La Crosse Technology WS-2010, Software Manual

Page 1: ...1 PC Radio Weather Station Operating and Evaluation Software for Windows 95 98 NT ...

Page 2: ...sensors 20 Indoor radio sensor without air pressure 21 Indoor Outdoor temperature sensor 21 Outdoor radio sensor 21 Storing the Solar Powered Outdoor Sensors 22 Commissioning the Software 22 Chapter 3 File Weather Data File 26 Export 26 Print 26 Print Preview 27 Printer Setup 27 Sensor Name 27 Specifications 28 Floating average 29 Maximum difference 29 Rainfall measured value compensation 29 Exit ...

Page 3: ...iod Forwards 44 Period Backwards 44 Zoom Out Period 44 Zoom In Period 44 Adapt Periods 45 Font 45 Settings 46 Chapter 8 Window Cascading 48 Tiled Horizontally 48 Tiled Vertically 48 Arrange Icons 48 Close All 48 Chapter 9 Buttons Toolbar 50 Appendix Appendix A Changing the Batteries 51 Appendix B Special Terms 52 Appendix C Eliminating Faults 53 Appendix D Range 55 Appendix E Technical Data 56 App...

Page 4: ...ind direction and wind speed The radio controlled sensors have a range of up to 330 ft in the open enabling an extremely flexible installation Power supply for the sensors is provided by means of an integrated solar cell module A battery bridges periods of darkness and little sunlight caused by bad weather This battery is then recharged during periods of light In this way maintenance of the sensor...

Page 5: ... clicked e g Read Print or Help Buttons can be activated with the mouse or keyboard Input field An input field enables characters to be entered Depending on the type of input field all characters can be entered or possibly only digits Marking field A marking field enables a function to be switched on or off The current state is indicated by a cross or tick Selection field This operating element en...

Page 6: ...erve the functions of the following buttons Ok After activating this button the current window is closed The entries and settings made are stored Cancel After activating this button the current window is closed However the entries and settings made are not stored Close After activating this button the current window is closed The entries and settings made are automatically stored ...

Page 7: ...7 Chapter 1 Introduction ...

Page 8: ...fer the data stored in the radio interface to the PC at regular intervals This can be done for example according to the selected inter val each day or once a week The constant connection of the weather station to the PC also enables a continuous display of the weather data recorded The required period can be selected for which the weather data should be ana lyzed day week month year The output dat...

Page 9: ...a frequency of 66 MHz When Windows 95 98 is used the PC should have at least 16 Mbyte RAM to ensure processing can be completed quickly If Windows NT is used the PC should have at least 32 Mbyte working memory because the operating system is more comprehensive Any printer set up under Windows can be used for printing purposes The con nection of an ink jet or laser printer allows professional print...

Page 10: ...dows 95 98 NT Start menu The required target directory can be selected during the installation process By default thesoftwareisinstalledinthedirectory c ProgramFiles PCWeatherStation After confirming all entries the program files are set up in the selected directory Finally a program group called PC Weather Station is created together with links to the program This means that the software can then...

Page 11: ...the buttons menu options and help functions The central area of the main window displays sub windows for all the measured values selected according to the periods specified in graphical and tabular form By simply clicking on the left mouse button inside the graphic the time repre sented by the mouse position when clicked is shifted to the middle of the window and the window content in the time axi...

Page 12: ...o select the various displays in the weather display and to delete the total rainfall value Interface This can be used to read weather data manually or automatically in a specified time matrix It is possible to define that the PC interface be read out automatical ly each time the program is started View This menu is used to select the period for which the weather data available should be displayed...

Page 13: ... combinations are available in the main window with which to activate the most important functions quickly In most cases it prevents having to switch from using the mouse to the keyboard and vice versa Key Function F1 Help F4 Weather display F5 Read now F8 Cascade windows Alt F8 Tile windows F9 Period forwards Alt F9 Adapt all periods F10 Zoom out period F11 Zoom in period F12 Period backwards Alt...

Page 14: ...14 ...

Page 15: ...15 Chapter 2 Commissioning ...

Page 16: ...is because the sensors operate in a test mode for up to ten minutes after the operating power is applied inserting the magnets in the outdoor sensors or inserting the batteries in the indoor sensors During the test phase data is transferred in a 4 second cycle instead of a 3 minute cycle The outdoor temperature and relative humidity sensors must be assigned unique addresses to ensure differentiati...

Page 17: ...ialization phase begins immediately and takes 6 minutes During this period the interface searches for all sensor transmitters and defines a small time window for each sensor received the window being used later to activate the receiver If synchronization between the transmitter and PC interface is lost as a result of temporary radio path interference the interface scans for all the sensor transmit...

