Introduction
This topic covers the apparently total loss of communication between the Weatherlink logger and software running on a PC or Mac. Partial loss of communication, ie software can talk to the logger to some extent but, for example, the archive data is no longer downloading successfully, will have different causes to total loss and again is covered in the separate Archive download errors topic.
Total loss of communications may have a number of causes ranging from trivial to obscure. The notes below do attempt to cover most causes but inevitably some of the more ‘difficult’ issues need more detailed description.Try the simple solutions first. In many cases the problem will be fixed without needing to delve further into the technicalities of the PC/Mac configuration.
The USB logger is, by a considerable margin, the most widely used logger type and most of content here focuses on the USB type. But the principles will also apply to the Serial logger. The WeatherlinkIP logger has some specific issues of its own and these are dealt with in a separate WeatherlinkIP topic.
The use of the Davis Weatherlink software is assumed, but the general troubleshooting principles described should apply to third-party software also. (Some issues arising with third-party programs may obviously be specific to that program – visit the support forums for the program in question in such cases.)
First steps for troubleshooting logger issues
As with many PC-related issues there are some simple-minded fixes that will often remedy many problems. It is always worth trying these as a first port of call. If one of these fixes works and the problem is just a one-off or only very occasional then it may well not be worth spending time on more extensive troubleshooting.
- Unplug the USB plug from the PC, wait eg 10-20 seconds and then replug. Wait a further 10-20 seconds before retrying the program;
- Close and reopen the program;
- Reboot the PC;
- Reboot the console, checking also that the logger is firmly seated;
If basic troubleshooting fails to help
If none of the four ‘First steps’ suggested above fully resolves the problem then more detailed troubleshooting is required. Some other fault scenarios include the following:
- One-off total loss of communication – continue with the Comms troubleshooting topic;
- Repeated failure of communications: One of the steps above temporarily cures the issue, but the fault tends to recur hours or days later. This is most likely caused by the USB port dropout issue – refer to the USB dropout topic;
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