Repairs To A Youshiko Weather Station

[weather weather]

Hello

 

I have a Youshiko weather station 5 in 1  about 2 years old.  The remote temperature sensor has stopped working and sometimes the wind sensor no longer works. I have replaced the batteries and reset it several times to no avail, also cleaned it  . When I try to get parts I am told it is cheaper to buy a new one. This seems like a terrible waste . Any advice please or does anyone know of a repairer.

[Mark R]

Me too, looks like our faith in Japanese product quality may have been misplaced, looks like the standard reply from Youshiko UK is to cough up for a new one, they will tell you that it's your fault for not maintaining it as prescribed, but this is rubbish, I thought my one failing after 3 years was bad, but I see on ratings sites that many people are having this within 2 years, or in one case just 18 months, you would think that a simple circuit board replacement would be on offer, but sadly no, I am going to leave a bad rating for them so as to warn others, and I am working on communication with the manufactures in Japan, maybe they will be more protective of their reputation, I fear that is unlikely, a none reply will more likely be the result, so in the end, despite the waste, you may have to join me with a large sledgehammer in the back yard, smashing this lump of expensive junk to smithereens, then post the action on social media. 

Buy German next time, good luck, and have a happier new year  : )

[Wetweek]

My Youshiko YC9471 failed just 6 months out of guarantee ! So I decided to tackle the problem, Here's what I found,  The problem was the outside temperature failed which affects dew point and humidity readings.  I removed it from its pole, took out the batteries, turned it upside down on the bench and removed the little stevenson screen that surrounds the temperature sensor, although potted in some kind of araldite it was obvious that there was a problem by the green tinge to the ground cable.  So I removed the cover over the electronics (ease it up with a screw driver) desoldered the cables which are marked (grd, +v, SCL, SCA) then I carefully dug out the potting which I am sure was arldite or similar, and sure enough the ground cable was detached from the sensor. so I pulled back the cable made a temporary repair, put the batteries in reset the system and it worked, so the problem was cause by Youshiko by not ensuring the potting had covered the soldered terminals on the sensor.  I put everything back together with a new 4 way cable new batteries(whilst it was down from its pole in the garden) did all the seals with silicon grease and its now up and all readings are now working. I have not tried but as the system uses SDA,SCL it shoud be possible to use a temperature sensor from Pimoroni which sell for about £3 plus postage.

Dave

[Bazza1]

I have a Youshiko YC9385 with 5 in 1 sensor and the temperature sensor and it too has failed after 2 years.

I have asked Youshiko for the sensor specification so I can replace it but they have refused to issue any information.

Does anyone know the specification so I can get a replacement from Pimoroni as Wetweek suggests.

Thanks 

[Canine]

I have just joined after getting frustrated with Youshiko. I have got a YC9387 model which was bought direct from them about 3 weeks ago. Despite many attempts to get ti to work it has failed to set up correctly.According to Youshiko it is my router which is unsuitable- nothing is their fault!!. Having sent it back they said the sensor was dirty and has been used therefore they will allow 50% refund. I have been told that the dust is in t ehrain sensor. This has only been in position for 3 days and if dust is so evident then it must have been there when it was sold.

[Sanserit]

My Youshiko died at the start of February after I replaced the batteries. Not impressed and I'll need to wait until I've got the cash to buy a new station 

[sootysutton]

mine died just after the warranty ran out, youshiko were less than helpful, telling me i had to buy a complete unit, im just glad they dont make cars

[brooks]

Mine died twice; in the first week I got a replacement and then after a year it gave up the ghost. I have a Watson 8686 now and it is fautless.

[richie3846]

9 hours ago, brooks said:

Mine died twice; in the first week I got a replacement and then after a year it gave up the ghost. I have a Watson 8686 now and it is fautless.

Does the Watson 8686 connect to internet based sites, without the need for a desktop interface? I'm hoping to use a station that connects directly, so I'm able to see the data via my smartphone. I haven't got a desktop or laptop computer. 