Page 18: ...air pressure The indoor radio sensor with air pressure requires 2 round cell batteries in order to operate It contains temperature humidity and air pressure sensors The data from it always appears in the indoor display window of the weather display It measures the indoor temperature humidity and air pressure and is the basic requirement for displaying the air pressure pressure tendency and pressur...

Page 19: ...stem is also solar powered and is pro vided with a fixed address which cannot be manipulated by the user The solar cell must be accurately aligned to face south The rainfall measuring system must be positioned on an abso lutely horizontal surface and fixed by means of screws insert ed in the holes in the base of the housing Remove the upper sec tion beforehand by pressing it and turning clockwise ...

Page 20: ... exactly in the locks on the lower section Then turn the upper section counterclockwise a little until it snaps into the locks in the lower section and remove tape that secures rocher The rainfall sensor is then ready for operation As a test pour a little water in the funnel very slowly The recorded amount is later converted and displayed on the PC interface in inches liter m2 or mm Addressing the...

Page 21: ... solar power supply The outdoor radio sensor enables the transmission of temperature and humidity values related to the site of its installation This sensor can also be freely addressed At the factory all solar powered out door sensors are defined as Sensor 1 However individual addressing is possi ble The sensor should be installed on the North or West side because temperature information in meteo...

Page 22: ...lecting the menu Interface submenu Properties and option Interface The standard version of the weather station PC interface can support up to 16 temperature humidity sensors which are automatically detected when the ad dresses are set correctly Detecting the number of sensors simultaneously de termines the number of measured values which can be stored in the radio inter face The memory should be r...

Page 23: ...ng this peri od In order to display the correct air pressure the height of the installation site above sea level NN must be specified in ft in the weather station and software To do this activate the File menu Specifications option and enter the absolute height above 0 in the corresponding input field The rainfall measuring system leaves the factory with a very high degree of accuracy so that no a...

Page 24: ...24 ...

Page 25: ...25 Chapter 3 File ...

Page 26: ...ch data should be exported and the sensor data required The selection of predefined periods enables particularly fast processing In addition any target file can be specified for the data to be exported Separators In order to separate individual data date time measured value several export formats require the entry of a special separator character which ensures the data is read in correctly by othe...

Page 27: ...n be used here Export the data as described in Export e g in an Excel file and print a table from Excel Print Preview This option displays the entire page as it will appear on the printed page accord ing to the parameters defined in Printer Setup Printer Setup This menu option is used to select the printer to be used for a printout In addi tion the specific printer properties can be defined for th...

Page 28: ...ations menu can be used to select the measurement units for all the sensors The units C and F are available for temperature sensors km h m s knots and mph for wind speed l m2 mm and in for rainfall and hPa mmHg and inHg for atmospheric pressure This menu can also be used for the accurate adjustment of the rainfall measurement transmitter and height adjustment for the air pressure ...

Page 29: ...differ ences are rejected Rainfall measured value transmitter compensation The rainfall measuring system leaves the factory in an accurate condition so that adjustment is not normally necessary and the calibration factor already set can be used Compensation is only necessary in the cases where extreme accu racy is required for professional purposes Before compensating the rainfall measured value t...

Page 30: ...bration factor Actual value display value after filling the water The old calibration factor i e currently valid value is displayed in the Rainfall per collector input field This input field must then be used to enter the new calibration factor if necessary Exit This menu option is used to exit from the PC weather station software ...

Page 31: ...31 Chapter 4 Display ...

Page 32: ... humidity sensor After se lecting the corresponding sensor the window for the display representation peri od appears The graphical and tabular output of the weather data can be provide for different period of time This enables the observation of both general long term weather ...

Page 33: ...drawn out from right to left and scroll bars are provided to search for measured values within the list The minimum and maximum values which have occurred within the period dis played are indicated at the top of the table together with the time and date of their occurrence It is possible to enlarge the display of each individual measured value window to full screen size Rainfall The window contain...

Page 34: ...eather station parallel to the graphical display When this function is selected the display window can be activated or deactivated By pressing the right hand mouse button inside the display the window charac teristics can be modified The window settings are automatically stored so that when the window is activat ed again it appears with the same characteristics and in the same position Toolbar Use...

Page 35: ...g the functions in the toolbar help etc By deactivating the status bar the diagram displayed can be enlarged A particular feature is the numeric measured value display inside the status bar with date and time The information relates to the measured value at current cursor position within the graphic e g temperature and humidity with the date and time recorded ...

Page 36: ...36 ...

Page 37: ...37 Chapter 5 Weather Display ...

