Recent Posts

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Users Projects / Re: Going off-grid in Idaho

« Last post by Wolvenar on January 18, 2023, 01:30:27 pm »

David HK

<rant>
I'll partially answer that question about young people.
Because schools have taught them to not step out of line, be a good little consumer.
Why would anyone need to know more than the minimal skill needed for their desired trade?
Are we all supposed to spend our time only on social media, and legacy media where we can be told what to do and what to think?
etc
</rant>

2

Automation, Controls, Inverters, MPPT, etc / Re: long distance pwm control of GTI's with arduino

« Last post by noneyabussiness on November 22, 2022, 02:38:28 am »

another Update,  has a LED as a heartbeat, whenever it picks up a proper signal from the transmitter. if goes solid, garbled data was recieved and will reset chip, else pulses. If it goes out of range of transmitter it will stop pulsing, again resetting chip to try connecting again.... also played with the timings ( more specific for my setup, but configurable) and put some upper/lower voltage limits on recieved voltage for more redundancy...

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Automation, Controls, Inverters, MPPT, etc / Re: long distance pwm control of GTI's with arduino

« Last post by noneyabussiness on November 18, 2022, 05:26:29 pm »

OK, so found a minor fault, would after a undetermined amount of time, lock up and send full stops, so moved the watchdog reset flag into the" send " loop... so if it doesn't receive anything for 8 secs the WDT will reset chip... no more lock ups ...

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Automation, Controls, Inverters, MPPT, etc / long distance pwm control of GTI's with arduino

« Last post by noneyabussiness on November 18, 2022, 12:01:47 am »

Hey all, been testing this for a bit now, and I'm confident it is achievable with a arduino and a nrf24l01 module,  I have a wotking prototype... I was thinking of a issue Clockman had, trying to regulate his GTI's from a significant distance and I've also come accross this need.. so Ill put up code for the arduinos and If anyone has comments or suggestions please let me know..

Ive added comments and left the original pinout description in the transmit INO.. personally tested these modules ( with booster and antenna)  to 700 meters open field / line of sight.. as this is a " bang bang " type pwm for my setup, it can also be easily modified for progressive pwm..

hope this helps someone .

5

Users Projects / Re: Going off-grid in Idaho

« Last post by dochubert on November 15, 2022, 10:44:06 pm »

Thanks David,
I'll have to put the project on hold until I can come up with an oscillating switch anyway.  I have plenty of other projects I can work on in the meantime.
BBQ does sound pretty good!

We have managed to stay off grid for the last several days (since the snow days) since there's been enough sun.  That's something anyway.  Will have to start switching to grid overnight soon though.  Days are getting short.

Today I painted lamps for my wife, cut and split firewood, cleaned out a rain gutter, worked on cleaning up the back shed and repaired the cord on a heater (cat chewed it).  Enough for one day.

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Users Projects / Re: Going off-grid in Idaho

« Last post by David HK on November 12, 2022, 04:58:13 pm »

If you are as old as I am just give up the idea.

I have been working on a project for 26 years to design and build the finest combined all stainless steel roasting spit and BBQ in the whole of Hong Kong.

There are many accessories such as the circular dining table, BBQ forks with unusual capacities, scissors lift for high and low level, a Lazy Susan for the dining table, a cheese board to fit inside the Lazy Susan, four levelling legs that are a sight for mechanical engineers to behold, modified Bain Maries, a rotisserie, and much more.

This week I made four stainless steel S hooks to hold the support framework elements for the weather cover to sit on when the BBQ is in use.

How stupid of me not to have made these simple things years ago.

On Friday last I spend some delightful hours cleaning my work and yesterday (Saturday) my wife, daughter and I had a delayed BBQ to celebrate my recent birthday.

The good news is that I have I run out of useful ideas for new things and the entirety is only in the prototype stage at the moment.

Forgo your latest project, take a rest, and have a BBQ.

David

A couple of seven year old photographs are attached.

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Users Projects / Re: Going off-grid in Idaho

« Last post by dochubert on November 11, 2022, 07:00:28 pm »

Ok, now that I've stuck my neck out there and said I'm going to try the Tesla experiment, I find I'm kinda stuck.    The metal plate, no problem.  The transformer, I have a couple to try.  That vibrating switch, which I hardly glanced at before, is something else again. 
Seemed simple at first glance.  I'm an old electrician, not an electronics whiz.  The best thing I could think of was a rotating magnet and a reed switch.  Not very practical.
I have a ne555 relay, but it stays on too long to be useful.

Any suggestions appreciated.

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Users Projects / Re: Going off-grid in Idaho

« Last post by dochubert on November 09, 2022, 10:21:24 pm »

Happy Birthday David!  Sorry to hear you are still dealing with the pandemic fraud.  One of the reasons we chose rural Idaho when we left commie california, was to be among people who simply ignored the 'mandates'.  Not everybody sadly.  I had to turn around and leave places where they required face diapers during the worst of it.  Luckily, it's pretty much gone around here now.  Crazy as it sounds, the holdouts are doctor's offices and hospitals.  Places where a thinking person would imagine sanity and common sense would prevail.  I'm so disillusioned with most doctors now that I'll be in trouble if I ever need one.  I don't think I'll ever trust one again considering they pretty much all went along with the obvious fraud.  Many, many people are dead or will die sometime soon or are permanently injured because those doctors went along with the fraud.  And I've said too much already.

I mentioned previously trying a couple experiments using an aerial to harvest power, with little success.  I have one more to try.  Tesla claimed it could be done and has a patent on a method. Looks like this;



Snowed all day today so didn't get out there to try it.  Hoping to work on it tomorrow.  Also need to work on setting up the motor/generator set to provide isolation to protect the batteries and inverter.  Not helping myself if I blow out my inverter.

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Users Projects / Re: Going off-grid in Idaho

« Last post by David HK on November 07, 2022, 08:24:52 pm »

I can echo  the previous sentiments.

I celebrated my 74th birthday a few days ago. There was no celebration as I would have liked.

We are still wearing face masks in Hong Kong.

I have virtually been imprisioned in my own home for four years:- 2019 had the riots and did not dare go out except for essential needs.

The years since 2020 January have been the same. Don't leave home except for essential needs such as food shopping, banking, doctor, dentist, other family related matters.

Some 15 years ago this website was a hive of activity.

Its interesting to speculate why young people have not inherited the renewable energy zeal to experiment and build their own generating equipment.


David

Hong Kong

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Users Projects / Re: Going off-grid in Idaho

« Last post by dochubert on November 07, 2022, 10:53:00 am »

Thanks Bj,
Not so young myself.  The time is coming when we won't be able to do the work to keep our place in shape.(already much slower getting done!) 
The increasing world troubles make it possible there might not even be a grid to switch to, let alone being able to afford to use it.  Sure wish I had a stream on my property.  Anyway, my quest to supplement my solar continues.

Remembering how active this forum was when Oz was teaching Powerjack (and all of us) how to build inverters.  Those were the days, eh?