Pocket-sized charge controller enables easier DIY portable solar electric systems

The  solar charge controller (for example: RENOGY 40 AMP MPPT CHARGE CONTROLLER )provides one of the missing links for small off-grid solar setups, and could be the key to more build-your-own systems.

When it comes to keeping our smaller devices powered up while off the grid, such as smartphones and other portable electronics, there are quite a few choices for small-scale solar chargers and portable battery banks, many of which are affordable and reliable.

However, for charging anything larger than a tablet or small laptop, the options on the market get rapidly fewer and the prices seem to get much higher, part of which comes from the addition to some systems of an inverter (which converts the battery's DC current to the AC required by most home appliances), as well as the much larger battery required to power those AC devices. And while plugging a standard AC plug into a battery bank is convenient, and a necessary feature in a home solar system, it's not a requirement if you're only looking to provide DC power for camping or as part of an emergency preparedness kit, and homemade battery banks can be built for a fraction of the cost of off-the-shelf solutions.

That's where this next gadget comes in. It could make build-your-own portable solar solutions much simpler and more affordable than other purpose-built options, by acting as the brain between the solar panels and a battery bank. Bear with me now, because while the idea of a compact solar charge controller isn't nearly as sexy as the image of the solar panels feeding into it, this little 'black box' looks to be a great entry-level DIY solar component.

With both plug-and-play functionality and the ability to accept custom charging configurations, this little gadget aims to enable efficient solar charging of a variety of build-your-own battery banks, ranging from a standard deep cycle lead-acid battery to various lithium chemistry batteries. The Inti C14 claims to be "the smartest, most powerful solar charge controller for its size," capable of handling up to 400W of input and an output of up to 30V, and while simple to use, it also has enough features to allow users to get pretty geeky about their solar charging and battery setup.

Here's the video pitch for Inti C14's usefulness for portable off-grid power setups:

One of the comparisons made by Razvan (Raz) Turiac, the creator of Inti C14, is the cost of a homemade battery bank setup compared to a leading purpose-built solar "generator," in this case the Goal Zero Yeti 1250. At the heart of the Yeti power bank, which retails for about $1250, is a 12V 100Ah sealed lead-acid battery, whereas a homemade version built by Raz, which also uses a lead-acid 100Ah battery, can cost just a fraction of that, in part by not including an inverter, and in part by using a common $100 deep cycle battery. According to Raz, not having an inverter isn't really a loss for a homebuilt system like his, as many common off-grid devices are designed to use DC current anyway (such as his example of a DC refrigerator), and AC appliances with higher power draws aren't really practical to run on smaller systems like this.

For the system built by Raz, he used 4 semi-flexible 50W solar panels, which makes for a lighter and smaller portable solar system, but it's certainly possible to use smaller wattage panels (or even just a single panel) to generate the electricity to charge mobile devices and/or the battery bank if you don't need to power an appliance like a refrigerator. This flexibility in configuration is another reason why building your own system can be a more affordable option, as both the solar panels and the battery bank can be sized according to your specific power needs.

Obviously, it's not fair to directly compare build-your-own systems with battery banks like the Yeti, as there are a host of features on purpose-built power banks that won't be included on a homemade version, but for those looking for a more affordable option, the Inti C14 can play an integral role in making sure the solar (or grid input) charging function is efficient. It's not the only portable solar charge controller on the market, by any means, but it does look to be a good option for setting up smaller (up to 400W) systems that are meant to be portable and simple to configure.

A few other highlights:


Can handle a solar input of up to 400W

Can take from a variety of sources, ranging from solar panels to an auto DC output to grid power via an AC adapter

Compatible with "any battery chemistry" with voltages up to 30V

Can be monitored and configured by either USB port or via Bluetooth connection

Can be used as a battery analyzer / data logger

Uses MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) for efficient solar charging

Has standard MC4 connectors for ease of connection to solar panels

Weighs just over half a pound

The Inti C14, from Thornwave, is in the fully functional prototype stage, and Raz has turned to Indiegogo to crowdfund the production of at least the first 1000 units and to get both the firmware and the software to production quality by the summer of 2017. Backers of the campaign can get their hands on one of the solar charge controllers for pledges of at least $99 (said to be 44% off the eventual retail price). Find out more at Thornwave.

Grab Potential Customers' Attention With a Sidewalk Swinger Sign

Summer is right around the corner and people are going to be out and about looking for the hottest bargains. Do you have them? If that's the case, you need to advertise those hot deals outside on a pavement swinger sign. The pavement sidewalk repair Manhattan commands attention with its sleek, modern design. Put your message with this sign and you are sure to get a flood of visitors coming in your store. The changeable message board on this sign permits you to make a new message when you desire.

Have a brand new unique every day if you like. All you've got to do is change around a couple of things on your sign and bada bing bada boom. You have a brand new special being advertised. Folks love a great thing. When they visit one very few can resist stopping.

