Pessl Instruments iMETOS Operating instructions

iMETOS Maintenance & troubleshooting 1
iMETOS
Maintenance & troubleshooting
January 2023
Pessl Instruments GmbH
Werksweg 107, 8160 Weiz, Austria
o[email protected]
[phone]

iMETOS Maintenance & troubleshooting 2
Table of Content
1. POWER SUPPLY 3
1.1. Maintenance 3
1.2 Troubleshooting 3
2. COMMUNICATION 4
2.1 Troubleshooting 4
3. RAIN GAUGE 5
3.1 Maintenance 5
3.2 Troubleshooting 5
4. LEAF WETNESS SENSOR 6
4.1 Maintenance 6
4.2 Troubleshooting 6
5. TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE HUMIDTY SENSOR 7
5.1 Maintenance 7
5.2 Troubleshooting 7
6. SOIL TEMPERATURE SENSOR 8
6.1 Maintenance 8
6.2 Troubleshooting 8
7. GLOBAL RADIATION SENSOR 8
7.1 Maintenance 8
7.2 Troubleshooting 8
8. WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION SENSOR 8
9. PI-Bus 9
10. RADIONODE TROUBLESHOOTING 9
10.1 Reset the WSN 9
10.2 Connection Recovery During Running 10
10.3 Connection Recovery After Power On 10
10.4 Terminal menu info about AP board 10
11. STATION NOT SENDING DATA – USE TERMINAL MODE 11
11.1 How to get the data already stored in the station through TeraTerm 11
11.2 Erasing sensor conguration and records 12
11.3 Remote reset 13
11.4 Sensor test and send data manually 14

iMETOS Maintenance & troubleshooting 3
iMETOS maintenance and troubleshooting
In this document, a detailed maintenance and troubleshooting section of all iMETOS (including iMETOS 1 and
iMETOS 2) and ECO series is described. Proper maintenance of the iMetos components is essential to obtain
accurate data. Equipment must be in good operating condition, which requires a program of regular inspec-
tion and maintenance. Routine and simple maintenance can be accomplished by the person in charge of the
weather station. More dicult maintenance such as sensor calibration, sensor performance testing, and sen-
sor component replacement, generally requires a skilled technician, or that the instrument be sent to Pessl
Instruments. A station log should be maintained for each iMetos station that includes serial numbers, dates
that the site was visited, and maintenance that was performed.
1. POWER SUPPLY
1.1. Maintenance
Keep the solar panel cleaned and make sure it charges in an ecient way the battery. Make sure that bat-
tery cable is well connected to its correspondent input on the board. When the solar panel of the iMETOS is
exposed to the sun and gets enough sunlight it should constantly recharge the battery of the system. The
lifespan of the battery is expected to be twelve years with sucient recharging from the solar panel. Deep
discharge shortens its lifetime. Battery should be replaced once it goes down to 5V. It is recommended to
change the battery cable every 3 years in normal climate and every 2 year in maritime climate.
1.2 Troubleshooting
• Power supply breaks frequent: battery cable is damaged.
• Battery is not charged:
◊ Station power consumption increased.
◊ Check/look for damaged sensors, corrosion parts on pcb, station settings (logging of prole probes,
transfer interval).
◊ Not enough sunlight: change station settings (decrease n° of transfer intervals).
◊ Broken wires of solar panel: exchange solar panel.
◊ Solar panel partially broken: exchange solar panel.
• High uctuation of battery voltage: battery lost capacity.
• Occasional drop of battery voltage: board seems to hang communication – change the main board.
• iMetos1: never charges, battery is connected to solar panel input – pcb has to be replaced
◊ Completely broken of power supply – exchange fuse.
• iMetos2: at 6.85V the charging is suspended till it goes down to 6.3V.

