Orion 420 User Manual

Orion 420 Weather Station 1

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Orion 420 Weather Station™

User Manual

Version 2.01

Serial Number: ___________________

Date Purchased: __________________

All specifications subject to change without notice.

Printed in U. S. A.

Columbia Weather Systems, Inc.

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Reserved.

Proprietary Notice: Orion, Orion 420, Orion LX, Capricorn 2000, Capricorn 2000MP and Capricorn 2000EX are trademarks of Columbia Weather Systems, Inc. The information and drawings contained herein are the sole property of Columbia Weather Systems, Inc. Use of this publication is reserved exclusively for customers of Columbia Weather Systems, Inc. and their personnel. Reproduction of this material is forbidden without the express written consent of Columbia Weather Systems, Inc.

Parts of the Orion Weather Station™ user manual were adapted from the Weather Transmitter WXT520 User’s Guide with permission from Vaisala Oyj.

WINDCAP®, RAINCAP®, HUMICAP®, BAROCAP® and THERMOCAP® are registered trademarks of Vaisala.

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Welcome!

Congratulations on your purchase of an Orion 420 Weather Station.

Please read this manual completely prior to installation.

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Important Notice: Shipping Damage

BEFORE YOU READ ANY FURTHER, please inspect all system components for obvious shipping damage. The Orion is a high

precision instrument and can be damaged by rough handling. Your unit was packaged to minimize the possibility of damage in transit. Please save the shipping container for any future shipment of your Orion sensor.

In the event your order arrives in damaged condition, it is important that the following steps be taken immediately. The title transfers automatically to you, the customer, once the material is entrusted to the transport company.

NOTE: 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 contents. Do not throw away the container or any damaged parts. Try to keep items in the same condition as originally received.

2. Notify the transport company immediately.

3. Request the transport company’s representative inspect the shipment personally.

4. After inspection, request a Return Materials Authorization (RMA) from Columbia Weather Systems by calling (503) 629-0887.

5. Return approved items to us at the following address:

Columbia Weather Systems, Inc.

2240 NE Griffin Oaks Street, Suite 100

Hillsboro, OR 97124

6. After a repair evaluation, an estimate of the cost of repair will be sent to you.

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ESD Protection

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) can cause immediate or latent damage to electronic circuits. Vaisala products are adequately protected against ESD for their intended use. However, it is possible to damage the product by delivering electrostatic discharges when touching, removing, or inserting any objects inside the equipment housing.

To avoid delivering high static voltages yourself:

1. Handle ESD sensitive components on a properly grounded and protected ESD workbench. When this is not possible, ground yourself with a wrist strap and a resistive connection cord to the equipment chassis before touching the boards. When neither of the above is possible, at least touch a conductive part of the equipment chassis with your other hand before touching the boards.

2. Always hold the boards by the edges and avoid touching the component contacts.

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Table of Contents

WELCOME! -------------------------------------------------------------- 3

IMPORTANT NOTICE: SHIPPING DAMAGE ----------------- 5

ESD P

ROTECTION

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------- 9

HE ORION

PECIFICATIONS

Operating Conditions................................................................................. 10

Wind Speed ................................................................................................ 10

Wind Direction........................................................................................... 10

Relative Humidity....................................................................................... 10

Temperature............................................................................................... 11

Barometric Pressure .................................................................................. 11

Precipitation .............................................................................................. 11

Input Voltage.............................................................................................. 11

Sensor Housing .......................................................................................... 12

Serial to Analog Converters....................................................................... 12

RINCIPLES OF MEASUREMENTS

Wind Measurement .................................................................................... 13

Pressure, Temperature, and Relative Humidity (PTU) Module ................. 14

Rainfall Measurement ................................................................................ 15

............................................................................................. 6

420 W

EATHER STATION

.............................................................................................. 10

................................................................. 9

..................................................................... 13

SECTION 2: PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION ---------------------- 17

RION SENSOR TRANSMITTER

Sensor Transmitter Components................................................................ 17

Mounting Adapter ...................................................................................... 19

Internal Terminal Block ............................................................................. 19

Heating (Optional)..................................................................................... 21

RION

420 E

NCLOSURE

URGE/LIGHTNING PROTECTORS

........................................................................ 17

.................................................................................. 22

