Thanks for the video! Easy fix! I just removed the entire rain gauge with the upper pole, brought it into the house and used my Panavise to secure the upper pole with rain gauge attached. Then removed the rain funnel and the reed switch cover and saw rust on one end of the reed switch. I did a quick ohm check like your video and no response from the old reed switch. I tested one of the Amazon reed switches and it easily switched on and off when the new reed switch is held in the same direction with respect to the rain cups). A quick test that the receiver incremented the rain by 0.01 inch when I flipped the rain cups and mounted the whole assembly back on the rest of the pole mount.
NEVER touch those screws! (Unless you know what you're doing.) They are not there to adjust the distance from the magnet, they are calibration screws and turning them will destroy the accuracy of the measurement. Look at the graphic that is stamped next to one of the screws 1:40. It is necessary to choose the right reed switch that will not be too sensitive. Anyway, thanks for the video, it helped me with the reed switch replacement.
My Vantage Pro2 has developed an issue with the rain gage. When we get hard driving rain accompanied by high winds, the rain gage occasionally reads rain at a rate of14.06 inches of rain per hour. Even when the rain and wind stops, it will continue to read this rain rate until things dry out a bit. Of course this has ended up recording over 230 inches of rain before it starts acting normal again. The station has done this 3 times in the last two years. On lighter rains, or heavy rains without heavy winds it appears to read rain rate normally. I've looked at it when this is happening after the rain has ended and the tipping cup is always sitting to one side or the other, so the magnet isn't hovering above the switch. Any idea if this would more likely be caused by the switch in your video, or if it is more likely a short in the connector where the gage plugs into the sensor array? The last time this happened I unplugged the rain gage from the sensor array and it stopped recording rain, but when I plugged it back in, it immediately started recording rain at the 14.06 rate again. Waited several hours and tried again, and by then it stopped recording rain. Any advice would be appreciated.
Well it's one of two things. A bad circuit board, or a faulty reed switch. I would start by unplugging the rain sensor from the circuit board, use some alligator clams, and connect either side of the reed switch to a voltage tester. Turn the tester to continuity. (when the tester detects a closed circuit, the tester will have a solid audible tone). Tip the buckets and listen if you hear a short beep as the magnet passes over the reed switch. If you are getting crazy random beeps, you may have a bad reed switch. However, my money is on a bad circuit board. Have you opened the transmitter box? Do you see any signs of moisture in the box? It's very common for the solar panel cover seal to fail, thus allowing moisture into the transmission box.
If the screws don't hold the reed switch housing down, how did you remove it....do you even have to remove it? And how did you remove the tipping buckets... just spread the brackets? Thanks for saving me $100!
To remove the tipping buckets, gently pull apart the two bracket stands, and shimmy the steel rod that the tipping buckets rest on out. Below the tipping bucket is that plastic cover that protects the reed switch. The cover is removed by gently prying it off with a flat head screwdriver.
In other words, send it back to Davis and let them repair it. Ha. My Davis Vantage Pro was just completely refurbished about 2 years ago. Unfortunately it must be located up on a high roof due to property trees on all sides. It was working perfectly, then came the deep freeze, down to about 11 degrees. Then we got a bit of snow, freezing up the mechanism. When the thaw came and we got heavy rain, no response from the rain gauge. The aspirated thermometer and the anemometer work fine. Rain gauge is dead. It sits above where debris falls and it has surrounding Davis spikes to keep birds out. If it isn't clogged obviously, I won't be able to fix it.
Sending the unit back to Davis for repair is a totally oppositional to the theme of this video... I made this video in order to assist other davis instrument owners out there on fixing their unit. This isn't that complex. There's a a very high chance that you can fix your unit if you set your mind to it. 1) I would check to see if the funnel is clogged. 2) If not, manually tip the cups to see if data is transferring to the display. 3) If not, unplug the rain gauge from the transmitter, use a voltage tester on either side of the switch. Turn to continuity. Tip the bucks and listen to if the reed switch works (closes circuit) when you tip the cups. 4) If not, Replace the reed switch.
@@OldSoulMillennial thank you, those are very reasonable suggestions. When I get the d@m# thing off the roof I will follow these suggestions. There’s no obvious damage from the ground. Wish I could see in the collecting funnel.
@@paulwilson8367 Most likely a clogged funnel or bad reed switch. It's also possible that the rod that the buckets tip on popped off the guide. Chime back in when you get it looked at and let us know what you find. Cheers, OSM
yesterday, some 4 or 5 days after the frigid temps left the area, another batch of rain came through and my gauge suddenly returned to life. It recorded .63 inches of rain which was certainly in the ballpark with my "other" gauge, a "Tempest" attached to fence with a metal ball on top that records droplet impacts (it actually works better than I expected). I also have a manual gauge but I always neglect to empty it. Anyway, I guess the problem was the freezing but still, that was a long time. Of course I WISH that I could have a look at it way up there! I don't remember it taking so long to thaw in the previous 2 winters but, perhaps there was no rain for some days after the freezing.
