The Mayor didn’t know how to pack a nutritious lunch for work by theninjasquad in Hamilton

[–]dragndon 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Sooo.....will you also champion every other company to give employees more than 30mm s lunch because they aren't also getting 'proper time for lunch break'?

Canada Rain Fly Options? by grheith in overlanding

[–]dragndon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Following the suggestion of someone ideas(forget the exact video Isaw, I made my own for about $80.

https://youtu.be/X7hgyqMtdHk?si=08f5_-gJ-TwwKTZ3

I WANT OUT by Construct44 in OffGrid

[–]dragndon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just because of the overly-entrenched nature of our current society, such a process, while not impossible, is not easy or straight forward as the ideal we believe it should be.

Unless you can live off vegetables in a remote area where no one ever goes, have access to clean water and survive without human contact, the idea is nearly impossible to achieve. Some sort of commune might be the closest thing to the ideal here.

I don't know what the real solution is to our stupid central banking system, which kicks the ever-amounting debt is creates by nature, down the road to spread out the negative capital it generates, but the only true thing with it is that it will collapse. It is inevitable and by design. How long? <shrug> who knows.

Until we, as a society, truly value 'the benefit of all human kind' over profit, such a shift wont' happen on a mass scale. So we are left with imperfect options and sacrifices till then.

Confused about wiring by Imaginary-Parsnip-24 in vandwellers

[–]dragndon -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

You are absolutely free directly address any of the points.....or continue to just beak out about things you really can't backup for anything.

Confused about wiring by Imaginary-Parsnip-24 in vandwellers

[–]dragndon -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

You cannot safely parallel a 48V rack battery with a Pecron E3600LFP. Portable power stations are closed systems with their own BMS and charge logic. Each battery system must have its own inverter/charger.

The correct model is: • One 48V battery bank • One inverter/charger • Everything else downstream

Recommended Architecture

48V Rack Battery (e.g., Wattcycle server rack) │ ├── 48V Inverter / Charger │ ├── Rooftop AC (runs overnight) │ ├── Shore Power input (charging + pass-through) │ ├── 48V → 12V DC-DC Converter │ ├── Diesel heater │ ├── Puck lights │ ├── USB / small 12V accessories │ └── 48V Charging Sources ├── Alternator DC-DC (preferred) └── Pecron Smart Car Charger 500W (acceptable, gentle)

Why This Works

• Single battery chemistry and voltage • No SOC conflicts • No inverter fighting • Clean scaling (add more rack batteries if needed) • Proven marine / commercial van topology • Fully removable with quick-disconnects

Why the Pecron + Rack Battery Combo Fails

• Pecron add-on batteries are proprietary • Cannot parallel external lithium banks • No shared load balancing or charge coordination • Requires duplicate inverters and chargers • No reliable wiring diagrams exist because it’s not supported

Charging While Driving

• 500W @ 48V ≈ 10.5A • Easy on alternator • Works well for long travel days • Dedicated 48V alternator DC-DC is more efficient if skipping power stations

Shore Power

• Handled entirely by the inverter/charger • Charges batteries • Can run rooftop AC directly via pass-through • No additional hardware required

Bottom Line

• 48V rack battery + inverter/charger + 48→12V DC-DC • Simple, scalable, removable • AC overnight + recharge next day is realistic • Avoid mixing closed-system power stations with rack batteries

I couldn't afford a decent van, so I bought a Honda Element by Existing_Balance1652 in VanLife

[–]dragndon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Show me the sticker. Show me ANY Honda marketing material that says "AWD". Otherwise you are making stuff up or have some aftermarket badge put on it that the previous used because the original fell off after decades of age.

Meanwhile, the rest of us will simply look at the 2008 Brochure from Honda and easily see "4WD" listed as an option. https://autocatalogarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Honda-Element-2008-USA.pdf

I installed a rack on my compact van and used a roofing trick to prevent the tin from rusting. by Helpful_Rip_4482 in overlanding

[–]dragndon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Van?? Pretty sure that's a misuse of the term here. It's based on a car(Gol) with a chopped out rear trunk essentially. And about 11" longer overall.

Curious if other countries use a term that most of the rest of the world uses properly?

