Dargoyle on Nostr: Sure, sliced bread is great when toasted. But when you're entirely off-grid, there ...
Sure, sliced bread is great when toasted. But when you're entirely off-grid, there are a few more components required before toasting can commence. I say off-grid. Actually, I now have a pretty smart glass-fiber line that does pretty smart internet things, given the right configuration. That, and a bunch of other stuff (clean clothes anyone?) happen with these, my current (anyone?) seven special components, sort of from the bottom:
Battery charger and its magic box that auto-switches if'n I need charging (I don't.)
Mid-left: car-type DC fuse protection thingie.
Top: charge-controller by Epever that just works (as opposed to crappy ones that break). It connects to a couple of 400w solar panels and the lithium battery and does nifty stuff (including feeds to my 24v DC frig. [which in turn feeds me]).
To the right is a 24v lithium battery that is expensive and requires some config. fiddling – but after that, relieves one of the maintenance and more primitive aspects of lead-acid batteries (reckoned to charge on for 10 years+ to boot). The little heat-sink-looking thing next to it, is where I step down the batt's 24v to 12v to power a water pump, some now widely available DC light bulbs that are 4w for good light, as well as my fiber-optic-box-thingie (tech term), and a mobile travel router. Both of these use negligible amounts of electricity (and yet, they much desire a stable 12v which the lithium battery and transformer deliver admirably).
Anyhoo, fellow web developer Vic kindly inquired about if I document this version of the development rabbit-hole, which I don't, so here it is. It's really quite similar to the sometimes rewarding, always challenging, world of troubleshooting and deploying software (read: you learn to cultivate patience).
And when it works, you get to eat toast and shower and post to nostr and stuff.
Battery charger and its magic box that auto-switches if'n I need charging (I don't.)
Mid-left: car-type DC fuse protection thingie.
Top: charge-controller by Epever that just works (as opposed to crappy ones that break). It connects to a couple of 400w solar panels and the lithium battery and does nifty stuff (including feeds to my 24v DC frig. [which in turn feeds me]).
To the right is a 24v lithium battery that is expensive and requires some config. fiddling – but after that, relieves one of the maintenance and more primitive aspects of lead-acid batteries (reckoned to charge on for 10 years+ to boot). The little heat-sink-looking thing next to it, is where I step down the batt's 24v to 12v to power a water pump, some now widely available DC light bulbs that are 4w for good light, as well as my fiber-optic-box-thingie (tech term), and a mobile travel router. Both of these use negligible amounts of electricity (and yet, they much desire a stable 12v which the lithium battery and transformer deliver admirably).
Anyhoo, fellow web developer Vic kindly inquired about if I document this version of the development rabbit-hole, which I don't, so here it is. It's really quite similar to the sometimes rewarding, always challenging, world of troubleshooting and deploying software (read: you learn to cultivate patience).
And when it works, you get to eat toast and shower and post to nostr and stuff.