Off-grid post, 4-23-22

Today the switcheroo was done. That is to say, the 12 volt controller was replaced with the 24 volt controller. It is now installed and running the swamper. Good thing, because it's suddenly gotten a bit warm inside here.

It wasn't necessary to change it out, but it was. It was because the old one was damaged. I didn't know this. I found out when I took the old one down, and discovered that the plastic had melted the connectors into place. So the thing got hot. I knew as much, but I didn't think it got THAT hot.

So there's a new thing to watch for. Luckily, this new one keeps track of its temperature. Also, I moved it into the living room where I can more easily monitor it. It seems happy for now. It even has a happy face icon on. I guess a frowny face means trouble.

It is hard to figure what went wrong with the old one. It was rated at 380 watts, which was more than I was putting into it. The connections were solid. The only thing I can figure was that it wasn't kept cool enough. The new one is mounted up high, with plenty of space under it. Air can circulate under it, and so it can have a better shot at staying cool.

These controllers I've been working with are CHEAP. That could explain a few things. One problem is keeping the wires and the connections tight. They have a tendency to come loose. The same is true with the new version. I've tried a number of ways, and the last one was the most secure. Yet, it melted the plastic around it. Maybe the metal I used created a resistance? Added resistance may have been the source of the heat, but I'm not sure.

Looks like I have to worry about this thing coming loose. I've racked my brains trying to get it to be more secure, but no luck so far.

So the switch is done, and now I can enjoy the cool air and the relaxation. For the time being, that is.

Off-grid post, 4-21-22

The bigger project envisioned will not be attempted. Instead, this system will undergo a bit of revision from the one currently employed. The current system isn't good enough. So I ordered a 24 volt controller to replace the 12 volt controller.

Hopefully, the re-wiring job won't be too big of a deal. I have the necessary connectors, but the wires are also on order. All of that will arrive tomorrow. Ultimately, I will add two more solar panels just like the two that were recently installed. These are already re-wired into series configuration. Two more like it will bring it up to 400 watts. These will charge the power-tote directly, as opposed to using a charger, which is what I was doing until this decision was made.

That leaves some equipment unutilized. Another project will be necessary to set this up again as before, with one panel keeping the pre-existing 12 volt system going. Until then, I can charge it with the charger that I've been using for the 24 volt system.

There will have to be some more construction. The panel stand isn't big enough for two more panels, so it will have to be extended. To go along with that idea, the rest of the trailer will have new fencing around the outside in order to provide shade. It isn't the original plan, but it will work.

I wanted to get this all done before it got hot. So I need to step up the pace a bit. Fortunately, the plan is already well-advanced, so I might make it.

Basically, the system will be 500 watts, with 400 watts for the 24 volt, and 100 watts for the 12 volt. It won't be very capable, but it will be sufficient to run a few things. That should be sufficient for the time-being.

It can't run the dehumidifier for all day during the summer. But it could recover some of the water for reuse.

Onward, then. Through the fog, or whatever.

Not an off-grid post

 

What do you know? A post that is not about off-grid projects. Hmm. I might get in a few sentences, if I can think of anything...

Today was a pretty cloudy day, which means there's not much to do with my solar panels... hence, a new topic must be sought out.

The news doesn't tell me anything these days. The fact is, I don't know if there's anything that you can believe anymore. Here's a few objective tidbits. In spite of all the so-called bad polling of Joe Biden, his numbers in the Rasmussen Poll have been fairly steady in the low forties. Today, it is at 45 per cent approval. That's odd. I've been hearing nothing but bad news for Biden, but that poll isn't much different from Trump's polling numbers.

The point to that is that you cannot believe anything no matter who it is. All the so-called conservative sources are saying that Biden in deep deep doo-doo. So why aren't his numbers in the Rasmussen Polls showing it? This is not in support of the Democrats. Oh, no. It is in support of the truth. I'm not going to write something different just because some folks might find it comforting...

Another thing you might hear is that the public doesn't trust the media anymore. If that was really true, then how do you explain the fact that the public is just swallowing the propaganda hook, line and sinker? The fact of the matter is that we may have some really serious issues ahead, but there's no talk about THAT. Instead, there is all this talk about everything else but that. Call it the politics of mass distraction. Thus, all we hear about is UKRAINE, which should have nothing to do with US. It was the next big shiny thing for the purpose of distraction. COVID was drying up as a bright shiny thing. The last COVID thing to fall was the airline mask mandates. COVID is dead. Long live the war against the Russkies!

So I suppose the lack of posting is an indication of something. That indication is that no matter what I write about, it might have an undue influence of what the narrative masters want everybody to talk about. That is what I am trying to avoid if at all possible. I don't trust anybody at this point.

It is like that Soviet dissident of the Cold War Era said: "don't trust anything but your own crooked eye". I think that is how it went. The world has gone mad. You can't trust anything. It is a bad thing to relate, but that is how I see it.

And that may not be of comfort to those who might be seeking it.

Egg cooker is more than that

Update:

Looks like I did this before.

Yesterday, I tried it with 1 meatball.  Today, two of them fully cooked.

Done with solar power.  How bout that?

5.29.18

Here's a pic of the little gizmo which I like so much.

I used it to make carrot, broccoli, and cauliflower for supper.  I saved up the broth from the chicken thigh I made with it earlier, and used it for flavor.

Nice little gizmo, but there appears to be several variations of these on the market.  It's the concept that counts.

Where to buy, if you're interested

Off-grid post, 4-17-22

The "shakedown cruise" continues with the solar panels. It may well continue for some time, as there are a lot of possible things that can go wrong. That may not sound very encouraging. But there is no reason for big discouragement yet.

There was an experiment that I was anxious to try. That was to cook something with the small egg cooker device. It rates out at 300 watts, so the inverter should be able to handle it. In fact, it DID handle it, and handle it with ease. However, it wasn't the best possible set up, as the meatball didn't get cooked! It also took too doggone long. One's patience can become overtaxed while waiting for this thing to cook a meal.

The way this egg cooker works is that you pour a few ounces of water into a hot plate type thing, which boils the water, and the steam cooks whatever. In this case, it was built to cook eggs. Cooking anything else is not within the intended use of the device, so it shouldn't be a source of consternation if the experiment didn't work well. Despite this not so good result, I think there is a chance to make it work. The problem is that it was too inefficient in terms of delivering heat to the meatball.

It was just about an ounce of an a half of meat on this meatball, and it was frozen in the fridge. It had to overcome that and the fact that you really don't want to put a raw meatball on top of where the egg usually sits. My set up included a plastic device to segregate it from the rest of the device, which means no clean up. It also means that two cycles through, and the meatball was still uncooked. You can cook a lot of eggs in that time.

I'll try another way the "next time". That's the cooking part. What about the battery's performance? This particular battery can certainly handle this and much more. But the inverter is limited to just 500 watts. It discharged the battery a bit more than I would have liked, but it is another cloudy day. Not too cloudy to run the charger, though. It was expected that it would use plenty of capacity, but for a short time. Therefore, the cooker must get its job done within one cycle, which is about 15 minutes. If I had kept up with the experiment until the meatball was cooked, I might well have fully discharged the battery, and the thing might well have taken an hour to cook the friggin' little meatball.

Just in case you're interested, I finished cooking it on the hotplate. The hotplate uses 1200 watts, so that's out with this setup. It cooked up in no time. I put the meatball in a tortilla, and had a blast eating it. Also, I had cool whip and blueberries as a dessert. Not too bad. Not high cuisine, but good enough for this old fart.

I had a little fun with this "hack" of an egg cooker device, which was powered by the sun. How 'bout that?