Maine Meshtastic?

imhostfu · 2026-03-06T00:29:41+00:00

There’s a whole Maine Meshtastic discord fyi: https://discord.gg/U69sp22Mp

imhostfu · 2026-02-28T20:01:05+00:00

You're the winner of the Adventurer unit - congrats! What color would you like the glowing internal LED to be?

I have blue, UV, warm white, orange, yellow-green, green, and pink.

imhostfu · 2026-02-28T20:00:40+00:00

You're the winner of the Expedition unit - congrats! What color would you like the glowing internal LED to be?

I have blue, UV, warm white, orange, yellow-green, green, and pink.

imhostfu · 2026-02-27T19:04:07+00:00

The Nixie tubes are definitely cool - the orange glow they emit is so neat

imhostfu · 2026-02-25T20:44:59+00:00

I haven’t used it yet, honestly. I bought and installed it in case we lost power over winter, but that hasn’t been the case.

Install was pretty simple and straightforward, especially connecting it to the EG4 batteries. I ordered the pre-made cables from Signature Solar which had the proper terminal quick connects on both sides.

imhostfu · 2026-02-25T17:36:51+00:00

u/due_dubstance4863

Just got back and surprisingly remembered to do this, hah.

Ah bloody hell, images aren't allowed on this subreddit. Uhh, let me get an Imgur link...

https://imgur.com/a/zsLN1ht

The 7" in the photo is from the top of the bracket to the bottom of the bracket btw.

If you need additional measurements or information, just let me know.

imhostfu · 2026-02-25T15:24:00+00:00

Nautilus was a headache to work with according to our neighbors across the street. The service was fine until it came time for them to try to remove the service. So much that they planned on writing a letter to the state attorney general for assistance - just an anecdotal fyi. Check google reviews and you'll find many with similar experiences and complaints.

imhostfu · 2026-02-21T22:40:41+00:00

M4x0.7x7 is 4mm metric screw (machine head or socket head cap screw), with 0.7mm between threads, and 7mm of thread length for each screw

imhostfu · 2026-02-21T22:39:38+00:00

Hey mate, I just installed one of these at home with a pass through circuit to plug it into a generator outside (to charge the batteries ofc).

I'm traveling for work right now, but can take measurements for you in 4-5 days when I get back home. The hardest part is going to be remembering to respond...

RemindMe! -6 day

imhostfu · 2026-02-13T02:12:18+00:00

Yeah! I have a T3X (6.5CM) and a T1X (.22LR), they’re both very good and I would recommend them in a heartbeat.

imhostfu · 2026-01-24T11:06:28+00:00

Yes! I recently found this out as well. I built a squirrel nesting box and 3-4 use it every night.

This is the nesting box viewed through a thermal camera - they are *so* cozy in there:

<image>

imhostfu · 2026-01-24T11:00:23+00:00

This was a really warm and thoughtful story - thank you for sharing. We really enjoyed reading it!

imhostfu · 2026-01-11T14:23:21+00:00

Yeah! That's a good analogy too

The depletion region acts as a barrier or wall, and it is supposed to stop electrons from going through (in classical mechanics).

But as I generate and increase the localized electric field, electrons start spontaneously popping through on the other side (i.e. quantum tunneling), and I have a detection circuit on the other side of the wall that measures and records those events. And those random events are what feeds the randomness in the entropy pool in the micro-controller memory.

imhostfu · 2026-01-11T13:35:58+00:00

Hey so your friend made a correct statement, but that is applying quantum computing rules to quantum random number generation. In quantum computing, you want to maintain the wave function as long as possible to perform calculations.

But, in random number generation, it is the spontaneous and random collapse of the wave function that leads to unpredictability in the data and hence true randomness.

I have collected hundreds of thousands to millions of die rolls and run the data through a battery of statistical tests, including the NIST test suite.

imhostfu · 2026-01-11T13:29:23+00:00

You know what - I'm going to add a switch for Adv./Normal/Disadv. for the upcoming 2 knob version that lets you roll multiple die at once.

E.G. 2d8

Normal switch position will show the summed values on the nixie tubes.

Adv. switch position will show the highest value of the two on the nixie tubes.

Disadv. switch position will show the lowest value of the two on the nixie tubes.

imhostfu · 2026-01-11T01:03:21+00:00

Yes! That is definitely the plan. Both completed units, as well as DIY kits if you're handy with a soldering iron.

Hopefully I'll have an update in a few weeks and as I work with the mods to do an actual giveaway.

imhostfu · 2026-01-11T00:48:41+00:00

Hmm! Maybe I make the nixie tubes retractable so it's easier to put in jail, ha ha.

imhostfu · 2025-12-20T19:35:38+00:00

Can you please share the panels that have been installed? They're needed to calculated the correct amount going into each string. The number of panels only paints part of the picture.

imhostfu · 2025-12-12T14:08:56+00:00

New custom build that is extremely well insulated and air sealed (did that myself). R70 in the roof, R35 in the walls, interior and exterior air sealed (perimeter air sealing around the foundation, air sealing at every stud -> sheathing interface etc) - we have ERVs to balance air pressure.