Page 38: ...esors actuially used can be selected Rainfall Display This menu is used to define whether the total rainfall rainfall over the past hour every hour on the half hour or rainfall over the last day recorded for 24 hrs starting from 7 30 a m should appear in the weather display The times and time periods comply to international standards implemented by professional weather services Delete Total Rainfa...

Page 39: ...39 Chapter 6 Interface ...

Page 40: ...log box appears indicating the status of all the sensors The status window of the PC weather station interface displays the number of sensors supported the set time interval for storing the measured values and the current receive status of the individual sensors One off reception failures which occur in sensors are considered normal and are usually caused by 2 sensors in the same time window By se...

Page 41: ...verwritten according to the principles of the ring memory The stored data should therefore be read out from the PC and into the required file in good time according to the set interval The following table illustrates the connection between the number of sensors supported the selected interval and the maximum storage period Each dataset requires 30 or 56 bytes Note The interval and number of sensor...

Page 42: ...r confirming the selection the radio interface is searched for on the selected interface If the radio interface is not found a corresponding message is issued RS232 Multiplexer As with the PC radio interface several other units also operate with the com puter via the serial RS232 port Since most computers however only have 2 or even 1 serial ports the implementation of an RS 232 multiplexer is adv...

Page 43: ...43 Chapter 7 View ...

Page 44: ...aphic this function can be used to shift the area displayed on the screen forwards to display a later time period Period Backwards If only a section of a period is displayed in the graphic this function can be used to shift the area displayed on the screen backwards to display an earlier time period Zoom Out Period This function increases the period represented by the graphic and the values table ...

Page 45: ...tic adaptation of the graphics to the time axis in the currently selected window All the graphics displayed on the screen are then represented for to the same time period Font After activating this menu command a window opens in which to modify the font font style and font size The font defined is then used for the screen display and printout ...

Page 46: ...matic adaptation of the scaling to the minimum and maximum val ues of the period represented is also possible In the case of a temperature humidity sensor it is possible to select the relative humidity to be displayed as the second value In addition the unit of measurement can be change here in respect of the currently active window e g C or F for the temperature sensor ...

Page 47: ...47 Chapter 8 Windows ...

Page 48: ...other on the screen Other measured value windows are then cascaded Tile Vertically Use this command to arrange the up to 3 open windows tiled vertically Other measured value windows are then positioned beside them Arrange Icons Use this command to arrange the windows minimized to icons at the bottom of the main window Close All Use this command to close all the measured value windows ...

Page 49: ...49 Chapter 9 Buttons ...

Page 50: ...n the button menu or window clicked Read out data Reads out the weather data from the interface imme diately Period backwards Shifts the period displayed back in time Define period Defines the start and end time date time for the dis play Period forwards Shifts the period displayed forwards in time Zoom out period Enlarges the period displayed Zoom in period Reduces the period displayed ...

Page 51: ...l again after re placing the cover The data from the sensor should reappear in the display after the PC interface has completed its sensor polling cycle refer to Appendix C Eliminating Faults PC radio interface If communication between the PC interface and PC no longer operates properly or data is not received from several sensors it indicates that the batteries in the PC interface are empty The b...

Page 52: ... to determine conclusions related to the general weather development The graphical representation appears in the weather dis play Air pressure tendency calculates the weather development over the last hour Weather tendency weather forecast display via weather symbols calculated from the speed at which the air pressure is rising or falling ...

Page 53: ...be compensated for by means of a special repeater designed for the weather station The battery powered repeater equipped with transmitter and receiver receives the data from the required sensors and transfers them on with only a minimum delay The repeater is housed in a waterproof casing and is suitable for installation both indoors and out Several repeaters can be cascaded to overcome greater dis...

Page 54: ...with other units in 433 MHz range The transmissions from radio sensors can cause short term interference on units operating on the same channel every 3 minutes for approx 200 ms This inter ference is negligible If possible change the channel on the unit experiencing interference Recharging batteries in the outdoor sensors The vanadium lithium battery integrated in the outdoor sensors is capable of...

Page 55: ...pes and vegetation Especially in the case of the wind sensor metal roofs or roof insulation with foil sealed glass wool can reduce the range Transmitter and receiver clearance from conductive surfaces or objects which affect radiation characteristic and thus the range including human bodies and the ground Broadband interference in built up areas may reach levels which lessen the entire signal to n...

Page 56: ...8 F 30 0 C to 70 C Resolution 0 1 F 0 1 C Accuracy 2 F 1 C Measuring range rel humidity 20 95 Resolution 1 Accuracy 8 Measuring range air pressure 23 62 to 32 48 in Hg 800 to 1100 hPa Resolution 0 03 in Hg 1 hPa Accuracy 0 03 in Hg 1 hPa Rainfall 0 to 393 in 0 to 9999 mm Resolution 0 02 in 0 5 mm Accuracy 2 0 04 in 2 1 mm Wind speed 0 124 mph 0 200 km h Resolution 0 1 mph 0 1 km h Accuracy 3 0 6 m...