The DOT sidewalk violation Manhattan swinger signal can manage just about anything. So come rain or snow, this hint can weather the conditions. It's rustproof sidewalk repair Manhattan NY with inner steel supports make it lasting and secure in just about all weather conditions. The Manhattan sidewalk repair swinger sign is 2-sided and comes with over 300 4" letters to help you get your message across to your potential clients.

If you truly need to ramp up your earnings put sidewalk repair contractors in Manhattan New York sign before your business. sidewalk repair contractor Manhattan signals are affordable yet quite effective. You can get one for less than $200 and you will continue to have the ability to use it years from today. No other type of advertising will do for your business what a pavement sign will.

Sex Addiction Treatment Facilities - How Do They Provide Care?

A sex addiction treatment facility is a location where sex addicts NYC go when they need intensive rehabilitation due to their dependence.  Many carry names like "Center," "middle," or "institute," and may be found throughout the United States and around the world.  Some have existed since the 1980s and started as alcohol addiction treatment centers, then branched out to deal with other forms of addiction, such as drugs, gambling, and sex addiction treatment NYC.An extensive sex addiction counselors can provide inpatient and outpatient programs.  Inpatient rehab generally involves periods of erotic abstinence and supervision which directs porn addiction help towards therapy and other treatment plans.  Patients may remain at the center full time, or spend the majority of their time there for a few weeks.These treatment facilities can also offer a meeting room for therapy groups or people seeing a licensed therapist.

Many are attached to hospitals or universities, and may, using a patient's consent, conduct research on the addiction so as to hone treatment procedures and understand the problem better.  Compared to other aspects of human anatomy, sexual addiction counseling has been lightly studied and several areas are still poorly understood from the general public and even with some professionals.A person can be called a facility in a number of means.

They can decide their dependence is in a level where inpatient rehabilitation is required and seek the center out themselves above the phone or Internet.  Facilities have screening processes designed to determine if someone is in need of its own services, and otherwise, can direct them to a much better place.  Many times each sex addiction therapy NYC fan seeks out a therapist who will refer her or his patient to a treatment center if the dependence is severe enough or causing immediate, damaging issues.At the most severe situations, an individual can be sent to a specialized treatment center, or a facility with sex addiction therapy programs, as per a court order.  Sadly many do not seek out treatment because of their addiction until after their behavior has run them afoul of this law.  In certain conditions, a court may delegate a stay at such a center as part of a required treatment program.  For these patients, there is an additional impetus to complete the program and do well, because the choice can be incarceration.

Some insurance plans will cover the cost of a stay at a treatment facility.  Depending on the facility, the cost can be two or three hundred dollars every day, or more for your "higher end" places.  Some online facilities quote costs at about $37,000 per month.It should be noted that not all experts agree on what gender addiction is, or that it can be known as an addiction, or even when it really is.  Critics of the addiction treatment industry argue it is a booming enterprise.  With the high profile that addiction to sex addiction treatment NY was given in the past several years by stars and the press, it is understandable that a growing number of treatment centers and treatment centers have been opening up.  That is the reason why it is essential to be careful when looking at treatment facilities.  Do some research on your own, speak to more than 1 doctor, and ensure the facility you choose has target oriented plans which aren't looking long, expensive remains when they may not be necessary.  Like any treatable ailment, individuals with this particular addiction have to be wary when seeking aid and have an active role in their personal recovery.

Forget Solar Panels -- Elon Musk Wants to Build Solar Roofs

Tesla is getting into the roofing business. Well, sort of.

CEO Elon Musk joined SolarCity's second quarter earnings conference call on Tuesday. Musk is chairman of SolarCity, but Tesla is also in the process of buying the company in a deal worth $2.6 billion.

During the call, SolarCity's CEO Lyndon Rive, who is also Musk's cousin, said that SolarCity has plans to reveal two new products by the end of the year Musk, though, elaborated and said that at least one of those new products is a solar roof, which will change the way we use solar generators( for example Goal Zero Yeti 1250 )


"It's a solar roof, as opposed to modules on a roof," Musk said.


Rive confirmed that the company was indeed going to roll out a roofing integrated product.

"I think this is really a fundamental part of achieving differentiated product strategy, where you have a beautiful roof. It's not a thing on the roof. It is the roof, which is a quite difficult engineering challenge and not something that is available anywhere else," Musk said.

Rive added that there are about five million new roofs installed every year just in the US, and that the new product will be focused on the new roof market.

Musk said that it also won't cannibalize the existing SolarCity product because if a person's current roof is nearing replacement, a person wouldn't put modules on it. However, if they are in the market for a new roof, they could opt to get an updated roof that has solar capabilities built right in.

