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  1. erik.calco

    Can solar activity boost PV production?

    Two days ago, they announced a coming solar event, which happened yesterday. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/cannibal-coronal-mass-ejection-devoured-140527197.html Naturally, I wondered if it would boost solar production. Yesterday turned out to be my best PV production day so far in July. ...
  2. erik.calco

    The downside to in-series panels

    I've been running my main system with 2 panels per string for a couple years now. One thing we learn as we're building a system in series vs parallel is that in-series has a bigger negative impact from shading. But, today is the first time I discovered how big the impact was as I received a...
  3. erik.calco

    Finally bought my first Bluetti (AC200P)!

    This splurge started when I bought another 10,000 mAh power bank, than a 20,000 one, than a 63,000 one (which I love, but that deserves another thread), all to power a laptop all day outside. I just couldn't stop. Then I saw the refurbished Bluetti AC200P being sold by Bluetti itself, with...
  4. erik.calco

    Anyone know anything about niobium batteries?

    It's a very fascinating metal that has been gaining interest for its physical properties, such as the ability to change colors with electric current. But, this is the first I've heard of it being used to create a new rechargable battery. VW develops electric vehicle with niobium battery in...
  5. erik.calco

    AI Is Throwing Battery Development Into Overdrive

    https://www.wired.com/story/ai-is-throwing-battery-development-into-overdrive/ Machine learning is basically training a system using test data and algorithms to predict. In this case, the AI is predicting performance after quick charging. Performance might be capacity, our favorite metric...
  6. erik.calco

    Longer PV wires increases production

    Finally put up my combiner box today and I installed 30 feet of 4 AWG PV negative between it and the inverter. I did not shorten the already crazy long 10 AWG PV wires from the panels, about 96' each. I plan to do that once they are all run to the combiner box. Today I tested the new...
  7. erik.calco

    Bank drains with imbalance

    I have a 2S2P Lion Energy 1200 bank. The positive and negative are connected at opposite corners to ensure the juice flows evenly across all 4 batteries. However, the ones with the external connections (circled with yellow below) drain to 0%, while the others are still holding 80%. Why don't...
  8. erik.calco

    Will's next video - Bluetti AC200

    EDIT: Appears to be a different link than what was in the youtube notification email I loved it! Man, I hope it's cheap cuz that is an awesome unit. @Will Prowse The emailed notification link was not public. ;) Emailed link: gVoJTBIglgU
  9. erik.calco

    Running outdoor wire above ground while looking nice

    I ruled out running wire underground with PVC due to insane effort, more bush and tree roots than I have pairs of socks, and challenging updating it down the road. Since PV and landscape wire is already weather proof, you really just need to protect it. How do you run it above ground...
  10. erik.calco

    Solar on wheels

    A friend just sent me this pict. I don't think it's a portable solar box, but look carefully. The WHEELS!!!! LOL! This should definitely be a portable solar container if it isn't: @Bob142
  11. erik.calco

    Today's quiz

  12. erik.calco

    Battery bank bus bar

    Can someone link to a good bus bar for 4/0 to 4 AWG range? I noticed the current flow through my bank is not ideal, and suspect it is because of the FUSE I put on one of the positive terminals where I then connect the inverter. The side that is not connected to this is not draining nearly as...
  13. erik.calco

    Shutdown order

    Some have said and read that you should shut down the PV before disconnecting the battery from the SCC. I was wondering, if you shut down the PV before applying a blow torch to the SCC, will it still melt?
  14. erik.calco

    Panel Missile Protection

    I put up 2 of my 6 panels. Ready to add two more via a 2nd mount. But, where I want to add them a neighbor's very high trees with branches maybe 50+ feet above drop projectiles. How can you protect your panels? This is just from the other day:
  15. erik.calco

    Super cheap easy to install wind generator

    Get a $15 box fan from Walmart and plug it into a 120V outlet. .
  16. erik.calco

