Page 2
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...
Scalar Averaging of Wind Speed and Direction....18 Vector Averaging of Wind Speed and Direction....19 Wind Direction Coasting............19 Gust Wind Speed and Direction Over Time......20 CHAPTER 3 INSTALLATION.................... 21 Selecting Location ..............21 Installation Procedure............21 Unpacking Instructions............21 VAISALA ________________________________________________________________________ 3...
Page 4
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ Factory Settings..............22 RS-232 Default Settings for USA ........22 Default Settings of RS-232, RS-422, and RS-485 for Europe ................23 Mounting................26 Mounting Procedure on a 1-inch IPS Vertical Pipe..26 Inverted Mounting............26 Alignment................27 Magnetic Declination Correction ........27 Compass Alignment with a Mast Adapter ......28 Connections ................31 Powering..................33 Power Supplies..............33...
Page 5
Start Measurement Command (aM!) ......58 Send Data Command (aD0!) ......... 58 Continuous Measurements (aR0!) ......... 60 Start Verification (aV!)............ 61 Vaisala-specific SDI-12 Commands Supported by WS425 62 Measurement Unit Change (aXUx!)....... 62 Heater Control Command (aXHx!)......... 63 Check Current Submode (aX?!)........63 Place Sensor in Submode B (aXQx;c.c;n;yyyy!)....
Page 6
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ List of Figures Figure 1 Different Wind Speed and Direction Presentations ....18 Figure 2 Mounting the Sensor to Adapter..........24 Figure 3 WS425 Main Dimensions ............25 Figure 4 Sketch of Magnetic Declination ..........27 Figure 5 Suunto Compass MC-2 ............28 Figure 6 Correctly Aligned WS425 Ultrasonic Wind Sensor....29 Figure 7...
- Chapter 5, Maintenance, provides you with general maintenance information. - Chapter 6, Troubleshooting, provides you information on common problems. - Chapter 7, Technical Data, gives the technical data on the product. - Appendix A, Drawings, includes detailed pictures of the adapters. VAISALA ________________________________________________________________________ 7...
Correction to salt spray test: MIL-STD-810 Method 509. Feedback Vaisala 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 e-mail: manuals@vaisala.com...
WD [V] 0 ... Vref RS-232 cable Serial mode with wind RS-232 speed unit = miles per NMEA message hour Vaisala WATT 11 message Vaisala Handar message WS425 x 2 ... (RS-232/ RS-232 cable Serial mode with wind RS-232 RS-485/RS-422...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ Safety 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 WARNING instructions very carefully at this point, there is a risk of injury or even death.
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.
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ Regulatory Compliances The Vaisala WS425 Ultrasonic Wind Sensor has been tested to fulfill the following regulatory compliances. Also mentioned here are some third- party tests that involved field testing of the sensor. EN55011 Class A Group 1 & EN50082-2...
Included) NWS ASOS Mechanical Wind Sensor Replacement Vaisala has participated in a three-year test program conducted by the U.S. National Weather Service ASOS Program group. The NWS has conducted a variety of tests including wind tunnel tests from 0 to 120 knots and field tests in various locations.
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.
The microprocessor of the microcontroller calculates the wind speed from the transit times using the following formula: ⋅ ⋅ − (1/t where: Wind velocity The distance between two transducers The transit time in the forward direction The transit time in the reverse direction. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 15...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ Measuring the six transmit times allows wind velocity to be calculated for each of the three ultrasonic paths, which are offset to each other by 120°. The calculated wind speeds are independent of altitude, temperature, and humidity because they cancel out with the six measurements even though the velocity of sound affects individual transit times.
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ Polar Wind Speed and Direction The wind speed (WS) is represented as a scalar speed in selected units (m/s, kt, mph, km/h). The wind direction (WD) is expressed in degrees (°). 0212-044 Figure 1 Different Wind Speed and Direction Presentations Wind Speed X and Y Components The wind speed (x, y) is represented as two scalar speeds, one parallel to the N-S direction (x) and the other (y) parallel to the W-E direction The...
Therefore, you can specify a direction coast speed. When the measured wind speed drops below the direction coast speed, the calculations use the last wind direction that occurred while the wind speed was at or above the direction coast speed to the average wind direction. You can VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 19...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ specify a direction coast speed between 0.0 and 9.9 units of measurement. Use 0.0 if coasting is not required. For example, making the direction coast speed = 2.0. The consecutive measurements are presented in Table 6 below. Table 6 Wind Direction Coasting Measured Wind Speed Measured Wind Wind Direction Used...
