Capricorn FLX Weather Station
105
________________________________________________________________________
Columbia Weather Systems, Inc.
Page 1: ...________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc Capricorn FLXTM Weather Station User Manual Version 1 26 Serial Number ___________________ Date Purchased __________________ All s...
Page 2: ...n 2000EX Capricorn FLX Weather Display Console WeatherMaster and Weather MicroServer are trademarks of Columbia Weather Systems Inc The information and drawings contained herein are the sole property...
Page 3: ..._________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc Welcome Congratulations on your purchase of the Capricorn FLX Weather Station The Capricorn FLX is a precision instrument that requires proper installation and a...
Page 4: ...E DO NOT RETURN THE INSTRUMENT TO COLUMBIA WEATHER SYSTEMS until the following steps are completed Failure to follow this request will jeopardize your claim 1 Open the container and inspect the conten...
Page 5: ...N 2 PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION 13 CONTROL MODULE 14 STANDARD WIND SENSOR 16 Wind sensor components 17 HEAVY DUTY WIND SENSOR 18 Wind Sensor components 18 R M YOUNG WIND MONITOR 20 TEMPERATURE SENSOR 21 RELA...
Page 6: ...ARE 45 Sensor Mast 45 Roof Mounting 45 Wall Mounting 47 Telescoping Tripod and Tiedown Kit 48 Tripod Parts List 49 Specifications 49 SECTION 5 OPERATION 51 CONNECTING THE CONTROL MODULE TO A COMPUTER...
Page 7: ...OR 84 CALIBRATING THE SOLAR RADIATION SENSOR 84 SECTION 10 MAINTENANCE 85 CONSOLE MAINTENANCE 85 BAROMETRIC PRESSURE SENSOR MAINTENANCE 85 TEMPERATURE SENSOR MAINTENANCE 85 STANDARD WIND SENSOR MAINTE...
Page 8: ...__ Columbia Weather Systems Inc Dew Point 106 Fahrenheit Temperature Scale 106 Global Radiation 106 Heat Index 107 Pyranometer 107 Relative Humidity 107 Sea Level Pressure 107 Solar Radiation 107 Wind...
Page 9: ...diation shield Many other meteorological sensor options Two additional general purpose analog channels Low power consumption One year warranty Technical Specifications Temperature Up to four temperatu...
Page 10: ...mph 1 from 24 to 160 mph Range 0 to 160 mph 139 knots Resolution 1 mph Starting Threshold 0 9 mph Wind Direction Standard Type Precision Potentiometer Resolution 2 degrees Mechanical Range 0 to 360 d...
Page 11: ...at zenith angle 75 Calibration Uncertainty 5 Measurement Repeatability 1 Non linearity 1 maximum radiation measurement is 1250 W m 2 Field of View 180 Sensitivity Custom calibrated to exactly 5 00 W...
Page 12: ...12 Capricorn FLX Weather Station ________________________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc...
Page 13: ...Capricorn FLX Weather Station 13 ________________________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc SECTION 2 PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION...
Page 14: ...or connections a serial communication port a grounding lug and a power input connection The System board includes a board mount Barometric Pressure Sensor During operation the Yellow LED next to the p...
Page 15: ...Capricorn FLX Weather Station 15 ________________________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc...
Page 16: ...r Note Please refer to the Met One 034B wind sensor user manual for detailed installation calibration and maintenance information The Model 034B Wind Sensor combines wind speed and direction measureme...
Page 17: ...Wind speed and direction in a single sensor Long field life Durable aluminum and stainless steel construction Low starting threshold Stainless steel bearings Ultra low power operation Easy maintenance...
Page 18: ...tallation calibration and maintenance information Model 023 Wind Direction Sensor and Model 013A Wind Speed Sensor are rugged sensors that accurately and reliably measure wind speed and direction unde...