iMETOS Maintenance & troubleshooting 4
2. COMMUNICATION
2.1 Troubleshooting
During installation
Once mounted the station, operator should never leave the site before checking the communication in spy
mode and doing a SENSOR TEST. Here following a detailed description.
In the oce
• Check for valid contract and validation of SIM card
◊ Switch o the PIN query on the sim card. This can be done using directly the USB <=> PC connection via
terminal menu: MAIN MENU > MODEM SETTINGS > UNLOCK SIM CARD.
◊ Test SIM strength via Terminal menu / MODE / MODEM SETTINGS / SIGNAL QUALITY GRAPH. In alterna-
tive, test signal strenght with your phone.
◊ Test in a old mobile phone if you come to the Internet with the Sim card.
◊ If you come to the internet with your mobile phone but can not transfer the station please contact us
creating a ticket.
• Check battery status
• Check for communication problems in the previous period (events). User can see this events in FieldCli-
mate (Fieldclimate / Station settings / Information / Station events) or locally via USB connection. Please
refer to appendix 2 for the complete list.
Having somebody in the eld
• Open the station box and check for the LEDs, if no leds are blinking or they are permanent on, press con-
nect button and look at the LEDs. If LEDs are not blinking or still blinking after 5 minutes, press RESET (pins
for iMetos2 and ECO D2).
You are in the eld
• Connect your PC to the station with USB cable without any jumper (spy mode). The communication process
starts and it will take few minutes until data are transmitted successfully to the platform. When you see
nothing press CONNECT, if still nothing happens press RESET (before pressing reset button, in TeraTerm
press Alt+i). If communication fails, copy the whole content in a le .txt and send it to us attached to the
ticket. Complete monitoring of the communication process should be done after every installation by
connecting the PC to the iMETOS. Installer never should leave the site without performing sensor test and
communication process log.
• When using faulty sensors or operating the station in an unexpected way, the sensors conguration and/or
records could be damaged to a point that aects some functionalities of the station. To recover from that,
it is recommended to clear the sensors conguration and to erase the records from the non volatile
memory.

iMETOS Maintenance & troubleshooting 5
3. RAIN GAUGE
3.1 Maintenance
New rain-gauge sensor funnel includes a plastic lter intended to reduce maintenance needs. It is possible
that birds or insects construct nests inside the lter and the mechanism; if it rains and the data does not look
consistent, check your Rain Gauge internally. To open it, just press the lateral walls and pull the metallic lid.
Check also that the buckets are clean and can tip without impediment – it’s not uncommon for spider webs,
for example, to impair tipping and potentially to prevent tipping altogether – even a strand or two of spider
silk is surprisingly strong. Judicious use of insecticides may be helpful in preventing recurrent problems with
webs, insect nests etc.
In case of recurrent bird use the bird repellent system on the rain gauge or in case of insect infestation, a
good practice is to spray some insecticide or pyrethrum, this will keep them away.
3.2 Troubleshooting
• Measurements are lower than expected: Cable with reed switch is pulled out.
• The bucket tips are monitored by means of a sealed reed switch. Make sure to insert the rain gauge cable
into the black cover until it reached the top and that the reed relay faces the magnet.
• Values “0”: Funnel blocked by leaves, insects inside the funnel.
• Measurements are higher than expected: heavy wind shakes the station, please x it properly
• No data, no sensor recognition: Cable is cut
• Many separate in time 0.2mm readings: can be due to dew, condensation, insect.
Testing rain gauge
1. Use a 500 ml bottle:
test can be done by the client (than we can delete the data)
Take a 500 ml bottle of water, make a pinhole at the bottom and leave it on the rain gauge. Open a bit the
tap of the bottle and the water will start to pore into the funnel slowly producing 125 tips at a rate of 25 mm.
Note that bucket tips with 4 cc (ml) of water.
This calibration method gives high accuracy and repeatability because it is based on an average over more
than 100 tips.
The error should be lower than 10%. To calculate the error:
Err= (Xreal-Xexp)/Xexp*100, where Xreal = measured value, Xexp = expected value
Based on the result from the bottle test, do one of the following test:
2. Connect PC to the station and do a SENSOR TEST. Each tip should show 0.2 mm.
3. If you have a voltage tester, do a test to see if the sensor works ne. Switch the tester to resistance (Ω).
Black prone on brown pin and red on any of the white pins, tester should start beeping or showing 0 Ω (short
circuit). Tip the buckets slowly by hand. As the buckets pass the midway position (magnet in front to the reed
switch), voltage tester should stop beeping or resistance goes to innite (open circuit). This means that the
reed relay is positioned properly.