The sensor comes with a Hex-socket bolt and a grooved bolt to be used in mounting. CAUTION Never move the WS425 Ultrasonic Wind Sensor until it is in its custom shipping container. Otherwise, the warranty will become void. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 21...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ CAUTION A transducer is located at the top of each of the three arms. Be careful not to damage any of the transducers. Dropping the sensor can break or damage the transducer or the arms will bend and they cannot be re- aligned.
None Data Bits: * 0.2 in sensors that are delivered to airport applications These default settings are delivered with product ordering options x2xxx NOTE (for example, WS425 A2A1A, where the number 2 refers to the default settings.) VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 23...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ 0311-011 Figure 2 Mounting the Sensor to Adapter The following numbers refer to Figure 2 above. Sensor body Cable connector Spacer ring 3/16 inch Hex-socket bolt or standard screw Sensor adapter Fastening clamp Vertical tube The dimensions of the adapter are illustrated in Figure 3 on page 25. 24 __________________________________________________________________ M210361EN-E...
Chapter 3 _______________________________________________________________ Installation 0212-045 Figure 3 WS425 Main Dimensions The dimensions are in millimeters. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 25...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ Mounting Mounting Procedure on a 1-inch IPS Vertical Pipe Use the following procedure to mount the sensor normally to a vertical 1- inch International Pipe Standards (IPS) pipe. WS425FIX30 is suitable for the 1-inch IPS vertical pipe and WS425FIX60 is suitable for a 60-mm vertical pipe (Europe).
The magnetic declination is the difference in degrees between the true north and magnetic north. See Figure 4 below. 0003-011 Figure 4 Sketch of Magnetic Declination The source for the magnetic declination must be current as the NOTE declination changes over time. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 27...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ 0212-048 Figure 5 Suunto Compass MC-2 Compass Alignment with a Mast Adapter The following steps aim the wind sensor when using the 1-inch adapter for mounting. Use the compass to determine that the N-S transducer heads of the ultrasonic wind sensor are exactly in line with the compass.
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ 0208-024 Figure 7 Adjusting the N-S Heads The following letters refer to Figure 7 above. A = The installer is too far to the left. B = The installer is in line with the sensor. C = The sensor's appearance is shown when the installer is in the correct position.
WD Vref in - WD Vout Data in (R+) WS Fout WS Vout +36 VDC +36 VDC +36 VDC +36 VDC +36 VDC The short-circuits between pins 5, 6, and 7 are required for selecting the NOTE protocol. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 31...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ 0212-041 Figure 8 Open-Lead Cables for WS425 Sensors For 10-meter cables that are available from Vaisala, see section Technical Data on page 79. Choose the cable according to the desired communication protocol. 32 __________________________________________________________________ M210361EN-E...
16 is connected to a +36 VDC source. If you are operating WS425 when pin 16 is not connected to +36 VDC, you must ground pin 16. Never float pin 16 on WS425 because the sensor will not report accurate readings. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 33...
Page 34
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ This page intentionally left blank. 34 __________________________________________________________________ M210361EN-E...
In SI units, a change of 0.894 m/s adds 10 Hz to the frequency. A frequency counter is required to count the output in Hz and the calculation that scales the result to appropriate units. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 35...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ 0212-039 Figure 9 Frequency Connection The wind speed output at pin 15 is a voltage that varies linearly from 0 VDC at 0 mph to 1 VDC at 125 mph. In SI units, the voltage varies linearly from 0 VDC at 0 m/s to 1 VDC at 55.88 m/s.
1.0 to 4.0 VDC. The output at pin 13 is 0 VDC at zero degrees and increases to the maximum input voltage at 359 degrees. 0212-040 Figure 11 Analog Connection Missing Readings For analog outputs, the wind speed is set to 125 mph when a reading is missing. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 37...
During this time, the sensor responds to commands issued with settings such as 9600 bit/s, 8 data bits, parity None, 1 stop bit. Serial Mode Default Settings for the USA Vaisala WS425 Ultrasonic Anemometer, Firmware Version v6.04. Operation Mode: Handar RS-232...
There is a short timeout in typing in the characters. Therefore, type the OPEN command followed by ENTER relatively fast. The OPEN command displays the following menu (on the next page): VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 39...
The identify command is I. The following is an example of the command: VAISALA WS425A/AH 600 Vaisala WS425A/AH is the vendor and model number, 600 is version 6.00 of models WS425A/AH. Measurement Command Wx The measurement command is Wx where x is the time for averaging wind speed and wind direction.
