Recent content by Vigilant24

That's pretty much my approach. Just enough for the essentials (recharge batteries for power tools, the radio, flashlights, have power to pump water through filters, run some fans, etc). Double wrap everything and put some insulation (plastic) between the layers. Since more than one "event"...

The Staber washer is a vertical axis machine (like a front loader) that loads through the top (open a hatch into the stainless steel drum). Variable-speed brushless motor. They've been a favorite of the off-grid crowd for a LONG time. From the SolarHome.Org site: Inverter size suggested...

Two observations: 1. "Likely" doesn't mean "inevitably." There are >plenty< of very plausible scenarios where EMP damage is the only/most significant damage experienced in a confrontation. Strategy and war are very complex things. 2. For the vast majority of households that depend on...

Yes, I'm with you on that. There are plenty of folks selling expensive, simple-looking ferrites, chokes, etc. I have serious doubts that I can trust them. I might learn more and decide a small investment in something would be worth it, but I sure wouldn't spend a lot or make it central to...

Can the BMS fail in such a way that the cells themselves are then damaged?

Yep. For folks who have a big PV installation, most would probably balk at the price of buying redundant >everything< for such an unlikely event. But, the daily-use cables, panel racks, etc will be re-usable, and if a household can get by with a much smaller "essential loads" system the cost...

Scott, My situation is a lot like yours. I'm in Ohio, I'm on a bored well, I want a minimalist backup solar system for essential loads, I want to be able to power them for weeks/months, my budget is limited. Some details here in a thread a I started about a year ago...

Those .might< work, and they would be cheaper than a purpose-built MRBF fuse holder. Points I'd want to consider: 1) Technical: Would they adequately do the same thing? It would be useful to make sure that the contact area with the fuse is sufficient, if their contact metal is compatible with...

Yes, getting a multitude of formats/types is a problem, especially if it is for a remote/emergency installation where it might be hard to get replacement bits and flexibility is important. The Megafuses (of brands I know and trust--Littlefuse, Buss, etc) sell for about $10-$15 each in small...

I >think< the fuse holders for these MRBF fuses are common to all brands, but I am not sure. The dual fuse holder just has an extended tab from the battery that allows two fuses to be put flat on it (rather than just one). Rach fuse can protect a separate circuit, and they aren't stacked or in...

I don't think it would be a good idea to put any mechanical stress on the megafuse itself (heavy terminal wires twisting, etc). If using a megafuse, I think the approach I described in post 8 would work better: Buy a fuse holder and attach it to the battery terminal with a small connector bus...

You wouldn't need to use that expensive ($60+) surface mount fuse block, you can also get one of the ones that mounts directly (and compactly) diretly to the battery post. I like this style that allows 2 of the marine fuses, each protecting different circuti. I'll use one for my "big"...

It sounds like a workaround would be a simple timer and relay that disconnects the PV every 15 minutes or so. It wouldn't fix the slow update time when clouds pass, but at least the thing wouldn't lose hours/a whole day of production while it remains in a coma. A Victron isn't in my budget...

There may be something to that, and I'm not sure why the "recompute frequency" can't be higher and tracking computation can't be faster (we're not talking about computing with moving cogs or analogue vacuum tube electronics here). But, to me, the bigger issue is where an MPPT controller...

Just based on pictures/externals: Buttons: PowMR "0 Layer" Grey and orange: 4 buttons EPEVER 4210AN Tracer: 2 buttons EPEVER TRacer 4210N "EXTRA": 2 buttons Display: Similar across all three models (icons, layout), but not identical (PowMR "MPPT" text, "work mode" display...