Orion Car Audio 420 User Manual

Orion 420 Weather Station 1

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Orion 420 Weather Station™

User Manual

Version 1.04

All specifications subject to change without notice.

Printed in U. S. A.

Columbia Weather Systems, Inc.

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Proprietary Notice: Orion, Orion 420, Orion 510, 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 420 Weather Station™ user manual were adapted from the Weather Transmitter WXT510 User’s Guide with permission from Vaisala Oyj.

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

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Welcome!

Welcome to the Columbia Weather Systems family of users and congratulations on your purchase of the Orion Weather Station.

The Orion 420 Weather Station is quite easy to install and you may be tempted to skip the installation procedure or other portions of this manual. We recommend that you resist that urge. A thorough knowledge of these installation and calibration procedures will greatly increase the usefulness and the accuracy of your instrument. In particular, a proper installation will help prevent problems with both operation and maintenance.

Please read this manual completely prior to installation.

Columbia Weather Systems, Inc.

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Important Notice: Shipping Damage

BEFORE YOU READ ANY FURTHER, please inspect all system components for obvious shipping damage. The Orion 420 is a high precision instrument and can be damaged by rough handling. Your unit

was packaged to minimize the possibility of damage in transit. Therefore, we recommend that you save the shipping container for any future shipment of your Orion unit.

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 in writing, preferably by facsimile, about the shipping damage.

3. Wait for the transport company’s representative to inspect the shipment personally.

4. After inspection, request permission from Columbia Weather Systems for return of the damaged instrument by calling the Service Department, (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 return authorization is issued and we receive the instrument, an estimate of the cost of repair will be sent to you for submittal to the transport company as a claim.

ESD Protection

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) can cause immediate or latent damage to electronic circuits. The Orion 420 is adequately protected against ESD for its 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 make sure you are not 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.

Columbia Weather Systems, Inc.

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Table of Contents

WELCOME! .................................................................................................. 3

IMPORTANT NOTICE: SHIPPING DAMAGE ....................................... 5

ESD P

ROTECTION

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 9

HE ORION

Features:........................................................................................................................ 10

PECIFICATIONS

Temperature .................................................................................................................. 10

Barometric Pressure ...................................................................................................... 10

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

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

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

Rainfall .......................................................................................................................... 11

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

Serial to Analog Converters .......................................................................................... 11

URRENT CONSUMPTION: 30 MA TO

RINCIPLES OF MEASUREMENTS

Wind Measurement ........................................................................................................ 12

Barometric Pressure, Temperature, and Relative Humidity (PTU) Module ................. 12

Rainfall Measurement.................................................................................................... 13

................................................................................................................. 5

420 W

EATHER STATION

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

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

110 MAP

........................................................................................ 12

RINCIPLES OF MEASUREMENTS

.................. 11

SECTION 2: PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION ............................................... 15

RION SENSOR TRANSMITTER

Sensor Transmitter Components.................................................................................... 15

Mounting Adapter.......................................................................................................... 16

Internal Terminal Block................................................................................................. 16

RION

420 W

EATHERPROOF ENCLOSURE

........................................................................................... 15

.......................................................................... 18

SECTION 3: INSTALLATION ................................................................. 19

EATHER STATION SYSTEM CONFIGURATIONS

NSTALLATION OVERVIEW

OOLS NEEDED

ATERIALS NEEDED

NPACKING THE UNIT

Installing the Orion Sensor Transmitter ........................................................................ 22

Site Selection: ................................................................................................................ 22

Installing the Mounting Adapter.................................................................................... 22

North Alignment ............................................................................................................ 22

Installing the Mast ......................................................................................................... 23

Location ......................................................................................................................... 23

Mounting Method .......................................................................................................... 23

Routing Cable ................................................................................................................ 24

Connecting the Sensor Transmitter to the Orion Weatherproof Enclosure................... 24

Connecting the 420 Weatherproof Enclosure to the PLC.............................................. 25

.................................................................................................................. 20

................................................................................................. 20

.......................................................................................................... 20

........................................................................................................ 20

................................................................. 19

SECTION 4: OPTIONAL SENSOR MOUNTING HARDWARE ......... 27

OOF MOUNTING

ALL MOUNTING

RIPOD

............................................................................................................................... 30

Specifications................................................................................................................. 30

............................................................................................................... 27

.............................................................................................................. 28

SECTION 5: OPERATION ........................................................................ 33

SECTION 6: MAINTENANCE ................................................................. 35

Columbia Weather Systems, Inc.

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LEANING

EPLACING THE

ACTORY CALIBRATION AND REPAIR SERVICE

.......................................................................................................................... 35

PTU M

ODULE

.......................................................................................... 35

.................................................................. 35

SECTION 7: TROUBLESHOOTING ....................................................... 37

SECTION 8: USER SUPPORT INFORMATION ................................... 39

IMITED WARRANTY

EXCLUSIONS................................................................................................................ 39

ETURN FOR REPAIR PROCEDURE

......................................................................................................... 39

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SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION

The Orion 420 Weather Station

Utilizing cutting-edged ultrasonic technology at an amazingly affordable price, the Orion 420 Weather Station is the newest product in our family of innovative weather monitoring systems.

Orion 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.

High accuracy and fine resolution make this new system ideal for precision weather monitoring. Orion provides 4-20 mA current output for 8 weather parameters.

Columbia Weather Systems, Inc.

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Features:

• Six most essential weather parameters measured in one instrument

• Accurate and stable measurement

• Ultrasonic wind sensor and impact precipitation sensor

• No moving parts means virtually no maintenance

• Low power consumption improves reliability and longevity

• Compact and lightweight with a single cable for quick installation

Specifications

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 (0.1°C)

Units Available: °F, °C

Barometric Pressure

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

Accuracy: ±0.015 InHg (0.5 mbar) at +32 to 86°F

(0 to 30°C)

±0.03 InHg (1 mbar) at -60 to 140°F (-52 to 60°C)

Resolution: 0.01 InHg (0.1 mbar)

Units Available: Kpa, mbar, InHg

Wind Speed

Range: 0 - 115 mph (0 - 60 m/s)

Accuracy: ±0.7 mph (±0.3 m/s)

Resolution: 1 mph (1 m/s)

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

Wind Direction

Azimuth: 0 - 360°

Accuracy: ±2°

Resolution: 1°

Relative Humidity

Range: 0 - 100%RH

Accuracy: ±3%RH (0-90%), ±5% (90-100%)

Resolution: 1%RH

Units Available: %RH

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Rainfall

Range: cumulative

Collection Area: 60 cm2

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

Serial to Analog Converters

Analog Range: 4-20 mA

Accuracy at 25°C: 0.1% of range

Operating range: 0 – 22mA typ

Maximum load: 600 ohms

Output reaction time: 0 – 40 ms

DA Conversion: 12 bits (resolution 4096)

Current Consumption: 30 mA to 110 mA

Columbia Weather Systems, Inc.

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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 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.

Barometric 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.

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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.

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.

Columbia Weather Systems, Inc.

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