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Battery Charging Indicator Light Not Blinking

Home › Forums › Mayfly Data Logger › Battery Charging Indicator Light Not Blinking

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    • 2020-09-16 at 11:16 AM #14584
      Cheryl Nolan
      Participant

        Hello,

        We installed a Mayfly Data Logger on Sept 10, 2020. We are using the manual downloading method of retrieving data and I’ve done so three times as of now. When I opened the box to swap out the cards yesterday (the third time), I noticed the battery charging indicator light was not blinking. I checked all of the connections and cleaned off the solar panel (it wasn’t particularly dirty) and hit the reset button (hoping it wouldn’t negatively affect the programming or change the date/time). Still no blinking light. The red/green data collection lights did blink and when I downloaded the data it all seemed to be there. Any thoughts? Is this a real problem? Did I do the wrong thing by resetting the unit?

        Thanks!

      • 2020-09-16 at 4:44 PM #14585
        Shannon Hicks
        Moderator

          The yellow LED on the Mayfly board indicates when the battery is actively being charged. If the battery is fully charged, then the yellow LED will be off. What does the data card file say the battery voltage was when you experienced the issue of the yellow LED not being lit? The Red and Green LEDs near the battery jack are programmed to blink rapidly back and forth 5 times when you first boot up the board (or if you press the reset button), assuming you’re running one of our MondularSensors example sketches. Once the logger is running, the Green LED will only come on when the logger is awake an taking a sample. There’s a second Red LED down in the far corner of the Mayfly board near the Grove connectors, and it comes on when the sensors are being powered during a sample. When the logger is asleep, you won’t see any Red or Green LEDs, and the yellow LED will only be lit if the battery is lower than 4.15v and the sun is out. If there’s not sufficient sun to charge the battery, or if the battery is already charged, then the Yellow LED will be out, this indicates that the charge regulator circuit is functioning correctly to keep from over-charging the battery once it’s full. So checking your datafile to see what battery voltage was recorded is important for determining if your charger is working properly.

        • 2020-09-18 at 10:33 AM #14587
          Cheryl Nolan
          Participant

            Ok, then the battery and charging system is working properly. I was under the false impression that the charging light was supposed to be lit constantly. However, I did make the mistake of hitting the reset button and now I’m not getting readings from the sensor in the stream. I’m only getting the battery level and the board temperature. The readings for conductivity, temperature and depth are all -9999. Any idea why?

            Thanks!

          • 2020-09-18 at 11:54 AM #14588
            Shannon Hicks
            Moderator

              Pressing the rest button only makes the logger code restart, the same as if you turned the power switch off and then back on, so it shouldn’t cause the sensor to stop working. Did the sensor stop reporting normal values exactly when you restarted the board? Did you accidently bump the sensor connector inside your enclosure and cause a bad connection to become loose? I’m assuming you’re using the Grove stereo jack adapter board, or maybe a screw terminal board if you bought a sensor with bare wires. Does your station have a cellular board to send live data to a website, or is it recording on the memory card only?

            • 2020-09-18 at 1:55 PM #14589
              Cheryl Nolan
              Participant

                I believe the sensor stopped reporting normal values exactly when I restarted the board. I’ll have to check to make sure the sensor connector has a good connection. I believe we’re using the Grove stereo jack adapter board. (I didn’t assemble or program it. I am maintaining it.) I’ve attached a photo of the board. We do not have a celular board set-up yet, we are using the memory card only.

                Thanks again.

                Corrections from above………….

                We are using the grove screw terminal board with the bare wires. I checked those connections and I checked all other connections and everything seems to have a good connection. I also checked the sensor in the water and brush it clean with my hand. Still no data coming from the stream. I also checked to see if the wires had been chewed and found them in good condition.

                Attachments:

                1. Mayfly-Data-Logger-Board-scaled.jpg

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