February 19, 2012
August 1, 2011
Below is our Air X 400w 12v wind generator. It's hooked up to a couple of scavenged car batteries. I put it up easily with Aaron's help. I wish I had some deep cycle gel or absorbed glass mat batteries, and a good maybe 3500 watt to 5000 watt inverter. Right now I've got a 200w inverter on it that my brother lent to me, and I use it basically to turn on a couple energy saving lightbulbs.
I messed up my 1500w dc/ac inverter by trying to set it up for remote on/off switching. The Northern Tool inverter came with a remote button (which I lost) that allowed one to reset the inverter if it tripped-- instead of manually flipping the button off and back on again to restart it.
The remote button was connected by a telephone jack and I thought maybe I could just strip the wires off a telephone wire and touch them together or disconnect them to get the same effect. But I was wrong and a bit of smoke curled out.
I should've popped out the on off toggle switch and extended those two wires so the switch could be inside the house. Made sense after the fact. I also tried to start our old fridge with it and it kept shutting the inverter off, which most likely contributed to overheating everything.
I messed up my 1500w dc/ac inverter by trying to set it up for remote on/off switching. The Northern Tool inverter came with a remote button (which I lost) that allowed one to reset the inverter if it tripped-- instead of manually flipping the button off and back on again to restart it.
The remote button was connected by a telephone jack and I thought maybe I could just strip the wires off a telephone wire and touch them together or disconnect them to get the same effect. But I was wrong and a bit of smoke curled out.
I should've popped out the on off toggle switch and extended those two wires so the switch could be inside the house. Made sense after the fact. I also tried to start our old fridge with it and it kept shutting the inverter off, which most likely contributed to overheating everything.
July 25, 2011
July 1, 2011
June 19, 2011
June 17, 2011
June 16, 2011
Found a cool blog
Kelly, Jan and Heather found 5 eggs today, Kelly was super happy she "caught an egg." cute :)
Kelly, Jan and Heather found 5 eggs today, Kelly was super happy she "caught an egg." cute :)
August 26, 2010
July 8, 2010
July 7, 2010
June 1, 2010
May 10, 2010
May 6, 2010
May 3, 2010
I got my Canon working, the battery door was missing so I hot-glued the "door closed" button down, and taped the battery in. We're all happy the sun has been out. Just cleaned a bunch of junk and put up some hangers. Relaxed. This school year is almost up, we just had prom, and graduation is on the 11th, school's out on the 14th.
April 27, 2010
April 24, 2010
Working on a few projects involving electronics- I know there's a skill gap in electronics that I could close a little by doing some fun kits I ordered online. One of them is the IceTube by Adafruit, but I unfortunately broke the nixie tube, in the middle of trying to make it work. I also think I messed up the chip inside by soldering it when it was plugged in- I was trying to fix the numbers on the display since there was extra stuff showing up, and all of a sudden it started showing only 8's "88888888." So I guess I'm learning by mistakes. I also made an iPod charger that fits in an Altoids tin, but it doesn't work with my iPod touch (yet) I think a resistor has to be replaced with one with the correct value. It's called the Mintyboost.
April 21, 2010
April 3, 2010
April 2, 2010
Good Friday to everyone!
I was excited to receive a package of Bhut Jolokia in the mail 3days ago. Bhut Jolokia is the world's hottest pepper, as confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2007, as having more than a million Scoville units.
It is HOT!!!! The flavor just doesn't stop! the temperature rises.... and keeps rising.... until... my breath felt like I could set paper on fire by breathing on it! I got the hiccups real bad, my face had turned red, and I was sweating. So naturally I invited my brother over, and we each ate half of a small one at the same time. It's just something you gotta try. We were both laughing, and burning. Then his girlfriend wanted to try it, and durned if she wasn't tougher than us! My cousins Elton, David, and Steven all of about 12yrs, each felt like they had to try it, so they waited for me to clock out at work, They were jumping around, hooting and hollering, and drinking milk like they were crazy. I would say try some with a friend, it's a bonding experience, and when your well beyond your tolerance level keep telling yourself that it's going to go away, it's going to go away, it's going to go away RIGHT?!? It's got to go away soon, It has to.. I can stop drinking milk, hahh, NOPE! Drink more milk, Drink more milk. Have fun!
