantage --set-lamp=off --> YEAh lamp is off

Output syslog:

Jul 11 19:00:27 wetter wee_config_vantage[12289]: vantage: Opened up serial port /dev/ttyAMA0, baudrate 19200

Jul 11 19:00:27 wetter wee_config_vantage[12289]: vantage: successfully woke up console

Jul 11 19:00:28 wetter wee_config_vantage[12289]: vantage: successfully woke up console

Jul 11 19:00:28 wetter wee_config_vantage[12289]: vantage: Lamp set to 'off'

So i think connection is okay...is it okay????

Syslog tells me if i start the whole Process

:    ****  Expected to read 99 chars; got 0 instead

Jul 11 18:47:52 wetter weewx[11864]: vantage: LOOP #50; read error. Try #3

Jul 11 18:47:52 wetter weewx[11864]:    ****  Expected to read 99 chars; got 0 instead

Jul 11 18:47:57 wetter weewx[11864]: vantage: LOOP #51; read error. Try #4

Jul 11 18:47:57 wetter weewx[11864]:    ****  Expected to read 99 chars; got 0 instead

Jul 11 18:47:57 wetter weewx[11864]: vantage: Max retries (4) exceeded.

Jul 11 18:47:57 wetter weewx[11864]: vantage: successfully woke up console

Jul 11 18:47:57 wetter weewx[11864]: wxengine: Caught WeeWxIOError: Max retries exceeded while getting LOOP data.

So what can i do what i have done wrong. I have tried another Raspi but it does not change anything. Also other SD Card

Hopefully someone can help me Plz....

[Thomas Keffer]

It seems that you have established connectivity so that is the first step.

Two things to try:

Do you have a second weewx process running?

If you have a serial to USB converter, try connecting to your serial Vantage through that.

-tk

Fat-fingered from my Android

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[René G.]

There is no 2nd process running. sry ;-(

Why is it not possible to connect via ttyAMA0 what a raspberry has on borad? (pin 6 8 10 i think) Why do i need a USB converter.

So the connection is established. I will try to get an serial to usb converter.

thx 4 your hints. i will try and report!

[René G.]

For all the others outside there... how do i get so far:

Disable on /boot/cmdline.txt 

mine looks like: dwc_otg.lpm_enable=0 console=tty1 root=/dev/mmcblk0p2 rootfstype=ext4 elevator=deadline rootwait

Delete all ttyAMA0 stuff...

Also you have to edit: /etc/inittab

Uncomment the T0:23 section...

#Spawn a getty on Raspberry Pi serial line

#T0:23:respawn:/sbin/getty -L ttyAMA0 115200 vt100

I can still switch the Lamp on my weatherstation on and off but the normal connection is not possible...

Is there a timeout stuff ???

Thanks 4 Helping .... 

[Thomas Keffer]

No idea. There may be a "keep alive" timeout.

I do not have a RPi, so I can't offer you much advice.

Most RPi users use the USB port. 

Anybody else out there using an RPi serial port?

-tk

[René G.]

HM... I dont get it.
Why is the connection okay to test the lights but not in the normal process? I have tested another pi and a brand new installed Debian. Same result. Lights work normal Prozess not.

I hope anyone out there can help me 😥

Greetings from Austria.

[Gary Lake]

I had my 1-wire sensors working fine with the DS2480B adapter connected to the Pi GPIO serial port but decided to use I2C so have not used it in anger.

The thing to remember is the GPIO on the Pi is at a 3V TTL level, what are the serial port voltage levels from the Vantage ??


Gary

[gct3...@gmail.com]

I have just connected my RPi to my VP2 using a straight serial connection 3 wires and weewx is pulling data off of the VP2.

The connection is RPi pins 6,8,10 (gnd, UART TXD, UART RXD) connected to VP2 pins 16,5,6 respectively (gnd, RXD0, TXD0).  

In examining my log files I see the errors you mention but not very often and the system seems to be able to send them several times and eventually the data comes back.  I am told that in 2012 Davis released version 3 of the VP2 firmware and this means the VP2 will not communicate via the serial port unless the expensive data logger is in place.My unit is from 2009 so I don't have the issue.  See the explanation in the "System Description" portion of the website at this link.

http://meteo.annoyingdesigns.com.

