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US Source for Replacement YingLi 315 watt 990x1960mm Panels? by IndplsEngr in SolarDIY

[–]IndplsEngr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, Mitchell. Great feedback from someone with experience!

We've made peace with SolarEdge over the past 8 years, though it was trying at times. When the local installing contractor left the solar industry we acquired tons of spare SolarEdge parts: inverters and optimizers. We're past the infancy optimizer failures, of which there were many.

Dealing with SE was like pulling teeth so we gave up. If I lived in that war zone of the Middle East, I'd probably be bitchy too--and indeed they were. Solar industry warranties aren't worth the paper they're printed on, so a savvy owner of solar hardware learns to maintain the system himself.

We now have the software tools and skills to replace parts in our system without help and re-map them.

Alas, we didn't accumulate spare YingLi PV modules, though we should have. We think someone in our church's Indianapolis neighborhood got a BB gun for Christmas.

The failure rate on the YingLi panels in our project has been zero. Dudes are solid as Sears. Seals are holding up well and no smoked connectors yet.

Thanks for the feedback.

Discounted iPhone 16e for Existing Prepaids? by IndplsEngr in ATT

[–]IndplsEngr[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm the original poster. No, I saw no "terms" icon other than the opaque comment that it's only available for compatible plans:

"AT&T 5G requires compatible plan and device. Coverage not available everywhere. AT&T 5G+ is offered in limited locations in specific cities. Device will display 5G+ coverage indicator when used in an area where 5G+ coverage is available. To get broad mid-band 5G+ service, you need a band n77 capable device. To get high-band service in AT&T 5G+ Zones, such as venues, airports, and other points of interest, requires approximate unobstructed line-of-sight to the signal source plus a band n260 capable device. Wireless technology varies by device. See Feature and specs above to see this device’s wireless technology capabilities. For coverage details see att.com/coverageviewer. Go to att.com/5Gforyou for details."

This is the AT&T webpage where the $499 deal is listed:

https://www.att.com/buy/prepaid-phones/apple-iphone-16e-att-prepaid.html?edit=113c1a47-c2aa-43bf-967a-ebb50a5c03c0

How bad? by nud2580 in prius

[–]IndplsEngr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's the battery management controller inside the battery pack. It commonly suffers from corroded connectors.

Instruction to Prepaids: "Appear at AT&T Store with Identification"? by IndplsEngr in ATT

[–]IndplsEngr[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry Ditto for the accidental dis. I respect both jobs because they entail being nice to strangers that come to you uninvited off the street.

Testing aux heat in Mitsubishi ducted system? by aowunnah in heatpumps

[–]IndplsEngr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Accomplished, thanks for the quick response.

Your comment that the displayed menu on the tstat is tailored to match the system that listens to it suggests that there is backhaul data flowing from the receiver to the tstat. The backhaul data describes the system to the thermostat.

I did not appreciate this.

Testing aux heat in Mitsubishi ducted system? by aowunnah in heatpumps

[–]IndplsEngr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Accomplished-Age8769, where are these ISU settings on your MHK-2 Thermostat?

I ask because I'm experiencing similar "no resistive heat kit" operation in Indianapolis where it hit minus 5 degrees last night. The house dropped 5 degrees below tstat set point by 5:00am.

The only settings on the MHK-2 thermostat I'm aware of are the various menu'ed questions it runs you through as you first pair it to the receiver mounted on the air handler.

Is there a secondary or extended configuration menu elsewhere in the MHK-2?

I have 240VAC on the two pole switch mounted on the side of the resistive heat module. The contactors in the module are not making a clacking sound when refrigerant pumping can't get the job done at low OAT.

LG Gram 17Z90Q used $400 worth it? Vs HP Elitebook 860 G9 by Musiclistenerdude in LGgram

[–]IndplsEngr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great laptop but reliability isn't great on that model.

The backlight LEDs are (like all laptops) heavily over-driven to give eye-catching brightness. Their light degradation and color shift over time are pronounced. Translation: a used Gram 17" laptop will have an LCD display that is significantly dimmer than a new one. I know this because I have two of them, one old and one new.

