Weather Vane substitute for Davis Vantage Pro

thingiverse

My Davis Vantage Pro Wind Vane stopped working, the potentiometer sensor kept failing intermittently because its internal circuitry was damaged from being sealed in resin. The wind cups and their sensors remained functional so I decided to build a new weather vane that connects directly into the cable leading back to the wireless transmission unit while still allowing anemometer signals to pass through. I took extra precautions by designing bearings and flexible couplings to minimize wind buffeting stresses that might have caused the failure in the original unit. This custom-built solution may seem like overkill, but it was necessary to ensure optimal performance. The replacement potentiometer I sourced has a slightly higher resistance when starting up than the original OEM part, which could change as it wears down. Currently, in light breezes (less than 3 kph), it's not responding as well as the OEM unit. I'll post updates if its performance improves over time. Parts needed: * Two 608ZZ ball bearings (8x22x7mm) * One flexible shaft coupling joint (6.35mm x 8mm) * One M5 screw (40mm long) * One M3 screw (10mm long) * Two M3 screws (6mm long) * One brass rod (8mm diameter, 50mm long) * Four-wire telephone cable * A continuous 360° 20K potentiometer (Bourns 6639S-1-203 or Vishay 157B203MX)