Subj : Solar TV Battery Test To : Nancy Backus From : Barry Martin Date : Sun May 10 2020 09:25:00 Hi Nancy! NB> As long as that message was getting too long, I decided to move NB> the solar testing stuff into the Solar Testing II message.... NB> which also had been getting away from solar testing, but, oh, NB> well... Sounds like a brilliant move! BM>>>> As for storing, thinking I might 'store out in the open': dawned on BM>>>> me to use the TV as a monitor for my Raspberry Pi weather station. BM>>>> Of course have a But First but that was expected! NB>>>> That's a thought... :) BM>>> Haven't done too much -- other 'ends and odds'. NB>>> And But Firsts, no doubt... BM>> Yeahhhh. Got a semi-major But First with the 'security' cameras not BM>> working properly: can see the recordings but not real time. Plus I BM>> had created a back up machine when I switched the CPU heat sink and fan BM>> on this one. I had never swapped the 'heat sink holder' before: always BM>> was whatever came with the motherboard. Swap went fine, so far is BM>> keeping the CPU to a maximum of 112øF vs. the old 180øF and shut down. NB>> Those both sound like worthy uses of your time... Good that the NB>> swap was successful, too... :) BM> Yes -- as for swapping the CPU Heat Sink not like I haven't done BM> before -- heat sink part is fine but the fan froze -- just never had BM> swapped in a totally different - in this case monster - heat sink. And BM> was suckered in by the original one being "AMD approved" -- well, that BM> means it should be right and do the job, right? NB> One would have thought.... but maybe it was approved for some NB> other job....? Apparently it's job was to be cooling a much lighter capacity processor! BM> As for the cameras, got that working. No idea why the real-time BM> failure with the original software, and appears for whatever reason the BM> new/updated software either isn't an energy efficient or because it BM> does more and so the processor does more work ==> heat and current BM> draw. Ended up putting in a metal case with extensions inside which BM> contact the CPU, etc., and so draw the heat of better than the original BM> heat sinks. (The metal case is warm to the touch!). That seems to BM> have been the problem. NB> Making it work harder and thus generating more heat, does seem to NB> be a possibility, even in my limited area of knowledge here... :) NB> Finding a way to dissipate that heat makes sense, too... Yes, those chips just don't like to be too warm! Didn't quite make sense why the original hardware wasn't liking the updated software but.... I had the metal case in stock for another project, and did my "buy two, they're cheap!" philosophy. Actually still have a spare: did buy two but the original project changed. 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. NB>>>> Eventually you'll get to that again... on a nice sunny day.... ;) BM>>> True. OTOH don't want a too-sunny day as will skew the experiment and BM>>> make any ol' placement look right. ...It'll get done. NB>>> Dunno... one could run the experiment on a variety of variously NB>>> sunny days, and see if it makes much (or any) difference... ;) BM>> Yes, see what happens on a fully sunny day which would be running BM>> under ideal conditions and so find out what my maximum voltage would BM>> be. Lesser sunny to overcast days would have less solar output and so BM>> need to tweak the solar cell's positioning to make the best of what is BM>> available. NB>> All seems like workable situations and all... ;) BM> Yes, eventually back to that project. I haven't been down in the BM> basement for a while; some stuff up here in the Computer Room, some BM> Spring yard work..... NB> You'll get back to it in due time... :) Yes: when it gets to 90 and 100 outside I'l be looking for an indoor project! NB>>>> Exactly... it is possible for a product to actually be improved, NB>>>> in a way that is useful.... ;) But often it's only hype... BM>>> Most of it is. I don't go around looking at the darker side of things BM>>> but seems most of the 'new & improved' is for the manufacturer's BM>>> benefit. NB>>> Often merely even a chance to charge more for the same product and get NB>>> away with it... ;0 BM>> Possibly and probably right: the 'new and improved' isn't the same as BM>> the original and so could be charged at a different rate. OTOH it BM>> might not be too good an idea to change the product and change the BM>> price: I'm thinking a price decrease could be interpreted as not as BM>> good as the original, a price increase interpreted as an opportunity to BM>> explore other brands as if the original had to be improved maybe it BM>> wasn't so good after all. NB>> Likely any price increase would be hidden.... It might be the same NB>> price per container, but the net weight or volume has decreased NB>> slightly... thinking that the customer is less likely to notice that NB>> sort of thing... ;) BM> Yes: keep the price and container the same but less contents. NB> Or tweak the container just a little so that it's not all that NB> noticeable... ;0 They've probbaly done that to us consumers, I'm sure! Not false advertising as long as they keep the weight display consistent. Probably could be made smaller in size (the font) as long as everything else was correspondingly smaller with the new packaging. ...Consumer beware! NB> Wegmans is still doing the consumer reusables instead of the NB> plastic bags... and selling quite a few of them as well... They NB> are easily enough wiped down after each use, if one desires to be NB> a little more cautious... But yes, the other sanitizing and NB> safety measures have got to be costing them, and when they are NB> out of things, they can't sell them to get any profit there, NB> either... A hare surprised on Wegmans allowing the use of the consumer resuables -- all purchases or just the ones packed by the consumer him or herself. Hy-Vee is or at least was allowing the reusables if the customer packed their own groceries. BM>>>> I was telling someone last week's Hy-Vee digital ad had over 1,000 BM>>>> items while this week's had a little over 400. And their 99› orange BM>>>> juice (limit two) was sold out. (But I did get the last roll of Angel BM>>>> Soft toilet paper, plus I had a dollar off digital coupon!!) NB>>>> Win some, lose some... ;) BM>>> Right now I would have preferred the orange juice over the toilet BM>>> paper but my mind may change later! NB>>> Depending on what you were out of at the time... BM>> That does tend to alter my needs perception! NB>> Yup... BM> And that reminded me: the coffee-flavourd M&Ms were a restricted-time BM> offering. I was on eBay for something else (ended up not buying BM> anywhere) and someone was selling just-expired packs (expiry April BM> 17th or something) and someone else had listed packs with an expiry the BM> end of May. Either one would have been OK but I wasn't sure of the BM> quantity: looked like a single pack at $9.99 - so ten dollars. Uh, BM> no. OK, so free shipping, but still seemed rather high for a little BM> packet. I'm not spending my stimulus check on candy! NB> Guess I was right... No, I'd not spend that sort of money NB> for candy, either... And it appears that maybe some people did NB> some hoarding there, as well, hoping to make a killing.... NB> sigh.... Maybe not a killing but just buying up end quantities. I didn't pay attention to the vendor so don't know if it was Vinny's Odd Lots or what. BM> ... Come to our site: we have Cookies! NB> Fresh-baked.....? 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