    Lithium-Ion wins in grid storage

    While I love, use and only recommend LiFePO4 for in-home PV storage due to its safety/stability, the winner in grid storage is... (source: SolarPRO, December 2018) That paragraph ends with... NMC (nickel manganese cobalt oxide) in Li-ion: The Future
  17. erik.calco

    Cathy and Andy

    Cathy is a positive person, but needs love. Andy is a negative person, but has something for Cathy. How I remember Cathode vs Anode. Cathode: The positively charged terminal of a battery under discharge conditions that establishes an electromotive force. Chemicals at this terminal have a...
  18. erik.calco

    SolarPRO Magazine

    I just discovered this free resource: https://www.solarprofessional.com Has PDF versions of the magazine online. Has anyone been reading it and developed opinions on it?
  19. erik.calco

    Lion Energy Voltage vs Meter Reading

    @Will Prowse What do you trust more, the built-in 5 LED meter reading or a voltage reading after quick charging for 15m? I have a 2S2P bank that the inverter shut off when it hit the low voltage setting I had. On the negative side of the bank, they had 4 LED lights and read 12.7xV. On the...
  20. erik.calco

    MPP Solar LV2424 kicks butt!!!

    NOTE: Using this thread to track progress on tweaking LV2424 settings so that hopefully, in the future, someone with an LV2424 or similar MPP Solar inverter can benefit from it. _____________________________________ I'll say, when I bought it, I had high hopes I could optimize for my...
  21. erik.calco

    How to open a spray can

    When will manufacturers quit rigging spray paint to automatically break the neck of the nozzle when you pop the cap off?
  22. erik.calco

    Where is the cover?

    Am I missing something? The packing is clearly labeled "with cover". But I don't see a cover in there and don't want to open it in case I need to return it. Am I blind? Here is the item.
  23. erik.calco

    Reverse polarity on AAA non-rechargable

    I took 4 AAAs out of a remote control and tested them with my multimeter. One of them reads a negative charge (-0.5V) in normal direction, and a positive charge in reverse direction! Another cell correctly reads 0.7V in normal direction. How can a cell develop a reverse polarity? Just a...
  24. erik.calco

    Panel shock absorption

    Is anyone using any method for shock absorption? I've been thinking long and hard on why two chairs on my patio never get knocked down by the wind. One obvious answer is they are heavier than the others. But, they also have a round bottom instead of four feet and... shock absorption due to a...
  25. erik.calco

    Collection of parallel issues

    preserving for a future discussion He had half-assedly paralleled, one battery failed from over charging and the other one never really did take a full charge.
  26. erik.calco

    Self-generating dog collar light

    I have a flashlight you shake to power it. It uses magnetivity to generate DC, which I believe it stores in a capacitor. I can share a pict if someone would like it. My dog runs all day long. Burns a ton of calories. I'd like a light on his collar that charged during the day, then lit up...
  27. erik.calco

    Topic Generalization

    Can we generalize some topics because there are things that transcend multiple categories and thus are hard to find the right home for. So, for instance, a General DIY Battery category. To give an example, I'd like to begin a thread on dealing with issues of cells or batteries in parallel...
  28. erik.calco

    Ground Mount Help

    I plan to play with ground mounting, but have little practical experience in building with wood. Can anyone share links to anything helping people learn how to build structures. I know I can search online, and plan to do that. Have already done it quite a bit... enough to know that it's hard...
  29. erik.calco

    Solar Onions

    Just ask Google... I need an onion charge controller. Looking into it further... https://www.fastcompany.com/1311755/how-make-electricity-waste-onion-juice
  30. erik.calco

    Solar powered...

    It is great how solar power has helped fuel the next level of communication... https://www.amazon.com/Solar-Powered-Middle-Finger-Gnome/dp/B07658P4TY?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B07658P4TY
  31. erik.calco

    Test driving Will's Tesla

    Did Will just ask us to drive his Tesla around for a few days?
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