iMETOS Maintenance & troubleshooting 6
4. LEAF WETNESS SENSOR
4.1 Maintenance
The sensing element (paper) should be checked periodically/every 3 months depending on the rain fre-
quency. If this sensing element (paper) is dirty, soiled by bird droppings, coated by spray materials (copper
fungicide, etc.), physically damaged, or worn out, it should be replaced. The sensing element will eventually
dissolve after long exposure. As replacement, you can use an other lter paper, if it is thin you should put it in
2 pcs of paper. Filter size is 18 x 25 mm.
The sensor works by measuring the conductivity in a lter paper. The lter paper is held by two stainless steel
electrodes in a transparent holder. The use of transparent Lucite plastic as a holder reduces the warm up of
the sensor when it is exposed to direct sunlight.
Note: do not clip the leave into the sensor the lter paper is simulating the green tissue of the leave.
Installation tip: To avoid premature ageing of the cable, check that the 5m cable is xed and that is not aect-
ed by wind.
Life expectancy: Over ten years in very hummed micro-climates (worst case). Check it every 4 years.
4.2 Troubleshooting
• It always shows wet or dry data: cable is cut.
• Leaf wetness period shorter than expected: no lter or pure rain.

iMETOS Maintenance & troubleshooting 7
5. TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE HUMIDTY SENSOR
5.1 Maintenance
The temperature sensors of iMETOS are free of any maintenance as long as they are used in a proper way
and the cables are not damaged. Long-term stability is better than 1 %RH per year. Depending on the condi-
tions of measurement, the lter should be checked from time to time. Corroded, discolored or clogged lters
should be replaced. Applications where the probe is exposed to contaminants may require more frequent
verications. The relative humidity sensor is aected by pollution in dependence of the severity of the pollu-
tion. It is recommended to recalibrate the sensor based on the type of application, in particular:
• In scientic research studies every 2-3 years.
• In agricultural application, every 5-8 years. Keep the readings checked, under frequent copper sprays it
may give inaccurate high readings after some years of use.
In this case the sensor has to be changed for a new calibrated one. Recalibration can be done through Pessl
Instruments and it means to receive a new calibrated sensor head and to send back the replaced one. Be-
fore request for calibration please check, if the lter covering the sensor element is clean. If it is dirty at your
glance, a new lter can be ordered (order no. A660622).
Radiation shield: (aka: convection cup) must be cleaned at the beginning of the season. At least three lamel-
lae (plates) must cover the top of the sensor.
5.2 Troubleshooting
• RH always 100% (long periods): replace the lter or clean the lter, replacement lter available with ord. no.
A660622. It can also be checked by looking at the leaf wetness data.
• RH drops down to 0%: sensor is damaged by condensated water: replace the head of the sensor.
• iMetos 3.3 no data of Temperature, RH, dew point and Serial Number: cable is damaged, change the cable
and check the sensor.
• Head/Sensor replacement of old HC: If it has a metal ring between sensor and cable you can change just
the head. If it is plastic than it is the HC1 and you have to change the sensor and the cable. If it is an iMe-
tos1, you need a new HC + cable + voltage converter. iMetos 3.3 works only with HC2.

