WeatherDuino Forum

Hi Werk

I have an issue with rain data using Weewx that I think is related to WeatheDuino. I have no daily rainfall showing, but rain rate etc is ok. Below is the raw data going into Weewx from WDuino. Note that 'rain' is "None" in REC and 0.0 in LOOP but 'rainDaily' is showing the correct 0.14 CM (1.4mm as the display shows). This causes Weewx to show no rain. Is this a bug?

REC and LOOP data below

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REC:    2018-11-21 11:20:00 NZDT (1542752400) altimeter: 1007.21729621, appTemp: 13.735595804, barometer: 1007.51820501, cloudbase: 877.948364659, consBatteryVoltage: None, dateTime: 1542752400, dewpoint: 8.11654067169, ET: 0.0, extraTemp1: 0.0, extraTemp2: 0.0, extraTemp3: 0.0, forecastRule: 193, heatindex: 15.1111111111, highRadiation: 154.0, highUV: 1.6, humidex: 15.5676220998, inDewpoint: 11.1337736133, inHumidity: 51.0, inTemp: 21.7222222222, interval: 5, leafTemp1: 0.0, leafTemp2: 0.0, leafWet1: 0.0, leafWet2: 0.0, maxSolarRad: 923.372973101, outHumidity: 63.0, outTemp: 15.1111111111, pressure: 1006.82485506, radiation: 154.0, rain: 0.0, rainRate: 0.0, rxCheckPercent: 0.0, soilMoist1: 0.0, soilMoist2: 0.0, soilMoist3: 0.0, soilMoist4: 0.0, soilTemp1: 0.0, soilTemp2: 0.0, soilTemp3: 0.0, soilTemp4: 0.0, txBatteryStatus: None, usUnits: 16, UV: 1.6, windchill: 15.1111111111, windDir: 180.0, windGust: 4.82804400003, windGustDir: 180.0, windrun: 4.72185548037, windSpeed: 4.82804400003
REC:    2018-11-21 11:00:00 NZDT (1542751200) altimeter: 1007.08468448, appTemp: 15.857469893, barometer: 1007.38274948, cloudbase: 979.341726061, consBatteryVoltage: None, dateTime: 1542751200, dewpoint: 8.9144921535, ET: 0.0, extraTemp1: 0.0, extraTemp2: 0.0, extraTemp3: 0.0, forecastRule: 193, heatindex: 16.7222222222, highRadiation: 830.0, highUV: 7.6, humidex: 17.5153992142, inDewpoint: 10.8864323289, inHumidity: 50.0, inTemp: 21.7777777778, interval: 5, leafTemp1: 0.0, leafTemp2: 0.0, leafWet1: 0.0, leafWet2: 0.0, maxSolarRad: 882.19272482, outHumidity: 60.0, outTemp: 16.7222222222, pressure: 1006.69231715, radiation: 830.0, rain: 0.0, rainRate: 0.0, rxCheckPercent: 0.0, soilMoist1: 0.0, soilMoist2: 0.0, soilMoist3: 0.0, soilMoist4: 0.0, soilTemp1: 0.0, soilTemp2: 0.0, soilTemp3: 0.0, soilTemp4: 0.0, txBatteryStatus: None, usUnits: 16, UV: 7.6, windchill: 16.7222222222, windDir: 180.0, windGust: 1.60934800001, windGustDir: 180.0, windrun: 3.24661648034, windSpeed: 3.21869600002
REC:    2018-11-21 11:05:00 NZDT (1542751500) altimeter: 1007.01689624, appTemp: 15.6576933814, barometer: 1007.31502172, cloudbase: 1009.49569545, consBatteryVoltage: None, dateTime: 1542751500, dewpoint: 8.56155070726, ET: 0.0, extraTemp1: 0.0, extraTemp2: 0.0, extraTemp3: 0.0, forecastRule: 193, heatindex: 16.6111111111, highRadiation: 893.0, highUV: 8.2, humidex: 17.2533486221, inDewpoint: 10.8864323289, inHumidity: 50.0, inTemp: 21.7777777778, interval: 5, leafTemp1: 0.0, leafTemp2: 0.0, leafWet1: 0.0, leafWet2: 0.0, maxSolarRad: 893.075388458, outHumidity: 59.0, outTemp: 16.6111111111, pressure: 1006.62456665, radiation: 732.0, rain: 0.0, rainRate: 0.0, rxCheckPercent: 0.0, soilMoist1: 0.0, soilMoist2: 0.0, soilMoist3: 0.0, soilMoist4: 0.0, soilTemp1: 0.0, soilTemp2: 0.0, soilTemp3: 0.0, soilTemp4: 0.0, txBatteryStatus: None, usUnits: 16, UV: 6.8, windchill: 16.6111111111, windDir: 202.5, windGust: 1.60934800001, windGustDir: 202.5, windrun: 3.51484181368, windSpeed: 3.21869600002
REC:    2018-11-21 11:10:00 NZDT (1542751800) altimeter: 1007.04938012, appTemp: 15.1030467139, barometer: 1007.3488856, cloudbase: 974.741913508, consBatteryVoltage: None, dateTime: 1542751800, dewpoint: 8.34027085271, ET: 0.0, extraTemp1: 0.0, extraTemp2: 0.0, extraTemp3: 0.0, forecastRule: 193, heatindex: 16.1111111111, highRadiation: 614.0, highUV: 5.7, humidex: 16.6603637089, inDewpoint: 10.5826853911, inHumidity: 49.0, inTemp: 21.7777777778, interval: 5, leafTemp1: 0.0, leafTemp2: 0.0, leafWet1: 0.0, leafWet2: 0.0, maxSolarRad: 903.570090427, outHumidity: 60.0, outTemp: 16.1111111111, pressure: 1006.65703245, radiation: 180.0, rain: 0.0, rainRate: 0.0, rxCheckPercent: 0.0, soilMoist1: 0.0, soilMoist2: 0.0, soilMoist3: 0.0, soilMoist4: 0.0, soilTemp1: 0.0, soilTemp2: 0.0, soilTemp3: 0.0, soilTemp4: 0.0, txBatteryStatus: None, usUnits: 16, UV: 2.0, windchill: 16.1111111111, windDir: 202.5, windGust: 8.04674000005, windGustDir: 202.5, windrun: 3.78306714702, windSpeed: 3.21869600002
LOOP:   2018-11-21 11:25:00 NZDT (1542752700) altimeter: 1007.14960751, appTemp: 13.6276579882, barometer: 1007.45047725, cloudbase: 879.082760881, consBatteryVoltage: 0.0, dateTime: 1542752700, dayET: 0.0, dayRain: 0.140000000035, dewpoint: 8.27410964992, extraAlarm1: 0, extraAlarm2: 0, extraAlarm3: 0, extraAlarm4: 0, extraAlarm5: 0, extraAlarm6: 0, extraAlarm7: 0, extraAlarm8: 0, extraHumid7: 49.0, extraTemp1: 0.0, extraTemp2: 0.0, extraTemp3: 0.0, extraTemp4: 0.0, extraTemp5: 0.0, extraTemp6: 0.0, extraTemp7: 20.0, forecastIcon: 0, forecastRule: 0, heatindex: 15.2777777778, humidex: 15.7994723419, inDewpoint: 10.8864323289, inHumidity: 50.0, insideAlarm: 0, inTemp: 21.7777777778, leafTemp1: 0.0, leafTemp2: 0.0, leafTemp3: 0.0, leafTemp4: 0.0, leafWet1: 0.0, leafWet2: 0.0, leafWet3: 0.0, leafWet4: 0.0, maxSolarRad: 932.670264148, monthET: 0.0, monthRain: 0.0, outHumidity: 63.0, outsideAlarm1: 0, outsideAlarm2: 0, outTemp: 15.2777777778, pressure: 1006.75720404, radiation: 166.0, rain: None, rainAlarm: 0, rainRate: 0.0, soilLeafAlarm1: 0, soilLeafAlarm2: 0, soilLeafAlarm3: 0, soilLeafAlarm4: 0, soilMoist1: 0.0, soilMoist2: 0.0, soilMoist3: 0.0, soilMoist4: 0.0, soilTemp1: 0.0, soilTemp2: 0.0, soilTemp3: 0.0, soilTemp4: 0.0, stormRain: 0.0, stormStart: 943873200, sunrise: 1542711600, sunset: 1542711600, trendIcon: -1, txBatteryStatus: 1, usUnits: 16, UV: 1.8, windchill: 15.2777777778, windDir: 200.0, windGust: 6.43739200004, windGustDir: 200.0, windSpeed: 6.43739200004, windSpeed10: 4.82804400003, yearET: 0.0, yearRain: 1.2200000003

