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I do not have a SmartThings Hub. I only have smart light switches, and smart outlets from KASA TPLink. Those I bought from Amazon,com. I do also have the Emerson “Sensi” Thermostat. I’m happy will all of those devices. I think they don’t work if my internet connection is down, but I’m not...

Your objective is worthwhile and do-able. This is also a fairly common desire that solar equipment manufacturers are not recognizing. At least not yet. But using battery voltage as a surrogate for state-of-charge is far from ideal. This is because battery voltage can vary widely relative to...

This can be cost-effective with DIY labor, IF you want to devote your own labor to the project and count that as free labor. Fabricating some of your own parts can also increase cost-effectiveness; especially building up your own Lithium batteries out of raw prismatic cells. There are MANY...

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Svetz: Lots of good information you’ve given. However, one small thing: The arithmetic isn’t quite as simple as 6.7 x 100w. The 6.7 figure for Denver is in units of kWh of solar irradiance, per square meter of surface, per day. The typical 100w panel is a bit less than 0.6 square meters...

i can understand your confusion. Whoever, from Windy Nation, wrote that note is not the best advisor. To reference “100Ah of charge” is poor practice. The meaning of 100Ah is only useful in the context of the system voltage. Far better would be to reference watt-hours, or kilowatt-hours, of...

I agree with BvilleBob, your idea will never be cost-effective unless you have some other valuable use for the solar power. Running cable from the house is going to be very small cost compared to getting the Sauna up and running on solar. If you are determined to use solar, look into the...

Correct

Cutting off the charger using the BMV relay is certainly a way to stop charging at your desired SOC, at least if your SCC has remote ON/OFF terminals (which my Outback SCC do not have). However, the disadvantage of the solution is that your system immediately starts drawing 100% of any load out...

Do you have a Victron Battery Monitor (BMV 702, or 712)? There is an external RTD temperature sensor available from Victron that connects to the 702, or 712. As I read it (but I might be wrong) it can be set up to monitor and communicate your battery temperature to the charge controller over...

Hi maddy …. Good question. There is tons of contention and discussion on this forum about this whole matter of how to maximize the life of lithium batteries, if this less-than-full charge/discharge is effective, and whether it is worth the effort. The nice thing about our DIY systems is we...

It is very difficult to consistently charge lithium batteries to less-than-full charge by carefully choosing Absorption/Float voltages and tail currents, if your loads and solar radiation are not constant. And those are not constant for most of us. For months I tried to find a satisfactory set...

I see nobody replied to your post. Maybe you already selected your solution, but . . . Fuses are only voltage sensitive with respect to maximum voltage. A 58-volt rated fuse is appropriate for 12, 24, or 48 volts, anything up to 58 volts, and probably quite a bit over 58 volts. The potential...

I looked into those braided copper straps a couple years ago as a possible solution. My conclusion was that they are significantly over-rated by Galco. For example 16.4 mm^2 is about the same cross sectional area as 5 AWG copper wire at about 33,000 circular mils. So, the current capacity is...

My cell interconnect “cables” are very easily flexible enough to accommodate any movement of the cells in response to expansion or contraction during charge or discharge, which is small movement, if any at all. (I have the battery cells clamped under spring tension). I was just not comfortable...

For your interest, if you have any, this is the artwork CryptoPunk #8348 that is purportedly worth $171 million in the form of the certified original digital file. https://opensea.io/assets/0xb47e3cd837ddf8e4c57f05d70ab865de6e193bbb/8348

What in this crazy world is going on when the Fortune Magazine article above says, ”For example, in October 2017, NFT CryptoPunk #8348 was sold for $456. Currently, the very same NFT is valued at $171 million.“ As I SOMEWHAT understand it, anyone can own a perfect COPY of this “CryptoPunk...

NFT is abbreviation for “Non-Fungible Token”, which is . . . Uhmmmm . . . A “token” that can’t be “funged” . . . I would guess. I think Victron might sell some?

https://fortune.com/2022/02/18/how-to-make-money-flipping-nfts-on-open-sea/ I’m posting this question here because a lot of intelligent people hang out on this forum. What do you think of NFT’s? I know I’m not an “early adopter”, but am I just an old fart, resistant to change? Or is there...

https://futurism.com/nasa-starlink-kill-astronauts/amp https://www.lightreading.com/satellite/elon-musks-starlink-risks-being-another-satellite-flop/d/d-id/770681

Too cool! Have you really made a functional circuit board this way? If so, what did you use as a substrate? Does it dry to a stable film or something?

While the MG Chem silver paste that I started using a year ago is working VERY well for me when applied as the thinnest possible film after careful cleaning, I am always open to hearing about something better. Thanks for the pointer, noenegdod. I’ve ordered a tube of the Chemtronics Silver...

Sadly, this will probably be another “tragedy of the commons”. Space is obviously a shared resource. Not every shared resource should be exploited for personal benefit. Like trash and sewage dumped in a “limitless ocean”. It works for a while, to the benefit of the individual or the small...

Tesla has already placed almost 2,000 Starlink satellites in low earth orbit. The FCC has, so far, permitted them to emplace 12,000 of the things. Starlink is seeking permits to launch another 30,000 satellites beyond those 12,000. Why is there no clamor of objection? Elon Musk’s hubris and...

An interesting video. Desmet’s propositions seem credible. Those who have not watched the video, but react negatively are, I suspect, presuming Desmet is pushing some conspiracy theory. He is not. He is attempting to describe a theory of human behavior. The moderator tries to goad him into...

I like EVERYTHING at Chick-Fil-A, but the strips are especially tasty.

Why not use both banks, but not simultaneously? Wire them through separate circuit breakers, to connect either bank to the system, one or the other, with the appropriate charging protocol set up and selected, for the different chemistries. Then you could also add to the lithium bank later...

Batvette …. Yep, I agree. The “food pyramid“ is one of the most egregious scams ever foisted upon us by the gov-mint, in cahoots with big-Agra. Sadly it is still being sold as gospel. it is very hard to equal, much less beat, cooking at home from scratch ingredients. But the problem is how...

I haven’t been to KFC in years. Do these cost more, or less, than “real” chicken nuggets? Too bad there is so much lack of agreement and so much unclarity on what foods are most healthful. Clarity about that would go a long way in guiding this kind of crap, err, questionable food products.

In case anyone is interested in Home Automation: Several months ago I decided to dip into Home Automation in a bigger way. I was motivated by a desire to provide my wife with a “panic switch” that would turn on all outside lights and some interior lights. We live in the country, fairly...

PM sent. Can you share the essential numbers with us here? Or by PM?

Sorry to read of your troubles. Thanks for sharing. It seems like you have been patient and reasonable. I’m also waiting on a refund from Michael. I’m sure that I will get it once he digs out from under all of this mess, but his inability to keep up with communication has resulted in a lot...

Your concerns are quite legitimate, in my experience. WD40 is definitely not approprate to improve conductivity. It is good a good lubricant for cutting and tapping aluminum, but not as a coating between conductors. My cells, at my request, came with the 6mm threaded terminal holes. After...

I don’t have a Leaf, I’m using 100% solar to charge my 2020 Hyundai Kona EV.

As Hedges says, a reactor rated for current higher than your maximum pump draw is perfectly fine. it is just like using a 6 or 8 or 10 gauge wire to carry current that needs at least a 12 gauge wire.