Summary
Upgrade to master program & replacement soil sensors installedDetails
Ali W & Jeri W visited SLU smoil in April 16 & 17 2025 to do general maintenance, investigate potentially faulty soil sensors & upgrade/rewire station to master program
Trip Documentation
SLU Field Troubleshooting Plan
Observations (also reference photos in gphotos album: CenCoast - SLU / Santa Lucia Conservancy)
- Soil pit seems kind of not entirely full? conduit was sitting above ground, steel wool had kind of fallen out of plastic conduit down into top of pit, cables exposed between plastic conduit and steel woven conduit.
- soil cables chewed: #1 & 6 near enclosure on coiled portion, #6 minimally damaged. #2 between plastic and woven steel conduit. #4 not visibly damaged.
- Soil and hygrovue cables visibly pulled like they were yanked on, animal fur on the velcro, soil cables
- Sensors all addressed correctly, Sensors 2 & 4 not functioning properly (as expected)
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Wiring traced: Traced SW2 powers barometer, soils 1-3&4-6; Traced terminal block a power traced to CS506 which isn’t powering/connected;
All connections seem good, modem connections also good; not everything has a ferrule - Fiberglass enclosure super splintery, its in the middle of a super sunny area though it doesn't look like it gets any shade at all
Tasks completed
- tested ALL soil sensors, investigated cables/wiring
- dug new soil pit, installed replacement sensors for #s 2&4, trenched & installed conduit & weatherhead, refilled/covered/connected everything
- Evicted some wasps from the home they made in the weather head, replaced steel wool & weather head
- Trenched underneath & buried original conduit (was sitting above ground)
- Fixed steel wool in original conduit on end next to pit
- Rewired enclosure, uploaded master prog
- cut damaged portion of sensor #1 cable & reconnected cut end of un-damaged portion
- reset modem, uploaded new template & rebooted
- confirmed station function/data with Adolfo remotely