Latest News
2008.04.19
I've added a solar radiation sensor. This measures solar energy over a large spectrum in watts per square metre, and allows the calcuation of both evapotranspiration and a "THSW" (temp/humidity/solar/wind) perceived temperature value. Solar radiation and THSW are currently plotted on the temp/rain/humidity graph.
2006.12.04
Up and running! Still fiddling with the web page content. I may be switching between the default Weather Display format, and the one provided with Davis' Weatherlink software (which I prefer). The problem with Weatherlink is that it can't be run as a service, or put in the system tray.
2006.11.30
The computer interface hardware has been ordered (finally) and is in transit. I'm hoping to have this web site updating again in a week or two.
2006.09.04
Thanks to a mountaineering friend, I've installed the new station outside, and the anemometer / wind vane on the roof, and all is working fine. However, as I mentioned, I still have to scrape together some more cash for the computer interface, which is an additional $180 or so. So stay tuned - it will all be back online eventually. Sooner if someone wants to donate the money or the equipment ;-)
2006.08.16
After some shipping problems, I've finally received a fantastic new Davis Vantage Pro 2: lots of functions, better sensors, and wireless (which I hope will eliminate the lightning damage problems I've been having). I'll be installing it in the next few days. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that it does NOT come with a computer interface, so I'll have to order one of those before I can start updating this site.
2006.05.31
AAUUGGGH!!!! A small but vicious thunderstorm struck our neighbourhood, and my station console (which I replaced last July due to lightning damage) is unresponsive (I also had to reset my computer BIOS and reprogram my AV Receiver). I've got a full house surge arrestor on both power and phone lines, but still.... I'll have to tinker with the console to see if it can be salvaged. If not, I'll have to decide what to do. If I replace it again, I'm not going to replace it with the same model. Sigh.
2006.02.01
More freezing rain. The wind sensor is stuck pointing NE. I had a look at it from the ground, and it is moving around. I suspect that the encoder is/was frozen, and the wind was strong enough to move the wind vane around the shaft without moving the encoder. Way too much ice and snow to consider climbing up and thawing it all out.
2006.01.09
The wind speed sensor has finally unfrozen.
2005.12.31
Freezing rain has frozen the wind speed sensor. The ice should sublimate off in a day or so.
2005.8.28
Finally have the wind sensors connected - everything is back on line!
2005.8.06
New anemometer/wind direction unit installed, but not connected to station - still have to pull new wires on roof (I don't like heights) 8-(
2005.7.27
Rain gauge is fixed (leaky capacitor). Still have to figure out what's wrong with the anemometer.
2005.7.26
The station is slowly coming back on line. The lightning tracker is up, and I've verified the temp, humidity, pressure, and wind direction operation, but still need to get wind direction and rain up and working. The web page is updating, but I'm not sending any data yet to the Weather Underground, or to NOAA.
2005.7.9
I won the bidding on eBay! As soon as some shipping details are worked out, the console should be on its way. I hope to have the station up again in a week or two.
2005.7.7
I've had a go at repairing the weather station console, but I can't quite figure out which component is causing the short. I will either be getting a replacement console from eBay (providing I win the bidding, which ends on Friday) or I'll be getting an entirely new weather station. I WILL have some sort of station back online in the near future.
2005.7.2
After a network card change, the Lightning Tracker is back on line this evening. The weather station is in worse shape. I replaced what I thought was a faulty voltage regulator, but there is something else shorted out on the console, I think. (If anyone has any electronics expertise, please contact me - the regulator was a simple 78L08, but the output is not ~8V but 1.5 or so, and the regulator gets too hot to touch). I'll continue to see if I can repair it, but if all else fails I've tracked down a replacement console (on eBay (!) ). If that doesn't work out, I'll have to replace the entire system (which I'd prefer not to do - more $$ and I have to go way up on the roof again...)
2005.7.1
Happy Canada Day! An intense band of thunderstorms rolled through town about 4pm or so, and it looks like they clobbered my internet router, the LAN card on the Lightning Tracker PC, and the weather station console. I managed to get an older router I had lying around working, but I have to get the rest of the LAN back up, and then see if I can rescue the weather station console. There's no obvious lightning damage, but parts are just dead - no response, no status lights.
2005.6.20
After some tinkering with schematics and my trusty oscilloscope, the temp and humidity sensors seem to be back in operation. However, I can't claim to have discovered the cause of the problem. I think that some moisture from the weather we've been having lately condensed on the circuit board and caused a short. The temp/humidity module on this unit has a documented history of being tempermental.
2005.6.15
I will be slowly modifying the appearance of this web site in order to add some new features, such as my new lightning tracker which I've just installed, as well as status information and news. I hope you find the new format to your liking.
Unfortunately, the heavy rains of the past few days seem to have discombobulated my temperature and humidity sensors, resulting in constant unchanging readings. It will take some time to figure this one out (I need to drag out some schematics and my trusty oscilloscope). In the meantime, it may rectify itself.