No solar reading from Davis Vantage Pro2

[peter]

Hi,

I've searched through this forum and found a similar issue but still slightly different.

I have a RPi 3B+ connected to a USB data logger in the DVP2 console with original USB cable. The setup has been working fine for about 6-7 months with similar uptime. Then the solar reading showed N/A. This has been going on for some days until I rebooted the RPi. After a reboot, the solar value was read OK for the next one or two days. After few such interventions, I need to do one or more reboots to get it working OK.

I've checked the syslog, here is an excerpt:

Jun 21 00:01:16 raspberrypi weewx[449]: vantage: Getting archive packets since 2020-06-21 00:00:00 CEST (1592690400)
Jun 21 00:01:16 raspberrypi weewx[449]: vantage: Gentle wake up of console successful
Jun 21 00:01:16 raspberrypi weewx[449]: vantage: Retrieving 1 page(s); starting index= 3
Jun 21 00:01:16 raspberrypi weewx[449]: manager: Added record 2020-06-21 00:01:00 CEST (1592690460) to database 'weewx.sdb'
Jun 21 00:01:16 raspberrypi weewx[449]: manager: Added record 2020-06-21 00:01:00 CEST (1592690460) to daily summary in 'weewx.sdb'
Jun 21 00:01:16 raspberrypi weewx[449]: vantage: DMPAFT complete: page timestamp 2020-06-19 05:22:00 CEST (1592536920) less than final timestamp 2020-06-21 00:01:00 CEST (1592690460)
Jun 21 00:01:16 raspberrypi weewx[449]: vantage: Catch up complete.
Jun 21 00:01:16 raspberrypi weewx[449]: reportengine: Running reports for latest time in the database.
Jun 21 00:01:16 raspberrypi weewx[449]: vantage: Requesting 200 LOOP packets.

I suspect the issue is related to DMPAFT row.

Any hint what may be causing this? I am confused why the setup worked OK for a long time before.

Thanks.

[vince]

I'd start by ensuring the pi has quality time.  Generally running NTP works better than the built-in systemd time software.  An inexpensive realtime clock module also tends to help.  There are 'dozens' of posts here about the importance of having accurate date+time especially on devices like a pi that have no built-in RTC typically.

[peter]

Thanks, vince,

I will install it and see if it works better. I assume the issue is in the correct date? Why then only for a solar reading?

The issue only happens on this setup but not on other 2 I own, that's why I'm surprised.

Dne nedelja, 21. junij 2020 22.18.50 UTC+2 je oseba vince napisala:

[Tom Keffer]

The DMPAFT log entry is normal. 

Is a value for solar radiation appearing on the console?

If you run weewxd directly from the command line, does it show a value for radiation?

-tk

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[peter]

 

Is a value for solar radiation appearing on the console?

I don't know, sorry. The setup is located at a remote location. I'll try and find out once it happens again.

If you run weewxd directly from the command line, does it show a value for radiation?

I haven't tried this yet. I guess the run command is provided with instructions but if you could just post the command, that would help.

Thanks.

[Tom Keffer]

See the section Running directly in the User's Guide. Be sure to stop weewx first.

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[peter]

The solar radiation disappeared after a few hours. I stopped weewx and ran it manually according to instructions.

I do get "REC" and "LOOP" packets none of which contain "radiation".

This is an example output (apologies for creating a long post).