Page 19: ...er Assembly Technical Specifications 013 Wind Speed Sensor Range 0 150 mph 67 m s Starting Threshold 1 0 mph 0 45 m s Accuracy 0 25 mph 0 11 m s or 2 Operating Range 50 C to 70 C 58 F to 158 F Weight...
Page 20: ...fer to the R M Young 05103 11 Wind Monitor user manual for detailed installation calibration and maintenance information The Wind Monitor requires a special modification to the Control Module and the...
Page 21: ...______________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc Temperature Sensor The Capricorn FLX includes one temperature sensor with 50 feet of cable and a quick disconnect connector pair Up...
Page 22: ...a self aspirating radiation shield for protection from the sun and rain This sensor offers long term stability with minimal drift Because the sensor is a capacitive device it will not be affected by...
Page 23: ...complex spun collector funnel with a knife edge that diverts the water to a tipping bucket mechanism Each tip causes a momentary closure of a switch to incrementally measure rainfall accumulation The...
Page 24: ...____________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc Rain Gauge Installation The rain gauge can be installed on a flat surface using three screws not provided It can also...
Page 25: ...heaters are connected in series with a thermostat that is positioned near the tipping assembly When the outside temperature drops to approximately 45 F the thermostat will start to cycle The heater r...
Page 26: ...e sensor has a rugged uni body design which houses a high performance silicon photodiode detector mounted beneath a conical shaped self cleaning diffuser Due to the unique diffuser design the sensitiv...
Page 27: ...professional grade weather monitoring software designed for specialized markets that require robust weather calculations interoperability with computer models and data interfaces to other industrial...
Page 28: ...ta logging The MicroServer has two RS 232 COM ports and an Ethernet port The Capricorn FLX can also be configured for RS 485 communication and connects to COM2 The MicroServer offers the following XML...
Page 29: ...rameters 200MHz ARM9 CPU Serial or Ethernet connection Connects directly to weather station with serial port or connects to a Weather MicroServer over a network utilizing an existing Ethernet infrastr...
Page 30: ...30 Capricorn FLX Weather Station ________________________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc...
Page 31: ...rence Voltage 8 GREEN Ground 9 BROWN Wind Direction Signal Wind Speed same cable as wind direction 10 N C No Connection 11 BLACK Ground 12 RED Wind Speed Signal 22 BLUE Reference Voltage Wind Directio...
Page 32: ...r 1 22 RED 3 3V 23 BARE Ground 24 BLACK Signal Analog Sensor 2 25 RED 3 3V 26 BARE Ground 27 BLACK Signal Temperature 2 28 RED 3 3V 29 BARE Ground 30 BLACK Temperature 2 Signal Temperature 3 31 RED 3...
Page 33: ...em components for obvious shipping damage Refer to page 4 in case of damage Save the shipping carton and packing material in case the unit needs to be returned to the factory Note If items are missing...
Page 34: ...Chassis Ground terminal to a good earth ground Note It is strongly recommended that you protect your unit from power line spikes caused by lightning or electrical discharge by installing a high qualit...
Page 35: ...d metal mast or tower however does not insure protection from electrostatic discharge These items could become electrically charged resulting in damage to the sensors and or console This could damage...
Page 36: ...red area preferably on the north side of a building Insert both humidity and temperature sensors in the radiation shield to the midway point and secure both cables to the plastic fastener on the mount...
Page 37: ...Red Wire Terminal 4 Bare Wire Terminal 5 Black Wire Terminal 6 Installing Additional Temperature Sensors The standard model is supplied with only one temperature sensor However additional sensors can...
Page 38: ...38 Capricorn FLX Weather Station ________________________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc Mounting Adapter All dimensions are in inches...
Page 39: ...4 Allen wrench tighten set screw thru top of hub Sensor Installation 1 Install the mounting adapter onto the sensor base and tighten the socket head cap screw using the provided 7 32 Allen wrench 2 Pl...
