WeatherLink Vantage Pro ® For Getting Started Guide Product #6510 TM
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
INTRODUCTION Contents of Package INTRODUCTION Welcome to Davis Instruments’ WeatherLink! The data logger and software allow you to connect your personal computer to Davis weather stations to store, view, plot, analyze, export, and print weather data collected by your Davis station. CONTENTS OF PACKAGE Before continuing, please ensure your WeatherLink package contains the following: ▲ Data Logger for Vantage Pro ▲ 8’ (2.4 m) cable with connector to link your station to your computer.
HARDWARE INSTALLATION Hardware Requirements HARDWARE INSTALLATION WeatherLink allows two types of installation: direct connection and phone modem connection. Direct connection means connecting the computer directly to the station. Phone modem connection refers specifically to any installation where the station is connected to a modem and you communicate with the station and data logger via a modem at your computer.
HARDWARE INSTALLATION Typical Direct Connection TYPICAL DIRECT CONNECTION The instructions below explain how to make a typical direct connection. Note that if you extend the cable run beyond 48' (14.4 m), the software may have difficulty communicating with the station. Vantage Pro console COM Ports (DB-9) 9-pin connector data logger battery cover 8' (2.
HARDWARE INSTALLATION Typical Phone Modem Installation 6. Locate a free serial port on the back of your computer and connect the DB9 to the port. 7. Insert the cable plug at the end of the short cable coming from the data logger into the receptacle on the end of the 8’ cable. Then insert the cable plug on the end of the 8’ cable into the DB9 adapter. The cable connecting the data logger to the computer is 8’ (2.4 m) long.
HARDWARE INSTALLATION Typical Phone Modem Installation Phone Modem Installation Instructions 1. Install and set up an internal or external modem (according to the instructions supplied by the manufacturer) for use with your computer. Make a note of the COM port used by the modem. You will need this information when entering serial port settings for the station. 2.
HARDWARE INSTALLATION Typical Phone Modem Installation 12. Set the Baud rate on the Vantage Pro console. Enter Setup on the console by pressing and holding the DONE key, then pressing the DOWN arrow key. Use the BAR and DONE keys to scroll through the setup screens until you reach the BAUD RATE setup screen. Note: The Baud Rate setup screen will only appear if you have installed the data logger. ▲ Use the up and down arrows to set the desired Baud rate. Use the fastest Baud rate your modem can handle.
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION AND SETUP Installing the Software SOFTWARE INSTALLATION AND SETUP This chapter covers software installation and setup. INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE 1. Place the Install Disk in your CD ROM drive. 2. The install program should start automatically. If the install program does not start, choose Run from the Start menu, type D:\SETUP (or E:\SETUP, substituting the correct drive letter for D or E), and choose OK to begin the installation. 3.
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION AND SETUP Station Setup About the Walkthrough The software includes a station setup walkthrough that steps you through the station configuration procedure. After adding a new station, the software automatically asks you whether or not you want to be walked through the configuration procedure. You can, of course, choose No and set up the station by choosing all of the necessary commands from the menus.
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION AND SETUP Finding the Correct Serial Port ▲ Set Station Alarms Set alarm thresholds on the station. ▲ Set Auto Download Time(s) Specify the stations and the times at which you want data automatically downloaded to your computer each day. At each step in the walkthrough procedure, the software will provide confirmation boxes prompting you to indicate whether or not you wish to continue. To continue, choose OK. To skip any step and move to the next, choose Skip.
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION AND SETUP Finding the Correct Serial Port 4. Choose Loopback. The software will search all standard serial ports and inform you of the COM port at which the loopback connector is located. The software automatically selects the correct COM port for you in the Serial Port dialog box. If it cannot find the loopback connector at any COM port, your serial port may not be working. Consult your computer documentation for help.
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE Communications Problems TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE The following section answers some of the most commonly asked questions about WeatherLink.® Please consult this guide and the on-line help files before contacting Customer Support (510-732-7814, M-F, 7:00am-5:30pm, Pacific Time). If your problem is not urgent, send us a description via e-mail (support@davisnet.com) or fax (510-732-9188). You can also check our web site (www.davisnet.
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE Program Problems ▲ Your serial port uses a non-standard device name. WeatherLink recognizes serial ports named COM1 through COM10 only. To use a modem, you must specify the underlying COM port on your PC. To find out which port the modem’s connected to, you can look in Windows’ System Properties > Device Manager > “modem name” Properties > Modem > Port, where “modem name” is the name of the modem you have installed. ▲ Your serial port is defective.
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE Program Problems ? WeatherLink says “No new data to download” but I know there’s data there. What can I do? Vantage is smart enough to send only data it hasn’t already sent to the computer. So, when you initiate a new download, the program will retrieve the first record after the last record shown in the WeatherLink’s Browse Window. Older data is stored in the logger as a backup.
TOOLBAR ICONS Open Station Bulletin Window Download Plot Window Strip Chart Window Yearly Rainfall Database Window On-Line (Hang Up) This Month s NOAA Summary View Help Print Window Exit Program HOT KEYS Main Program Window Strip Chart Window Ctrl-A. . . . . . . Set Alarms ESC . . . . . . . . Halt redraw Ctrl-B. . . . . . . View Bulletin Ctrl-M . . . . . . Make Default Ctrl-C. . . . . . . Station Configuration Ctrl-P. . . . . . . Print Strip Chart Ctrl-G. . . . . . .