"So there huge market that is sort of inaccessible to SolarCity because people know they are going to have to replace the roof and you don't want to put solar panels on a roof you know you are going to replace," Musk said. "However, if your roof is nearing end of life and you have to get a new roof anyway... so why not have a solar roof that is better in many other ways as well."

Musk likened the new product to a Tesla car. He said the customer will be given custom preferences and then sent to the customer as a kit so that it can be installed.

The timing of the product release is interesting, considering the merger between the two companies is expected to be complete by the end of the fourth quarter.

Musk has not been shy about his plans to venture into solar energy.

In July, he published Tesla's "Master Plan Part Deux" and said that the merger of the two companies would "create a smoothly integrated and beautiful solar-roof-with-battery product that just works, empowering the individual as their own utility, and then scale that throughout the world. One ordering experience, one installation, one service contact, one phone app."

Guest Post: A Contemporary Watch Collector Goes Vintage

To my longtime friends in the watch hobby, and perhaps to regular readers here as well, the mention of my name may conjure up a number of connotations: patron of the independents, fan of A. Lange & Söhne, admirer of Patek Philippe grand complications, and longtime customer of Jaeger-LeCoultre, among other characterizations more or less favorable.

But these likely never included vintage maven!

While I own a number of older watches – some quite old, indeed – the great majority of those were passed down by my ancestors (see My Grandfather, The Watch Collector) rather than purchased by me.

Over the years, however, I have bought a few vintage pieces, and as I’ve had the opportunity to see and handle a number of top-notch older watches at the Geneva auctions (see Year-End Auctions 2016: I Came, I Saw, I Learned, I Bought and You Are There: Attending The Only Watch Auction 2015 With Patek Philippe) my appreciation for, and interest in, the vintage scene has increased substantially.

At least for the time being, the culmination of that interest was the purchase of a lovely Patek Philippe Reference 1526 at the November 2016 Phillips auction. But before we talk about that, let’s turn back the clock and check out my other vintage purchases and see what I’ve learned so far.

11 Rules of Grammar

You can reach more bravely into the scary world of sentence construction and accurate communication if you are armed with grammar guidelines. These 11 rules of grammar will help you become a champ at selecting words and punctuation.

Key Rules

1. Use Active Voice

Every human language starts an active sentence with the subject, or the "doer." In English, the verb (what's being done) follows the subject. If there is an object (the receiver of the action), it comes after the verb. The formula looks like this:


S+V+O. This rule is the foundation of the English language.

Here are some examples:

• Mary walked the dog.
• The dog liked Mary.
• I did not like the dog.

2. Link Ideas with a Conjunction

Eight Grammar Survival Tricks

Eight Grammar Survival Tricks

We are pleased to present these grammar tips shared by Tom Clements, an experienced instructor who has spent over 20 years tutoring for the SATs as well as calculus, physics and chemistry. He is a former Silicon Valley freelance writer for tech magazines, corporate trainer for international bankers, and college English teacher. Clements' new book, How to Write a KILLER SAT Essay...in 25 Minutes or Less! is available for purchase at Amazon.com

.

In American education, particularly at the high school level, grammar is a lost art. The closest most high school students get to any real appreciation of syntax is by studying a foreign language like Spanish, where the subjunctive, for example, is used extensively. Mark Twain famously said, "Damn the subjunctive. It brings all our writers to shame."

Facetious or not, Twain has had a lot of company over the years as a grammar-hater. This is true not only of the man on the street -- or the typical high school student -- but also English teachers, most of whom avoid the topic like the plague. High school kids are pretty much left to their own devices when it comes to parsing parts of speech. As a consequence, most don't know a diphthong from a dangling participle.

The ONLY 3 English Grammar Rules You Need to Know to Speak Fluent English

The ONLY 3 English Grammar Rules You Need to Know to Speak Fluent English

Personally I stopped studying English Grammar the traditional way years ago.

By now I’ve actually forgotten most of the grammar terms and rules I had hammered into my brain, and just as well – they only prevented me from speaking English fluently.

Why?

Simple enough – I used to spend way too much time analyzing my thoughts, applying Grammar rules and preparing my speech in my head.

It was killing my English fluency, and it took me quite a while to figure out the simple truth – English collocations (phrases, idiomatic expressions, most commonly used sentences) already contain all necessary grammar in them!

When I speak English now, I don’t think about grammar anywhere near as much as I used to. I just rely on my “gut feeling” and get fully involved in conversations. My intuition takes care of English Grammar!

For instance, English preposition usage rules determine that you have to say “ON this occasion” but the word ‘situation’ goes with a preposition ‘in’ – “IN this situation”. Personally I don’t look at it as something that has to be constantly recalled during English conversations. I mean – once you learn the relevant collocations – “in this situation” and “on this occasion” – it sticks with you and you don’t have to consciously think which preposition to use every time you speak.