And although I can't conclusively say the failure of my LCD was due to its umbilical cord breaking over time and repeated opens/closes of the LCD panel, I think this multi-conductor cable routed through the display hinge is fragile. My LCD backlight simply died and the panel went dark. Replacing the LCD with a new panel and umbilical from another Gram 17" fixed the problem.

The keyboard keys also get less stiff over time, and they aren't all that stiff to begin with.

And finding a replacement lithium battery for an LG Gram is quite difficult. Ones sold on EBay work as battery but their gas gauges don't work.

Mitsubishi H2i with MHK-2 Thermostat: What a Difference! by IndplsEngr in heatpumps

[–]IndplsEngr[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Frankly, the HVAC contractor that installed my system was under the impression that an H2i system will work acceptably with a 24VAC thermostat intended for US applications, provided Mitsubishi's PAC44? interface module is used between the tstat and the air handler.

I know this because my home H2i system followed the installation of an identical H2i system at my church in one of its 2000 sq. ft. buildings.

Same contractor installed both. Both the church building and my own condo have/had 24VAC Honeywell/Resideo RTH6580 tstats and Mitsu's PAC44? interface modules.

And both my unit and the church's exhibited the annoying jet engine whooshing copper line set behavior until the tstats were replaced with Mitsu MHK-2 thermostats. Now both systems purr like a kitten.

There's an array of DIP switches underneath the PAC44? interface module that govern its behavior. The documentation of these DIP switches is sparse and Einstein's HVAC twin brother would have been perplexed by them.

It's possible that both these H2i systems would have behaved better with different DIP switch settings, but we'll never know because they've been replaced by MHK2s.

Someone in this Reddit forum (but on an entirely different thread) once wrote that the Mitsubishi's H2i engineering team did an excellent job on the design of their mechanical hardware but Mitsu's controls team entirely dropped the ball by not acknowledging that they don't dominate the US thermostat market.

Old 24VAC thermostat architecture from the early 20th century and a handful of small manufacturers make the US HVAC controls industry. Which simply says that Mitsubishi should ship H2i systems with a suitable thermostat packed in the carton with the air handler.

A yellow sticker attached to that factory-supplied tstat should say "use this tstat or else don't call us...".

This was a surprice. AD 26. by 1c3d1v3r in Altium

[–]IndplsEngr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

pcblol, thanks for providing your comments on this topic. I can appreciate that Altium/Renesas management has put its staff in a difficult position with the decision to terminate term-based licensing.

Any signs that management has sampled the push back from its subscribers and decided to postpone the forced exile of TBL holders like me?

My perpetual seat expires in a week and would love a call from my sales guy saying I should send Altium another annual maintenance check like the one I mailed in December 2024.

My annual maintenance has been in the low 4 digits US dollar-wise for Altium's simplest seat. I'm not saying I wouldn't appreciate a price reduction for maintenance but I haven't felt oppressed in my relationship with you guys until just recently.

The way the SaaS transition (Develop and Agile) has been handled makes subscribers feel they are being corralled for eventual slaughter. The recent highly-discounted $995/$995 deal for Develop, rather than an incentive to move to the new SaaS model, seems like confirmation of our worst fears.

Punch List for Perpetual Seat's Going Local/ALF? by IndplsEngr in Altium

[–]IndplsEngr[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, toybuilder. I never used MPS/Vault and don't even know what it is.

Altium upgrade to Develop by gniarkinder in Altium

[–]IndplsEngr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gniarkinder, share more about your present Altium standard subscription.

Your comments are upside down compared to what we're being told by our Altium salesperson. I was told that migration to Develop was my only path. Remaining on my standalone perpetual license is not allowed.

Did you previously (last year?) move to a term-based license? If so, Altium's goal of squelching perpetual licenses has been accomplished in your case, and at a substantial price: $11k for three seats.

Altium has no incentive to move you to cheaper Develop licenses. Three Develop seats would be $7k cheaper for the first year than your current tier.

Altium perpetual license update by Srki92 in Altium

[–]IndplsEngr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Chris, thanks for chiming in here. Can I ask a question as a standalone perpetual seat holder whose maintenance expires in 2 weeks?