When Googling this error I found several persons indicating that this error could be corrected by using ferrite coils around the wires (you'll see them on USB cables sometime, like a small black cylinder at one or both ends).  

So the short story is that this can work. I would advise that make sure your cables are in a electrically quiet place (minimize interference from cell phones, wireless transmitters by not placing the pi right by these units if you can). The fact that you are able to talk with the unit shows the connections are correct, make sure they are solid.  It may be that the signals is good for a small amount of data but if the signal is weak or noisy you may be more likely to have errors when larger blocks of data are being sent.

I've attached my syslog file for you to look at - you will see a small number of the errors like you have found.  I didn't hit the limit. I have my own errors to but I believe they are in weewx configuration. I have submitted my own ticket for them.

Hope this helps!

[René G.]

Hello, 

The Version of my Vantage is 1.9 so it should work.(You see it when you unplug the batteries and restart it)

The connection log is like you described it.

In your log you got connected after the 2nd try:

Jul 17 01:51:41 raspberrypi weewx[6999]: vantage: successfully woke up console

Jul 17 01:52:27 raspberrypi weewx[6999]: vantage: LOOP #22; read error. Try #1

Jul 17 01:52:27 raspberrypi weewx[6999]:    ****  Expected to read 99 chars; got 0 instead

Jul 17 01:52:32 raspberrypi weewx[6999]: vantage: LOOP #23; read error. Try #2

Jul 17 01:52:32 raspberrypi weewx[6999]:    ****  Expected to read 99 chars; got 0 instead

Jul 17 01:58:22 raspberrypi weewx[6999]: vantage: Requesting 200 LOOP packets.

Jul 17 01:58:22 raspberrypi weewx[6999]: vantage: successfully woke up console

My Pi tries to connect 5 times and then the workflow stops.

I will try to use some " ferrite coils" maybe it would work by using some SilverFolie/ aluminium foil.

Hopefully it will work then ;-). I´ll report if it works.

Thx for your hints!

[René G.]

LogFile:

Jul 17 21:20:19 wetter weewx[2172]: wxengine: Clock error is -1.43 seconds (positive is fast)

Jul 17 21:20:19 wetter weewx[2172]: vantage: Getting archive packets since 2014-07-12 06:10:00 CEST (1405138200)

Jul 17 21:20:20 wetter weewx[2172]: vantage: successfully woke up console

Jul 17 21:20:20 wetter weewx[2172]: vantage: Retrieving 0 page(s); starting index= 0

Jul 17 21:20:20 wetter weewx[2172]: wxengine: Starting main packet loop.

Jul 17 21:20:21 wetter weewx[2172]: vantage: successfully woke up console

Jul 17 21:20:21 wetter weewx[2172]: vantage: Requesting 200 LOOP packets.

Jul 17 21:20:21 wetter weewx[2172]: vantage: successfully woke up console

Jul 17 21:20:26 wetter weewx[2172]: vantage: LOOP #1; read error. Try #1

Jul 17 21:20:26 wetter weewx[2172]:    ****  Expected to read 99 chars; got 0 instead

Jul 17 21:20:31 wetter weewx[2172]: vantage: LOOP #2; read error. Try #2

Jul 17 21:20:31 wetter weewx[2172]:    ****  Expected to read 99 chars; got 0 instead

Jul 17 21:20:36 wetter weewx[2172]: vantage: LOOP #3; read error. Try #3

Jul 17 21:20:36 wetter weewx[2172]:    ****  Expected to read 99 chars; got 0 instead

Jul 17 21:20:41 wetter weewx[2172]: vantage: LOOP #4; read error. Try #4

Jul 17 21:20:41 wetter weewx[2172]:    ****  Expected to read 99 chars; got 0 instead

Jul 17 21:20:41 wetter weewx[2172]: vantage: Max retries (4) exceeded.

Jul 17 21:20:42 wetter weewx[2172]: vantage: successfully woke up console

Jul 17 21:20:42 wetter weewx[2172]: wxengine: Caught WeeWxIOError: Max retries exceeded while getting LOOP data.