Thanks for the video! Easy fix! I just removed the entire rain gauge with the upper pole, brought it into the house and used my Panavise to secure the upper pole with rain gauge attached. Then removed the rain funnel and the reed switch cover and saw rust on one end of the reed switch. I did a quick ohm check like your video and no response from the old reed switch. I tested one of the Amazon reed switches and it easily switched on and off when the new reed switch is held in the same direction with respect to the rain cups). A quick test that the receiver incremented the rain by 0.01 inch when I flipped the rain cups and mounted the whole assembly back on the rest of the pole mount.
Thanks for the video! It was an easy fix to solder a new reed switch in. And they were pretty inexpensive on Amazon. Thanks again!
NEVER touch those screws! (Unless you know what you're doing.) They are not there to adjust the distance from the magnet, they are calibration screws and turning them will destroy the accuracy of the measurement. Look at the graphic that is stamped next to one of the screws 1:40. It is necessary to choose the right reed switch that will not be too sensitive. Anyway, thanks for the video, it helped me with the reed switch replacement.
My Vantage Pro2 has developed an issue with the rain gage. When we get hard driving rain accompanied by high winds, the rain gage occasionally reads rain at a rate of14.06 inches of rain per hour. Even when the rain and wind stops, it will continue to read this rain rate until things dry out a bit. Of course this has ended up recording over 230 inches of rain before it starts acting normal again. The station has done this 3 times in the last two years. On lighter rains, or heavy rains without heavy winds it appears to read rain rate normally. I've looked at it when this is happening after the rain has ended and the tipping cup is always sitting to one side or the other, so the magnet isn't hovering above the switch. Any idea if this would more likely be caused by the switch in your video, or if it is more likely a short in the connector where the gage plugs into the sensor array? The last time this happened I unplugged the rain gage from the sensor array and it stopped recording rain, but when I plugged it back in, it immediately started recording rain at the 14.06 rate again. Waited several hours and tried again, and by then it stopped recording rain. Any advice would be appreciated.
Well it's one of two things. A bad circuit board, or a faulty reed switch.
I would start by unplugging the rain sensor from the circuit board, use some alligator clams, and connect either side of the reed switch to a voltage tester. Turn the tester to continuity. (when the tester detects a closed circuit, the tester will have a solid audible tone). Tip the buckets and listen if you hear a short beep as the magnet passes over the reed switch. If you are getting crazy random beeps, you may have a bad reed switch.
However, my money is on a bad circuit board. Have you opened the transmitter box? Do you see any signs of moisture in the box? It's very common for the solar panel cover seal to fail, thus allowing moisture into the transmission box.
If the screws don't hold the reed switch housing down, how did you remove it....do you even have to remove it? And how did you remove the tipping buckets... just spread the brackets? Thanks for saving me $100!
To remove the tipping buckets, gently pull apart the two bracket stands, and shimmy the steel rod that the tipping buckets rest on out. Below the tipping bucket is that plastic cover that protects the reed switch. The cover is removed by gently prying it off with a flat head screwdriver.
Thanks!
In other words, send it back to Davis and let them repair it. Ha.
My Davis Vantage Pro was just completely refurbished about 2 years ago. Unfortunately it must be located up on a high roof due to property trees on all sides. It was working perfectly, then came the deep freeze, down to about 11 degrees. Then we got a bit of snow, freezing up the mechanism. When the thaw came and we got heavy rain, no response from the rain gauge. The aspirated thermometer and the anemometer work fine. Rain gauge is dead. It sits above where debris falls and it has surrounding Davis spikes to keep birds out. If it isn't clogged obviously, I won't be able to fix it.
Sending the unit back to Davis for repair is a totally oppositional to the theme of this video...
I made this video in order to assist other davis instrument owners out there on fixing their unit. This isn't that complex. There's a a very high chance that you can fix your unit if you set your mind to it.
1) I would check to see if the funnel is clogged.
2) If not, manually tip the cups to see if data is transferring to the display.
3) If not, unplug the rain gauge from the transmitter, use a voltage tester on either side of the switch. Turn to continuity. Tip the bucks and listen to if the reed switch works (closes circuit) when you tip the cups.
4) If not, Replace the reed switch.
@@OldSoulMillennial thank you, those are very reasonable suggestions. When I get the d@m# thing off the roof I will follow these suggestions. There’s no obvious damage from the ground. Wish I could see in the collecting funnel.
@@paulwilson8367 Most likely a clogged funnel or bad reed switch. It's also possible that the rod that the buckets tip on popped off the guide.
Chime back in when you get it looked at and let us know what you find.
Cheers,
OSM
yesterday, some 4 or 5 days after the frigid temps left the area, another batch of rain came through and my gauge suddenly returned to life. It recorded .63 inches of rain which was certainly in the ballpark with my "other" gauge, a "Tempest" attached to fence with a metal ball on top that records droplet impacts (it actually works better than I expected). I also have a manual gauge but I always neglect to empty it. Anyway, I guess the problem was the freezing but still, that was a long time. Of course I WISH that I could have a look at it way up there! I don't remember it taking so long to thaw in the previous 2 winters but, perhaps there was no rain for some days after the freezing.