Going back and doing it right.

Jim H said:

A Great Safety Word..

Prototype:​

A prototype is a workin version of a product/project that allows one to modify ,explore ideas and show performance of the design before investing full effort and money into development. It typically lacks the expected fit, finish and appearance of the conceptual end product. All men love prototypes…Cost over runs are the norm in most cases. Divorces are not uncommon in the Prototyping stage.

“ But honey, ,I haven’t ruined the garage …or the roof….it’s work in progress ..
ya gotta have vision…..dangerous wires??? …where?…ummm, ..OK I will get you another cat..
ohh , and I need your credit card again too.”

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That is what I use as well.

One thing I am going to go back and do right (in Fall once the heat breaks) is my ground array wiring and connectors. Since my system evolved overtime there is a hodgepodge of MC4 connectors and PV wires from various sources (some rather dubious in hindsight now). For a hobby it did not matter but since it now seems to be something I want to rely upon it does matter.

Well I gotta say you guys are the biggest bunch of hypocrites I've come across yet. I read these threads from time to time and always see someone being blasted, mocked, ridiculed, for not doing something perfectly ... and now I see that most of you are as bad or worse with your gear than the stuff you pick on. Far out!

rogerdw said:

Well I gotta say you guys are the biggest bunch of hypocrites I've come across yet. I read these threads from time to time and always see someone being blasted, mocked, ridiculed, for not doing something perfectly ... and now I see that most of you are as bad or worse with your gear than the stuff you pick on. Far out!

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Please point out any post and Thread where I did that. If you can not than please stop using terms like "you guys".

rogerdw said:

Well I gotta say you guys are the biggest bunch of hypocrites I've come across yet. I read these threads from time to time and always see someone being blasted, mocked, ridiculed, for not doing something perfectly ... and now I see that most of you are as bad or worse with your gear than the stuff you pick on. Far out!

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Awesome contribution!

Maybe you should work on being less sensitive?

There's wrong and there's messy. Wrong is wrong. It's going to create issues. Will I blast, mock, ridicule, etc.? No. Will I point out when something is wrong and why because it may be unsafe or ? Absolutely.

Do I criticize for sloppy work? Only if it's TRULY sloppy... nothing torqued, bad crimps, etc., again, I'll point it out and say why it's bad.

Will I blast, mock, ridicule for someone not using a BMS in an application that needs one? Only if they present BS arguments why it does.

ANYONE giving advice should give the best advice possible, which includes encouraging good workmanship and best practices.

We like to throw stones.

Look up "Rorschach", also "Self Deprecating"

Everyone on the forum gets to learn from what is done right / questionable / wrong.
Some of us are proud of our contributions to "Up in smoke... learn from my mistake!"

I would not say I am proud of my mistakes. I just freely own them. How does it go? "I am a good example of a bad example."

Mattb4 said:

Time to go back and make your setup look like it was designed and not evolved from from the primordial ooze. You know it works but is it something you would want your friends and neighbors to see?

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So you're not done with your solar project at all ! You've decided to Marie Kondo it!

I deliberately took pics of my setup in progress at its absolute worst but I'm not sharing till I have something to show I didn't leave it that way

cs1234 said:

So you're not done with your solar project at all ! You've decided to Marie Kondo it!

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Had to Google Marie Kondo.

I think a better description is a bipolar Felix Unger/Oscar Madison personality disorder. I alternate between slob and perfectionist.

rogerdw said:

Well I gotta say you guys are the biggest bunch of hypocrites I've come across yet. I read these threads from time to time and always see someone being blasted, mocked, ridiculed, for not doing something perfectly ... and now I see that most of you are as bad or worse with your gear than the stuff you pick on. Far out!

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Hmmmmm. I see two points here that cause me concern by your blanket criticisms Of some very helpful and extremely smart people . I further suspect I am hearing the rantings of a somewhat youthful person who is easily triggered by things most found funny and entertaining…


1) .. using the term “ far out “ in that context feels to be improper or a bit out of place ..let’s just say it’s awkward sounding.. ..you do “genuine old school musician hippie types” of that era a disservice by totally abusing a great and meaningfull word of praise and admiration.. Ya Dig..?
..if your Gona use that type lingo you need to be “ 60s verbally correct “… the way it was actually used in real life back then….not some restructured / revised trendy TV crap.
A far better expression of the disappointment you were were obviously trying to relay would have been “ bummer” or …”not cool” … etc….ya gotta get it together ,ya know.?

