I have two CR1000's which are linked by MD485's. Communication has been perfect for several months since deployment. Now the communication link is working on an intermittent basis at best. The CR1000's are approximately 1500' apart. Both CR1000's seem to be working properly and I have made a direct connection at each logger with a PC and I can not connect to the other logger via MD485.
I checked the wiring I could easily access and it seems ok. My hunch is that the cable between the two MD485's has been compromised. But changing the wire will require a lot of work, even for testing purposes. It is suspended in a forest canopy (don't ask).
So I'm looking for ways to locate the source of trouble. I'm thinking there are three possibilities.
1.) The cable is bad
2 & 3, there is a problem with the CR1000 and or the MD485's
I'm thinking of swapping the MD485's with different ones.
I'm using shielded twisted pair(2) wire, with the shield connected at one end to earth ground. I also have a ground connection between the G connections on MD485.
Thanks
Hi GeodeNZ,
If it's possible bring the two stations temporarily together with a new cable and test the communication.
My vote is on the bad cable.
The weak link has always been the cable. Those varmints will do a tight-wire routine and chew on the cable to sharpen their teeth.
Here is a company that makes deterrents for these reasons. It's safe for the environment and the varmints.
http://www.sniffnstop.com
I guess I should add that if you have some type of a wave generator like TDR. You could inspect the wire electronically and find the damaged area.
Sonoautomated
* Last updated by: sonoautomated on 9/26/2009 @ 9:25 PM *