Campbell Scientific Vibrating CRVW3 3-Channel Vibrating-Wire Datalogger - Page 94

CRVW3 3-Channel Vibrating-Wire Datalogger

You should observe the solar panel operation (–RC option) to ensure it is

charging the battery properly. You can also double-check antenna operation

using a temporary base station radio and a laptop running

LoggerNet

(see

Section 10,

Complex (Large) Radio Networks

). Using the Terminal mode of

the CRVW3 from

DevConfig

can also be used to perform maintenance (see

Appendix B,

Terminal Mode from Connect Screen or DevConfig

).

13. Troubleshooting CRVW3 Networks

By following the tasks outlined in Section 11,

Operation of CRVW3 Networks

,

and Section 12,

Maintenance of CRVW3 Networks

, for operating and

maintaining your network of CRVW3 stations, you can identify problems with

the system when they emerge or very soon after they occur.

The

Status Monitor

is a key tool for identifying that a problem in the system

exists (see Section 11.1,

Monitoring Automatic Data Collection

, for guidance

about using

Status Monitor

). Some common indicators that something is

wrong with a station are:

•

Automatic (scheduled) collection is not working as shown by the

Status Monitor

or

Table Monitor

•

You can’t connect to the station in the

LoggerNet

Connect Screen

•

Clock checks (

SetupScreen

) are not working

•

Manual collection doesn’t work (

Custom Collect

and

Collect Now

)

•

You can’t view the

Station Status

(

Summary

and

Status

Table)

•

The station is able to communicate, but the data that is collected from

that station has problems

You should troubleshoot problems as soon as possible after they arise. Some

clues relating to the source of the problem can change (become more obscure)

over time. Small problems can often escalate into larger ones, due to cascading

consequences.

Troubleshooting a part of the system that has never worked is strongly related

to the installation process. Review Sections 7 through 10 as a first step of

investigation in such cases.

When a problem arises in a system area that used to work but has recently

stopped working, the main question to ask is

“What changed?”

What changed

in the system to cause the station to stop operating? When did the failure

begin? Examine key aspects of the system and its recent maintenance history

to obtain clues about changes made to the system. Sometimes a change to the

system that seems harmless or unrelated turns out to be the cause of the

trouble.

When you begin troubleshooting a system, you do not yet know the source of

the problem. You should suspect all parts of the system (communications,

power, repeaters, base station, software,

LoggerNet

computer station issues)

until you determine what went wrong. Use the clues given by the problem to

narrow your focus. However, you may need to broaden your focus from time

to time if causes of the problem fail to emerge.