[brooks]

Comes with a mains powered console which 'connects' to your wifi. Without looking at the details I think that mine is uploading to Met Office, Weather Underground, Weathercloud & Ecowitt

[Benny123]

On 06/11/2022 at 14:57, Wetweek said:

My Youshiko YC9471 failed just 6 months out of guarantee ! So I decided to tackle the problem, Here's what I found,  The problem was the outside temperature failed which affects dew point and humidity readings.  I removed it from its pole, took out the batteries, turned it upside down on the bench and removed the little stevenson screen that surrounds the temperature sensor, although potted in some kind of araldite it was obvious that there was a problem by the green tinge to the ground cable.  So I removed the cover over the electronics (ease it up with a screw driver) desoldered the cables which are marked (grd, +v, SCL, SCA) then I carefully dug out the potting which I am sure was arldite or similar, and sure enough the ground cable was detached from the sensor. so I pulled back the cable made a temporary repair, put the batteries in reset the system and it worked, so the problem was cause by Youshiko by not ensuring the potting had covered the soldered terminals on the sensor.  I put everything back together with a new 4 way cable new batteries(whilst it was down from its pole in the garden) did all the seals with silicon grease and its now up and all readings are now working. I have not tried but as the system uses SDA,SCL it shoud be possible to use a temperature sensor from Pimoroni which sell for about £3 plus postage.

Dave

I've just had the same problem with mine.. temp probe has stopped working. Contacted the supplier, he told me It was my bad maintenance.. unbelievable. Anyway, it seems like a really simple fix, but only if you can get a replacement probe that will fit into the board. I had a look on Pimoroni but I'll be honest, I have no idea what I'm looking for. Any suggestions? 

IMG_9743.HEICIMG_9742.HEIC

On 04/02/2023 at 11:26, Bazza1 said:

I have a Youshiko YC9385 with 5 in 1 sensor and the temperature sensor and it too has failed after 2 years.

I have asked Youshiko for the sensor specification so I can replace it but they have refused to issue any information.

Does anyone know the specification so I can get a replacement from Pimoroni as Wetweek suggests.

Thanks 

If you ever figured out the solution, I would love to know! Also no idea what I'm looking for on Pimoroni.. 

[Wetweek]

Hi Benny123

I will have to dig my unit out of the loft to check what I did to effect a repair, I gave up with the poor quality control by Youshiko and brought a Davis Vantage Vue unit as I was forever taking it down to repair it.  As it was a while ago I think I used an MCP 9808  retails at £5.10 .  I know I dug off all the potting compound and discovered the bad connection. tried the unit after I repaired it and it worked.   I then put it back up on its pole and after about 10 days it stopped recording rain, by now I was pretty good at removing it taking it apart and fixing bad connections, in the end I decided it was making such a mess of my weather records, I gave up! bit the bullet and brought a Davis unit, its been up and running now for over 11 months with no problems.  If you would like me to dig it out of the loft I will, but remember it was built to a price and not very well constructed in my view.

Cornishsunshine  

Dave

[Benny123]

On 30/11/2023 at 16:26, Wetweek said:

Hi Benny123

I will have to dig my unit out of the loft to check what I did to effect a repair, I gave up with the poor quality control by Youshiko and brought a Davis Vantage Vue unit as I was forever taking it down to repair it.  As it was a while ago I think I used an MCP 9808  retails at £5.10 .  I know I dug off all the potting compound and discovered the bad connection. tried the unit after I repaired it and it worked.   I then put it back up on its pole and after about 10 days it stopped recording rain, by now I was pretty good at removing it taking it apart and fixing bad connections, in the end I decided it was making such a mess of my weather records, I gave up! bit the bullet and brought a Davis unit, its been up and running now for over 11 months with no problems.  If you would like me to dig it out of the loft I will, but remember it was built to a price and not very well constructed in my view.

Cornishsunshine  

Dave

Sorry Dave, I’ve only just seen this! 
 

Indeed, I’m still struggling. I bought a couple of different sensors, none of which have worked thus far. Youshiko have smartly hidden any model no. Or address codes on the sensor, so it’s a bit of a guessing game when it comes to finding a sensor that reads the same IP address that the board is coded to. 
Someone else online suggested it might be IP: 12C / 40. So I’ve bought a SI7021 sensor which arrives in a few days. 
 

looking at the MCP 9808, this is an 8Pin sensor? My one was 4 pin and it very much looked like an AHT25 sensor. However, this was tiny and I can’t even find a Molex small enough to hook it up. My soldering skills are not very good for micro work either. Ha. 
 

It’d be interesting to see your replacement, but only if it’s no trouble. 
 

failing the third attempt at a fix, I might think about investing in a better unit.. Youshiko customer care is just awful. 
 

many thanks! 
b. 

