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diy solar

Real or Fake? Test your knowledge and bamboozle your friends!

Bedside Sleep Analyser​

Uses silent, no-contact sensor technology, measuring body movement and breathing to calculate sleep stages.
  • Sleep smarter, sleep better
  • Built for accuracy
  • Wakes you naturally
  • Only $140 plus $3.99/month membership fees.
  • Works with Alexa.
  • Easy to set up
They claim it is Real. But how could anyone sleep at those prices? Image is a hyperlink.
 

NVIDIA Holographic Display - $6299​

  • No 3D glasses needed
  • No eyestrain/headaches
  • Pairs with Tobii Eye Tracker 5 for interactive 3D cursor
  • 360° Viewing
  • Can be vertical or flat

Fake. NVidia doesn't have a 360° holographic display...yet

But, a lot of other people do have interesting products. I liked this one best, this one has a limited field of view:


There's also 3D "fans" which are more like the ones in star wars, they are available for <$100 and you can get them off Amazon.
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BukBoo MultiChemistry Battery Combiner/Isolator​

  • Allows batteries of different chemistries (e.g., Lead Acid, LFP) or age to be used in a single system.
  • Each battery string is voltage bucked/boosted to split loads between strings at 96% efficiency.
  • Each string is buck charged at a profile fit for its chemistry, see Bluetooth settings.
  • Strings can be isolated via Bluetooth settings
  • Supports 2 to 4 strings depending on model
  • Variety of model sizes from 40 amps @ 12V to 200 amps @ 48V
  • The charger should be set to the highest voltage chemistry
Fake AFAIK, but it seems like you could DIY one. Got the idea after reading @CaptK's post where he has two battery banks of different chemistries and age and needs two inverters to use both banks.
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5kW Microgrid Battery Inverter/Charger​

Smart synchronous or nonsynchronous inverter that forms or stabilizes microgrids with
up to 5kW of additional power continuous or 7 kW for 5s.
  • Can work standalone (Grid Forming Inverter)
  • Can work with any existing String or Microinverter system (Grid following Inverter)
  • Can automatically synchronize to existing frequency
  • Only provides power when the voltage sags
  • UL 1741, IEC 61683, IEC 62109
  • Grid Voltage detector activates or deactivates system based on grid state
  • Charges when Grid is up or by excess renewable energy
  • Variable rate charging to absorb only excess renewable energy
  • Multi-loop offers strong damping with intermittent renewables
  • WiFi control and monitoring
False, sort of. Enphase's IQ8s have most of these features, but they only work in
an Enphase system. For DIY there's also Adding an ESS to Enphase Enlighten System and
@ncsolarelectric 's thread.

The problem with a commercial system is twofold: it needs to know when it's a microgrid
versus being on-grid, and how much excess renewable power is available for recharging.
The solution to those problems is wrapped up in the other devices, which is why Enphase's
Enlighten (IQ8 battery) solution only works in Enphase environments.
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Aluminum Graphene Cells, $0.76/wh​

  • 7000W/Kg (35x LFP), 160 Wh/Kg
  • Recharges in minutes (heat removal pads required if C>40)
  • 20,000 Cycles with negligible degradation
  • Operates from -60°C to 140C.
  • Doesn't catch fire
  • No compression needed
  • Non-Toxic chemicals, environmentally safe
  • No rare earth metals (e.g., lithium, cobalt)
  • 3V chemistry, interchangeable with LFP
  • Recyclable
A very real disruptive technology. You just can't buy them yet ; -)
Building the Graphene separators seems to be the expensive high-technology bit. Thought the company's goal of making graphene out of atmospheric CO₂ amusing; hopefully, they'll have the last laugh.



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Chilean Telescope $4​

Real! Bet you didn't see that coming!

Rather than spend a bunch on a telescope, for as low as $4/mo you can "buy" time on a number of super large telescopes to feed your astronomy habit. There are a few services such as https://telescope.live/home. $4 a month (cancel at any time) doesn't buy you much, mainly access to what it was looking at anyway, but some of the plans allow quite a bit of freedom. Here's a review:

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Lego Solar Farm Kit​

  • 375 pieces
    pollinator-friendly ground cover
  • honey bee hives
  • grazing sheep
  • inverter control box
  • engineer/site manager/grazer
  • Expandable: multiple sets can be snapped together to build larger projects
  • Connects with Lego WindFarm

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Moonbase $57 Million​

  • Remote 3d printing
  • Sources all local moon materials for construction
  • Technology reusable for Mars
  • Allows for unlimited size bases and eventually cities

Fake. What's in the news is NASA awarded $57M to Icon:

NASA has awarded the Texas-based company ICON $57.2 million for its Project Olympus, which is working to develop technology that will allow humanity to build outposts on the moon and Mars using locally available dirt and rock.

All that cash and not even a real moon base. Of course, $57M just isn't that much nowadays. Seems like what they learn will have more impact on Earth. Wonder how long it will be before I can rent a printer from HomeDepot to build a shed with solar?