iMETOS Maintenance & troubleshooting 8
6. SOIL TEMPERATURE SENSOR
6.1 Maintenance
The soil temperature sensor does not need any maintenance. If it fails it is nearly always due to damaged wires.
6.2 Troubleshooting
• Sensor shows values out of range: water entered in the sensor – sensor should be replaced.
• Gap of data: cable might be damaged, this increases power consumption and it can lead to misfunction on
the station – unplug the sensor and replace it.
7. GLOBAL RADIATION SENSOR
7.1 Maintenance
The global radiation sensor should be maintained cleaned. A visible check at the plastic cover is recommend-
ed at the beginning of the season.
7.2 Troubleshooting
• Values out of range (higher/lower than expected): check sensor status, cleaning, orientation.
• Values dierent to 0 at night: water enters in the sensor, exchange the sensor.
• No values: cable cut.
8. WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION SENSOR
PI Wind Speed Sensor (IM512CD)
Maintenance
The wind sensor should be examined whether the wind wheel is low-friction. Check for easy-going and the
sound. If it is not the case, send the sensor for service to us. If the wind wheel is damaged please order a new
one.
Troubleshooting
• Heavily increment of values – replace the main board.
• Check for induction (cable rounded around the pole): cable should be positioned along the pole, but not
wrapped around it.
• Station gets frequent reset – power cable or pcb are damaged.

iMETOS Maintenance & troubleshooting 9
• Reduced values – mechanical problem of the sensor.
• No value: cable is damaged.
PI Wind Direction (IM511CDI)
Troubleshooting
• No values: internal battery should be replaced/cable is damaged.
RM Young (05103L)
Troubleshooting
• No values: internal battery should be replaced, lifetime of the battery is highly inuenced by the frequency
of heavy wind.
Ultrasonic Atmos 22/D2
Troubleshooting
• No values: check that interface board is properly mounted.
PI Ultrasonic (PI-USWM)
Maintenance
Clean the outer surfaces of the sensor with wet map water or neutral soap once per season and every time it
receives signicant amounts of dust or phytosanitary spray.
Troubleshooting
If the sensor requires a software update (all units before DEC 2019), this request will be attended by Pessl
Instruments after-sales service.
9. PI-Bus
Troubleshooting
• No data at all: cable cut/old, dierent sensor timing, water entered in the box.
• No sensor data: sensor cable cut, water entered in the sensor.
10. RADIONODE TROUBLESHOOTING
10.1 Reset the WSN
• Reset the RF AP board: by power up push the button and hold the button at least 2 seconds. The all 3
LED diodes will be ashing for 2 seconds. All conguration and link settings of the wireless system will be
erased in RF AP board.

iMETOS Maintenance & troubleshooting 10
• Reset the RF SD board: by power up push the button and hold the button at least 2 seconds. The LED diode
will be ashing for 2 seconds. All conguration and link settings of the wireless system will be erased in RF
SD board.
Notes:
• If there was executed reset on AP board, there is no possible to communicate anymore. The solution is
doing the device pairing again with all RF sensor devices.
• If there was executed reset only on SD board (not on AP board), there is possible to re-pair RF SD again.
10.2 Connection Recovery During Running
• If the connection between RF AP and RF SD is lost for any reason:
◊ RF AP is automatically searching the RF SD for 24 hours
◊ RF SD is automatically searching the WSN for 24 hours
• If the connection of RF AP is being lost for more than 24 hours:
◊ Activate the WSN searching the lost RF SDs for next 24 hours by pressing the button of RF AP.
• If the connection of RF SD is being lost for more than 24 hours:
◊ Activate the WSN searching for next 1 hour by pressing the external button of RF SD.
10.3 Connection Recovery After Power On
If the WSN was established (RF AP and RF SDs have been paired). When the RF AP or RF SD board are pow-
ered o, all their conguration and link settings are kept and restored when power on again. There is not
necessary to do the device pairing again.
• The RF AP searches the paired RF SD boards for 24 hours automatically (Right after the start-up initializa-
tion of RF AP from iMetos station. This initialization process can take the time of a few minutes).
• The RF SD searches the WSN (the RF AP) for 1 hour automatically (After power on).
10.4 Terminal menu info about AP board
On the Terminal window press the following buttons to get the following information.
‘2’, —› ‘W’, “WIRELESS SYSTEM” —›
‘I’, “INFORMATION ABOUT WIRELESS”
‘S’, “SETUP AP BOARD”
‘T’, “SPY WIRELESS SYSTEM”
‘B’, “BRIDGE OF SYSTEM”
• ‘I’ – Prints info about the AP board and radio nodes (if there is any radio node connected to it).
• ‘S’ – Sets timestamp and serial number in the AP board (this may be used after resetting the AP board, but
usually after a station reset it does this automatically).
• ‘T’ – Keeps printing what the AP board is doing. Each 5 minutes it should print some activity, and if there
are radio nodes connected prints also what the radio nodes are sending to the AP board (because in this

