wmr100 console

[jerryg]

Has anyone figured out how to open the console so that an external antenna could be connected to it? I saw some pictures where someone had used a pencil iron and melted the back til they found the antenna on the pc board, but i can not remember where it was. I was thinking the usb input may be too close to the internal antenna and causing the problem with weak signals. I would like to disconnect the internal and hook up an external to see. I have a spare console so am prepared to try it and if the fates will sacrifice it in trying to increase the input signal to overcome the usb noise problem.

[NorCal Dan]

http://msaqua.com/photo/hf/hf.jpg


I was thinking about opening mine until I saw the hack job in the picture...

[jerryg]

that looks like the picture i saw, i think there were a few more. It looks to me like the front should come off and the board screwed or clipped onto the back. I just got a wmr100na for 65 bucks from Gizmo out of Oregon and it was as is but it works just fine so i ordered another one for backup. Not a bad price for a complete station. I have a wmr100 but the all in one unit sucks. All the sensors with the 100n work with the 100 so i will have three consoles. I think i will try to take it apart, i think an external antenna might solve alot of problems with signal reception on these units. If i have the will i will try it soon.

[Icarus]

that looks like the picture i saw, i think there were a few more. It looks to me like the front should come off and the board screwed or clipped onto the back. I just got a wmr100na for 65 bucks from Gizmo out of Oregon and it was as is but it works just fine so i ordered another one for backup. Not a bad price for a complete station. I have a wmr100 but the all in one unit sucks. All the sensors with the 100n work with the 100 so i will have three consoles. I think i will try to take it apart, i think an external antenna might solve alot of problems with signal reception on these units. If i have the will i will try it soon.

You could get a WMR-200 console, that would work with your 100 sensors. It also has an external antenna which can be modified to improve reception. It also has the data logger.

[NorCal Dan]

That's true...but the console alone is over $200...I think before I did that I would seriously consider buying a Davis Vue.

I think I can get the console open.  As soon as I get solar working on my Mac setup I will have a go at opening the unit.  I figure if they got it all in there then I should be able to get it back out...preferably without using a soldering iron

[jerryg]

The price of a wmr200 is way too much to consider using one. i thought about it til i saw the price. Well guys i got up my nerve and did a semi removal of the case. It looks like it is put together with plastic pins on the back have put into holes on the front and glued. I had to use a screwdriver to pry the two apart and popped the top two so i could see insidel. The antenna is a dipole that comes off the receiver board and looking at the back of the unit it is on the left side. One half runs up to the top around the curve and ends on top with a 8 turn coil, the other half goes down the left side around the curved front and ends the same. Where the two hook to the reciever is to the left of the little trash can with the x symbol. It is almost directly to the left at the edge of the unit. I cut out a half inch notch out of the back which allows good access to the antenna connections on the board,it would be real easy to gain access because where the board is there is about three eights of an inch space from the back of the unit.  If you come over to the edge directly across from the trash can symbol to the rolled edge you could make and opening there with a small drill bit being careful to just make a hole that you could enlarge with a pair of side cutters or a dremal tool. I plan on putting a piece of coax and trying an external antenna shortly. Will let you know how much improvement i get.

[jerryg]

Success. I soldered a short piece of small coax to the unit with a bnc connector on the end. I hooked up a magnet mount antenna on it with about 15 feet of cable and a mobile antenna cut to the 433 frequency. I have the console in a spot where it worked ok until i plugged in the usb cable, then it lost the sensors. I could unplug the usb and it would work again. I dont know if moving the antenna away from the console or the shielded cable but plugging the usb in and out now makes no difference, might even be better signal strength. Now i can put a antenna outside that sees all the sensors and have the unit updating the pc everytime. It is working like it should have in the first place. mabe os should have put an external antenna on this unit. I have a remote temp/humidity sensor in a solar shield in a part of the yard that it was not seeing very well, but no problem with the mod. antenna hookup. I just set the antenna down on the coffee table in the middle of the living room and no special placement, works great. It looks like it is worth the effort to modify it. Will report later when i get a better antenna outside in a good location.

[NorCal Dan]

Can you send me or post some pictures?

[lasatalayas]

plugged in the usb cable, then it lost the sensors. I could unplug the usb and it would work again.

I just set the antenna down on the coffee table in the middle of the living room and no special placement, works great.

With the antenna on the coffee table and USB plugged in - Did it work?

[jerryg]

The main reason i wanted an external antenna was because i have my anamometer on my radio tower and i have a metal roof , i was worried it would not get to the console. I have the mag antenna outside on the air conditioner and it has been working fine all day. With the antenna external i can put the console where ever i want. I do not have the ability to take pictures of the opening i made but it should not be too hard to do my just moving to the edge like i said a making a small access hole to enlarge. The console i modified was for a wmr100na, my wmr100 console recieves all the sensors ok and i guess they are the same. The next thing i want to try is a longer length of cable from the antenna to the console to see if it still works ok so i will know how far i can locate the antenna from the console.

[NorCal Dan]

In the pic I posted the link to earlier in the thread...do you see the antenna in that picture?  I'm not sure what the antenna looks like...

[jerryg]

you can not see the antennas themselves but on the right side the two connections on the edge of the board is where the antenna connections are made, one goes upto the top of the console and the other goes down to the bottom. I cut the antennas loose and moved them out of the way. I did not want to heat the connections too much, so i just tack soldered the coax center conductor and shield onto the board then i tied the cable to the side with a long cable tie to keep the strain off of the board. The consol has been uploading to my pc all day with out any problems. The wire for the antennas is pretty hard and springy takes alittle umph to cut.

[NorCal Dan]

Is this what your console looks like?   And does the antenna go up the side without the USB connector?

[jerryg]

Yes the antenna is on the side opposite the usb connection. Yes that is the console.

[jerryg]

I have been playing with my antenna today and the length of cable has an effect on the range. With a four foot piece of cable i walked down the driveway to the road about 150 feet and still had good results using a 3 element yagi antenna. With a vertical antenna about 6 inches long the range was around 100 feet. I then put a thiry foot cable on and my range with the yagi dropped to 100 feet and with the vertical about 60 feet. This length of cable will get me outside just fine. My console is   working fine. If you are trying to keep the usb from killing your recieved signal, i tried something today and it seems to work. I was using my lap top at first with a 2.0 usb port and my unmodified console would quit everytime i plugged the cable in. I got out one of my old computers that has a 1.0 usb and it is working perfect with the unmodified console, all day long. When i put the usb back into the lap top it quits right away, plug it back in the old computer and bingo it runs just fine. It is working great for me, I do not know if it is the slower speed on the usb not radiating as much as a 2.0 or i am just lucky.