I received a Tempest weather station for Christmas. I decided I would mount in on a 20ft pole to get more accurate wind readings. I joined two heavy weight metal 10ft poles together so there would be minimal vibration. I should have waited for help, but tried to put the pole up - with the weather station on top - by myself.
I lost control of the pole while attempting to erect it and the weather station hit the ground. I broke the pole mounting adapter, but also the top popped off. It snapped then tiny ribbon bus that connected the rain sensor. I tried to reconnect it to no avail.
I had to order another weather station, but I still have the broken one. It still reports all other information correctly except the rain. Weatherflow said they could not/would not fix it. I would love to have a 2nd operational station - with an additional purchased hub - to use at another site. I would like to find someone with a defective/broken station that has a working rain sensor. I would only need to swap the lids a re-solder a couple of wires. Any ideas?
Are you sure the ribbon cable didn’t just pull out of the socket? That is what the picture on FB looked like but I may have missed seeing it correctly.
No, the cable itself snapped. I tried to take the end out of where it was attached to the attached - not on the lid. It had some sort of compound over the attachment. When it tried to scrap it away, I messed up the very tiny wires - 4 of them. It’s not salvageable - at least not with regular tools. A person would almost need a microscope with a micro solder device. I don’t have that equipment at my disposal.
I don’t know anything about a photo on FB. I don’t even have an account with them anymore.
How about raising a ticket with support and see if you can get a replacement ribbon cable, they are easy to replace.
I already called them and they said they could not fix it or replace it. I took a couple of photos to show what the problem is. It looks like I was mistaken and the cable did not snap. This first shot shows the end of the bus cable and where it attaches to the weather station. The end of the cable is intact.
The second photo shows how I messed up the connection on the lid. More care on my part probably would have allowed me to repair it instead of having to order another station. Too late now, but I would still like to utilize the original station - with wind reporting - if possible.
I meant rain reporting.
Okay looking at the pictures then it’s not the cable that gone but the socket on the light/rain sensor. This does seem to be a weak area if the unit gets knocked over as I have seen others that are broken there.
I wish I could buy the black module, attach my cable to it, and solder the wires from my lid to it to make it work. Maybe I send a ticket and see if the module is available. I’m not sure how to attach the cable to the module though.
Thanks for your help!
The cables just push in. There is a small black lock bar that has to be pulled and then you just push in the cable and then lock it by pushing the bar closed
Wow, that is easy! I put in a ticket and I’ll see what happens. Thanks so much for your time in responding to my posts! Mark U
Just to be clear a new ribbon cable will not be enough to solve your problem. The top part of the white socket is missing, so the cable and contacts will not make a good fit when locked in by the lock.You will need a new top piece including the haptic and light sensor and new cable like this.
I’m not sure I’m quite following you. I was already assuming I would need the black square. It doesn’t surprise me that I would need a new cable. Are you saying I essentially need a new lid? This brings up more questions - how do I connect a new cable on the other end? How do I get past all that silicone(?) without destroying the socket on that end? This is not looking so easy now.
And know that other electronics reside on the back side of that PCB, including the uv sensor. Given the device took a big hit, it’s likely to be intermittent and/or have other significant issues. While I always try to fix things, this one would probably go into my spare parts pile.
Okay. Thanks for your honesty. I think I will just enjoy the new one.
That’s what they’re using for the rain sensor?
Piezoelectric buzzer element?
LOL!
Yes, it flexes with a current and creates a current when flexed. I remember getting one several years ago to use as a demo for my Physics classes.
Yes, it’s a well known and reversible phenomenon. (piezoelectric effect)
That style has been around for 40 years at least.
Mark,
Here are a couple things you can try.
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Test the ribbon cable lines using an ohm meter. Looks to be 4 lines. Hold one probe on a contact on the end of the cable and move the other probe line by line on the connector of the CCA (circuit card assembly). You should have continuity on only the line that corresponds to the end of the cable. Iterate until you verify that all lines are good. In my experience ribbon cables are typically bad when they are folded with too tight of a bend radius or the cable has been pinched (typically during a mating operation b/w two surfaces.
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It could be that the silicone grease has migrated b/w the contacts when you try and reconnect causing an open. Remove the silicone grease and re-connect. If it works, apply new silicone grease after the connection is made.
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The connector on the CCA looks in pretty bad shape but should be good enough to test with the lid open to verify. I’d bet you could find a replacement for it on the website Mouser. Replacing it definitely will be tricky. Any chance you can give me a photo of the other side? If it is a surface mount component you may need a hot air gun to replace. If you can’t find someone to fix it, send it to me and I’ll give it a shot. I specialize in replacement of many different types of thru hole and surface mount components.
Best,
Ryan - AE0BE
Thank you all for your help here! I sent a ticket to support. They are sending me a new lid, free of charge to fix the problem. I purchased another hub, power supply, and pole adapter and will have 2 stations. I wanted another one for my observatory about 12 miles from my house. www.hcobs.org
