Doc sorry to hear that your new dual panel has bit the dust. (Is this the *new* one sent out by Acurite last fall?... the one with the red and white wiring?... the one that was supposed to FIX the problem)
I have had this one running since I got it in the fall and so far it is still keeping reasonable agreement with my other Acurite sensor in a sheltered location.
TILL NOW! I think that it too has bit the big one.
I have not been watching it too closely until today, plus we have not had a nice sunny morning without clouds for a while.
I, like you, use the meteobridge and send an amalgamation of data, so my broadcasted temp is the sheltered one.
What is interesting to see is the difference between the single panel and the dual panel. The "PRO" Dual panel performs worse than the plebeian Single panel it is supposed to replace. The single panel is struggling to keep up with the sheltered temp sensor, but the dual is way off!
Yes, this is the one with the red and white wires. We had a ton of rain and very high winds for a couple of days, and after that period is when I notice a problem... It kept getting worse over the course of several days. I think the high winds must have stripped the motor. (Maybe) ? Either that or moisture ingress.
The dual panel system is just not robust enough for it's purpose, at least that's the way it appears to me. If you install it near the ground, maybe winds won't tear it up, but that defeats the purpose of a wind meter.
I wonder if the Davis all in one units with forced aspiration for temp reading have the same issues? I get the sense that their sensor enclosure is more protected. Having said that, the times when the fan would be running and the wind and rain conditions so severe are few.
The Acurite design for the 5in1 motor does leave the motor components very exposed and prone to corrosion. They could isolate the fan motor by blocking it off more... hmm I see a mod soon.
The Davis vantage vue has no fan, but the VP 2 does offer DFARS or 24 hr FARS, and people say the motors slow down like ours are doing. Dirt, moisture and wind force are likely the issue with these motors, stressing the mechanism. I have a motor I took from the very first single panel unit I owned, and put it in the first dual panel I had, and that motor is still singing nicely, but it is noisy. It must have good brushes. I could put it up there, but the wind bearings are gone in that panel... Not really worth messing with.
What kind of mod would allow enough air flow? You can't put a radiation shield under the sensor because of the stupid wx vane. I wanted to do this mod a long while back. They need to do a redesign.