Vaisala WXT510 User Manual

USER'S GUIDE

Vaisala Weather Transmitter

WXT510

M210470EN-D

PUBLISHED BY

Vaisala Oyj Phone (int.): [phone]

P.O. Box 26 Fax: [phone]

FIN-00421 Helsinki

Finland

Visit our Internet pages at http://www.vaisala.com/

© Vaisala 2006

No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical (including photocopying), nor may its contents
be communicated to a third party without prior written permission of the
copyright holder.

The contents are subject to change without prior notice.

Please observe that this manual does not create any legally binding
obligations for Vaisala towards the customer or end user. All legally
binding commitments and agreements are included exclusively in the
applicable supply contract or Conditions of Sale.

________________________________________________________________________________

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1

GENERAL INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

About This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Contents of This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

General Safety Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

ESD Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Recycling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

License Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

CHAPTER 2

PRODUCT OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Weather Transmitter WXT510 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Optional Software for Easy Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Heating Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

WXT510 Transmitter Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

CHAPTER 3

FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Wind Measurement Principle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Precipitation Measurement Principle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

PTU Measurement Principle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Heating (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

CHAPTER 4

INSTALLATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Unpacking Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Selecting Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Assembling WXT510 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Installation Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Mounting to Vertical Pole Mast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Mounting with Mounting Kit (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Mounting To Horizontal Cross Arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Aligning WXT510 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Compass Alignment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Wind Direction Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

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CHAPTER 5

WIRING AND POWER MANAGEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Power Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Wiring Using the Screw Terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Wiring Using the 8-pin M12 Connector (Optional) . . . . . . .39

External Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Internal Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Data Communication Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

CHAPTER 6

COMMUNICATION SETTINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Communication Protocols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Service Cable Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Connection Through M12 Bottom Connector or Screw

Terminal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Communication Setting Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Checking the Current Communication Settings (aXU) . . . .48

Setting Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Changing the Communication Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

CHAPTER 7

GETTING THE DATA MESSAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

General Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Reset (aXZ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Precipitation Counter Reset (aXZRU) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Precipitation Intensity Reset (aXZRI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Measurement Reset (aXZM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

ASCII Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Abbreviations and Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Device Address (?) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Acknowledge Active Command (a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Wind Data Message (aR1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Pressure, Temperature and Humidity Data Message

(aR2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Precipitation Data Message (aR3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Supervisor Data Message (aR5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

Combined Data Message (aR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

Composite Data Message Query (aR0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Polling with CRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

Automatic Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Automatic Composite Data Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

SDI-12 Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Address Query Command (?) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Acknowledge Active Command (a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Change Address Command (aAb) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Send Identification Command (aI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

Start Measurement Command (aM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Start Measurement Command with CRC (aMC) . . . . . . . .72

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Start Concurrent Measurement (aC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Start Concurrent Measurement with CRC (aCC) . . . . . . . . 73

Send Data Command (aD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Examples of aM, aC and aD Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Continuous Measurement (aR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Continuous Measurement with CRC (aRC) . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Start Verification Command (aV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

NMEA 0183 V3.0 Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Device Address (?) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Acknowledge Active Command (a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

MWV Wind Speed and Direction Query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

XDR Transducer Measurement Query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

TXT Text Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Automatic Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Automatic Composite Data Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

CHAPTER 8

SENSOR AND DATA MESSAGE SETTINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Wind Sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Checking the Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Setting Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Changing the Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Pressure, Temperature, and Humidity Sensors . . . . . . . . . 99

Checking the Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Setting Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Changing the Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Precipitation Sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Checking the Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Setting Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Changing the Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Supervisor Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Checking the Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Setting Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Changing the Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Composite Data Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

CHAPTER 9

MAINTENANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Replacing the PTU Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Factory Calibration and Repair Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Vaisala Service Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

VAISALA ________________________________________________________________________ 3

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CHAPTER 10

TROUBLESHOOTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Self-Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Error Messaging/Text Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Rain and Wind Sensor Heating Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121

Operating Voltage Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121

Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121

CHAPTER 11

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

Inputs and Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126

Operating Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Options and Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

APPENDIX A

NETWORKING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131

Connecting Several WXT510s on the Same Bus . . . . . . .131

SDI-12 Serial Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131

Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131

Communication Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

RS-485 Serial Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

Communication Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

ASCII, Polled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

NMEA 0183 v3.0, Query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

NMEA 0183 v3.0 Query with ASCII Query Commands . .136

APPENDIX B

SDI-12 PROTOCOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139

SDI-12 Electrical Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139

SDI-12 Communications Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139

SDI-12 Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140

APPENDIX C

CRC-16 COMPUTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Encoding the CRC as ASCII Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144