Page 57: ...d by consecutive datasets as received from the interface Dataset structure typedef struct time_t zeit WSPC_TEMP_FEUCHTE t_f 8 8 temperature humidity sensors WSPC_T_F_DRUCK t_f_d 8 8 temp humidity pressure sensors WSPC_WIND wind Wind sensor WSPC_REGEN regen Rainfall sensor WSPC_DATEN Dataset structure pragma pack 1 All following data is byte aligned typedef struct short temp unsigned char feuchte u...

Page 58: ... unsigned char breite unsigned char flag WSPC_WIND Structure to record data from wind sensor typedef struct short zaehler unsigned char flag WSPC_REGEN Structure to record data from rain sensor pragma pack All following data is again 4 byte aligned ...

Page 59: ...dio Interface Memory 32 kbyte as a ring memory Command Overview 1 Request dataset 2 Select next dataset 3 Activate 9 temperature sensors 4 Activate 16 temperature sensors 5 Request status 6 Set interval time ...

Page 60: ...hange via the V24 has priority over receipt from a sensor Therefore the receipt of data should occur at greater intervals Datasets are therefore only deleted from the PC following an explicit re quest By comparing the block numbers transferred in the data set the PC can determine whether the next dataset has actually been selected Each value stored is assigned a flag which indicates whether the va...

Page 61: ...orage period 10 min 85 1 4 hr 3 1 2 days 15 min 128 hr 5 1 4 days 30 mn 256 hr 10 1 2 days 1 hour 512 hr 21 1 4 days b With 8 sensors Interval Storage period 10 min 170 1 2 hr 7 days 15 min 256 hr 10 1 2 days 30 min 512 hr 21 1 4 days 1 hour 1024 hr 42 1 2 days ...

Page 62: ...ving a data packet processing must be interrupted before the length and checksum can be checked The length indicates the number of characters in the message The checksum is the negative 8 bit sum of bytes from STX up to the last character in the message If all the characters from STX to the checksum are added and then 255 is subtracted it must result in 0 In the case of faulty data reception the r...

Page 63: ... Bytes 1 Data available Block no Time Data 2 2 n Block no Number of the block in the memory no relation to time Serves to control dataset registered twice Time Age of the dataset in minutes up to the current time Data 30 9 sensors or 56 16 sensors bytes 2 No data available DLE ...

Page 64: ...ew flag Temp 6 H14 L14 H13 BCD tens units tenths Bit 3 of tens is sign Humidity 6 H15 L15 Binary Hi Lo Bit 3 of Hi is the new flag Temp 7 L17 H16 L16 BCD tens units tenths Bit 3 of tens is sign Humidity 7 L18 H17 Binary Hi Lo Bit 3 of Hi is the new flag Temp 8 H19 L19 H18 BCD tens units tenths Bit 3 of tens is sign Humidity 8 H20 L20 Binary Hi Lo Bit 3 of Hi is the new flag Rainfall H22 L22 H21 L2...

Page 65: ...D tens units tenths Bit 3 of tens is sign Humidity 12 H44 L44 Binary Hi Lo Bit 3 of Hi is the new flag Pressure_13 L46 H45 L45 BCD hundreds tens units absolute pressure 200 hPa Temp 13 H47 L47 H46 BCD tens units tenths Bit 3 of tens is sign Humidity 13 H48 L48 Binary Hi Lo Bit 3 of Hi is the new flag Pressure_14 L50 H49 L49 BCD hundreds tens units absolute pressure 200 hPa Temp 14 H51 L51 H50 BCD ...

Page 66: ... Set 9 Sensors SOH 3 sum EOT 1 1 1 1 Response from weather station 1 byte ACK Set 16 Sensors SOH 4 sum EOT 1 1 1 1 Response from weather station 1 byte ACK Set Interval Time SOH 6 time in minutes sum EOT 1 1 1 1 1 Response from weather station 1 Byte ACK Note Permissible values for the interval lie withing the range from 1 to 60 minutes ...

Page 67: ...nsor 8 B9 Status of rainfall sensor B10 Status of wind sensor B11 Status of indoor sensor B12 Status of temp sensor 9 B13 Status of temp sensor 10 B14 Status of temp sensor 11 B15 Status of temp sensor 12 B16 Status of temp sensor 13 B17 Status of temp sensor 14 B18 Status of temp sensor 15 B19 Interval times in min B20 Bit 0 not used Bit 1 0 without HF 1 with HF Bit 2 0 8 sensors 1 16 sensors Bit...