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ Table 10 The RS-232 19-character Fixed Length Output Message Character Message position “☻” 02H (<STX>, start of transmission) “W” “5” for 5-second running average “P” for “pass” “F” for “fail” Wind direction (most significant digit) Wind direction (middle digit) Wind direction (least significant digit) Wind speed (most significant digit) Wind speed (next digit)
Line feed code, ASCII 0AH NOTE When the NMEA Standard message format is selected, the sensor must have a non-zero output interval setting (parameter 5 in the configuration menu) since no polling command is defined for this message type. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 43...
If data is missing due to a measurement problem, the NMEA messages will only show the commas (,) between the data fields. Thus, NMEA is a variable-length data message. NMEA Extended Message Vaisala extension to the standard MWV wind message is defined as follows: $P<id>MWV,<dir>,<ref>,<spd>,<uni>,<sta>*<chk><cr><lf> where Fixed text <id>...
$WIPMQ,*7E<cr><lf> $WIPNQ,*7D<cr><lf> $WIPOQ,*7C<cr><lf> NOTE When using the sensor in the NMEA Extended mode, you can either set the output interval to zero (parameter 5 in the configuration menu) to enable polling or use some fixed output interval. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 45...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ WAT11 Message The fixed length format of the WAT11 message is defined as follows: <stx><id><spd><dir> where <stx> Start of text character (1 digit) <id> Sensor identification character, for example, A (one digit). <spd> Wind speed (in m/s) multiplied by 10, for example, 045 is 4.5 m/s (three digits).
When the scalar averaging is selected, the wind direction is a circular function with a discontinuity at due north, where 360° is equal to 0°. For example, 359° + 5° = + 4° and 0° - 5° = 355°. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 47...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ The microprocessor translates this circular function to a linear function, that is, 359° + 5° is translated to 364° and 0° - 5° translates to - 5°. To calculate the scalar average wind direction, each translated wind direction measurement taken over the preceding averaging interval is summed and the sum is divided by the number of measurements.
The installation of the sensor upside down should be constructed in a way that prevents water from entering the sensor connector. Bit Rate The following options are available: - 1200b - 2400b - 4800b - 9600b - 19200b VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 49...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ The new bit rate setting is activated as soon as the configuration changes are saved (selection 12) and operation is resumed (selection 14). NOTE For the first 5 seconds after powering up the sensor, the serial line parameters are 9600b, 8, N, 1. Parity The following options are available: - None...
SDI-12 data recorders and sensors. The SDI-12 bus is the cable that connects multiple SDI-12 devices. This is a cable with three conductors: - A serial data line - A ground line - A 12-volt line VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 51...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ NOTE With Vaisala SDI-12 cable, code WS425CAB SDI the lead colors are as follows: data - whi/yel; ground - Blk; and 12-volts - Brn. The SDI-12 bus is can have at least 10 sensors connected to it. The bus topology is a parallel connection, where each of the 3 wires of different sensors are connected in parallel.
The baud rate for SDI-12 is 1200 b. Table 14 below shows the byte frame format for SDI-12. Table 14 Byte Frame Format for SDI-12 1 start bit 7 data bits, least significant bit transmitted first 1 parity bit, even parity 1 stop bit VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 53...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ Two Different Submodes Vaisala WS425 is designed to work in two different operational modes when running the SDI-12 protocol. These modes will be called "submode A" and "submode B". This arrangement makes it possible to do the following: - Keep the sensor in a sleep mode when measurement is not active, thus enabling a very low-power operation of the sensor (submode A).
The response is the following: a<CR><LF> where The sensor address. The default values is zero (0). <CR><LF> Terminates the response. The following is an example of the command: The following is an example of the response: 0<CR><LF> VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 55...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ Send Identification Command (aI!) This command is used to query sensors for their SDI-12 compatibility level, model number, and firmware version number. The following is an example of the command: where The sensor address. The send identification command Terminates the command.
Terminates the command. The response is the following: b<CR><LF> where The address of the sensor (will equal the new address or the original address if the sensor is unable to change the address). <CR><LF> Terminates the response. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 57...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ Start Measurement Command (aM!) With this command, the sensor will make a measurement. The sensor will not return the measurement to the data recorder after this command. It shows the time after which the measurement result can be retrieved using the D0! command and it also shows the number of parameters.
Page 59
<s> <CR><LF> Terminates the response. The above are measurement data fields. If data is missing due to a measurement problem (for example, blocked paths between transducers), the measurement data is replaced with 999 as follows: >7D0! 7+999.9+9999+999.9+999.9+999.9 VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 59...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ When the previous command WS aV! is given, the response is the following: a<watchdog><WS_unit><SDI-mode><spare><CR><LF> where The sensor address. <watchdog> The number of times the watchdog has triggered. Ideally should be zero. Format: +(c)c <WS_unit> Wind speed unit. The options are: +0 = mph +1 = kt +2 = km/h...