NMEA 0183 v3.0 Checksum Computation . . . . . . . . . . . .144

APPENDIX D

WIND MEASUREMENT AVERAGING METHOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145

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List of Figures

Figure 1 Vaisala Weather Transmitter WXT510. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Figure 2 Main Components of Weather Transmitter WXT510 . . . . . . . . 17

Figure 3 Cut Away View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Figure 4 Bottom of Transmitter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Figure 5 Mounting Kit (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Figure 6 Service Cable (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Figure 7 Assembling WXT510 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Figure 8 Location of Fixing Screw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Figure 9 Mounting WXT510 to Pole Mast Using Optional Mounting Kit. 30

Figure 10 Mounting WXT510 to Cross Arm (L-Profile). . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Figure 11 Mounting Screw Location in Cross Arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Figure 12 Sketch of Magnetic Declination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Figure 13 Wind Direction Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Figure 14 Average Operational Current Consumption (with 4Hz Wind

Sensor Sampling) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Figure 15 Heating Current and Power vs Vh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Figure 16 Screw Terminal Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Figure 17 8-Pin M12 Connector Pins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Figure 18 Internal Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Figure 19 Data Communication Interfaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Figure 20 Replacing the PTU Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Figure 21 Accuracy Over Temperature Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Figure 22 WXT510 Dimensions in mm [inches] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Figure 23 Mounting Kit Dimensions in mm [inches] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Figure 24 Timing Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Figure 25 Wind Measurement Averaging Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

VAISALA ________________________________________________________________________ 5

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List of Tables

Table 1 Screw Terminal Pin-outs for WXT510 Serial Interfaces and

Power Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Table 2 Pin-outs for WXT510 Serial Interfaces and Power Supplies . . . .39

Table 3 Available Serial Communication Protocols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Table 4 Default Serial Communication Settings for M12/Screw Terminal

Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Table 5 Abbreviations and Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Table 6 Transducer IDs of the Measurement Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Table 7 Transducer Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Table 8 Data Validation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Table 9 Communication Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118

Table 10 Error Messaging/Text Messages Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Table 11 Barometric Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Table 12 Air Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Table 13 Relative Humidity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Table 14 Wind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

Table 15 Precipitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Table 16 Inputs and Outputs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Table 17 Operating Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Table 18 Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Table 19 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Table 20 Options and Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

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Chapter 1 ________________________________________________________ General Information

CHAPTER 1

GENERAL INFORMATION

This chapter provides general notes for the product.

About This Manual

This manual provides information for installing, operating, and

maintaining Vaisala Weather Transmitter WXT510.

Contents of This Manual

This manual consists of the following chapters:

- Chapter 1, General Information: This chapter provides general
notes for the product.

- Chapter 2, Product Overview: This chapter introduces the unique
features and advantages of the Vaisala Weather Transmitter
WXT510.

- Chapter 3, Functional Description: This chapter describes the
measurement principles and heating function of Weather
Transmitter WXT510.

- Chapter 4, Installation: This chapter provides you with information
that is intended to help you install Weather Transmitter WXT510.

- Chapter 5, Wiring and Power Management: This chapter provides
you with instructions on how to connect the power supply and the
serial interfaces.

VAISALA ________________________________________________________________________ 9

User’s Guide ______________________________________________________________________

- Chapter 6, Communication Settings: This chapter contains the
instructions for making the communication settings.

- Chapter 7, Getting the Data Messages: This chapter presents the
general and data message commands.

- Chapter 8, Sensor and Data Message Settings: This chapter
presents the sensor configuration and data message formatting
commands for all communications protocols: ASCII, NMEA 0183
and SDI-12.

- Chapter 9, Maintenance: This chapter contains instructions for the
basic maintenance of Weather Transmitter WXT510 and contact
information for Vaisala Service Centers.

- Chapter 10, Troubleshooting: This chapter describes common
problems, their probable causes and remedies, and includes contact
information for technical support.

- Chapter 11, Technical Specifications: This chapter provides the
technical data of Weather Transmitter WXT510.

Safety

WARNING

Feedback

Vaisala Customer Documentation Team welcomes your comments and
suggestions on the quality and usefulness of this publication. If you find
errors or have other suggestions for improvement, please indicate the
chapter, section, and page number. You can send comments to us by e­mail: [e-mail].

