Boltwood Cloud Sensor III Release Notes ---------------------------------------- Revision v17.21 :: 2026-05-07 BUGFIX: Wind speed would intermittently read 0 km/h while the device web page was open at the same time as Clarity III. No recalibration needed after updating. MD5: 1ABD58DD4C5F7242AB226A223BCBABD8 Revision v17.20 :: 2026-04-17 Serial OTA firmware update now supports a "long cable" mode at 38400 baud for improved reliability over long RS-232 cable runs. SOTA Tool v1.2 adds a checkbox to enable this mode. Revision v17.19 :: 2026-04-16 New serial command: reboot the device via serial port (p en reboot). Revision v17.18 :: 2026-04-16 Serial commands expanded: wetness percentage and precipitation state are now readable via serial (g oc wetness, g oc precipstate). Serial threshold commands expanded to include all rain and wind threshold values previously only accessible via the web UI. BUGFIX: Rain reset command was not responding correctly via serial. BUGFIX: "timesincelastupdate" serial command was not resolving due to a typo. Revision v17.17 :: 2026-04-15 Serial-only units (BCS3SO) can now perform all sensor calibration operations via serial commands, without requiring web UI access. Covers temperature, humidity, light, and rain sensor baseline calibration. Revision v17.16 :: 2026-04-01 BUGFIX: Serial-Only Units (BCS3SO) lockup on boot BUGFIX: Serial newline output fix. MD5: 15E2593FE2E913E3E344E010D152441E Revision 17.15 :: 2026-04-01 (Summary of improvements from v16 to v17.15) This release series introduces significant improvements to reliability, usability, and environmental sensing performance. Key Enhancements Improved Precipitation Detection - Smarter precipitation detection with clearer status states (e.g., active, recent, clear) - Better handling of light rain, mist, dew, and drying conditions - More accurate and stable wetness measurement Enhanced Sensor Accuracy - Improved temperature and wind measurement stability - Faster and more responsive wind readings - Reduced noise and improved filtering across sensors Greater System Reliability - Major improvements to WiFi stability and automatic recovery - Reduced likelihood of system unresponsiveness under heavy usage - Improved memory management for long-term stability User Experience Improvements - Updated web interface with clearer data presentation - Simplified calibration workflows - Additional configuration options for precipitation sensitivity New Features - Optional LED indicator control for light-sensitive environments - Expanded system health monitoring and diagnostics - More flexible configuration of rain detection parameters Security Improvements - Stronger authentication for configuration changes - Improved protection of device access on local networks - Bug Fixes and Stability Improvements - Resolved issues with rain sensor false readings and fault conditions - Fixed intermittent WiFi and connectivity issues - Addressed rare crashes and memory-related issues - Improved handling of firmware updates and device configuration MD5: 2206505DA68037184D280417460B8A16 Revision 12 :: 2023/11/28 - Adjusted Rain Heater duty cycle to improve rain sensor drying - Improved rain drop detection, corrected a bug in rain detection algorithm, and improved safeguard against sensor saturation - Improved Wi-Fi connection reliability and recovery from lost connectivity - Improved firmware stability and minor defect corrections - Improved RS232 Serial communication reliability - Revised unit's Access Point SSID to allow multiple units in close proximity MD5: A1CFD9E5308CC2BAD2983AE39DE80682 Revision 10 :: 2023/01/05 - Redesigned rain sensor algorithm from ground up to improve drop sensitivity and responsivity to changing weather. - Fixed a bug that greatly improves WiFi/serial responsiveness - Added features for OEM use MD5: B054712F29BCF5E809C0ECCF9AF8FEE2 Revision 9 :: 2022/11/11 - This software update includes support for serial-only models with WiFi components fully disabled MD5: 4E2A171F58ED1C98FDDAC3CF61BA964D Revision 8 :: 2022/08/31 - Fixed a bug that may result in AccessPoint mode's credentials not matching device labels MD5: 23B6572A487CC054F258B0159CC25667 Revision 7 :: 2022/08/30 - Added support for BCSIII-S serial port models - Fixed a bug where ASCOM CloudCover property was always reporting 0% MD5: 27984CF6A162C87EDCDF2861A4830AFF Revision 6 :: 2022/08/08 - Improves connection reliability - Improves mobile browser display and UI responsiveness - Improves firmware update progress indication - Additional information displayed on Wi-Fi page