WMR 200 Data Logging Problems

I purchased an OS WMR200 in early December and since that time have tried a number of available versions of Weather Display to sort out some data logging issues. Initially I tried the free version that came with the station, I then tried version 10.07m from the WD website and have also reverted back to an older version from the website dedicated for the wmr200. None of these version have solved the data logging issue, the main symptom is that it works absolutely fine if the station is plugged in to the pc with it running however everytime I go away for more than a couple of days when I reconnect to the PC and transfer the data it only ever transfers the last 3 days or so worth of data. For example I went away from 22/12/2008 to 29/12/2008 upon return I reconnected to the pc started wd and the download commenced it commenced the download of data from 22/12/2008 and 5 hours later it had apparently successfully downloaded. I did note that during the download there were multiple “missed data” occurrences, upon completion the graphs only displayed data for 29th and 28th so four days worth of data was missing when I examine the log files there are no files for the missing dates.

Having browsed the forum it seems as though this has previously been an issue, it is Worth mentioning that I am not at present using a registered version of the software as until I am satisfied that the hardware is working I am uninclined to pay out further. As a test I uninstalled WD and installed virtual weather station did a master reset of the unit and proceeded to log a further weeks worth of data at 1 minute intervals. Again when I downloaded the data I only had readings for the last 3 days of records and no log files at all for the first 4 days of the data capture. The data that is captured has numerous spikes in the outside temp and humidity and also in the barometer.

I have been right the way through the forum and double checked all the useful hints, I have emailed Brian with this query but appreciate he must receive hundreds of crys for help so would ask that has anyone had similar issues and are they resolved by purchasing the latest build, the free trial of the current build has not resolved these issues.

many thanks in advance

No a problem as such. That isn’t saying that it has failed to find data, it is saying that it has found some data that was previously ‘missed’ because WD wasn’t running at the time.

The context surrounding the words ‘missed data’ is very important. Do you have a wmr200history.txt available from collection of a long logging session? If so then if you zip up and attach a copy of the file it may provide useful detail for analysis.

So, if I have understood that correctly, you have used two different and independent software applications, and both of them only successfully collect no more than the last 3 days worth of data?

A couple of extra questions that occurred to me:

a) Do you have any extra sensors? If so how many?

b) With WD connected and collecting live data, if you press in the time clock section of the WMR200 screen till you see DATA LOGGER, what is the number of days shown?

Many thanks for your reply, I will try to answer your queries in turn:

“The context surrounding the words ‘missed data’ is very important. Do you have a wmr200history.txt available from collection of a long logging session? If so then if you zip up and attach a copy of the file it may provide useful detail for analysis.”

I uninstalled WD at the weekend along with all existing data files and did a master reset of the console so I regret that I have no available wmr200history text files to post. I am reinstalling at the weekend to try again and will post some then

“So, if I have understood that correctly, you have used two different and independent software applications, and both of them only successfully collect no more than the last 3 days worth of data?”

That is correct both applications work transferring when the console is connected to the PC permanently although there are numerous data spikes on thermo,temp and barometer. Its when i shut the PC down disconnect the usb from both console and PC and rely on the data logger of the console

"A couple of extra questions that occurred to me:

a) Do you have any extra sensors? If so how many?

b) With WD connected and collecting live data, if you press in the time clock section of the WMR200 screen till you see DATA LOGGER, what is the number of days shown?"

I have no extra sensors and currently the console states there are 24 days of capacity left when I did the master reset it read 29, after each previous upload the console has always reverted back to 29 days so in theory thats working OK.

Can you advise which version you are running at the moment also does the latest build solve all previously reported issues posts on this forum seem to suggest that unless you purchase the full version you aren’t getting full functionality.

Many thanks for your help, hold on to your hat over the comming days its going to be getting pretty wild up your way

I don’t believe that the WMR200 data logger will hold a full 29 days of data at 1 minute intervals. I could be wrong, but that seems like an awful lot of data to be stored at once. I don’t think the Davis will even record that much. Can someone verify this?

It does have a very much larger memory than you would expect, but I seem to recall there may be some problems if it fills up and the new data overwrites the old. It’s waay more than the VP which only stores about 42 hours at one minute.