Page 40: ...ollows Wind Direction White Wire Terminal 7 Green Wire Terminal 8 Brown Wire Terminal 9 Wind Speed same cable as wind direction No Connection Terminal 10 Black Wire Terminal 11 Red Wire Terminal 12 Co...
Page 41: ...Direction RED Wire Terminal 7 Reference Voltage BLACK Wire Terminal 8 Ground CLEAR Wire Terminal 9 Wind Direction Signal Wind Speed same cable as wind direction No Connection Terminal 10 No Connection...
Page 42: ...42 Capricorn FLX Weather Station ________________________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc Installing the R M Young Wind Monitor...
Page 43: ...ed hex key Once the Wind Monitor has been mounted route the cables back to the Control Module Using a small straight screw driver attach the wires from the end of the Wind Monitor cables to the Wind S...
Page 44: ...and that one end of the bucket is down against the stop Replace the top gold funnel portion of the Rain Gauge Sensor Once the Rain Gauge Sensor has been placed route the cable back to the Control Mod...
Page 45: ...Mast 10 foot steel mast available for use with Roof Mount Hardware Kit Part No 88002 or Wall Mount Kit Part No 88003 Roof Mounting The Roof Mounting Kit Part No 88002 is suitable for both a slanted an...
Page 46: ..._____________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc Lag Screw Roof Mast Mount 3 4 88030 1 4 x 2 1 4 for comp roofs Guy Wire Clamp 1 8 4 1 88070 Steel Guy Wire Galvanized 6 50ft 88080 Eye Bolt W...
Page 47: ...________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc Wall Mounting The figure and table below illustrates and describes the individual parts in the Wall Mounting Kit P...
Page 48: ...ng Tripod and Tiedown Kit The tripod is designed to provide up to 10 feet of stable secure support for your meteorological sensors Constructed from welded anodized aluminum for appearance and longevit...
Page 49: ...ainless steel retainer pins Extend the mast to the desired height insert another retainer pin and install the guy wires to complete the set up Tripod Parts List Description Ref Qty Body Mast Assembly...
Page 50: ...icorn FLX Weather Station ________________________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc Shipping Box Dimensions 71 x 9 x 9 Tripod and Tiedown Kit Catalog Number...
Page 51: ...able and DB 9 connector to an available serial port on the computer A serial to USB converter may be required if the computer or laptop does not have a serial port installed Operating software Once an...
Page 52: ...once every 10 seconds The following are examples of the weather data output 0Cap 0003 Dm 283D Sm 0 0S Ua 45P Pa 29 867I TA 70 7F TB 255 0F TC 255 0F TD 255 0F Rc 0 00I AA 0 244V AB 0 592V AC 0 591V AD...
Page 53: ...he Control Module securing it with the attached screws Connect the other end of the cable and DB 9 connector male to COM 1 on the MicroServer securing it with the attached screws Connecting the Contro...
Page 54: ...54 Capricorn FLX Weather Station ________________________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc...
Page 55: ...____ Columbia Weather Systems Inc SECTION 6 OPTIONAL CONFIGURATIONS RS 485 Configuration For cable lengths longer than 200ft the Capricorn FLX is configured to output the weather data over an RS 485 c...
Page 56: ...ule sensors sensor cables weatherproof enclosure power supply and an RS 485 to RS 232 Converter The RS 485 signal is converted to RS 232 in order to connect to a monitoring device An RS 232 Interface...
Page 57: ...transceivers power supplies and a weatherproof enclosure The server transceiver is located near the weather station and is housed in the weatherproof enclosure A client transceiver is connected to a m...
Page 58: ...ive LED OFF Signal Strength OFF Receiver 2 4GHz Red Power LED Blinks Twice Second Green TX Transmit LED OFF Yellow RX Receive LED Blinks Once Second Signal Strength All three LEDs should be lit depend...
Page 59: ...the Control Module sensors sensor cables wireless transceiver one 12 Volt battery and a 10 Watt solar panel with regulator The system includes two weatherproof enclosures one to house the Control Modu...