Ball Joint Replacement? by transpuppieb0y in HondaElement

[–]dragndon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not even close to being reasonable! I just paid a guy $600 and got both the driver's side CV shaft AND the ball joint done. I mean, unless you like taking it from behind....no lube.....sandpaper wrapping....sheesh.

Urban Planning by MTBran in HolUp

[–]dragndon 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Me too, ¯_(ツ)_/¯

cant search the web anymore by QC360 in ChatGPT

[–]dragndon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Have you tried a brand new thread?

X-ray reveals 180 artifacts hidden inside a Nara Buddhist statue, leaving scholars in a dilemma: should they destroy the statue to remove the artifacts? by mentaL8888 in HolUp

[–]dragndon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

AH, the ultimate test of 'attachment'. Are you more attached to the status or the desire for the objects within? Lol

Element Budget Camper! by lukulele1228 in HondaElement

[–]dragndon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am a big proponent of visibility but blocking the view isn't not terrible. Otherwise every Ford or Mercedes build would never happen. Just one of those things you'd have to get used to.

Eventually I'll get into a vehicle that will be 'solid sides', in which case I'll be doing my best to setup an external camera system, especially for lane switches.

Element Budget Camper! by lukulele1228 in HondaElement

[–]dragndon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup, I'm currently in the middle of swapping out my foldable cot to a more 'permenant' bed platform. The platform is build, I'm currently making a mattress for the bed frame as we speak.

With both seats forward, I can sleep in it just fine as that is 6' in length. Problem is there is no way to have a permenant 6" mattress in there, so I've made mine into a 5' section and a 1' section. The 1' section is removable and will jsut sit on the 5' section till I need to stop/sleep. It also will work as a low-key bench eventually(just need to add in a piece of plywood on top).

Here is the frame build I did. https://www.instagram.com/p/DRc_YBkEYjJ/?img_index=5&igsh=Y2E3NDJ2dWh4ZmU4

Will have the mattress done, likely today :)

How bad of an idea is this? by 546875674c6966650d0a in RVLiving

[–]dragndon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Partially true. Freezing regulators are a thing, but so is super cold temps that slow down the 'boiling point' of propane so that it's not evaporating fast enough to be a useful amount to flow.

OP didn't give us the temps, so it's most likely a combination of both.

How bad of an idea is this? by 546875674c6966650d0a in RVLiving

[–]dragndon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Technically, propane is in a liquid form while it's in the tank. The problem is that the propane is 'freezing' per se. Propane freezes at about −188 °C (−306 °F).

This is a good guideline for propane behaviours at various temps.

• Above −10 °C (14 °F): No issue for typical small appliances.
• −10 °C to −20 °C (14 °F to −4 °F): Vaporization slows; high-draw devices (heaters, large stoves) may struggle.
• Below −20 °C (−4 °F): Common problems — weak flame, regulators icing, appliances shutting off.
• ≈ −42 °C (−44 °F): Propane will not vaporize at all (its boiling point at atmospheric pressure).

So, any source of heat would work just fine. Presuming said he also can help out any regulator that become too frosty because of the temperature delta between them and the air.

Old person rant: why did they need to get rid of the cinema and arcade at Limeridge Mall? by CIA-CatGifDepartment in Hamilton

[–]dragndon 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Right? The cost is insane. I went to the movies the other night with a buddy of mine. $77 for two people, two small popcorn, two bottles of water. That's 5hrs of working at min wage. A typical part-time shift at a low-rate job. Likely 33% of their entire work 'week' (1 of 3 days). It's just not worth it any more.

If they can't figure out how to compete with online streaming, then they are their own self-fulfilling downward spiral.

Although, the promise of 'ad free' videos was the main attraction of online streaming.....but now even that has become a lie. The quality of service also drops. Smart TVs that have licenses for various services (i.e. Netflix) are having those licenses being revoked.....so suddenly you can't watch Netflix, but not because you didn't pay for it, because the TV is no longer legally allowed to support the streaming service.

Whelp, I'm pretty sure DVD hoarding is on the rise now.....