[Haqa]

I was taking my Youshiko 5-in-1 sensor - YC1130(n) - down for maintenance and a battery change following some bad weather that had clearly got into the unit and knocked it offline, and I lost my grip on it and dropped it from about 8 feet up... Most of the unit is robust, but the anemometer and wind vane were destroyed (I can't even find all the bits!). I really object to replacing the entire unit when it's fine, all it needs is a couple of spares for the most vulnerable extremities, especially if it's going to cost a sizable proportion of the originial purchase price!

Of course, as we know Youshiko have a subtly different view...

So I dug out TinkerCAD.com, and Printables.com and came up with this which I hope may be useful to some of you. I've applied a CC-BY-NA-SA licence so you are free to use these models, distribute them, change them, but not charge for them. Here are the TinkerCAD objects - Cap Flyers

At the moment it is just the parts to replace the anemometer, tomorrow I'll try to build a replacement wind vane.

I hope this helps someone who's been as clumsy (or unlucky) as me.

 

[hanwell22]

Like previous contributors to this stream, my Youshiko weather station failed after 2 years. Youshiko customer support  recommended a reset. When this didn't cure the fault, Youshiko's reply was there was nothing they could do to help. I pointed out that this was unsatisfactory and  hardly what one would expect from a 'no quibble guarantee'.  I intimated that I would post a review to the effect that the weather station wasn't value for money. Youshiko threatened me that if I posted a negative review they would identify me and take legal action, accusing me of blackmail. 

I think this is a clear attempt to intimidate me and silence legitimate criticism.

So please beware of Youshiko Customer Services! 

[The PIT]

 hanwell22 Well at that point you post a negative review. I once bought some dodgy gear on amazon clearly counterfeit dvd's.  I was refunded and was asked to to remove the negative feedback which I didn't as  I was warning other people out there. The trader disappeared a few weeks later probably got another ID or perhaps was banned by Amazon. Had another company who sold me a phone and it died tow days later. A bit of tooing and throwing they still refused to replace it so turned trading standards on them and they too disappeared from trading some time later. In meantime I had to send the phone back to Nokia.

In your case they won't go out of business but you may protect other users. If they do come back to threatening again say take me to court I'll win and you'll pay the costs. It's also worth going to the small claims court it costs next to nothing and should shut them up if nothing else. You can post that an outstanding claim is against them online as well.

Edited July 26, 2024 by The PIT

[hanwell22]

Further to my previous post, my wife and I have now submitted negative reviews to Trustpilot (ironically Youshiko asked us for a review   at the start of our dialogue!). Youshiko have persistently challenged the validity of the reviews with Trustpilot, at the same time repeatedly threatening us with legal action (claiming that we are trying to blackmail them). We have complained to Trustpilot but at the end of the day we have taken down our reviews for a quieter life and bought a replacement weather station from Bresser (cheaper, better documentation than Youshiko, and a longer warranty period).

[The PIT]

Shouldn't have really removed the reviews as there isn't a lot they can do apart from making vain threats which can you counter with your consumer rights.

[PaulL]

 Bazza1 Hi, Only found this recently as my Youshiko temp/humidity has also failed. Posting now for the benefit of others finding same problem. I have removed the component (de-soldered ribbon cable from main PCB and used oven to loosen the glue fixing sensor into plastic, 80-100 Celsius should do it) and peeled away the plastic cover over the sensor chip. The sensor is labelled SHTC3. Just ordered two on mini PCBs for £10 delivered. I hope I can fit one into the sensor case. I'll post again once sensors arrive and I try one out.

[PaulL]

 Bazza1 Hi, Only found this recently as my Youshiko temp/humidity has also failed. Posting now for the benefit of others finding same problem. I have removed the component (de-soldered ribbon cable from main PCB and used oven to loosen the glue fixing sensor into plastic, 80-100 Celsius should do it) and peeled away the plastic cover over the sensor chip. The sensor is labelled SHTC3. Just ordered two on mini PCBs for £10 delivered. I hope I can fit one into the sensor case. I'll post again once sensors arrive and I try one out.

Update: Replacement SHTC3 on mini PCB installed and tested. All good. Added some neutral cure silicone to cover newly soldered joints. Display now showing external temperature, humidity and the calculated wind chill. I ordered the replacement SHTC3 from kunkune.co.uk

Will re-attach station to pole tomorrow as too dark outside at time of writing. I hope this helps others with failed temp/humidity sensor

[oborotenj]

I’ve seen people grab temperature probes from places like Pimoroni and make it work. Might need a little soldering, but that’s better than tossing the whole thing.