The solar cell powers a small fan that pulls air through the unit to make temperature readings more accurate in direct sun. That is the only thing that does! The AA batteries power the unit itself. Lithium AAs are recommended for best lifetime. Like most home use stations, the biggest issue particularly with wind is very slow update rate. It does NOT sample faster and store then update which would capture gusts. Of course it's priced accordingly!
Mine works OK until the rain freezes or when there's a pile of snow on the station (which keeps the wind cups from rotating). I would like to see some way to melt the snow/ice without using a lot of power. When I worked on satellite systems they used a deicing system where they used a 5 watt resistor (mounted in a small cup) to melt the snow/ice in the cup when the temperature dropped below 40 degrees Fahrenheit which in turn activated the antenna deicing blankets or forced air heating system. Something similar probably could be done for the Acurite rain gauge. It all depends on how important it is to the user and how much they're willing to spend.
This unit stopp working correcly three months in. I worked on trying to get it back up to speed for two weeks. The display sees the Iris and Lightening sesnor but doesnt display any readys. I am an electronis tech so i know troubleshooting. I attempted to contact them about support but the best i get is emaisl saying to do the same thing even though i wrote back everyhing i did. When i balked at this long delay i immediatly got a notice well if you dont wnat our help anymore we can close the ticket. So in the end if you buy this dont expect quality customer service let alone timely. Sorry to say but this was an xmas gift
My 5 in 1 sensor worked fine for awhile. They did send a new temp sensor due to corrosion. Worked fine for a few months, now after I change batteries and install new lithium batteries. The battery indicator comes on after a day. And maybe 3 days batteries are dead. Tried contacting support. And they didn't care. They told be to do what I have already done which is install new batteries and perform reset... won't buy accurite again.
You can buy a transmitter that hooks up to your WiFi that allows you to Officially be the weather station for your entire neighborhood. They sold the transmitter a few years ago, I’d like to hook mine up and be official.
I upgraded from a different, very reliable Acurite model to the 5 in 1, mostly to get wind speed & rain readings, but I have had constant issues with outdoor temperature inaccuracy. Acurite has replaced the entire outdoor sensor unit 3 times after I kept getting wildly off temp readings (sometimes -40, other times 140). Did all of the recommended updates/reboots/etc. but even now with re-calibrations galore, it still reads more than 10 degrees off. Cannot recommend this unit.
Imagine saying in the same breath that you have absolute certainty about climate change, but also growing up weather reporting was a joke. Which is it man?
Haha, I see your point Corey! I have more trust in the weather reports these days. North Carolina doesn't make it easy on the weather man though. I hope you have a great day, and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Hi BigCuban, thank you for the feedback. I am sorry to see you go. This was an earlier video of mine and I have learned more since then. I hope you give my other content a chance, and understand if you don't. Fair winds and following seas brother