I always liked the idea of remote tonka-style trucks digging into the regolith and using microwaves to fuse it, but that might be passé now.
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RC Paper Airplane with HD Camera $34.99​

  • 10 min of Powered flight
  • HD video @ 30fps transmitted to your Android device
  • 300' range
  • Includes 1 sheet of red paper
  • Folding instructions for several designs

Fake. Well, the image is a link to an actual device sans camera, and it wouldn't surprise me if people have added cameras (update: done, oh video too). The Image is a link to an $80 version.

There's a fairly wide selection of RC devices on amazon starting around ~$30, or $20 on AliExpress.

 

Become A lord (or Lady) as low as $49.95​

  • A dedicated plot of land
  • A personalized title certificate
  • Your digital certificate will be emailed to you within 24 hours.
  • We plant a tree for every order.
  • Gigital personalised members handbook.
  • Exempt from Land taxes on your plot!
Real! The image is a link. It's a Scottish custom where landowners are referred to as Lord or Lady. You can legally replace your title from Mr. to Lord.

Update: Scam? See https://diysolarforum.com/threads/wacky-christmas-gift-game.50617/post-654824
 
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Pack of 50 High-Quality Comfort Cards $2.99​

  • Place one of these cards in any garment gift box for your special someone

Fake AFAIK, but someone should make them for real!
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Personal Jet Pack​

Fly around the sky in style!
  • 1,050-hp, 5 turbines
  • 50 mph (80 km/h), altitudes of up to 12,000 ft
  • Customizable
  • Mind blowing
  • Live Training / Books
Real. Of course, it costs about 1/2 million, but they do provide training.
See https://gravity.co/ or if you just want to view some videos https://www.youtube.com/c/GravityIndustries/videos
90
12000 feet altitudes… you better be wearing a parachute! I don’t imagine flight times are long duration…
 

Solar Powered Security Trip Light​

  • Invisible Infrared trip beam signals silent alarm to app when beam broken
  • Solar-powered pathlight that shines 80 Lumens of brightness
  • Long range wifi signals
  • Use smart controls and compatible with Alexa
  • IR trip sensor can run 24x7, or set to avoid nuisance alerts.
Fake AFAIK, but thought they might be real. Got the idea from @curiouscarbon talking about security ; -)
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Sugru - Moldable Glue​

A putty that cures into a durable rubber finish and sticks to most surfaces.
  • GREAT for repairing, bonding, sealing, reinforcing, mounting without drilling, handicrafts and many other DIY ideas
  • NO MESS: non-runny, non-toxic formula for quick and easy application (indoor & outdoor)
  • VERSATILE: waterproof, heat and cold resistant, durable, removable and electrically insulating up to 24v
  • STRONG: holds up to 4.4 lb on glass, ceramics, wood, metal, plaster, most plastics and fabrics (and more)

So this is real, ran across it today and it has a million & 1 uses.
The video on Amazon (image is a hyperlink) is worth watching too.

 
12000 feet altitudes… you better be wearing a parachute! I don’t imagine flight times are long duration…
I don't think they mean that you go from sea level and cruise at 12k.
I think they mean you cannot do rescue ops on Mount Everest (29k), but could at Aspen Ski Resort (11k).
Flight time isn't long, around 10 to 15 min I think.
 

Exoskeleton​

  • Next generation of wearable exoskeletons
  • Lift heavy solar panels like a pro
  • Breathable
  • Intuitive labels for regulations & adjustments
  • Intuitive lock/unlock mechanism for easy donning/doffing
  • Ergonomically designed cuffs
  • High-tech, lightweight carbon-fiber structure
  • Slim active box design
  • passive spring-based mechanism
  • 8 assistance levels
  • lighter weight carbon fiber structure
  • intended height of users: 1.6 m (5.2 feet) to 1.9 m 6.2 feet)

Supposedly real, saw it on eBay for $5k.
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Exoskeleton​

  • Next generation of wearable exoskeletons
  • Lift heavy solar panels like a pro
  • Breathable
  • Intuitive labels for regulations & adjustments
  • Intuitive lock/unlock mechanism for easy donning/doffin
  • Ergonomically designed cuffs
  • High-tech, lightweight carbon-fiber structure
  • Slim active box design
  • passive spring-based mechanism
  • 8 assistance levels
  • lighter weight carbon fiber structure
  • intended height of users: 1.6 m (5.2 feet) to 1.9 m 6.2 feet)

Real, saw it on eBay for $5k.
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Do they have one for your legs? My knees are giving up on me…
 

PowerTool Adapter $13​

Use one brand of battery in a different brand's power tool.
Supports all major brands: e.,g. Milwaukee, DeWalt, Craftsman

Real! Tons of them on Amazon now adays, although they're specific to a specific set of manufacturer and have to be the same voltage and some other issues.
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Bokashi for Apartment Dwellers​

If you live in California you're already mandated to deal with this to help cut greenhouse emissions. But, if your municipalities aren't set up to help you out and you live in an apartment, how can you help to reduce climate change? That's what bokashi kits are all about!

It's real, kitchen waste is a big producer of methane (22x as powerful as CO₂ and eventually breaks down into CO₂) in landfills, and by composting you can make a difference by fixing the carbon. Bokashi is ideal for apartment dwellers. For homeowners, there's a variety of composting techniques and there's a thread on it here. If you've got the cash and are on solar there are a variety of electric appliances that can fix the carbon like the FC-50 in mere hours.
 
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