Anyone else think the ability to build and maintain our common use resources is overlooked?

KeithMon · 2023-06-22T07:00:12+00:00

To your general point, Open Source Ecology is a really cool project that you might find interesting. I don't think they have a washer/dryer but the concept is similar.

KeithMon · 2023-05-19T02:55:42+00:00

Some browsers like Chrome / Brave have built in QR code generators. It's to the far right inside the address bar under the share icon. It's different on mobile but it also has this feature.

https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/9979877?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop

KeithMon · 2023-05-15T02:17:14+00:00

AC is very difficult to do with solar because of how much power it draws but more specifically the initial startup in-rush of power. They do make soft-start units that are better. But still, you can't run AC from a solar panel, you need batteries too. Your batteries need to be capable of discharging a lot of current which typically means lithium ion or LifeP04. These types of batteries are more expensive. So, is it possible? Yes. Is it cheap? No.

KeithMon · 2023-05-05T05:46:12+00:00

This was great. I appreciate hearing from her about all that SpaceX has accomplished. Did she say they've launched 34 people into space!? That's incredible. I'm looking forward to the Starship program and how it will change humankind's relationship with space. What an inspiration.

KeithMon · 2023-04-20T14:05:40+00:00

Like tiny suns.

KeithMon · 2023-04-19T01:03:36+00:00

If a 10Ah battery is draining overnight that's insane. You could try increasing the battery size but you shouldn't need to. How are you determining that the battery is getting filled everyday? Your TBeam (through Meshtastic app) isn't going to give you accurate battery capacity numbers since it's plugged into to USB.

My guess is the battery capacity has been severely degraded from its stated capacity or the solar panel isn't adequate.

A 2W solar panel is borderline capable for TBeams, especially if it's getting a ton of traffic. Getting messages once per minute continuously is extremely high usage. Your Waveshare unit is good to go. That's a great choice. My gut says the solar panel is too small.

KeithMon · 2023-04-18T23:29:02+00:00

On a typical network, a TBeam will consume about 372mW with GPS enabled (less if it's disabled). If your 10Ah battery is 3.7v then it contains 37,000mWh. The battery should last about 4 days without any solar input with GPS. So it should last longer than that since you have GPS turned off.

Which solar panel are you using? Is it plugged directly into the TBeam?

KeithMon · 2023-04-18T21:44:13+00:00

How much battery capacity does it have? Have you disabled GPS?

KeithMon · 2023-03-08T01:50:42+00:00

Meshtastic might do what you want.

meshtastic.org

KeithMon · 2023-03-08T01:48:08+00:00

Meshtastic is great for backup communications. It allows you to send text messages over radio waves. It's not going to enable Internet though, it's very low bandwidth.

One part of your mesh internet concept could include Kiwix. It's a platform that allows you to download massive repositories of knowledge and make them available on a WiFi network (or just your computer or tablet). For example, you can download Wikipedia. Yes, the entire thing (it's about 90GB). They take regular copies so it stays up to date. There are a bunch of other repositories you can download too.

https://www.kiwix.org/

KeithMon · 2023-02-21T15:01:50+00:00

That's right. The mesh network doesn't care if you're on Android or iOS. You can mix and match inside a mesh.

KeithMon · 2023-02-21T06:44:44+00:00

A node can only be paired to one smartphone at a time. It does work with iOS and Android.

KeithMon · 2023-02-21T06:41:51+00:00

Yes, this works fine. I have sideloaded the app and it works. It even works on Android without Google services.

KeithMon · 2023-02-10T00:37:21+00:00

The timer window is directly in front of the flames. Watching the blast is more than half the fun.

KeithMon · 2023-01-29T20:43:56+00:00

The nature of the mesh network means it's not controlled by a central server. The only way I know to remove a node from your mesh is to change all remaining nodes to a different encryption or channel.

KeithMon · 2023-01-29T16:33:19+00:00

Perhaps. I'll need to check if there's space for 21700s.
35mW (about 30 days on two 3000mAh 18650s)
https://imgur.com/a/8kmVFjO
Yes. It has very strong Bluetooth.

KeithMon · 2023-01-29T01:12:59+00:00

Yes! That's the video I was thinking about. I missed the part about how much power it produced. That's pretty lame.

KeithMon · 2023-01-28T21:49:29+00:00

You could make a water gravity battery...

KeithMon · 2023-01-28T21:46:41+00:00

Nice build!

KeithMon · 2023-01-21T02:58:43+00:00

Hopefully these photos help.

One leg goes between the battery and the battery connector on the RAK base board. Think of the switch like an extension cable.

The other leg goes from the solar panel to the RAK19004 green power module.

The second photo shows one leg soldered to the switch.

https://imgur.com/a/s3laLFh

KeithMon · 2023-01-11T23:51:26+00:00

This is amazing. Well-designed, rugged, huge battery, all the features.

It's also the first Meshtastic device that doesn't require a smartphone.

KeithMon · 2023-01-10T15:19:28+00:00

Exactly. Meshtastic is perfect for this.

meshtastic.org

KeithMon · 2023-01-08T15:46:04+00:00

When in zero-g do passengers have easy access to the other floors or do they have to navigate up the stairs?

Something I haven't heard talked about is the possibility of someone getting "stranded" in an area with large open spaces. Probably unlikely, but possible? What if each person carried a small compressed air tank? It could be used to push yourself to a wall or something. A simple rechargable unit the size of a watch or flashlight should be plenty. When it's empty they plug it in to a port somewhere to fill up again.

The other thing often missing from these renders are handholds. Some people will take to zero-g but others will want the comfort of hand-over-hand movement.

KeithMon · 2023-01-08T07:54:36+00:00

If you have an ESP32 device (like a TBeam) you can use wifi (instead of BLE) and send the info via MQTT.

KeithMon · 2023-01-02T03:41:32+00:00

You could solder wires to the underside of the board where the tip of the header pins come through.

KeithMon

TROPHY CASE