Hello
I’ve noticed that I’ve started to get regular false rain readings. By regular, I mean it’s recording a single tip every five or six hours even when there’s been no rain. The picture on the console below shows what I’m talking about.
We had day of very heavy rain here in SE England on Friday and the problem seems to have been happening since then - i’m not sure if the two are related. The battery in the ISS was changed in the last year.
does anyone have any ideas what might be causing the problem?
thanks
Richie
Hi,
perhaps check the rain collector in case it is blocked causing a very slow drip to fill up and tip the spoons every so often, also inspect inside for any problems with the spoons or electronics in case of water ingress. Also check rain cable connection inside the ISS for any dampness/water ingress, maybe also unplug and replug the cable.
See if that helps?
My first thought would be that it is plugged with debris as Martyn mentioned. In the summer, I look into my rain gauge (without taking it off) almost daily to inspect for debris. I had my heaviest rain in many years here this summer but it did not register correctly due to a plugged rain gauge so I try to check it more frequently now.
Thanks for those suggestions, I’ll check the bucket for gunge/debris. Hopefully it’s something as simple as that.
Richie
if it is possible, unplug the rain cord from the iss and see if you are getting the same signal error. What I am trying to see if the bucket is delivering a tip to the ISS. If you get the same error then the problem might be a short in the ISS board. IF not, maybe a short in a wire, although the wire is pretty short to begin with, I’d then look for a frayed wire. Check that the whole station isn’t wobbling for some odd reason or that a critter or mean kid is tipping the bucket.
I would go with the unplug the cord first. Something is closing the circuit to initiate a simulated tip.
What did you find Richie - any update?
Yes, the bucket was blocked - as simple as that.
Of course, I should’ve removed the pool of water inside the bucket before unblocking it as all the water poured through as blockage was cleared.