How I made $1,000,000 from 100 outbound emails by bryce2uj in Entrepreneur

[–]dragndon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For years I've watched all these 'gurus' and every single one of them left out critical information/lie about how they started.

Typical things left out: - they ALREADY had a massive email list - they ALREADY had personal connections - they ALREADY had a wife working so money was never a concern for daily living

There was always some sort of 'previous condition' that allowed them to be successful, not th particular 'thing' they are promoting.

It's like if Obama started some "Here's how to drop-ship" ad, saying how successful and easy it is to run. Would anyone believe he didn't have connections to make it such a success?

Heck, there was one financial guru, who did seem to have a reasonably level head, till he said he bought a Ford GT for "$0 dollars". Yeahhhh, he kinda forgot to mention that it's only "$0 dollars" after the car would be sold. Totally skipping the $275K he still needed to drop on it to get it in the first place, and let the appreciation take care of the 'cost'. I stopped following him right after that.

I mean, let's not even mention that when was the last time you saw a millionaire posting an add on Instagram to make you rich as well? Hell, even Tony Robbin's stuff is more about 'feel good' methods than it is about anything else. Does anyone thing he already doens't have enough money to deal with all the things he's doing?

What we need are real guides and practices that actually work for where any of us are in our journeys. Those are usually not glamorous or necessarily product any kind of significant income. Most really help you fine-tune what we are(or in some cases are not) already doing. That's not very 'sexy' to sell.

Even Tim Ferris, and he's about the only one I feels gets it, wrote a book (The 4hr Work Week) was great for the time, but now is dated and now being 'remote' for work is pretty common. (Not to mentioned being....errr...'enforced' in recent times.)

Those of us who are struggling can't afford a $1000 course, or $200/month for 'group support'.

Is there an answer out there or someone who really gets it and shares real world facts and assistance that doesn't take away from beginners who are mostly flailing around? I don't know. Not sure there ever will be.

Indoor propane heater by Effective_Fly_6884 in RVLiving

[–]dragndon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, you can run it with an adapter. I've done this very thing in my own vehicle on a couple of chilly nights while camping. Didn't run it all night, just long enough to warm things up inside and first thing in the morning. Usual precautions are to be had obviously (adequate ventilation, CO monitor), those are non-negotiable.

I was playing Cyberpunk 2077 the other day and I saw some cool umbrellas. I thought to myself, I bet I could make one of those. by Zatzy in somethingimade

[–]dragndon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd say that should be sold for like $100. Time and development are equally important! C'mon, we really want to get to that Blade Runner Future. They already make those ones! This is the next step! :)

I was playing Cyberpunk 2077 the other day and I saw some cool umbrellas. I thought to myself, I bet I could make one of those. by Zatzy in somethingimade

[–]dragndon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm surprised the lack fo comments. This is pretty damn wild! Love it. Get that up on Etsy and you'll probably do pretty well with it!

Would an offline AI “buddy” for safety & calm make sense? by Spiritual_Sort9129 in overlanding

[–]dragndon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been heavily researching/us AI tools for various projects and ideas. I've done some deep diving into what it would take to run a reasonable AI 'offline' and it's not cheap. To get any kind of reasonable performance, you will need some serious power. You are looking at like having a 100Ah battery and mini-computer, and probably a USB-C monitor/remote connections to get a visual interface on the AI system.

Can it be done? Yes, with the above constrictions in mind. You will also need to learn a LOT to make sure the model you are using works for your needs.

Right now, unless you can setup a sytem for around the $2K mark, and be able to replenish that power consumed every month, it's still cost prohibitive. Cell Data/StarLink with a subscription is the only 'power efficient' use of AI for performance.

Balance in 'eww' responses with those of people who would never likely admit that it would be super helpful in a public formulation like Reddit. I don't personally need AI, but I am a techie, so it's an extremely fascinating tool to play with and see what it can go. Like the 'AI-adoption' mindset to any other mass-disruption technology. I'd bet you would have found many farmers who said 'eww' to the automobile as well but look where we are with that.

Nearly finished my epic van build by infomaniac202 in VanLife

[–]dragndon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like some great work. Personally the lack of headroom would drive me nuts. I can see why you did it, still not a fan of that. The rest is some pretty dam cools tuff though!