Jul 17 21:20:42 wetter weewx[2172]:     ****  Waiting 60 seconds then retrying...

SilverFolie/ aluminium foi did not work ;-( i will try to get a real Ferrite.

One thing is that may be a problem. Do you think that the thikness of the wire does make any sense? I use a real thin wire because of de plug in the vantage.

Do you think that the 3,3Volt are too less for connection? Maybe a serial to usb has more voltage?

I hope i can fix the connection problem soon ...

thanks 4 your help!

[gct3...@gmail.com]

The ferrite coils set up a magnetic field that will interact with the signals in the wire reducing the noise.  Foil will not do the same thing but it can shield the cable but it would need to cover the entire wire if the source of the interference is nearby.  USB cables may be shielded which may be why they are normally used for this application.

As far as the 3.3V I have read that both my Pi (mine was purchased this year) and my VP2 need 3.3V serial line voltages. Higher voltage (eg. 5V) will damage one or both devices. Lower voltages won't be detected.  You may want to check to confirm your RPi and VP2 serial voltages.  If one of them is higher you may need to get something to up the voltage.  Care should be exercised because you can damage the device.  The link I provided has a good description of a device to help with this.

Hope you are having some luck!

[William Phelps]

Whoa!  Serial (RS232) is at much higher voltages. Do NOT connect the PI's GPIO ports directly to the RS232 port of the Davis console, you'll FRY the Pi!

Use an adapter. Amazon sells a very nice one for about $10:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0088SNIOQ/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[gct3...@gmail.com]

Respectfully that is not the case.  If you go to the RPi site ( http://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/hardware/raspberrypi/gpio/README.md) you will see that the RPi GPIO ports operate at 3.3V.  I am new to the RPi so this may not have always been the case but it matches up nicely with the Davis and I have just this week connected my RPi directly to the Davis VP2 now.  So far so good and no smoke!  

Somewhere down the road I may add a serial to USB connection, right now I am enjoying my new toy.

Cheers!

[William Phelps]

Are you connecting directly to the VP2, not to the Davis Serial adapter? You must have an older VP2 - Davis has blocked doing this with newer units.

[gct3...@gmail.com]

Yes direct connect with no data logger. My VP2 was purchased in 2008 and if memory serves I am running version 1.7 of DAVIS VP console software.

I did find a website that mentioned the issues with the newer versions. Glad I don't have them although the link did have a workaround .

[René G.]

Up to version 3.0 it is possible to connect directly to davis without any data logger ... (you see the version by unplugging an plugging back the batteries in the weatherstation (Boot message))

[q...@kd4e.com]

Any chance this can be done with the VantageVue as well?

I have the after-market interface & have never been able to get it to
work correctly in Linux - haven't tried any MS version of windows.

Thanks - David KD4E

> Up to version 3.0 it is possible to connect directly to davis without
> any data logger ... (you see the version by unplugging an plugging back
> the batteries in the weatherstation (Boot message))
>
> Am Samstag, 19. Juli 2014 17:51:47 UTC+2 schrieb William Phelps:
>
> Are you connecting directly to the VP2, not to the Davis Serial
> adapter? You must have an older VP2 - Davis has blocked doing this
> with newer units.
>
> On Friday, 18 July 2014 21:28:05 UTC-7, gct3...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> Respectfully that is not the case. If you go to the RPi site (
> http://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/hardware/raspberrypi/gpio/README.md

> <http://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/hardware/raspberrypi/gpio/README.md>)

> you will see that the RPi GPIO ports operate at 3.3V. I am new
> to the RPi so this may not have always been the case but it
> matches up nicely with the Davis and I have just this week
> connected my RPi directly to the Davis VP2 now. So far so good
> and no smoke!
>
> Somewhere down the road I may add a serial to USB connection,
> right now I am enjoying my new toy.
>
> Cheers!