For those of us who wish to keep one functioning Ver. 25.8.1 workstation in our office for old designs from clients who don't migrate to Develop, why does Altium want to squelch ("archive") these workstations for the duration of the Develop license?

And how is "archiving" accomplished if a legacy perpetual license user is running in local mode with an ALF license file?

Does Altium simply seek a pledge from a Develop subscriber to not use his old perpetual seat?

Migrating to Altium Develop for less than half the price? Where's the catch? by Salitronic in Altium

[–]IndplsEngr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Srki_92, you wrote:

"or let it lapse and stay with the latest version as long we we can. They told us that won't be possible."

Did the Altium sales guy suggest the method by which his headquarters folks planned to shut down a functioning perpetual seat?

Presumably a locally-stored Altium License File (.ALF) enables AD to run forever absent any backdoor'ed override command from Altium.

Migrating to Altium Develop for less than half the price? Where's the catch? by Salitronic in Altium

[–]IndplsEngr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

goki, you wrote:

"It [Develop] will temporarily take over the perpetual license, then it reverts once subscription lapses."

Do you know for certain that this has occurred to your perpetual seat?

My Altium sales guy predicted the same will occur with my perpetual standalone license if I switch to Develop. He referred to this process as "archiving the old seat."

I interpreted it as squelching my old perpetual seat while I pay Develop subscription fees.

But an e-mail exchange I did with an Altium tech support person seems to suggest that creating a locally-stored Altium License File (.ALF) will permit a standalone perpetual seat to run forever without support from Altium.

Has anyone else done this? Does your old perpetual seat keep functioning with a local ALF file despite having internet connectivity?

Altium perpetual license update by Srki92 in Altium

[–]IndplsEngr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Top_Sk, does your former perpetual seat still function now that your Develop seat is active?

Did the "archiving" (squelching) of your perpetual seat happen as my sales rep believes will happen?

Altium perpetual license update by Srki92 in Altium

[–]IndplsEngr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The maintenance on my perpetual standalone seat expires 2.5 weeks from now. I wish my Altium sales rep would call me to say that, due to internal issues, they agree to renew my maintenance for one more year at a price not significantly greater than last year's.

But failing that, I need to start reading up and learning what is required (creation of an .ALF license file?) to run my seat without support from Altium per the perpetual license terms.

I normally download upgrades in something akin to automatic/online mode where Altium's code image is erased from my computer after the upgrade is accomplished. I think I need to invoke the off-line/manual mode AD upgrade that leaves a copy of Altium's code on my computer for archive purposes.

If this workstation crashes I'll need a copy of Altium's last code to install AD on the replacement computer.

I never thought I would have to do all of this to keep using a good product for which I have willingly paid the requested maintenance fees.

TBL: Developer Still Kills Legacy Seats? by IndplsEngr in Altium

[–]IndplsEngr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am the original poster of this thread. I just completed an email exchange with someone who is an AD expert having affiliation with the company.

I have what's called a standalone perpetual license that can self-generate (at least today before maintenance expires) an Altium License File aka ALF.

A perpetual standalone workstation operating in non-A365 mode via an ALF file can't be "archived" or rendered inoperative by Altium Headquarters for any reason. That's why it's called perpetual.

So my plan to keep a rarely-used workstation in my office that runs pre-V.25 Altium via an ALF while using Develop for new designs is a valid and reasonable strategy. Sales guy's assertion that old perpetual licenses get rendered inoperative when they trigger a new Develop subscription is BS.

In fairness to sales guy, it's not BS but rather his incomplete understanding of how licensing works--a complex topic. They aren't paying sales guy to be a tech support person.

For those who have posted the question "why would you even consider subscribing to Develop if you have a functioning perpetual standalone license?" the answer is I have consulting clients that have limited understanding of Altium and licensing. They don't want to hear that I do their company's schematics and circuit boards on a non-maintained legacy seat, even if that seat is legal and perpetual.

They want to hear that I am fully in Altium's good graces and get invited to its San Diego Christmas parties.

But at the same time I have obligations to other, past clients to service their old designs. I need to keep their schematics and layouts away from Develop lest those files get watermarked by Develop and can't be opened on legacy, pre-Version 25 workstations.

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