2) … there is a difference between an expert cutting some corners or totally bypassing certain rules in a given craft or trade…and a newbie doing dumb shit and being Slack …. one is a calculated risk taken by an experience person… the other is a dumb ass doing dumb stuff …

That is totally different than when a teacher is trying to school a newbie how to do stuff correctly as the newbie doesn’t know Jack about anything …and doesn’t need to be cutting any corners at all yet… I have been that newbie many times… everyone has…

As my Dad said to me many times growing up…” when you get as good as I am you can decide how to operate this here saw…Untill then , do it the way I tell you to do it”…
he was totally correct too. I still have all my fingers.

sunshine_eggo said:

Awesome contribution!

Maybe you should work on being less sensitive?

There's wrong and there's messy. Wrong is wrong. It's going to create issues. Will I blast, mock, ridicule, etc.? No. Will I point out when something is wrong and why because it may be unsafe or ? Absolutely.

Do I criticize for sloppy work? Only if it's TRULY sloppy... nothing torqued, bad crimps, etc., again, I'll point it out and say why it's bad.

Will I blast, mock, ridicule for someone not using a BMS in an application that needs one? Only if they present BS arguments why it does.

ANYONE giving advice should give the best advice possible, which includes encouraging good workmanship and best practices.

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BINGO…..!?

rogerdw said:

Well I gotta say you guys are the biggest bunch of hypocrites I've come across yet. I read these threads from time to time and always see someone being blasted, mocked, ridiculed, for not doing something perfectly ... and now I see that most of you are as bad or worse with your gear than the stuff you pick on. Far out!

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Respect to all, but I took it as a fun jab at humans being human. Saying ‘far out’ at the end tells me rodgerdw likes seeing that the experts here are not perfect.

kennyb said:

Since we're sharing, here's my shame. I slapped this together years ago, days before a surgery to remove a tumor from my neck. Haven't really been back into it since - it just works. BMS and 12v heater not shown.

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Its a solar outhouse !

Crowz said:

Its a solar outhouse !

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I prefer solar mullet. It's all business upfront and the party is in the back.

kennyb said:

I prefer solar mullet. It's all business upfront and the party is in the back.

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Looks nice. Better than anything my pathetic self could build.

I can rebuild anything on a car from engine to transmission, been doing computers since the early 70's so Ive got that covered, hardware, software, database etc., and pretty good in electronics.

All of that said I couldn't build wooden bird house and it be recognizable. Just not something I can do.

Crowz said:

Looks nice. Better than anything my pathetic self could build.

I can rebuild anything on a car from engine to transmission, been doing computers since the early 70's so Ive got that covered, hardware, software, database etc., and pretty good in electronics.

All of that said I couldn't build wooden bird house and it be recognizable. Just not something I can do.

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I struggle with wood, the tolerances aren't there. A 1/16th feels like miles. Give me metal anyday, a mill or a lathe or sheet metal tools


But I dabble in construction. This is all me down to the hand excavation of the basement from solid granite. I did hire out the steel roof. I do know my limits.

kennyb said:

I struggle with wood, the tolerances aren't there. A 1/16th feels like miles. Give me metal anyday, a mill or a lathe or sheet metal tools


But I dabble in construction. This is all me down to the hand excavation of the basement from solid granite. I did hire out the steel roof. I do know my limits.View attachment 154546

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THAT looks cool !

If I did that it would of looked like a tie-fighter from star wars AFTER being shot down.

kennyb said:

I struggle with wood, the tolerances aren't there. A 1/16th feels like miles. Give me metal anyday, a mill or a lathe or sheet metal tools


But I dabble in construction. This is all me down to the hand excavation of the basement from solid granite. I did hire out the steel roof. I do know my limits.View attachment 154546

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Very cool but how do get up there?

Helicopter??

DIY and learning along the way, expanding, working in stages as funds and time allow, adding new equipment and features, has to lead to occasionally reworking/rerouting/ and pretty it up work. If I really knew what I was doing from the beginning, I could not call myself a Do It Yourselfer.
I can already see it coming down the road ahead, having it all set up perfectly and neat and tidy...just in time to pull the trigger on a new and improved inverter and yanking all the original work back out again. LOL. hey for me Solar is a journey not a destination.