Page 60: ...humidity barometric pressure rainfall solar radiation and a reserved channel for an optional sensor This configuration includes the Control Module sensors sensor cables power supply surge arrestor an...
Page 61: ...Capricorn FLX Weather Station 61 ________________________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc 420 Weatherproof Enclosure...
Page 62: ...re Range 67 to 257 F Channel 4 Relative Humidity Description Instantaneous relative humidity Range 0 to 100 Channel 5 Barometric Pressure Description Instantaneous barometric pressure Range 14 8 to 32...
Page 63: ...the Connector Plate Installing the telescoping mast and vehicle mount brackets Installing the vehicle mount connector and routing cable Unpacking the Unit Unpack the weather station and verify that al...
Page 64: ...external sensor cable and male sensor connector plus additional cable lengths if ordered 50 ft internal Relative Humidity Sensor cable with vehicle mount female sensor connector plus additional cable...
Page 65: ...splay Console Power supply 6 foot RS 232 cable plus additional cable lengths if ordered User Manual 3 WeatherMaster Software with User Manual Optional Save the shipping carton and packing material in...
Page 66: ...station is not in use Connector Plate Dimensions 2 5 x 8 0 Installing the telescoping mast and vehicle mount brackets 1 Select a location on the vehicle where the mast will be installed 2 Three mounti...
Page 67: ...easy extension and retraction without pinching crimping or cutting the sensor cable Users may tie wrap the cable to the lower portion of the mast The external sensor cable has a male connector that c...
Page 68: ...68 Capricorn FLX Weather Station ________________________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc...
Page 69: ...Capricorn FLX Weather Station 69 ________________________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc SECTION 8 PEGASUS FLX PORTABLE WEATHER STATION...
Page 70: ...transmits weather data wirelessly via a pair of 2 4GHz transceivers to a monitoring option such as a Weather Display Console or a computer running WeatherMaster software An optional RS 232 Interface M...
Page 71: ...ive LED OFF Signal Strength OFF Receiver 2 4GHz Red Power LED Blinks Twice Second Green TX Transmit LED OFF Yellow RX Receive LED Blinks Once Second Signal Strength All three LEDs should be lit depend...
Page 72: ...nna and power A small transportation case contains two 12 VDC batteries and is designed to be located at the base of the tripod in order to power the Control Module and transceiver It is recommended t...
Page 73: ...transceivers Temperature Sensor with 15ft sensor cable Relative Humidity Sensor with 15ft sensor cable Standard Wind Sensor with 15ft sensor cable Self Aspirating Radiation Shield for Temperature and...
Page 74: ...your meteorological sensors Constructed from welded anodized aluminum for appearance and longevity the 15 pound tripod can easily support up to 60 pounds of equipment An optional tie down kit allows...
Page 75: ...c Tripod Parts List Description Ref Qty Body Mast Assembly 1 1 Legs 2 3 Retainer Pins 3 4 Guy Wire Ring with 4 1 3 Wires and Turnbuckles Anchor Screw with Chain 5 1 Clamp with Strap 6 1 Specifications...
Page 76: ...attached to the mast 2 Slide the guy wire collar over the sensor mast allowing the guy wires to hang 3 Install the radiation shield Do not tighten the nuts at this time 4 Install the wind sensor assem...
Page 77: ...Weather Systems Inc 5 Remove and retain the shoulder screw from the vane hub Check to see that the vane assembly rotates freely 6 Connect the three legs of the tripod using the pins as shown below and...
Page 78: ...corn FLX Weather Station ________________________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc 8 Be sure that the North marks on the sensor mast and the tripod body are...
Page 79: ...________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc 9 Tighten the guy wire turnbuckles so that the sensor mast is aligned vertically 10 Position the radiation shield toward the lower...
Page 80: ...low The tripod leg marked North should be pointing to North and the wind sensor should be aligned so that the vane is pointing to North when it is in the locked position 12 Secure the tripod using the...