.................................................................... 23

SECTION 3: INSTALLATION ------------------------------------ 25

EATHER STATION SYSTEM CONFIGURATIONS

NSTALLATION OVERVIEW

NPACKING THE UNIT

Installing the Orion Sensor Transmitter .................................................... 27

Site Selection.............................................................................................. 27

Installing the Mounting Adapter ................................................................ 27

North Alignment......................................................................................... 28

Installing the Mast ..................................................................................... 28

Location ..................................................................................................... 29

.............................................................................. 26

.................................................................................... 26

............................................. 25

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Mounting Method....................................................................................... 29

Routing Cable ............................................................................................ 29

Connecting the Sensor Transmitter to the Orion 420 Enclosure ............... 30

Connecting the 420 Enclosure to the PLC ................................................. 31

SECTION 4: OPTIONAL SENSOR MOUNTING HARDWARE ----------------------------------------------------------- 33

PTIONAL SENSOR MOUNTING HARDWARE

Tripod and Tiedown Kit ............................................................................. 33

Specifications ............................................................................................. 35

Roof Mounting ........................................................................................... 36

Wall Mounting ........................................................................................... 38

................................................... 33

SECTION 5: OPERATION ----------------------------------------- 41

SECTION 6: MAINTENANCE ------------------------------------ 43

LEANING

EPLACING THE

ACTORY CALIBRATION AND REPAIR SERVICE

....................................................................................................... 43

PTU M

ODULE

....................................................................... 43

.............................................. 44

SECTION 7: TROUBLESHOOTING ---------------------------- 45

SECTION 8: USER SUPPORT INFORMATION ------------- 47

IMITED WARRANTY

EXCLUSIONS ............................................................................................ 47

ETURN FOR REPAIR PROCEDURE

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...................................................................................... 47

.................................................................. 48

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SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION

The Orion 420 Weather Station

The Orion 420 weather station provides ultrasonic wind direction and speed measurements, a highly-accurate impact rain sensor, capacitive relative humidity, temperature and barometric pressure readings – all in a single sensor module.

The Orion 420 provides 4-20mA current output for the eight weather parameters.

High accuracy and fine resolution make this system ideal for precision weather monitoring.

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Specifications

Operating Conditions

Temperature Operation: -52 to +60°C (-6- to +140°F)

Relative humidity: 0 to 100%

Pressure: 600 to 1100 hPa

Wind: 0 to 60 m/s

Wind Speed

Range: 0-135mph (0-60 m/s)

Accuracy: ±0.7 mph (+/-0.3 m/s) or ±3%, whichever is greater for the measurement range of 0 – 35 m/s

±5% for the measurement range of 36 – 60 m/s

Resolution: 1 mph (1 m/s)

Units Available: knots, mph, km/hr, m/s

Wind Direction

Azimuth: 0-360°

Accuracy: ±3°

Resolution: 1°

Units Available: ° Azimuth

Relative Humidity

Range: 0 - 100%

Accuracy: ±3% (0-90%), 5% (90-100%)

Resolution: 1%

Units Available: %RH

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Temperature

Range: -60 to 140°F (-52 to +60°C)

Accuracy: ±0.5°F (+/-0.3°C) at 68°F (+20°C)

Resolution: 0.1°F

Units Available: °F, °C

Barometric Pressure

Range: 17.50 to 32.50 InHg (600 to 1100 hPa)

Accuracy: ±0.015 InHg (0.5 hPa) at +32 to 86°F (0 to 30°C) ±0.03 InHg (1 hPa) at -60 to 140°F (-52 to 60°C)

Resolution: 0.01 InHg (0.1 hPa)

Units Available: Kpa, mbar, InHg

Precipitation

Range: cumulative

Collection Area: 602cm

Accuracy: ±5% (spatial variations may exist)

Resolution 0.01 in. (0.254mm)

Units Available: mm, inches

Input Voltage

The Orion 420 is powered with an internal switching power supply

Input: 120/240 VAC, 60 Hz

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Sensor Housing

Protection class: IP66 (with mounting adapter)

Materials: Polycarbonate + 20% glass fiber, stainless steel (AISI 316)

Weight: 650 g (1.43 lbs)

Serial to Analog Converters

Analog Range: 4-20 mA

Current sourcing

Accuracy at 25°C: 0.1% of range

Maximum load: 600 ohms

Output reaction time: 0 – 40 ms

DA Conversion: 12 bits (resolution 4096)

Current Consumption: 30 mA to 110 mA

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Principles of Measurements

Wind Measurement

Both wind speed and direction are measured using advanced ultrasonic technology. The sensor utilizes ultrasound to determine horizontal wind readings. The array of three equally-spaced ultrasonic transducers on a horizontal plane is an ideal design that ensures accurate wind measurement from all directions, without blind angles or corrupted readings.

