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  1. Charlie Woods

    Central AC use at night in hot / humid climates

    Exactly. The O.P. has not responded on this thread. I suspect he did some math and discovered how infeasible solar A/C is in Houston. Like mesquito_creek said above... 1. Find the best electricity rate for zip code 77494 on http://powertochoose.org 2. Work up a dollar cost to install the...
  2. Charlie Woods

    Central AC use at night in hot / humid climates

    Again, there are no guarantees. That's my point. Just because things are trending in a certain way, it's not guaranteed that trend will continue. In 1983 my high school teachers told me the Soviet Union would eventually take over Central America. In 1993 I stocked up on exotic (at the time)...
  3. Charlie Woods

    Is there a "Dual Source" charge controller ? (120vac + Solar)

    I did not know that. Thanks! This may be the way to go. Perhaps this is what "solar generators" like the Bluetti AC200P are doing. My old Nature's Generator "solar generator" doesn't require a wall wart. 120VAC goes straight in. I need to tear into that thing and see how they accomplish...
  4. Charlie Woods

    Is there a "Dual Source" charge controller ? (120vac + Solar)

    Here are my victims awaiting Sacrifice. :)
  5. Charlie Woods

    Is there a "Dual Source" charge controller ? (120vac + Solar)

    I'm trying to build a box that will house my HAM radio, charge controller, and a LifePo4 battery inside a Craftsman tool box. Is there a small charge controller that does both charging from 120VAC and Solar? I want to leave the box charging on 120VAC in my ham shack, and be able to hook my...
  6. Charlie Woods

    Central AC use at night in hot / humid climates

    There are no guarantees. 15 years ago I invested in downtown real estate near train stations and bio-Diesel because I could guarantee Peak Oil would make long-distance commuting from the suburbs impossible. My suburban neighbors now commute to their office jobs in Ford F-350 duallys. I was...
  7. Charlie Woods

    Central AC use at night in hot / humid climates

    The less you pay for grid power, the less viable solar becomes.
  8. Charlie Woods

    Load numbers for marine air A/C systems?

    These are the numbers you want. All A/C manufacturers publish them. --------------------- LRA - Locked Rotor Amps: The current you can expect under starting conditions when you apply full voltage. It occurs instantly during start up. RLA - Rated Load Amps: The maximum current a compressor...
  9. Charlie Woods

    Central AC use at night in hot / humid climates

    You can monitor your grid electricity usage in 15-minute intervals by making a free account at https://www.smartmetertexas.com This website provides data from your meter. You can download the data for offline analysis. You will conclude that in Houston it does not make financial sense to use...
  10. Charlie Woods

    Price competition in the 6 - 30 amp hour market ?

    I believe I'm seeing more price competition in the 6 - 30 amp hour range of Lifepo4 batteries. I suspect demand is increasing because more Normies are discovering the benefits of Lifepo4 for outdoor applications such as portable HAM radio, kayaking, tent camping, and fishing. It could be my...
  11. Charlie Woods

    Ford Maverick: PHEV < $20k MSRP

    The Honda Element failed to sell well because of incorrect marketing. Honda marketed the Element to young Hipsters looking to camp at music festivals. The Element was such a brilliant, practical, affordable car that 50-something old farts like me bought them for the utility and value. This...
  12. Charlie Woods

    Disposal of dead solar batteries

    This has been my exact experience at O'Reilly auto parts. I walk in the store, set a battery in their bin of old batteries, and walk out. Also, stores like Home Depot and Lowe's often have a collection bin near the door for old tool batteries.
  13. Charlie Woods

    200Ah gel vs 100Ah LifePo4

    It depends on your application.
  14. Charlie Woods

    2021 Honda Generator Carbon Monoxide Indicator

    That's good to hear. I'm in the market for a Honda 2200 to suppliment my old 2000, but don't want one of the CO2 monitor can't be easily bypassed.
  15. Charlie Woods

    DC power meter for RV

    I bought this one last week. It's seems to be of fair quality. I haven't had time to play with it yet. $30 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085ZQFVWH
  16. Charlie Woods

    Pros / Cons of using a DC to DC CC/CV to charge a LiFePO4 from the alternator

    Generally speaking, the amount of charge gained from vehicle alternator charging is not worth the expense to set it up, and the risk to your vehicle's alternator. Vehicle charging was designed to accommodate the small SLA batteries for emergency operation of electric trailer brakes, and a few...
  17. Charlie Woods

    Bait and Switch AliExpress

    That's the funny thing about both Marxists and Capitalists, they spend all day arguing esoteric theories instead of looking at what actually happens in the Real World. Most guys pass through the AnCap stage of http://mises.org in their 30's or 40's. I did. It's normal.
  18. Charlie Woods

    Bait and Switch AliExpress

    Actually, it totally is. Capitalism = Corporations control Governments for the benefit of corporations. Fascism = Governments regulate corporations for the benefit of the People.
  19. Charlie Woods

    Bait and Switch AliExpress

    True. I'm old enough to remember when the business practices of lying and misrepresentation were considered shameful, and people would be socially ostracized for engaging in them. Not only that, they were actually prosecuted by local, State, and Federal governments as crimes. Today they won't...
  20. Charlie Woods

    Progressive Dynamics Lithium battery Chargers.... or are they just Power Supplies?

    Ah. I see what you mean. Thanks. I wish they offered a separate Owner's Manual for each model, including a charging profile for each. It's the current year after all, and Word documents are easy to create these days. :)
  21. Charlie Woods

    Progressive Dynamics Lithium battery Chargers.... or are they just Power Supplies?

    I looked, but cannot. I wish to replace the unit in my Casita travel trailer with a PD 9100L series located here so I can convert to LifePo4... https://www.progressivedyn.com/pd9100l/ The Owner's Manual on their website says on page 4...
  22. Charlie Woods

    Charging from multiple sources

    Almost. :) I do have one of these Nature's Generator brand "solar generators" which accepts input from Solar, Wind, and 120v AC. I might be able to run 12 volts to my truck into the "wind" input terminals. More research is required. I will probably swap the guts in this thing to run LifePo4...
  23. Charlie Woods

    Charging from multiple sources

    I am currently looking for a "Tri-Charge" solution for my Ham Radio go kit. This would be a charge controller which can take electricity from: * Solar Panels * A/C 120v * 12-volt DC-DC from a vehicle ...and reside inside my Go Box to charge a 20 amp hour LifePo4 battery there. I don't...
  24. Charlie Woods

    Ryobi one+ battery won't charge

    The next step would be to disassemble it and test both the BMS and each cell individually. Considering that the current minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, the cost of identifying the failed component(s) and replaceing them would be about the same as buying a new unit.
  25. Charlie Woods

    any experience with these waterproof chargers?

    Noco Genius makes good submersible chargers. I have this 2-bank version built into my boat. It stayed underwater for an entire day when I sunk my boat. Still runs great. https://no.co/genius2x2 One bank charges my trolling motor battery. The other bank charges my engine starter battery.
  26. Charlie Woods

    2021 Honda Generator Carbon Monoxide Indicator

    ^-- This. Often one can simply connect the wires which lead to either side of a sensor. Doing so has saved me thousands of dollars over the years as replacement sensors are often no longer available for older equipment.
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