--

David Colburn, KD4E - Nevils, Georgia USA

Safe & Secure Search Engine: duckduckgo.com

Android for Hams: groups.yahoo.com/group/hamdroid
Creative Tech: groups.yahoo.com/group/ham-macguyver
Raspi Alternative: groups.yahoo.com/group/beagleboneblack/

Restored to design-spec at Heaven's gate 1Cor15:22

[gct3...@gmail.com]

Honestly I am not certain. Weewx is written in python so that should allow it to be fairly portable. I have connected my VP2 using a Raspberry Pi which runs Linux.   Weewx states that it will work with the VV, that being said you still need to be able to talk with it.  What interface does your VV have?? 

[William Phelps]

You can connect a Davis Weatherlink (USB, Serial, IP) to the Vantage Vue. I used the Serial version to connect a Raspberry Pi (with RS232 adapter) to a VantageVue, it's been running for a couple of years now:
http://www.meier-phelps.com/OhloneWeather/

Which interface do you have?

[q...@kd4e.com]

It's been so many years I have forgotten. It was an aftermarket
data cable - a bit of a kludge - but at the time there was no
way I could afford the high-priced Davis cable (I only use Linux
and as I recall they packaged it with the proprietary MS version
of windows-dependent software - which would have been a big waste
of money if I could have afforded it).

There's no label on the serial connector end nor as far as I can see
up to the connection at the Vantage Vue console - perhaps inside there
may be.

I know I have the instructions around here, as I recall stumbling
across them in a folder a few months back, but maybe it's time to
take a new look at data cable options to connect?

WDYT?

Thanks - David

[q...@kd4e.com]

Is this $134. device what is required?

http://www.amazon.com/Davis-Instruments-WeatherLink-USB-Software/dp/B001AMKC14

Ouch.

Thanks - David

[René G.]

I have fixed the Problem:

I am Connected. the only thing i have not done is to set the archive type from hardware to software...

Manual:

record_generation

Set to whether records should be downloaded off the hardware (recommended), or generated in software. If set to 'hardware', then weewx tries to download archive records from your station. However, not all types of stations support this, in which case weewx falls back to software generation. A setting of 'hardware' will work for most users. A notable exception is users who have cobbled together homebrew serial interfaces for the Vantage stations that do not include memory for a logger. These users should set this option to 'software', forcing software record generation. Default ishardware.

Damn this costs me a lot of time.

If you want to see the station in action watch this: http://coldfiremaster.changeip.org:5555

thanks 4 all who helped!

Am Freitag, 11. Juli 2014 19:03:31 UTC+2 schrieb René G.:

[dan Forster]

Hi,

I just had this very same problem, although it came about in a weird way...

I have been using Weewx for about a year on a Vantage Vu with a Raspberry Pi - Debian Wheezy. All was fine (although as I was a Linux virgin then, I didn't check the logs, just followed the install routine to the word, and it worked).

I then bough a couple of the RPi B+ models (4x USB and lower power usage, etc.) - did exactly the same install (I write everything down - for when I am old one day) - all be it with the lasted .deb version - and got this error (I now use the logs to check everything is working fine), which drove me up the wall for two days, until I found this explanation. I did the same thing, changed the HARDWARE to SOFTWARE - and all is fine.

Maybe, for newbies, the log should run after install, so it can be checked for errors, etc?

I cant explain why, maybe the first install tried HARDWARE - then fell back to SOFTWARE, me not knowing as I didn't check the log.

By the way, this software is superb. A brilliant piece of work...

Take care

Dan

[Ξ]

indeed, Davis is a bitch.

When I started looking around for a weather station I turned first to them and had an extensive email communication with a really nice and helpful Davis rep til I figure out all the equipment I'd need for what I wanted but at the end their modular approach really put me off. I still wouldn't mind coughing up the ca$h for a Vantage Pro+ if I could connect it to a computer without their overpriced data loggers.

[george hofmann]

Yes that data logger/cable/software combo is a rip as far as price goes. But if you value your data then it can be worth the price. Mine can survive a power or weewx computer outage of up to two weeks without losing data. After the outage weewx happily sucks up the values and carries on as if nothing had happened. Since I am a three hour drive away from the station this spooling capability is very valuable to me.

George

[John Harvey]

I came across this thread
http://www.weather-watch.com/smf/index.php?topic=54790.0
about a clone datalogger for Davis consoles at a much cheaper price and has a better usb chip.
I now have one in my Vue and it is running fine with weewx

John

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