(up to August 19th 2019) River System status

[Penri]

I expect these little hiccups with the river system it’s what makes it interesting

[TerryJC]

After this morning's discussion, it was decided that I should take the Stage Butts Pi and the Hall Effect Sensor back home and run it continuously for a week or two to see if we could replicate the problems that we've seen at WMT.

Unfortunately I forgot to pick them up from the poly-tunnel when I left today and I won't be able to pick them up tomorrow morning because I have to take Lynn to Dorchester for a hospital appointment. Having said that, if we are back fairly early, I'll pop in on my way back. Either way, I should be able to start the testing by Thursday at the latest.

[hamishmb]

I will write a brief summary of our discussion in the meetings forum - I think it would be good to note what we talked over. I am glad that the issue wasn't the network, or an outright software crash at any rate.

[Penri]

I can’t make WMT this morning, at least not till later, Greg’s emailed to say that sump is low and is topping it up. I suspect the system is ok and maintaining a lowish sump level. Under normal conditions, with fullish butts, what sump level does the control system try to maintain the sump level at currently?

[hamishmb]

Sumppi will try to keep the level between 600 and 400 under normal conditions.

I am in this morning and it seems the system is operating normally. We are still getting anomalous readings from the probes every now and then, which appears to be what caused the low level this morning. It now seems to have righted itself though.

I also observed the butts pump come on briefly during startup of sumppi, and then turn back off. I don't know why it would do this, but I will investigate to see if a change in the software caused this.

Attached are the latest readings. I have now cleared the logs and readings folders, and restarted the pis, so we should have a new set of readings on Tuesday/next Thursday.

Penri, I am still in, and can stay in until 1ish, so I shall wait for you and write tests for the software in the mean time.

[Penri]

Hamish, thanks. I’ll try to make WMT this morning but it’s looking doubtful at the moment.

[Penri]

Thanks for the results files, do you know why the Wendy Butts probe seems only to report measurement in 100mm steps (apart from the odd 25mm or 75mm anomaly) while the Sump probe reports in 25mm steps (with similar anomalies)?

[TerryJC]

That is something else that needs investigation.

[hamishmb]

It certainly does. I don't think there's a reason software-wise why it would do that - sumppi and buttspi both use the same software for the hall effect probe; if it works on one of them, it should work on both and vice versa.

[Penri]

That's what I was expecting from OO S/W, but the hardware is identical between the two probes also and as each probe is made up of 4 independent channels (X00mm, X25mm, X50mm and X75mm) having 3 of them go down to leave only one working is a bit of a stretch too. Curious.