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Davis Instruments Sonic Anemometer Start-up Procedure

The start-up sequence is very important for the sonic anemometer. The anemometer needs sunlight to start the energy manager.

The start-up sequence is as shown in the manual:

1) Users connect the Male and Female connectors of the battery.

2) They expose the solar panel of the sensor to lighting of a power of more than 50W/m² during at least 30 seconds.

3) The sensor initializes over a period of 1 to 2 minutes. Then, just wait for the end of this step.

4) When step 3 is completed, the sensor is in working order.

How the battery protection works:

1) Absence of extended sunlight:
The energy manager in the sensor disconnects the battery and turns off the sensor when the battery voltage drops below 2.7 Volt in order to preserve it.

2) Extended sunshine:
The power manager in the sensor disconnects the solar panel when the battery voltage rises above 3.3 Volt.

3) In standard mode, lighting variation, day and night:
The power manager works in MPPT (maximum power point tracker) mode and gets the best electrical output from the solar panel.

Ambiguous start-up:

1) The battery is very poorly charged:
The sensor has to be exposed to a light power higher than 50W/m² for the power manager to start. But the wind measurement will only start when the battery has enough energy. If night comes, the battery will be put in safety if needed and charging will resume at dawn etc... until the required power level is reached.

2) In very rare cases, the battery is charged and the sensor is not exposed to a significant lighting of a power of more than 50W/m², then it is possible that the energy manager is lost.

Disconnecting the battery is required so that all residual energy in the sensor is canceled (capacity drain), before repeating the start-up procedure again.

This takes some time depending on the status of the electronics.

An alternative solution is to short-circuit between the two pins of the male connector (not ideal).

Note: A LiFePo4 battery at 3.30 Volt is a discharged battery: 23 days.

If the above procedure is performed and the anemometer still does not work, Davis Instruments will replace the anemometer.

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