(20-11-2018, 23:31)41south Wrote: [ -> ]Hi Werk

I have an issue with rain data using Weewx that I think is related to WeatheDuino.

Please forgive me for answering with another question. Do you think that if there was a problem with the implementation of rainfall readings in the Davis protocol used by Weatherduino, during all these years no one would have noticed it and there would not be a hundred topics questioning about it?

What is sent by the any Davis station is the number of clicks that have occurred since the beginning of the meteorological day, not a total in any unit, which is calculated by the weather software, multiplying the number the clicks per the values of each tip bucket, and then converted to the unit chosen by the user (mm or in).

WeeWx, contrary to all other weather software's that I know about, have a very particular way of getting data from the Davis weather station. All the others, only read data from the data logger at start, and check if there are any new records stored compared to the newest stored record by the software, weewx by the contrary tries to read data from the data logger ship almost constantly during normal operation.
Here is an hint I already said to you somewhere in another post. Try to disable this behaviour in Weewx software, I know it is possible, but I don't remember where it can be done. This not means disabling the ability to fetch data from the Data Logger when the software starts, its about just rely on LOOP data during normal operation.

For you to be sure that there isn't any problem with the implementation of the rainfall readings, try this simple test during some time: Use Cumulus1 which uses a standard Davis dll (provided by Davis) or even the official Davis Software (Weather Link).

Hope I have helped.