The wind sensor has no moving parts, which makes it virtually maintenance free.

Wind speed and wind directions are determined by measuring the time it takes the ultrasound to travel from each transducer to the other two.

The wind sensor measures the transit time (in both directions) along the three paths established by the array of transducers. This transit time depends on the wind speed along the ultrasonic path. For zero wind speed, both the forward and reverse transit times are the same. With wind along the sound path, the up-wind direction transit time increases and the down-wind transit time decreases.

The wind speed is calculated from the measured transit times using the following formula:

Vw = 0.5 x L x (1/ tf – 1/tr

where:

Vw = Wind speed

L = Distance between the two transducers

tf = Transit time in forward direction

tr = Transit time in reverse direction

Measuring the six transit times allows Vw to be computed for each of the three ultrasonic paths. The computed wind speeds are independent of altitude, temperature and humidity, which are cancelled out when the transit times are measured in both directions, although the individual transit times depend on these parameters.

Using Vw values of two array paths is enough to compute wind speed and wind direction. A signal processing technique is used so that wind speed and wind direction are calculated from the two array paths of best quality.

The wind speed is represented as a scalar speed in selected units (m/s, kt, mph, km/h). The wind direction is expressed in degrees (°). The wind

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direction reported indicates the direction that the wind comes from. North is represented as 0°, east as 90°, south as 180°, and west as 270°.

The wind direction is not calculated when the wind speed drops below

0.05 m/s. In this case, the last calculated direction output remains until the wind speed increases again to the level of 0.05 m/s.

The average values of wind speed and direction are calculated as a scalar average of all samples over the selected averaging time (1 ... 900 s). The sample count is based on a 4 Hz sampling rate. The minimum and maximum values of wind speed and direction represent the corresponding extremes during the averaging time.

Pressure, Temperature, and Relative Humidity (PTU) Module

Barometric pressure, temperature, and humidity measurements are combined in an advanced sensor module (PTU) utilizing a capacitive measurement method for each parameter. The PTU module contains separate sensors for pressure, temperature, and humidity measurement.

The measurement principle of the pressure, temperature, and humidity sensors is based on an advanced RC oscillator and two reference capacitors against which the capacitance of the sensors is continuously measured. The microprocessor of the transmitter performs compensation for the temperature dependency of the pressure and humidity sensors.

Barometric pressure is measured using a capacitive silicon BAROCAP® sensor. The sensor has minimal hysteresis and excellent repeatability, as well as outstanding temperature and long-term stability.

Temperature is measured with a capacitive ceramic THERMOCAP® sensor.

Relative humidity measurement is based on a capacitive thin film polymer HUMICAP®180 sensor. The sensor is highly accurate with negligible hysteresis and excellent long-term stability in a wide range of environments.

Radiation Shield: This module is mounted in a specially-designed radiation shield which protects the sensors from both scattered and direct sunlight and precipitation. The composite material in the plates offers excellent thermal characteristics and UV stabilized construction. The white outer surface reflects radiation, while the black inside absorbs accumulated heat.

The internal sensor module is easily replaceable and readily available as a spare component. To order a replacement module, please use catalog no. 9581.

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Rainfall Measurement

Rainfall is measured with an impact sensor, which detects the size and impact of individual rain drops. The signals resulting from the impacts are proportional to the volume of the drops. Hence, the signal from each drop can be converted directly to the accumulated rainfall.

This measurement method eliminates flooding and clogging, as well as wetting and evaporation losses.

The sensor transmitter uses RAINCAP® sensor 2 technology in precipitation measurement.

The precipitation sensor is comprised of a steel cover and a piezoelectric sensor mounted on the bottom surface of the cover.

The precipitation sensor detects the impact of individual raindrops. The signals from the impact are proportional to the volume of the drops. Advanced noise filtering technique is used to filter out signals originating from other sources than raindrops.

The measured parameter is accumulated rainfall. Detection of each individual drop enables computing of rain amount with high resolution.

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