Trying to troubleshoot RainGuage on Pi-WeatherRack

treimers95
New Member

Posts: 7

Raspberry Pi: Yes

Trying to troubleshoot RainGuage on Pi-WeatherRack Nov 22, 2020 13:46:28 GMT -8

Quote

Post by treimers95 on Nov 22, 2020 13:46:28 GMT -8

Hi -

I've got Pi2Groveboard on a Pi, with a WeatherBoard-Grove interface,
with the WeatherRack anemometer,rainguage, etc. hooked up via the RJ-14 jacks.

This WeatherBoard-Grove
shop.switchdoc.com/collections/weather/products/the-weather-board-w-grove-interface-board-for-weather-instruments-for-raspberry-pi-arduino

This Pi hat
shop.switchdoc.com/collections/raspberry-pi/products/pi2grover-raspberry-pi-to-grove-connector-interface-board

(Let me know where/how to ID versions of these boards so I can help you more)

I bought most of this stuff about 4 years ago, and had it running on a Pi for awhile, with no real interface to see data.

The Pi crashed, and so now I'm rebuilding, and hoping to push the data to InfluxDB, as I now do
for wireless weather and other temps from things
(rtl_433 >> mosquitto-MQTT broker >> Telegraf >> InfluxDB)

I noticed you now have support for that - so rebuilding in hopes of getting more working...

I've downloaded the latest GitHub code for the Pi-WeatherRack.

I'm trying to diagnose the raingauge, that doesn't seem to be receiving data.
I can't tell whether the RainGuage isn't working, or the i2c-detect isn't even seeing the WeatherRack raingauge properly.

I can see wind speed/direction, so I'm pretty sure the WeatherBoard-Grive is right.

However, no data from the rainguage

I do have a steady drip system set up, with a small fountain pump and a refrigerator icemaker valve limiting flow to a drip or two, and falling into the raingauge then into the fountain pump reservoir.
The bucket tips, but I'm not apparently seeing any data....

How do I troubleshoot from the below info?

root@weatherpi:/opt/SDL_Pi_GroveWeatherPi/SDL_Pi_WeatherRack# i2cdetect -y 1

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 a b c d e f

00: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

10: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

20: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

30: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3c -- -- --

40: 40 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 48 -- -- -- -- -- -- --

50: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 57 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

60: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 68 -- -- -- -- -- -- --

70: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 77

MPH wind_gust= 34.04 MPH

max Ever Gust wind_gust= 34.04 MPH

Wind Direction= 0.00 Degrees

Wind Direction Voltage= 0.584 V

-----------------

-----------------

----------------------------------------

-----------------

SDL_Pi_WeatherRack Library

WeatherRack Weather Sensors

-----------------

Rain Total= 0.00 in

Wind Speed= 5.95 MPH

max Ever Wind Speed= 13.97 MPH

MPH wind_gust= 11.11 MPH

max Ever Gust wind_gust= 34.04 MPH

Wind Direction= 0.00 Degrees

Wind Direction Voltage= 0.587 V

-----------------

-----------------

----------------------------------------

-----------------

SDL_Pi_WeatherRack Library

WeatherRack Weather Sensors

-----------------

Rain Total= 0.00 in

Wind Speed= 2.97 MPH

max Ever Wind Speed= 13.97 MPH

MPH wind_gust= 5.82 MPH

max Ever Gust wind_gust= 34.04 MPH

Wind Direction= 0.00 Degrees

Wind Direction Voltage= 0.585 V

-----------------

-----------------

----------------------------------------

-----------------

SDL_Pi_WeatherRack Library

WeatherRack Weather Sensors

-----------------

Rain Total= 0.00 in

Wind Speed= 1.78 MPH

max Ever Wind Speed= 13.97 MPH

MPH wind_gust= 3.43 MPH

max Ever Gust wind_gust= 34.04 MPH

Wind Direction= 0.00 Degrees

Wind Direction Voltage= 0.588 V

-----------------

-----------------

----------------------------------------

-----------------

SDL_Pi_WeatherRack Library

WeatherRack Weather Sensors

-----------------

Rain Total= 0.00 in

Wind Speed= 0.89 MPH

max Ever Wind Speed= 13.97 MPH

MPH wind_gust= 2.82 MPH

max Ever Gust wind_gust= 34.04 MPH

Wind Direction= 0.00 Degrees

Wind Direction Voltage= 0.586 V

-----------------

-----------------

----------------------------------------

-----------------

SDL_Pi_WeatherRack Library

WeatherRack Weather Sensors

-----------------

Rain Total= 0.00 in

Wind Speed= 0.89 MPH

max Ever Wind Speed= 13.97 MPH

MPH wind_gust= 1.03 MPH

max Ever Gust wind_gust= 34.04 MPH

Wind Direction= 0.00 Degrees

Wind Direction Voltage= 0.585 V

-----------------

-----------------

Last Edit: Nov 22, 2020 13:48:12 GMT -8 by treimers95

SDL
Global Moderator

Posts: 5,655
Raspberry Pi: Yes
Other Device: PC, arduino, beagleBone

Trying to troubleshoot RainGuage on Pi-WeatherRack Nov 24, 2020 15:40:02 GMT -8

Quote

Post by SDL on Nov 24, 2020 15:40:02 GMT -8

Can you put a voltmeter from the Rain Bucket pin on JP2 to Ground?

Then tilt the bucket and you should see the voltage go to ground and then come back to 5V.