Sometimes the problem is caused by intentional changes to the system,

sometimes it is caused by unintentional changes to the system. Sometimes

problems are caused by acts of nature (lightning strikes, storms, animal

84

Section	Page
Revision and Copyright Information	1
Limited Warranty	3
Assistance	4
Precautions	5
Table of Contents	7
1. Introduction	11
2. Cautionary Statements	12
3. Initial Inspection	13
4. Quickstart	14
5. Overview	15
5.1 Measurement Theory	15
5.2 About This Manual	17
6. Specifications	18
7. Installation	19
7.1 Individual Devices and Radio Considerations	20
7.2 Software Requirements	20
8. Installation of Individual CRVW3 Stations	20
8.1 Lab Connection and Configuration	21
8.1.1 Preparing the Windows Computer (PC)	21
8.1.1.1 Device Configuration Utility (DevConfig)	21
8.1.1.2 Install the CRVW3 USB Driver	22
8.1.1.3 Network Planner	22
8.1.2 Wiring Temporary Sensors to the CRVW3	23
8.1.3 Providing Temporary Power to the CRVW3	25
8.1.4 Connecting to the CRVW3	25
8.1.5 Configuring the CRVW3	28
8.1.5.1 Key Settings	28
8.1.5.2 Managing Changes to Settings	31
8.1.6 Testing the Measurement Operation of the CRVW3	32
8.1.7 Validating Radio Connectivity in the Lab	34
8.1.7.1 Configuring the RF450 Radio	35
8.1.7.2 Configuring the CRVW3-RF451	35
8.1.7.3 Using DevConfig to Connect to the CRVW3-RF451 Over the Radio	36
8.2 Field Deployment of the CRVW3	36
8.2.1 Connecting Sensors to the CRVW3	37
8.2.2 Providing Power to the CRVW3	39
8.2.2.1 Alkaline D-Cell Option (–ALK)	39
8.2.2.2 Rechargeable Battery Option (–RC)	41
8.2.2.3 Grid Power	42
8.2.3 Humidity Monitoring and Control	43
8.2.4 Mounting the CRVW3 Enclosure	43
8.2.5 Installing the CRVW3 Antenna	44
8.2.6 Connecting the CRVW3 Electrical System to Earth Ground	45
8.2.7 Validating and Fine-Tuning CRVW3 Settings	45
8.2.8 Confirming CRVW3 Sensor Measurement Operation	46
8.2.8.1 LED Operation	46
8.2.8.2 Validation with DevConfig	48
8.2.9 Validating CRVW3 Radio Operation	50
8.2.10 Sealing the CRVW3 Enclosure	50
8.3 On-site Manual Data Collection	51
9. Radio Networks	51
9.1 Simple Radio Network Definition	52
9.2 Simple Network Installation Overview	53
9.3 CRVW3-RF451 Simple Network Installation	53
9.3.1 Deploying CRVW3 End-node Stations, Confirming Radio Connectivity	54
9.3.2 Base Station Installation and Validation	54
9.3.3 Configuring LoggerNet for Connectivity and Scheduled Collection	55
10. Complex (Large) Radio Networks	56
10.1 Radio Network Station Types	56
10.1.1 LoggerNet Computer Station	56
10.1.2 Base Radio Station	57
10.1.3 CRVW3 End-node Station	58
10.1.4 CRVW3 Repeater Station	58
10.1.5 Dedicated Repeater Station	58
10.1.6 Aggregating Datalogger Station	59
10.2 Planning the Radio Network	59
10.2.1 Sensor Planning	61
10.2.2 Planning for CRVW3 End-node Stations	62
10.2.3 Repeater Planning	63
10.2.4 LoggerNet Station Planning	63
10.2.5 Planning the Base Station	64
10.2.6 Planning RF451 Radio Networks	65
10.2.6.1 Base Station Design for RF451 Radio Networks	66
10.2.7 Plan Validation and Hardware Procurement	67
10.2.7.1 Pre-procurement Field Visits	67
10.2.7.2 Plan Validation with Others	68
10.2.7.3 Hardware Procurement	68
10.3 Deployment Strategy	68
10.3.1 Radio Network Lab Validation	68
10.3.2 Field Deployment Considerations	69
10.4 Deployment of CRVW3 Radio Stations	70
10.4.1 CRVW3-RF451 Deployment	70
10.5 Base Station Deployment	71
10.5.1 Base Station on the RF451 Network	72
10.6 Repeater Station Deployment	73
10.6.1 Repeaters on RF451 Networks	73
10.7 LoggerNet Configuration	74
10.7.1 Physical Connection to the Base Station	74
10.7.2 Configuring the Network Map of LoggerNet	74
10.7.3 Connecting to CRVW3 Stations	79
10.7.4 Setting up Automatic Data Collection	81
11. Operation of CRVW3 Networks	81
11.1 Monitoring Automatic Data Collection	82
11.2 Manual Data Collection	84
11.2.1 Manual Data Collection From the LoggerNet Station	84
11.2.2 Manual Data Collection at the CRVW3 Site	85
11.3 Station Health Monitoring	86
11.4 Processing Collected Data	87
11.4.1 Monitoring Data Influx Using Real-time Displays	87
11.4.2 Analyzing and Publishing Historical Data	87
12. Maintenance of CRVW3 Networks	89
12.1 CRVW3 Maintenance with LoggerNet	89
12.1.1 Battery Monitoring	89
12.1.2 Sensor Spectrum Checks	90
12.1.3 Adjusting Device Settings	92
12.2 CRVW3 On-site Maintenance Visits	93
13. Troubleshooting CRVW3 Networks	94
13.1 Troubleshooting Problems Remotely Using LoggerNet	95
13.2 Troubleshooting Problems by Visiting the CRVW3 Site	95
Appendix A. Updating CRVW3 Firmware	97
Appendix B. Terminal Mode from Connect Screen or DevConfig	101
Appendix C. Aggregating Dataloggers	103
C.1 Aggregator Station Configuration	103
C.2 Programming the Aggregator	104
Appendix D. GetDataRecord Sample Program	105
Appendix E. Engineering Output and Calibration	107
E.1 Engineering Output	107
E.2 Calibration of Sensors	108

Campbell Scientific Vibrating CRVW3 3-Channel Vibrating-Wire Datalogger - Page 94

Troubleshooting CRVW3 Networks, Status Monitor, Connect Screen, SetupScreen, Station Status

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