Subj : Re: Solar TV Battery Test To : Barry Martin From : Nancy Backus Date : Tue Apr 14 2020 17:21:36 -=> Quoting Barry Martin to Nancy Backus on 05-Apr-2020 10:04 <=- NB>>> And I keep getting long phone calls from people (or calls that I NB>>> initiate that end up being long calls, too), especially in this time NB>>> of social distancing... :) BM>> My Mother said she had called a few people earlier this week she BM>> hadn't talked to in a while. Our people are either local, somewhat of BM>> a distance but talk to regularly, or in my case on the other side of BM>> The Pond and so e-mail or talk to every so often. NB>> A number of the longer calls have been to local people I can't go out NB>> to lunch with at the moment... And then there are the almost daily NB>> long calls from one local gal I'm a counselor to... sometimes more NB>> than once in a day, too, depending on what she's obsessively worrying NB>> about.... BM> That makes sense: if can't talk in person the phone is one way to get BM> around. It's not quite the same as meeting in person, but it's much better than no contact at all... ;) BM> And counselling ad alleviating concerns can take a while: need to BM> break down what the other person built up. Exactly... and/or allow enough time for it all to spill out so that it can be worked on.... :) BM>> Glad your taxes almost done -- hopefully a bit of a refund after all BM>> that work! NB>> The state will be a decent refund, as it always is now, since we are NB>> having a chunk withheld from Richard's pension, but then we found out NB>> that our state doesn't tax Soc.Sec. at all, and allows 20,000 of each NB>> person's pension(s) to stay tax-free.... so we can cover what's left NB>> of taxable income with either the standard deduction or the itemized NB>> one, and owe no tax at all, getting everything back that was withheld. NB>> Federal, on the other hand isn't nearly so generous, and taxes part NB>> of the Social Security based on whatever other income (including NB>> tax-free) one might have.... so we've ended up owing quite a bit more NB>> than was withheld from his pension... BM> Iowa taxes so I've have my IRA distribution taxed and then so far 100% BM> refunded. With the new distribution going into effect in a few months BM> (old one expires) I'm going to ask about having that changed. I'm BM> thinking because of the eventual upcoming inheritance just half the BM> amount withheld (and refunded), just to balance things out. Inheritance isn't taxed, though... The only thing you'd owe any tax on from that would be if you inherited stocks, bonds or funds that continued to earn for you, and that gain would be taxed, not the inheritance itself... BM>> ...There's talk of a $1,200 stimulus check because of the COVID-19 -- BM>> will be nice for the now but I'm thinking will be counted as an income BM>> next tax season (so don't spend all of it!). Maybe was a good thing I BM>> ended up postponing donating my books until this year: can counter-act BM>> the stimulus check tax! NB>> From what I've seen, it shouldn't be considered income to be taxed, NB>> and as long as your income is less than $75000 ($150000 joint) you'd NB>> be getting $1200 each... Maybe it counts more like a tax refund, or NB>> is like a household credit.... BM> I hope they phrase it as a gift as Iowa taxes the federal refund! BM> (It's not like the taxes are horrible here, they just like to get money BM> to run the state properly.) Most likely it would be treated as a refundable credit, not taxed at all... NB>>> That's for sure... :) And as well, not to be too sure that one has NB>>> totally extinguished a fire too quickly.... I've seen fires that just NB>>> were tamped down and burst into flame again later, despite a night of NB>>> heavy rain on it..... BM>> Which I guess is one reason why firefighters stay on the scene even BM>> though it appears the fire is out. NB>> Indeed. And is part of why they tear apart things so much... when we NB>> had our attic fire many years ago in a January, the contractors came NB>> in early March to repair the roof and all.... and when they tore off NB>> shingles from the roof, some of them burst into flame as they got NB>> oxygen.... was really a scary thought to know that that had been NB>> sitting there over our heads for a couple of months and we never knew NB>> that the fire could have restarted.... fortunately, it hadn't, and NB>> the rebuild went fine.... But we got an enhanced respect for the power NB>> of fire... BM> Whoa!!! I reread that to make sure I read correctly! Two months is a BM> long time to be smoldering! Not doubting you, but is scary to think a BM> fire could be hiding that long! Exactly.... I'm still taken aback all these years later, recounting the story, to think what might have happened.... very scary.... BM>> Side-tracked myself while I was waiting for a part; ordered a few as BM>> inexpensive for some other potential projects. "Buck-boost" regulator BM>> which cuts (so 'bucks') a high input voltage and boosts a low input BM>> voltage. (Cheaper to buy than build!) Will be set so the output BM>> voltage (powering the TV or other project) will be 12.0 volts BM>> regardless of if the input voltage is 15 volts or 5. NB>> Those do sound helpful... Did you get them yet....? (So now can you NB>> get back to figuring out where to store the stuff...?) ;) BM> Got the buck-boost device -- seems to work as advertised. Not that I BM> doubted as is a commercial device (used in cars, etc.), but I have a BM> variable power supply downstairs and so played: down to around 5v, up BM> to 20v - output stays at 12v! Nice. :) BM> As for storing, thinking I might 'store out in the open': dawned on me BM> to use the TV as a monitor for my Raspberry Pi weather station. Of BM> course have a But First but that was expected! That's a thought... :) BM>> One thing I didn't like was a freshly-charged 12-volt battery could BM>> put out 14 volts which is waaaaay over the usual 10% tolerance -- don't BM>> want to fry the TV! Relatively easy way to correct the overage. Then BM>> we have the problem of if not paying attention and allow the battery to BM>> discharge too much - TV would probably work until it fried itself the BM>> other way. (I'm trying to avoid being too technical,) NB>> And the buck-boost would protect the TV either direction.... BM> Right: the buck-boost device will decrease the too-high input and BM> increase a too-low input. I don't intend to run the battery to BM> exhaustion but at least if accidentally done I'm generally covered and BM> won't damage the TV. That's a good thing... :) BM>> Figuring the same potential issues with the solar cell power project: BM>> overcast is producing low voltage while a bright sunny day could BM>> produce too much voltage, NB>> I suppose that is a possiblility.... Does the buck-boost work NB>> with the solar cell setup, too, then....? BM> It can, and read where it has been used with solar cells. Now to get BM> my Round TuIt on that project... Overcast today, plus Autumn, plus a BM> But First. Eventually you'll get to that again... on a nice sunny day.... ;) ttyl neb .... A straw vote only shows which way the hot air blows. -- O. Henry --- EzyBlueWave V3.00 01FB001F * Origin: Tiny's BBS - http://www.tinysbbs.com (454:1/452) .