In 2011 Davis announced that changes were being made to VP2 and Vue console circuitry and firmware that would require an updated Weatherlink logger for compatible operation. The updated loggers were initially marked with a green dot on the outer packaging (ie the shrinkwrap) of the Weatherlink pack so that dealers could easily distinguish older and newer packs and hence the updated loggers became known as ‘green dot’ loggers.
Note that the green dot was on the packaging and not on the logger itself. And the practice of adding the dot to the pack has also been discontinued for many years now, since old and new types were only in the supply chain together for a limited period. The only way of telling whether a logger is a ‘green dot’ type or not is to check its Manufacturing Code. (See the Find the Mfg Code topic for further details.) NB Green dots on the packaging were sometimes used for other purposes, eg added by a dealer/distributor during stock checks and so seeing a green dot on a logger pack, especially if it’s not on the outside of the shrinkwrap, is not a definitive mark of a ‘green dot’ logger.
All types of Weatherlink loggers have been updated to green dot specification. It’s slightly easier to determine whether a logger is green dot or not for serial and USB loggers than for other types – please see the following list, which shows which are green dot types:
- USB: Rev E and later (‘E’ would be the first letter of the Mfg Code)
- Serial: Rev C and later
- WeatherlinkIP: Manufactured since 8th August 2011 (Mfg Code: x10808 or x110808)
- Streaming loggers (Alarm etc): Rev C and later OR manufactured since 8th August 2011 (Mfg Code: x10808 or x110808)
Note: The designations above are based on information provided in writing by Davis Instruments so we’re as sure as we can be that this is accurate information. But there’s obviously nothing to stop you trying a logger in a newer console if you happen to have one to hand. An incompatible logger won’t damage either the console or logger but you’ll simply see an ‘incompatible logger’ message when trying to boot the console. We strongly suspect that you’ll find the information above accurate but if you come across a console/logger pariing that proves us wrong then please let us know.
Vue and VP2 consoles for which a green dot logger is essential can be identified as follows:
- VP2 consoles: A new style Mfg Code, ie code begins with two consecutive letters, eg ‘AA’ or Rev B and later
- Vue consoles: Rev ‘MA’ or later
Green dot loggers are fully backwards compatible, ie they can be used on VP1, VP2 and Vue consoles of any age.
But attempts to use a non-green-dot logger on recently manufactured Vue and VP2 consoles will result in an ‘Incompatible logger’ error and the console will not boot fully until the logger is removed. Regrettably this means that any logger originally bought with a VP1 station or indeed any pre-green-dot Davis Vantage station will not be compatible with a new VP2/Vue station and so anyone seeking to upgrade from an older Davis station to a new VP2 or Vue station would need also to buy a new logger.
The ‘green dot’ logger issue applies only to consoles and not to the ISS. The data protocol for communication from ISS to console remains unchanged and so it’s perfectly possible to use a brand new VP2 ISS with an older console/logger combination.
NB Contrary to speculation in some forum postings, whether or not a console requires a green dot logger is solely a hardware issue – console behaviour cannot be modified by upgrading or attempting to downgrade console firmware.
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