LOOP:   2020-06-22 22:46:13 CEST (1592858773) altimeter: 30.0073613589, appTemp: 74.7712992355, barometer: 30.006, cloudbase: 5542.93514687, consBatteryVoltage: 1.59, dateTime: 1592858773, dayET: 0.0, dayRain: 0.0, dewpoint: 51.0494853538, extraAlarm1: 0, extraAlarm2: 0, extraAlarm3: 0, extraAlarm4: 0, extraAlarm5: 0, extraAlarm6: 0, extraAlarm7: 0, extraAlarm8: 0, forecastIcon: 6, forecastRule: 75, heatindex: 74.4, humidex: 77.1941299914, inDewpoint: 58.9079078442, inHumidity: 53.0, insideAlarm: 0, inTemp: 77.4, leafWet4: 0.0, maxSolarRad: 0.0, monthET: 0.27, monthRain: 8.10236220675, outHumidity: 44.0, outsideAlarm1: 0, outsideAlarm2: 0, outTemp: 74.4, pressure: 29.7612224179, rain: 0.0, rainAlarm: 0, rainRate: 0.0, soilLeafAlarm1: 0, soilLeafAlarm2: 0, soilLeafAlarm3: 0, soilLeafAlarm4: 0, stormRain: 0.0, sunrise: 1592795760, sunset: 1592852400, trendIcon: 20, txBatteryStatus: 1, usUnits: 1, windchill: 74.4, windDir: None, windGust: 1.0, windGustDir: 44.0, windSpeed: 0.0, windSpeed10: 0.0, yearET: 15.06, yearRain: 19.7952755955
LOOP:   2020-06-22 22:46:15 CEST (1592858775) altimeter: 30.0073613589, appTemp: 74.2080302355, barometer: 30.006, cloudbase: 5542.93514687, consBatteryVoltage: 1.59, dateTime: 1592858775, dayET: 0.0, dayRain: 0.0, dewpoint: 51.0494853538, extraAlarm1: 0, extraAlarm2: 0, extraAlarm3: 0, extraAlarm4: 0, extraAlarm5: 0, extraAlarm6: 0, extraAlarm7: 0, extraAlarm8: 0, forecastIcon: 6, forecastRule: 75, heatindex: 74.4, humidex: 77.1941299914, inDewpoint: 58.9079078442, inHumidity: 53.0, insideAlarm: 0, inTemp: 77.4, leafWet4: 0.0, maxSolarRad: 0.0, monthET: 0.27, monthRain: 8.10236220675, outHumidity: 44.0, outsideAlarm1: 0, outsideAlarm2: 0, outTemp: 74.4, pressure: 29.7612224179, rain: 0.0, rainAlarm: 0, rainRate: 0.0, soilLeafAlarm1: 0, soilLeafAlarm2: 0, soilLeafAlarm3: 0, soilLeafAlarm4: 0, stormRain: 0.0, sunrise: 1592795760, sunset: 1592852400, trendIcon: 20, txBatteryStatus: 1, usUnits: 1, windchill: 74.4, windDir: 44.0, windGust: 1.0, windGustDir: 44.0, windSpeed: 1.0, windSpeed10: 0.0, yearET: 15.06, yearRain: 19.7952755955
REC:    2020-06-22 22:46:00 CEST (1592858760) altimeter: 30.0083600788, appTemp: 74.2080302355, barometer: 30.007, cloudbase: 5542.93514687, consBatteryVoltage: 1.59, dateTime: 1592858760, dayET: 0.0, dayRain: 0.0, dewpoint: 51.0494853538, ET: 0.0, extraAlarm1: 0.0, extraAlarm2: 0.0, extraAlarm3: 0.0, extraAlarm4: 0.0, extraAlarm5: 0.0, extraAlarm6: 0.0, extraAlarm7: 0.0, extraAlarm8: 0.0, forecastIcon: 6.0, forecastRule: 75, heatindex: 74.4, highOutTemp: 74.5, humidex: 77.1941299914, inDewpoint: 58.9079078442, inHumidity: 53.0, insideAlarm: 0.0, inTemp: 77.4, interval: 1, leafWet4: 0.0, lowOutTemp: 74.4, maxSolarRad: 0.0, monthET: 0.27, monthRain: 8.10236220675, outHumidity: 44.0, outsideAlarm1: 0.0, outsideAlarm2: 0.0, outTemp: 74.4, pressure: 29.7622142603, rain: 0.0, rainAlarm: 0.0, rainRate: 0.0, rxCheckPercent: 100.0, soilLeafAlarm1: 0.0, soilLeafAlarm2: 0.0, soilLeafAlarm3: 0.0, soilLeafAlarm4: 0.0, stormRain: 0.0, sunrise: 1592795760.0, sunset: 1592852400.0, trendIcon: 20.0, txBatteryStatus: 1, usUnits: 1, windchill: 74.4, windDir: 45.0, windGust: 1.0, windGustDir: 45.0, windrun: 0.0166666666667, windSpeed: 1.0, windSpeed10: 0.0, yearET: 15.06, yearRain: 19.7952755955