iMETOS Maintenance & troubleshooting 11
mode there are a lot more of data to transmit this may occur sometimes in UART Overow error, this error
is informed in the screen, but it is not a real failure of the system).
• ‘B’ – The user can send and read commands from the AP board manually, following the “AT Communication
Protocol of RF AP”.
11. STATION NOT SENDING DATA – USE TERMINAL
MODE
If station is communicating with the server but you don’t see any data in Fieldclimate, make sure logging
interval is set properly or the ash memory may be full.
11.1 How to get the data already stored in the station through TeraTerm
Sometimes it is wanted to clear the station’s memory for a fresh start of the system. When this is the case,
but it is also wanted to have all the data already stored in the station uploaded, it is possible to do it manually
with the help of TeraTerm.
To do that, please follow the steps:
1. With the USB cable connected, jumper on J1 and the terminal application running, navigate to the menu (2)
SENSORS.
2. Now, in the SENSORS menu, select the option (E) PRINT ENCODED RECORDS.

iMETOS Maintenance & troubleshooting 12
And so on until the menu appears again:
3. Copy all of this, save it with the serial number of the station and send it to us ([email protected]). We will
upload this later directly to our server.
After this is done, it is time to clear the sensor conguration and records following the next document Eras-
ing sensor conguration and records.
11.2 Erasing sensor conguration and records
When using faulty sensors or operating the station in an unexpected way, the sensors conguration and/or
records could be damaged to a point that aects some functionalities of the station. To recover from that, it is
recommended to clear the sensors conguration and to erase the records from the non volatile memory.
To do that, please follow the steps:
1. With the USB cable connected, jumper on J1 and the terminal application running, navigate to the menu (2)
SENSORS.
2. Now, in the SENSORS menu, select the option (D) DELETE CONFIGURATION + RECORDS.

iMETOS Maintenance & troubleshooting 13
3. Now press Y to conrm the operation, and wait some time until the operation is nished (the gray text is
coppied from the last step).
4. When it is nished, the menu entries should be shown again (the gray text is coppied from the last step)
5. Done, now the jumper may be removed and the station reset
11.3 Remote reset
In order to erase the memory and sensor conguration you can send a station reset via SMS.
Notes:
• You need the phone number associated to the SIM card in the iMETOS 3.3
• Alternatively, to send the SMS to the SIM card at the iMETOS 3.3 you can use a SIM card which already has
the conguration SMS locally stored.
• After sending the SMS described below in this section press the connect button in the iMETOS so it checks
for received SMS, otherwise it will be checked at midnight.
The following string will be sent:

iMETOS Maintenance & troubleshooting 14
Code: ! serial_number 2 UID_station !
serial_number is the serial number of the station
UID_station is the Unique identication number of the station
You can get the UID_number by connecting the iMETOS to the PC via USB cable and asking for a quick report.
This command does a factory reset (exception: the APN table is kept).
11.4 Sensor test and send data manually
To log manually data connect your PC to the station with USB cable with jumper in J1.
• Select 2) SENSORS —› T) DO SENSOR TEST
• Select I) ACCEPT CONFIGURATION + DO RECORD. The measure is taken and logged in the data logger.
• Press CONNECT button, the communication will start and data measured will be transmitted to Fieldcli-

iMETOS Maintenance & troubleshooting 15
mate. Alternatively, you can do it via Terminal 3) MODEM —› 3) SEND STATION DATA.