General Safety Considerations

Throughout the manual, important safety considerations are highlighted
as follows:

Warning alerts you to a serious hazard. If you do not read and follow
instructions very carefully at this point, there is a risk of injury or even
death.

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Chapter 1 ________________________________________________________ General Information

CAUTION

NOTE

Caution warns you of a potential hazard. If you do not read and follow
instructions carefully at this point, the product could be damaged or
important data could be lost.

Note highlights important information on using the product.

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 make sure you are not delivering high static voltages yourself:

- 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.

Recycling

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

Recycle all applicable material.

Dispose of batteries and the unit according to statutory regulations.
Do not dispose of with regular household refuse.

VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 11

User’s Guide ______________________________________________________________________

Trademarks

WINDCAP®, RAINCAP®, HUMICAP®, BAROCAP® and
THERMOCAP® are registered trademarks of Vaisala. Microsoft®,
Windows®, Windows NT®, and Windows XP® are registered

trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other
countries.

License Agreement

All rights to any software are held by Vaisala or third parties. The
customer is allowed to use the software only to the extent that is
provided by the applicable supply contract or Software License
Agreement.

12 __________________________________________________________________ M210470EN-D

Chapter 1 ________________________________________________________ General Information

Warranty

Vaisala hereby represents and warrants all Products
manufactured by Vaisala and sold hereunder to be free
from defects in workmanship or material during a
period of twelve (12) months from the date of delivery
save for products for which a special warranty is given.
If any Product proves however to be defective in
workmanship or material within the period herein
provided Vaisala undertakes to the exclusion of any
other remedy to repair or at its own option replace the
defective Product or part thereof free of charge and
otherwise on the same conditions as for the original
Product or part without extension to original warranty
time. Defective parts replaced in accordance with this
clause shall be placed at the disposal of Vaisala.

Vaisala also warrants the quality of all repair and
service works performed by its employees to products
sold by it. In case the repair or service works should
appear inadequate or faulty and should this cause
malfunction or nonfunction of the product to which the
service was performed Vaisala shall at its free option
either repair or have repaired or replace the product in
question. The working hours used by employees of
Vaisala for such repair or replacement shall be free of
charge to the client. This service warranty shall be
valid for a period of six (6) months from the date the
service measures were completed.

This warranty does not however apply when the defect
has been caused through

a) normal wear and tear or accident;

b) misuse or other unsuitable or unauthorized use of
the Product or negligence or error in storing,
maintaining or in handling the Product or any
equipment thereof;

c) wrong installation or assembly or failure to service
the Product or otherwise follow Vaisala's service
instructions including any repairs or installation or
assembly or service made by unauthorized personnel
not approved by Vaisala or replacements with parts not
manufactured or supplied by Vaisala;

d) modifications or changes of the Product as well as
any adding to it without Vaisala's prior authorization;

e) other factors depending on the Customer or a third
party.

Notwithstanding the aforesaid Vaisala's liability under
this clause shall not apply to any defects arising out of
materials, designs or instructions provided by the
Customer.

This warranty is however subject to following
conditions:

a) A substantiated written claim as to any alleged
defects shall have been received by Vaisala within
thirty (30) days after the defect or fault became known
or occurred, and

b) The allegedly defective Product or part shall, should
Vaisala so require, be sent to the works of Vaisala or to
such other place as Vaisala may indicate in writing,
freight and insurance prepaid and properly packed and
labelled, unless Vaisala agrees to inspect and repair the
Product or replace it on site.

This warranty is expressly in lieu of and excludes all
other conditions, warranties and liabilities, express or
implied, whether under law, statute or otherwise,
including without limitation any implied warranties of
merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose and
all other obligations and liabilities of Vaisala or its
representatives with respect to any defect or deficiency
applicable to or resulting directly or indirectly from the
Products supplied hereunder, which obligations and
liabilities are hereby expressly cancelled and waived.
Vaisala's liability shall under no circumstances exceed
the invoice price of any Product for which a warranty
claim is made, nor shall Vaisala in any circumstances
be liable for lost profits or other consequential loss
whether direct or indirect or for special damages.

VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 13

User’s Guide ______________________________________________________________________

14 __________________________________________________________________ M210470EN-D

Chapter 2 __________________________________________________________ Product Overview

CHAPTER 2

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

This chapter introduces the unique features and advantages of the
Vaisala Weather Transmitter WXT510.