Page 81: ...Columbia Weather Systems Inc 14 Connect the sensor cables to the Control Module 15 Place the battery case at the base of the tripod Connect the power cable to the battery terminals first and then to...
Page 82: ...82 Capricorn FLX Weather Station ________________________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc...
Page 83: ...he Weather MicroServer and the Weather Display Console Note The barometric pressure sensor is sensitive to changes in elevation of as little as 10 ft 3 m Calibrating the Standard Wind Sensor General M...
Page 84: ...tipping bucket mechanism is a simple and highly reliable device The transmitter must be located in a clear area away from trees buildings etc It must also be mounted level Accurate readings will not b...
Page 85: ...upply Barometric Pressure Sensor Maintenance The barometric pressure sensor is located inside the enclosure and should not be serviced by the user Temperature Sensor Maintenance Check the temperature...
Page 86: ...tion ________________________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc Solar Radiation Sensor Maintenance Periodically clean the solar radiation sensor lens of any...
Page 87: ...trol Module is defective and should be returned to the factory for repair 6 If the wind speed value does increase from zero the wind sensor or the cable is defective Check the cable for obvious damage...
Page 88: ...vane rotates the voltage reading will vary from 0 to 3 3 volts DC If the vane is pointing south the voltage reading should be 1 65 volts 6 If the voltage reading is not changing when the vane is rota...
Page 89: ...rol Module for any cuts or kinks Check the cable connection to the Control Module The initialization procedure should be performed when replacing or adding a sensor or when a sensor has lost its initi...
Page 90: ...90 Capricorn FLX Weather Station ________________________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc...
Page 91: ...defective parts EXCLUSIONS Certain parts are not manufactured by CWS i e certain purchased options etc and are therefore not covered by this warranty These parts may be covered by warranties issued b...
Page 92: ...r Station ________________________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which v...
Page 93: ...on Use plenty of packing material B Include A brief description of the problem with all known symptoms Your phone number Your return street shipping address UPS will not deliver to a P O Box Write the...
Page 94: ...nc 4 If your unit is not under warranty we will call you with an estimate of the charges If approved your repaired unit will be returned after all charges including parts labor and return shipping and...
Page 95: ...itions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and or other materials provided with the distribution 3 Neither the name of the copyright holders nor the names of its contributors may be used...
Page 96: ...ngel jason AT gmail com Improvements from Glenn Trewitt crc16 now works check_crc16 does all of calculation checking work Added read_bytes and write_bytes to reduce tedious loops Added ds2408 example...
Page 97: ...much of that remains In any event that was copyleft 2006 by Derek Yerger Free to distribute freely The CRC code was excerpted and inspired by the Dallas Semiconductor sample code bearing this copyrig...
Page 98: ...S PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS AS IS AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PUR...
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Page 104: ...the terms and conditions either of that version or of any later version published by the Free Software Foundation If the Library does not specify a license version number you may choose any version e...
Page 105: ...Capricorn FLX Weather Station 105 ________________________________________________________________________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc...
Page 106: ...is important to pilots especially during the summer The density altitude is the altitude in a standard atmosphere where the density is the same as the given atmospheric density During a hot muggy sum...
Page 107: ...pressure of the air to the saturation vapor pressure Sea Level Pressure The atmospheric pressure at mean sea level either directly measured or most commonly empirically determined from the observed s...
Page 108: ...re in F 32 Temperature in F 1 8 x temperature in C 32 Distance Millimeters 25 4 x inches Pressure Millibars 33 86 x inches of mercury Kilopascals 3 386 x inches of mercury Pounds per square inch 0 49...
Page 109: ..._______________ Columbia Weather Systems Inc Columbia Weather Systems Inc 5285 NE Elam Young Parkway Suite C100 Hillsboro OR 97124 Telephone 503 629 0887 Fax 503 629 0898 Web Site http www columbiawea...