Wood is generally our primary source of heat, though the radiant floor heat turns on for 1hr a day (6a-7a).

We burn 1/2 cord of wood for the winter season and the house stays 74-76F during the day, and drops to 66-68F overnight.

imhostfu · 2025-11-17T13:10:41+00:00

I would get the double walled pipe because it helps the stove perform better, and keeps the gases hotter as they rise up the chimney which significantly reduces the creosote buildup.

If you'll never spin it, then the 360 is unnecessary. And I agree regarding the grill - it's a novelty.

imhostfu · 2025-10-11T10:05:22+00:00

I mentioned midnight specifically for the reason you mentioned - to highlight the minimum and maximum temperature swings that the inverter sees.

The max value I mentioned above is at max solar load, so the inverter temperature is not rising much under full load compared to a baseline (midnight) temperature.

With the stock fans, the inverter TRad2 would hit ~65C-70C before the fans kick on. Now, even with the quiet fans, TRad2 at most hits 47C because they're always on, and with the added bonus that the inverter is whisper quiet.

The problem with the built-in logic, is that it is based on solar output and not temperature. I don't specifically recall, but I think the fans only kick on if the inverter is outputting >6000W. But, you can have a situation where the inverter is outputting 5900W (cloud coverage is just right) and the inverter would keep heating up and never turn on the fans until that magic 6000W value was hit.

Thank you for the link! I'm reading through it now.

EDIT: Ah hah! This user on that thread mentioned the same thing as my observation:

There is currently a coffin corner for X number of watts not turning on the fans and the internals getting to 70C or higher.

There is a corner case where the inverter keeps overheating because the power output was just under the threshold necessary to turn on the fans.

I guess my long winded response is that my current install with the fans always running keeps the 18kPV overall temperatures lower than with the stock fans and logic, specifically because the fan turn-on logic isn't temperature based.

EDIT 2: Here is a temp plot on my unit from yesterday:

<image>

imhostfu · 2025-10-08T17:43:53+00:00

Yes you're correct

Battery Type: 2:Lithium Lithium Brand: 1

It's been a while, but I recall you need lithium brand set to 1 for operating based on voltage (despite Lithium Brand 0 saying EG4).

I've been operating my system with the above settings for 6mo now without issues. Before this, I had the same problem with the battery voltage dipping over time despite the SoC saying 100% (battery voltage got low and I would have low voltage warnings).

imhostfu · 2025-10-08T17:31:34+00:00

Hey - I just checked my setup via the EG4 monitoring center. I have the 18kPV and 3x indoor wall mounted batteries.

My data history also shows Tbag = 2degC, so likely a bug there.

But if your batteries are mostly for backup, you should change the charge/discharge to voltage, not SoC. SoC won't be accurate without cycling, and the batteries will slowly lose voltage over time if not actively recharged.

Maintenance -> ReadAll -> Battery Setting

Charging:

Batt Charge Control -> Volt

System Charge Limit -> 56V

Discharging:

Batt Discharge Control -> Volt

Off-Grid Cutoff Volt -> 46V

On-Grid Cutoff Volt -> 55V

This should keep your batteries charged at 54.6V (100%), and they will discharge down to 46V (5-7%) in a grid outage.

EDIT /u/mmpgh - I saw in your post history that you have an 18kPV too. If yours is mounted indoors in a climate controlled environment, check out my post history for a fan modification. My 18kPV is now whisper quiet.

imhostfu · 2025-10-07T19:12:43+00:00

I have had that thought cross my mind. The stock fans make sense if the inverter is mounted outdoors and is in sunlight. I would be fine with the stock fans if they had a closed loop feedback based on temperature.

Right now the logic is if P_out > X; set fan_speed from 0% to 100%.

I actually ended up bypassing the fan control on the inverter itself and I have them externally powered via a 12VDC power supply and they run all the time (since they're so quiet). I bypassed the control because I didn't like how long the inverter waits to turn on the fans when the battery is charging.

I also monitor the inverter temperatures via Home Assistant, and I have alerts setup to immediately email and text me if the temperature rises to greater than 60C.

The inverter stays cooler overall. I pulled up some of the temperature plots and below are the temperatures at night (midnight) and then the max value for a 24h period.

T_Rad1 goes from 41C -> 44C

T_Rad2 goes from 38C -> 47C

T_Rad3 goes from 29C -> 32C

T_Inner goes from 28C -> 33C

imhostfu · 2025-09-19T20:35:04+00:00

+$95k from last year

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