Weather Transmitter WXT510

0504-066

Figure 1 Vaisala Weather Transmitter WXT510

VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 15

User’s Guide ______________________________________________________________________

Weather Transmitter WXT510 is a small and lightweight transmitter
that offers six weather parameters in one compact package. WXT510
measures wind speed and direction, precipitation, atmospheric pressure,
temperature and relative humidity.

WXT510 powers up with 5 ... 30 VDC and outputs serial data with a
selectable communication protocol: SDI-12, ASCII automatic & polled
and NMEA 0183 with query option. Four alternative serial interfaces
are selectable: RS-232, RS-485, RS-422 and SDI-12.

The following options are available:

- Heating function for the precipitation and wind sensors

- Windows® based Vaisala Configuration Tool software and cable

- 8-pin M12 connector (also with 2 m/10 m cable)

- Mounting kit

Optional Software for Easy Settings

Windows® based Vaisala Configuration Tool is a user friendly
parameter setting software for WXT510. With this software tool you

can change the device and sensor settings easily in Windows®
environment. See list of options and accessories in Table 20 on page

127.

Heating Function

To improve the accuracy of measurements an optional heating for the
wind and precipitation sensors is available. More about heating in
section Heating (Optional) on page 24.

The heating function option must be chosen when placing the order.

16 __________________________________________________________________ M210470EN-D

Chapter 2 __________________________________________________________ Product Overview

WXT510 Transmitter Components

0505-190

Figure 2 Main Components of Weather Transmitter WXT510

The following numbers refer to Figure 2 on page 17:

1 = Top of the transmitter

2 = Radiation shield

3 = Bottom of the transmitter

4 = Screw cover

VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 17

User’s Guide ______________________________________________________________________

0505-191

Figure 3 Cut Away View

The following numbers refer to Figure 3 on page 18:

1 = Wind transducers (3 pcs)

2 = Precipitation sensor

3 = Pressure sensor inside the PTU module

4 = Humidity and temperature sensors inside the PTU module

0505-192

Figure 4 Bottom of Transmitter

18 __________________________________________________________________ M210470EN-D

Chapter 2 __________________________________________________________ Product Overview

The following numbers refer to Figure 4 on page 18:

1 = Alignment direction sign

2 = Service port

3 = Water tight cable gland (shown disassembled)

4 = Opening for cable gland (if unused, cover with hexagonal

plug)

5 = 8-pin M12 connector for power/datacom cable (optional,

cover with hexagonal plug if unused)

0505-193

Figure 5 Mounting Kit (Optional)

0505-194

Figure 6 Service Cable (Optional)

VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 19

User’s Guide ______________________________________________________________________

The following numbers refer to Figure 6 on page 19:

1 = Battery connector

2 = D9-connector for PC serial port

3 = Connector for WXT510 service port (press the white flap

while disconnecting cable)

The service cable, while connected between the service port and PC,
forces the service port to RS-232 / 19200, 8, N, 1.

CAUTION

To prevent ingress of water, dust, and insects, cover the unused
openings at the transmitter bottom with hexagonal rubber plugs
included in the delivery.

20 __________________________________________________________________ M210470EN-D

Chapter 3 ______________________________________________________ Functional Description

CHAPTER 3

FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION

This chapter describes the measurement principles and heating function
of Weather Transmitter WXT510.

Wind Measurement Principle

WXT510 uses Vaisala WINDCAP® sensor technology in wind
measurement.

The wind sensor has an array of three equally spaced ultrasonic
transducers on a horizontal plane. 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.

VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 21

User’s Guide ______________________________________________________________________

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

V

0505-216

0.5 L 1 tf1 tre–euu=

w

where

V

w

= Wind speed

L = Distance between the two transducers

t

f

t

r

= Transit time in forward direction

= 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 by WXT510 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 of all samples over the selected averaging time
(1 ... 900 s). The sample count depends on the selected sampling rate:
4 Hz (default), 2 Hz or 1 Hz. The minimum and maximum values of
wind speed and direction represent the corresponding extremes during
the selected averaging time. See also Appendix D, Wind Measurement

Averaging Method, on page 145 for averaging method.

22 __________________________________________________________________ M210470EN-D

Chapter 3 ______________________________________________________ Functional Description

Precipitation Measurement Principle

WXT510 uses Vaisala RAINCAP® Sensor 2-technology in
precipitation measurement.

The precipitation sensor comprises of a steel cover and a piezoelectrical
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.
Hence, the signal of each drop can be converted directly to accumulated
rainfall. Advanced noise filtering technique is used to filter out signals
originating from other sources than raindrops.