D0! command. The WS425 verification data includes a watchdog count, sensor measurement unit settings and the current SDI mode setting. The command is the following: where The sensor address. The start verification command. Terminates the command. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 61...
The number of verification data fields that will be returned (4). <CR><LF> Terminates the response. Vaisala-specific SDI-12 Commands Supported by WS425 Measurement Unit Change (aXUx!) This command sets the desired measurement unit for wind speed. The command is available in submode A only.
The response is the following: a<CR><LF> where The sensor address. The new wind speed setting. <CR><LF> Terminates the response. Check Current Submode (aX?!) The command is the following: aX?! where The sensor address. The check current submode command. Terminates the command. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 63...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ The response is the following: a+x<CR><LF> where The sensor address. The currently active submode. The options are: 0 = submode A 1 = submode B <CR><LF> Terminates the response. Place Sensor in Submode B (aXQx;c.c;n;yyyy!) This command sets the sensor into submode B which enables calculation of averaged wind data and gust wind speed and direction.
The response is the following: a<CR><LF> where The sensor address. <CR><LF> Terminates the response. Check Current Measurement Unit (aX*!) The command is the following: aX*! where The sensor address. The check current measurement unit command. Terminates the command. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 65...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ The response is the following: a+x<CR><LF> where The sensor address. Currently active wind speed unit. The options are: 0 = mph 1 = kt 2 = km/h 3 = m/s <CR><LF> Terminates the response. SDI-12 TIMING The Figure 12 on page 67 shows a timing diagram for an SDI-12 command and its response.
87 milliseconds, the next command must be preceded by a break. NOTE In addition to being a power consumption state, the low power standby mode is a protocol state and a break is required to leave that state. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 67...
Page 68
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ This page intentionally left blank. 68 __________________________________________________________________ M210361EN-E...
The RTV sealant must be free of damage and it must provide a good seal between the transducer and the transducer mounting arm. If this seal is damaged, water may enter the wind sensor. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 69...
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ Do not strike or bend the transducers. Striking or bending the transducers will destroy the array of the ultrasonic wind sensor. All the transducers should be parallel to each other. For the correct alignment, see Figure 13 below. The verifier should slide over the transducers without excessive force.
The sensor must read less than 0.5 miles per hour (0.22 m/s) with the verifier in place. Some random data samples may be lost during the zero verifier test. NOTE This, however, does not indicate that the sensor is faulty. VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 71...
A radio link tower is an extremely demanding RF environment for any measurement device. The WS425 sensor has undergone electromagnetic compatibility tests in two different laboratories and is compliant with requirements of MIL-STD-461B and EN 61000-4-3. The tested VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 73...
Page 74
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ frequency range spanned from 10 kHz to 10 GHz. The tested sensors were only disturbed by frequencies occurring at the band from 95kHz to 107kHz, which is the range that the sensor uses for the ultrasonic measurement. Radio communication devices do not operate at this band. Despite the heavy testing, the GSM link equipment may cause interference to an ultrasonic sensor due to extremely high electromagnetic field levels around the transmission antenna.
Instructions for Opening a Serial Terminal Connection to WS425 Connect an RS-232 cable between your terminal computer, power supply and your sensor. If you are using a Vaisala RS-232 cable with code ZZ45203, the cable colors are the following: Connections to power supply:...
Problem Report. Pack the sensor into the original shipping container. The sensor warranty will be void if another packing method is used. Send the box to the nearest Vaisala Service depot, see Vaisala Service Centers on page 77. 76 __________________________________________________________________ M210361EN-E...
1 to 3600 seconds Analog outputs wind speed frequency 5 Hz/mph voltage 8.0 mV/mph output impedance 10 kohm wind direction simulated potentiometer 0 ...V represents 0 ... 359° reference voltage 1.0 ... 4.0 V output impedance 24 kohm VAISALA _______________________________________________________________________ 79...
Page 80
USER'S GUIDE____________________________________________________________________ Wind Speed Response Characteristics Maximum reading rate 1 per second Sonic measurement time 0.2 s Signal processing time 0.15 s Response time 0.35 s General Operating power supply 10 ...15 VDC, 29 mA RMS 36 VDC ±10 %, 0.7 A Heating power supply (for heated model) Operating temperature WS425 non-heated...