Didn’t get much done on the Array. DID make the center post, but have not attached it to the frame as yet; wanna make an adjustment to what I did before I go there.
And I have those zerk fittings to tap into place.
One thing I did do was play with the armature (more specifically, the motor and a solar panel) Not sure, may need to re-do some math. I think this particular motor wants way more amperage before it goes to work. I’m not dealing with beaucoup amps here, not with the set up of opposing panel voltages. Not down yet, won’t be down; might need to adjust course a hair is all. I have two motors on hand that would fill the bill, IF there weren’t amperage issues. I might have another option in an old tool: one that the last battery finally died on and its been sitting there as a resource in waiting.
But Dio, it won’t fit that armature!
And? I have machine tools, I have ‘billet’ aluminum. I have steel plate and sheet metal. I have a 20ton shop press. I have a grinder, cut off wheels, and a welder. I can make something to ‘fit’ with a little skull sweat and redneck ingenuity. Despite my usual “quick and dirty” machining, I am capable of accurate and detailed machining.
I made a side cover for a dood many years ago, using his busted up side cover as a ‘print’ after I had used bondo to fix the original, where he lowsided his bike. And that was before I knew some tricks I know now. This might be a bit more complicated with incorporating gears and screw leads, but I have two of those armatures, one of which was burned up. I have working stock in other words.
No, not trying to come off as some arrogant little prick. Just a jackleg mechanical tech that detests the word “Can’t”.
Ah! That brings me around to a different subject; one I touched upon earlier this week. Seems that the local county (Bell) said “nope” to that Data Center thing. Well, the next county over (the one I live in, Knox) said “ok” to it. But there were some stipulations involved. NOT from the county, but from the people investing in the data center. The entire region is getting rezoned. THE ENTIRE REGION,,, This data center is only 2 miles and a couple ridgelines over from my place, and that means that my area is under the microscope.
ANd that’s why I am seeing some things suddenly becoming “unobtanium”. Like cheap on demand water heaters. But the one that really caught me off gaurd was the LiFePo batteries. I went to price out a new bank and found out that I can not have them delivered to my location due to ‘zoning restrictions’. And I also found out that KU is starting to demand “all off grid locations be tied into the grid”
KU knows they don’t have the power to run a data center, and are trying like hell to come up with it, even it means stealing power from people that are self sufficient. At least that’s my take on things.
What truly pisses me off about this, (Besides the encroachment issues) relates to a scam operation just a few years back. KU had scoured a hillside a half mile from my place to put in a solar farm. Got a several million dollar grant from the government to do it. They spent all the money stripping that hillside, which is now back overgrown with Kudzu and rain ruts, and not one solar panel anywhere to be seen. But they feel empowered to demand that I pay to put in the juice pole and pay for inspectors and electricians to tie my house into a grid I have had nothing to do with for 11 years, so they can harvest my over production FOR FREE!!! No compensation offered or alluded to.
Corporate piracy with Government blessings are just as bad as all the taxes combined, maybe worse. Especially when you add in that all of these data centers are to mine information for “public safety” and you start running into “Minority Report” type horrors. Its only a matter of time before they start herding people onto box cars and busses to move them into 15 minute cities.
I hope they bring friends to that party. thats my only warning to them.
“after the first one, the rest are all free” Hunting season open from that point forward.
And with all of that out there, I’ve seriously considered selling out/off what I have and relocating across the border into TN. The real problem is: Eventually, there is no where left to run TO. Looking around the webs, I actually pray that financial collapse beats us to this Data Center Madness coming online in full. We, as a nation, are already on the ropes of failing empire, its shows hugely, and there will be a lot of damage done on the way down. I can only pray that the Data Center, Outdoor Prison System they are building fails with the Dollar. I can deal with being an outlaw from Inspectors and rogue Utility companies. I can’t fight off a Psychopathic Government by myself, and running only delays the inevitable.
FWIW, don’t ever move to a CommonWealth state. I’m learning that lesson.
Anyfooberdubz, I need to clean up, and get ready for the sheets. Gonna get up and get an early start (and its payday/freeday, which means bank run) Gonna move the welder over to Unks (and thinking thats gonna be my ‘out’ on this grid tie in thingy. “Already paying a bill, that’s just a shack for guests,,,” ) so I can do my welding without killing a generator. Have a promise (eyeroll) from Burnout that he is gonna come up and help move the Buffalo tomorrow (some time, wasn’t given a fixed time, hence the eyeroll.) And I would like to have the array at least in testing phase by Sonday (its supposed to piss down rain Sonday) Currently, my panels are propped up on the ground around the old support (I had to take them off the frame so I can modify it.)
I’ll post more pics sometime this weekend (when it actually looks like something. fiddly details don’t show much progress.)
Love y’all
Stay curious.
Live
Love
Laugh
LEARN
LOAD!!!