I'll try and find out if the console shows the solar radiation value. It probably does since a reboot resolves the problem. My absolute time is accurate but I'll set up an NTP anyway and also get me a RTC for my RPi.

Dne nedelja, 21. junij 2020 22.38.35 UTC+2 je oseba Tom Keffer napisala:

The DMPAFT log entry is normal. 

Is a value for solar radiation appearing on the console?

If you run weewxd directly from the command line, does it show a value for radiation?

-tk

On Sun, Jun 21, 2020 at 1:26 PM peter <pete...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks, vince,

I will install it and see if it works better. I assume the issue is in the correct date? Why then only for a solar reading?

The issue only happens on this setup but not on other 2 I own, that's why I'm surprised.

Dne nedelja, 21. junij 2020 22.18.50 UTC+2 je oseba vince napisala:

I'd start by ensuring the pi has quality time.  Generally running NTP works better than the built-in systemd time software.  An inexpensive realtime clock module also tends to help.  There are 'dozens' of posts here about the importance of having accurate date+time especially on devices like a pi that have no built-in RTC typically.

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[peter]

I still had no chance to see the console whether it reports the solar value or not. I have few observations that may help. I'd really appreciate advice what may be causing this.

1. Davis' datalogger is set to 1-minute interval. I stopped the weewx for 10 minutes and then restarted. Upon start it went back 10 minutes and logged the data. My assumption was: if Davis works OK, weewx will get all values (including solar) from the datalogger. But it did not. No solar in the past 10 minutes.

2. I stopped the weewx, stopped the Davis datalogger, cleared the datalogger's memory, started the datalogger and then weewx. Solar was there! For one day. Then it stopped logging it.

3. After point (2), I left it running and the solar came back sometime next day, then disappeared, etc. No intervention from me.

4. Important: When the solar value disappears, the wind values are definitely wrong. If I'm not mistaken, weewx picks up the maximum gust & average in the last minute (I have it set to 1 minute interval). But I think it just picks up some value that is on line at the moment of reading. Not the minute-generated values by the console. This is clearly seen in the wind plots. But not in temperature because temperature is not as dynamic value as the wind is.

5. On another faulty occasion, clearing the datalogger's memory didn't help. So it is not really a workaround or solution to the problem.

I haven't installed the RTC chip yet but I highly doubt the time is the issue. Time reading has been very stable comparing to my laptop and other RPis I have installed around. I've installed an NTP as well.

Is it possible the Davis' datalogger is the issue here? Had anyone experienced a similar observation or Davis hardware failure? I know I need to see the console in person but right now this is not possible. At least for a month.

Dne nedelja, 21. junij 2020 23.04.44 UTC+2 je oseba Tom Keffer napisala:

See the section Running directly in the User's Guide. Be sure to stop weewx first.

On Sun, Jun 21, 2020 at 1:55 PM peter <pete...@gmail.com> wrote:

 

Is a value for solar radiation appearing on the console?

I don't know, sorry. The setup is located at a remote location. I'll try and find out once it happens again.

If you run weewxd directly from the command line, does it show a value for radiation?

I haven't tried this yet. I guess the run command is provided with instructions but if you could just post the command, that would help.

Thanks.

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[Tom Keffer]

Sure sounds to me like a problem with your ISS, or, possibly, the link between the ISS and console. I would give Davis a call.

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