The measured parameters are accumulated rainfall, rain current and
peak intensity, and the duration of a rain event. Detection of each
individual drop enables computing of rain amount and intensity with
high resolution. Precipitation current intensity internally updated every
10 seconds represents the intensity during the one minute period minute
before requesting/automatic precipitation message sending (for fast
reacting to a rain event, during the first minute of the rain event the
intensity is calculated over the period rain has lasted in 10-second steps
instead of fixed one minute). Precipitation peak intensity represents the
maximum of the calculated current intensity values since last
precipitation intensity reset.

The sensor is also capable of distinguishing hails from raindrops. The
measured hail parameters are cumulative amount of hails, current and
peak hail intensity and the duration of a hail shower.

The precipitation sensor operates in the following four modes:

- Precipitation Start/End mode:

Transmitter sends automatically a precipitation message 10
seconds after the recognition of the first drop. The messages are
sent continuously as the precipitation proceeds and stopped when
the precipitation ends.

- Tipping bucket mode:

This mode emulates tipping bucket type precipitation sensors.
Transmitter sends automatically a precipitation message when the
counter detects one unit increment (0.1 mm/0.01 in).

VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 23

User’s Guide ______________________________________________________________________

- Time mode:

Transmitter sends automatically a precipitation message in the
update intervals defined by the user.

- Polled mode:

Transmitter sends a precipitation message whenever requested by
the user.

More information about the precipitation sensor operation modes can be
found in section Precipitation Sensor on page 103.

PTU Measurement Principle

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.

The PTU module includes

- capacitive silicon BAROCAP® sensor for pressure measurement,

- capacitive ceramic THERMOCAP
measurement, and

- capacitive thin film polymer HUMICAP
measurement.

Heating (Optional)

Heating elements located below the precipitation sensor and inside the
wind transducers keeps the precipitation and wind sensors clean from
snow and ice. A heating temperature sensor (Th) underneath the
precipitation sensor controls the heating.

®

sensor for air temperature

®

180 sensor for humidity

24 __________________________________________________________________ M210470EN-D

Chapter 3 ______________________________________________________ Functional Description

Three fixed temperature limits, namely +4 °C, 0 °C, and -4 °C (+39 °F,
+32 °F, +25 °F)control the heating power as follows:

Th > +4 °C: heating is off,

0 °C < Th < +4 °C: 50 % heating power,

-4 °C < Th < 0 °C: 100 % heating power,

Th < -4 °C: 50 % heating power.

When the heating function is disabled the heating is off in all conditions,
see Supervisor Message on page 108.

VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 25

User’s Guide ______________________________________________________________________

26 __________________________________________________________________ M210470EN-D

Chapter 4 _______________________________________________________________ Installation

CHAPTER 4

INSTALLATION

This chapter provides you with information that is intended to help you
install Weather Transmitter WXT510.

Unpacking Instructions

Weather Transmitter WXT510 comes in a custom shipping container.
Be careful when removing the device from the container.

CAUTION

Beware of damaging any of the wind transducers located at the top of
the three antennas. Dropping the device can break or damage the
transducers. If the antenna bends or twists, re-aligning can be difficult
or impossible.

Selecting Location

Finding a suitable site for Weather Transmitter WXT510 is important
for getting representative ambient measurements. The site should
represent the general area of interest.

Weather Transmitter WXT510 should be installed in a location that is
free from turbulence caused by nearby objects, such as trees or
buildings.

WARNING

To protect personnel (and the device), a lightning rod should be
installed with the tip at least one meter above WXT510. The rod must
be properly grounded, compliant with all applicable local safety
regulations.

VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 27

User’s Guide ______________________________________________________________________

Assembling WXT510

1. Loosen the three fixing screws at the sensor bottom assembly.

2. Turn out the top of the transmitter.

3. Remove the vacuum bag protecting the PTU module. Connect the
new PTU module. Make sure the module goes all the way in and is
locked into its position with the small white latch (see section A in

Figure 7 on page 28).

4. Avoid contacting the white filter cap with your hands while
inserting the PTU module.

5. Replace the top and tighten the three fixing screws that fasten the
top and the bottom. When turning the top back in, make sure that
the flat cable does not get stuck or squeezed between the top and
the funnel for the flat cable.

0602-013

Figure 7 Assembling WXT510

28 __________________________________________________________________ M210470EN-D