I have a WMR200 and the manual says that you get 29 days if the frequency is 1 minute and 436 days if the frequency is 15 minutes. so the storage appears to be large! I have not tested how much it stores as I do not want to lose data now that I have finally got everything setup and running a WD trial.

WOW! I am impressed with the wmr200 logging ability! Davis should take note. Memory is cheap these days.

Which makes a hardware related cause at least a possibility?

That is as should be.
If you had extra sensors the max capacity is reduced, hence the question.

Collection of logged data from the WMR200 has been working fine in Full releases of WD since around March/April 2008 if I recall correctly.
I get the impression that the copy of WD Basic that gets shipped with WMR200 is a very old one (Nov/Dec 2007?).
Here’s a topic that describes what WD ‘Basic’ is.

Could be a breezy weekend…

The ‘circular buffer’ thing seems to happen if you don’t get the console to to a full clear of the memory buffer every now and then.

Not sure if it is quite a ‘like for like’ comparison however.
The WMR200 is just storing one summary record per minute (assuming 1 minute logging).
I get the impression that the Davis logger is storing the actual sensor readings (and especially in the case of wind, that could be a lot of data!).
Could a Davis owner or dealer clarify what is logged?

VP also stores just a summary record for each archive interval, 52 bytes per record.

Thanks for the clarification.

Have you tried clearing the memory. I just had another look at the manual and it says the storage capacity is “based only on all provided sensors in this package being used, and after all memory has been cleared.”

Thank you for all your responses
I have cleared the memory 3 times now, as per the manual and have downloaded the free trial version of the latest build so I like you are somewhat bemused, I am re-installing WD at the weekend and will let you all know how I get on. Those of you that do have a working WMR200 can you advise as to which build you are using and whether it is the subscribed version so that I install the most functional version

many thanks

I am running 10.37N trial version. I have another PC which I could install the software on and connect the Oregon up to it so see how many days are stored in the memory at present. I did a reset on the 10th before setting up the software so I would only have 6 days max in memory.

For optimum functionality you want the “Full” (as you term ‘subscribed’?) version.
The latest release of that is always available from the WD link in the Latest versions area at the top of every page on the Weather-Watch forum.
The current release is 10.37N, and that should do the job just fine - if it does not then the problem may well be with the WMR200 unit (especially bearing in mind the fact that VWS had problems too).

Many thanks one and all will reinstall at the weekend with full version if still no joy then its back to the retailer with a bit of luck they make take a little more notice this time!

Just adding that I started two WMR200 stations running off-line before Christmas. I downloaded about 15 days data from my station using the WD 10.37N trial version generally without problems and my inlaws station after about 24 days also with the trial system and also without problems (took about 6 hours through).

I have bought the full WD version at home but the other is still running the trial. This one now has over a weeks data on it at the moment so I can let you know if there are any problems next time it is down loaded. The only drama I have had is that I seem to have lost most of my data after the computer crashed in a storm earlier this week. Have not had time to sort out but I do have a backup of most. WD did remember all time records and year to date rainfall but not daily rainfall or any other data older than three days.

FYI, I have been using VWS for a WMR928 for over three years. Tried everything before Christmas to get VWS to download stored data with the WMR200 without any success (hence the need to switch to WD). On the positive side I can keep both weather stations running on the same computer for the time being.

Cheers
James

We can solve that little VWS problem for you, just run a second copy of WD on the same PC We even have a FAQ for that

We today I re-installed the latest build of the software using the forum link set up WD connected the wmr 200 console via the usb WD proceeded to search for and ownload data from 11.03 am today, data values going back to 11/01/2009 could be seen streaming up the screen with all vaues looking good. 1 hour later I was advised that all was complete the logger programme minimised its self automatically and on the graphs appreared only the last hour or so’s worth of data i.e onlt the data for the time that the console was connected to the pc. So I thought I would look at the log files the log files only contain data from 17/1/2009, I have attached one for any suggestions.

The stire I purchased from want it back for testing I have told them by email they can have it all back its only 5 weeks old and tbh I am not impressed with it at all

12009lg.txt (10.5 KB)