This is why I say a "possible bug" 

Thanks for the explanation. As far as I know have disabled the hardware reading some time ago when you first suggested it. But now that I know of the clicks I will go back and look at the rain as it happens. 

If you can explain a little further should I see a 'click' number appear in the "rain" each time the bucket tips? If not can you explain what I should look for please.

Thanks for you patience while I iron out bugs in my knowledge - and possibly Weewx. Hopefully as we discuss these things more people can make use of a the great combination of Weewx and WeatherDuino 


Of course I can see a reply too from the Weewx developers saying something like "many many people are using Weewx with Davis weather stations, do you not think if there was a bug that it would have been seen by them?"   But we shall see.

(22-11-2018, 04:02)41south Wrote: [ -> ]Of course I can see a reply too from the Weewx developers saying something like "many many people are using Weewx with Davis weather stations, do you not think if there was a bug that it would have been seen by them?"   But we shall see.

Exactly    Then the conclusion that the problem should be (perhaps) related to WeatherDuino. However WeatherDuino works even with the original Davis software.
Lets go ahead...

(22-11-2018, 04:02)41south Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks for the explanation. As far as I know have disabled the hardware reading some time ago when you first suggested it. But now that I know of the clicks I will go back and look at the rain as it happens.

If you can explain a little further should I see a 'click' number appear in the "rain" each time the bucket tips? If not can you explain what I should look for please.

Honestly I don't know what Weewx show on the logs, what I can say it that any rain value sent in the LOOP by a Davis weather station is always in number of click, even the rainfall rate is in clicks / per hour.

Please check the Vantage Pro, Vantage Pro2 and Vantage Vue Serial Communication Reference Manual - Page 23
https://www.davisinstruments.com/support...s_v261.pdf

I don't know how you are testing the system, but what I really think is that there isn't any problem nor with Weewx nor with WeatherDuino. Perhaps things work differently to the way you are expecting they work.
Lets suppose you have a Rain Today reading of 2.0mm shown on the WeatherDuino display. If you start a fresh install of any weather software, all of them will start showing you a Rain Today of 0 (zero) don't expect that any of them will show the 2.0mm that you see on the WeatherDuino display. And why? Because when you start a fresh copy, the software will store the total number of rain clicks for today as an initial value, and then will start count from that value onwards. The weather station resets the rain today clicks value at the start of each meteorological day.

If you have the TX board and rain gauge still in your work bench, try to start WeeWx (without any previous records or logs - delete them all) then manually move the tip bouquet of the rain gauge. Rain should increment in WeatherDuino display, and on WeewX too.
Important:
Set the correct collector type in the TX software

Quote:#define COLLECTOR_TYPE  0.280  // Please note: Values must be in metric units. Max. resolution: 3 decimal digits

If your rain gauge isn't a 0,200mm (default Davis metric rain gauge) type, then you should also set a multiplier on Weewx.
Multiplier = collector type / 0.2 (values in mm)

I can't promise, but on the next weekend I will try to run weatherduino with weewx from my old laptop where I have it installed (for sure an old version). I only did it some years ago when I was testing the implementation of the Vantage protocol.

I perhaps should have explained my testing process so far. I have done exactly as you suggested already.  The data I posted above is the raw data as coming from WeatherDuino to Weewx. I am manually tipping the bucket to create rain and Weewx shows the rain amount in dayRain (used as part of the live data via MQTT) and the rain rate is recorded (see below) but not the actual rain amount. Yes I have the correct collector types etc.

I'll collect more data while I create rain and post that here.

Everything is still on my work bench for now 

Too many strange things happening .....

It starts to work briefly after turning off debug, now it stops again

I will await your tests with thanks



Update - I need an Ark!! 

(22-11-2018, 06:55)41south Wrote: [ -> ]The data I posted above is the raw data as coming from WeatherDuino to Weewx.

Surely it isn't the raw data as coming from WeatherDuino to Weewx, just because one of the clever things on the Davis protocol is that all data is sent as integer numbers, so the posted data already have some processing by Weewx. As an example, just to understand what I mean: ATM is sent in inHg /1000 (integer number) then
the weather software multiply the received number by 1000 and uses it as a float number.

(22-11-2018, 07:18)41south Wrote: [ -> ]Too many strange things happening .....

You are right. Too many strange things...

Quote:It starts to work briefly after turning off debug...

When running connected to any weather software, all debug options should be disabled, otherwise the serial port is constantly sending info which may conflict with the normal communication between the weather station and the weather software.

Ah, interesting to know about that the data, many thanks agin for explaining.

In the end I *think* what bought the rain to life was re-enabling the hardware processing within Weewx, I don't know enough about the way the Davis protocol and Weewx work to even begin to explain the reason - it works and that is good enough for me   

If nothing else hopefully these questions and answers help somebody else following in using Weewx with this great hardware

Hi 41south,

I'm using the WeatherDuino also with WeeWx and I tried to reproduce your problem. For me everything works fine with the WeeWx Davis driver as it comes out of the box. Nothing disabled concerning the logger or something like that.
I only had to correct the multiplier using a Fine Offset tipping bucket.

It seems to be a random error or another reason or bad condition since I does not get it reproduced.

Regards,
engolling