That show your rain bucket works.

Can you get some different direction than zero on your wind direction?

Try it with the RJ11 cables reversed. You might still have them reversed.

BP

treimers95
New Member

Posts: 7

Raspberry Pi: Yes

Trying to troubleshoot RainGuage on Pi-WeatherRack Nov 26, 2020 18:05:09 GMT -8 SDL likes this

Quote

Post by treimers95 on Nov 26, 2020 18:05:09 GMT -8

OK -- I quickly tried the cable reversal -- and walked out the cables along the length, to be sure i had them right.

It'll require an assistant to help tip the bucket whilst I watch the testmeter or scope..
That may happen tomorrow -- Thanksgiving got in the way - but I wanted you to know I did see your response!
Hope you had a good Thanksgiving!

treimers95
New Member

Posts: 7

Raspberry Pi: Yes

Trying to troubleshoot RainGuage on Pi-WeatherRack Nov 28, 2020 17:10:53 GMT -8

Quote

Post by treimers95 on Nov 28, 2020 17:10:53 GMT -8

I found the problem -- I'm just not sure how to solve it really...

I'd added some extension cables with an RJ-14 coupler in the middle.

As soon as I simply took everything down, and brought it all inside, and hooked up the original cables directly to the unit, I got readings.

Obviously voltage drop across the RJ-14 coupler, if not also along the whole run of wire.

My problem is that I don't want to build an entire outdoor enclosure, run power to it, and the whole shebang.

I'm working on an LCD display for the Pi (have a 10" HDMI TV) to display all the weather and other ham-related info like solar conditions, etc -

For that reason, plus the additional complexity/costs of locating the Pi and all it's hardware completely outdoors,
I didn't want to go Curacao style with a totally remote solution, or figure out how to mount the Pi
on the side of the house somewhere a ladder would be needed every time it needed attention.

I really wanted the PI and associated Grove boards and so on to all be inside the shack beside the 1st floor window, running on the shack battery system, etc.

And to have the anemometer/wind gauge located 30' higher, about 10 above my flat roof, above the 2nd story

I guess I'll have to try making some longer cables in one piece and see if the voltage drop is still present.

Ideas or experience on how long you can make that wire before voltage drop is a problem?
What's the current supply from whatever chip is doing the reading on the Grove WeatherBoard?
Is there a schematic of that board somewhere I could research the chip you're reading with?

Thanks Tim

treimers95 New Member Posts: 7 Raspberry Pi: Yes	Trying to troubleshoot RainGuage on Pi-WeatherRack Nov 29, 2020 15:32:35 GMT -8 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by treimers95 on Nov 29, 2020 15:32:35 GMT -8 And, it seems that voltage drop across only 30' of cable probably isn't it. Some other bad connection...

SDL
Global Moderator

Posts: 5,655
Raspberry Pi: Yes
Other Device: PC, arduino, beagleBone

Trying to troubleshoot RainGuage on Pi-WeatherRack Dec 2, 2020 8:46:07 GMT -8

Quote

Post by SDL on Dec 2, 2020 8:46:07 GMT -8

10 feet is as long as we have tested it. If you stick another pullup resistor to 5V on the Rainbucket line, that will help, but may not cure. Use a 3K Ohm resistor (there is a 10K Ohm resistor on it now).

It takes very little current. It is an ADS1115 ADC I believe.

How did you know it was a bad connection?

BP

treimers95
New Member

Posts: 7

Raspberry Pi: Yes

Trying to troubleshoot RainGuage on Pi-WeatherRack Dec 2, 2020 10:02:44 GMT -8

Quote

Post by treimers95 on Dec 2, 2020 10:02:44 GMT -8

OK -- if you can do 100 feet, with perhaps another pullup, I can try that.

I figured out it was some sort of bad connection simply by:

- Doing your "does the 5v JP2 point drop to ground when bucket tips" test.

With my extension made of a 25' RJ-14<>coupler<> line to rain bucket,
I put a DMM on there, and didn't see any change.
So then I put my Tek 7600 scope on it, no change.
Then I took apart my RJ-14 coupler connection and wired the rain bucket directly to the WeatherBoard, and instantly got
5v drops>bucket tips showing up on the Tektronix.

I haven't yet reassembled my extension to see if that will work...but from what you're saying, it
should be OK so long as connections are good...

Thanks Tim

SDL Global Moderator Posts: 5,655 Raspberry Pi: Yes Other Device: PC, arduino, beagleBone	Trying to troubleshoot RainGuage on Pi-WeatherRack Dec 3, 2020 13:16:18 GMT -8 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by SDL on Dec 3, 2020 13:16:18 GMT -8 Tim, Make sure you report back here so others can benefit from your excellent debugging and "stretching the limit" skills! BP

SwitchDoc Labs Product Support

Trying to troubleshoot RainGuage on Pi-WeatherRack

Post by treimers95 on Nov 22, 2020 13:46:28 GMT -8

Post by SDL on Nov 24, 2020 15:40:02 GMT -8

Post by treimers95 on Nov 26, 2020 18:05:09 GMT -8

Post by treimers95 on Nov 28, 2020 17:10:53 GMT -8

Post by treimers95 on Nov 29, 2020 15:32:35 GMT -8

Post by SDL on Dec 2, 2020 8:46:07 GMT -8

Post by treimers95 on Dec 2, 2020 10:02:44 GMT -8

Post by SDL on Dec 3, 2020 13:16:18 GMT -8

Quick Reply