Daniel Richardson

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since Feb 10, 2018
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Recent posts by Daniel Richardson

Hege Fossum
Post Yesterday 11:23:09 PM     Subject: How do you document your gardening? Farm journal, garden diary, smartphone app...
I've been thinking a lot about this journalling thing lately. I haven't found any good solutions, but I think I will try out Google Keep. It has categorizing functions, easy to take pictures and make notes while working on the farm. It is free and compatible with my calendar. Has anyone tried Keep for their farms and gardens? Pros and cons?



Don't base anything that you might do long-term on Google. See:
https://killedbygoogle.com/
Just checked the Tesla Powerwall prices and 40kWh is around $25k, before tax and installation. After taxes, hidden fees, and install it would probably be pushing $40k. I guess the beauty of KESS is that they supposedly can last much longer and maybe only need to have bearings and simple circuit boards replaced after 30 years. Very few exotic or nasty chemicals involved either and I imagine Kess would run in the arctic just as well as the tropics.

This book looks promising:
https://www.amazon.com/Kinetic-Energy-Storage-Practice-Advanced-ebook/dp/B00IMBVXX2

Anyone know of any other good sources of info, human or otherwise on the subject?
2 years ago
Beacon Power, Amber Kinetics, Energiestro, etc. All of these companies make(or made) kinetic energy storage systems that implement flywheels. Most of these are in a vacuum and use very good bearings and electromagnetic stability controls. Efficiencies are 85-90% and they last for decades with minimal maintenance. I worked on installing some of these at a data center in California about a decade ago and they were ridiculously expensive. I just don't see how spinning a weight can be so much more expensive than batteries, not to mention better for the environment. It seems like a 40kWh residential system installed for $30-40k should be very doable and it would eat Tesla's lunch, especially when you consider the longevity. Have you guys ever seen these or heard of other companies in this field?
2 years ago
I've used several smaller ones that were modified into construction office trailers and they worked well. You'll have to cut doors, windows, insulate, and finish the inside, but they can take a beating from the weather. They seem awfully dark and depressing as is, but don't let that fool you. There's not a lot of useful head room and I've never had one with any plumbing in it. They are easy to move and you don't have to worry about building in the elements since they're already enclosed, but they lack charm. I wouldn't live in one full-time, but I could see using one for a hunting cabin or something similar.
2 years ago
Seems like iHeart owns a lot of the local stations these days, but I like listening to Ross Kaminsky in Denver, CO.

https://koacolorado.iheart.com/featured/ross-kaminsky/
2 years ago
Also, it's not hard to connect the server to something like a Verizon Jetpack and turn on port forwarding so you can access everything remotely by phone. You might have to go through a VPN if they won't give you a static IP.
2 years ago
How much property are you talking about covering? I got into learning about camera systems around 10 years ago and I had more of the mindset of building a system I could maintain with time and tweak to my liking. I didn't want to get a complete off the shelf system that would likely be discontinued or be easy to hack. The field has changed a lot, but here are some of the conclusions that I arrived at, which hopefully will be helpful.
1.)    You get what you pay for. A good long-term system will usually cost more and be more trouble to maintain than most people want to bother with.
2.)    Think about what you want to system for. Successfully identifying thieves and vandals means that the cameras have to be very well placed and high quality. An early warning system for intruders can be simpler, but it's also hard to beat a pen of Guinea Hens. Watching wildlife is probably my favorite use.
3.)    Network cameras are where it's at. They perform the video encoding, rather than overwhelm the central server.
4.)    Wired cameras are best and less troublesome. You have to power them anyways.
5.)    Power Over Ethernet(POE) gets you your power and data on one cable, greatly simplifying the system.
6.)    ZoneMinder is good software that helps you manage and store the camera streams.
7.)    Spiders and insects wreck havoc on motion detection at night.
8.)    Cameras running 24/7 outdoors don't last as long as you think.

You could do all of this on solar, and with a good WiFi router, you could access it by phone on your local network without being connected to the internet.
2 years ago
What kind of soil/environment are you building in? Wooden posts can last a very long time if you put 8" of gravel under and pack 4-6" around them. Round hardwood trees are about the best and you would need 4x8-10" diameter. I would dig the hole about 4' down, position and plumb the posts(I stake braces at 90 degrees), then pour and pack the gravel around. Honestly the red bags of Quickrete work really well for the sides instead of gravel; I just pour and pack them dry. After packing, I cut them level(water level) and I would keep the deck at least 18" off the ground. Make sure to shed rainwater away from the structure.

When positioning the posts I put up some batter boards and ram the posts into the bottom gravel a few times to pack everything well.
3 years ago