I was excited to receive a package of Bhut Jolokia in the mail 3days ago. Bhut Jolokia is the world's hottest pepper, as confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2007, as having more than a million Scoville units.
It is HOT!!!! The flavor just doesn't stop! the temperature rises.... and keeps rising.... until... my breath felt like I could set paper on fire by breathing on it! I got the hiccups real bad, my face had turned red, and I was sweating. So naturally I invited my brother over, and we each ate half of a small one at the same time. It's just something you gotta try. We were both laughing, and burning. Then his girlfriend wanted to try it, and durned if she wasn't tougher than us! My cousins Elton, David, and Steven all of about 12yrs, each felt like they had to try it, so they waited for me to clock out at work, They were jumping around, hooting and hollering, and drinking milk like they were crazy. I would say try some with a friend, it's a bonding experience, and when your well beyond your tolerance level keep telling yourself that it's going to go away, it's going to go away, it's going to go away RIGHT?!? It's got to go away soon, It has to.. I can stop drinking milk, hahh, NOPE! Drink more milk, Drink more milk. Have fun!
March 21, 2010
March 6, 2010
Hi, I just found out why the post editor wasn't working, there's a new one. For months each time I logged on to post something the post editor wouldn't show up.. I thought it was my computer, then when it happened on other computers, I thought it was blogger. But they just have a new editor and you change to it under settings.
We're all doing good up here, still cold, but good. Jared ripped a bunch of keys from my keyboard, so it's a little frustrating to type these letters: u l ; ' . \ 8 and backspace. There have been a rash of illnesses going around for about a month now, it will be nice when we're through the woods.
We're all doing good up here, still cold, but good. Jared ripped a bunch of keys from my keyboard, so it's a little frustrating to type these letters: u l ; ' . \ 8 and backspace. There have been a rash of illnesses going around for about a month now, it will be nice when we're through the woods.
January 14, 2010
November 10, 2009
We've caught 6 mice all trying to come in our front door. I don't even have to use bait, they just go for the same chew spot and step on the trap. I wonder how many there are...
We're all doing pretty well. I know I've been missing out on updating my blog, but life keeps going. The kids are great. Jared's really growing and is so much fun to play with. Kelly is growing a lot too, and she's so sweet and wonderful. Shannon and Heather are doing really good in school, and Janice is good too. JJ's good. He's been helping grandma out alot these days, and stays at her place for the most part so we hardly see him.
I've been thinking about my windpower project, I haven't gotten an inverter yet. I think I will make a box to put the batteries in, and keep them in the shed.... The assembly of the vanes is done, and I just need to get the right diameter pipe and fasteners to mount it on the roof. It hasn't gotten that windy yet, but it will be.
The camera isn't working, something got stuck and the lens won't come out. I'll try to fix it, but I may have to take it apart. I'm good at that kind of work:
-replaced the screen on my brother's iPod touch,
-replaced the screen on my Acer, and also fixed it when a drink spilled on the keyboard. It turned out the short melted two puddles of solder together on a microchip and I just scratched it until they didn't touch anymore.
-fixed my shortwave radio by soldering in a new schtoky diode too.
-soldered my brother's gas tank leak, using flux so it would get a good seal.
-fixed our washer a couple of times. Once to replace a part and the other to get the spin clutch working again.
I'm working on getting better at electronics, which has been a weak area for me.
It's late, so bye for now....
We're all doing pretty well. I know I've been missing out on updating my blog, but life keeps going. The kids are great. Jared's really growing and is so much fun to play with. Kelly is growing a lot too, and she's so sweet and wonderful. Shannon and Heather are doing really good in school, and Janice is good too. JJ's good. He's been helping grandma out alot these days, and stays at her place for the most part so we hardly see him.
I've been thinking about my windpower project, I haven't gotten an inverter yet. I think I will make a box to put the batteries in, and keep them in the shed.... The assembly of the vanes is done, and I just need to get the right diameter pipe and fasteners to mount it on the roof. It hasn't gotten that windy yet, but it will be.
The camera isn't working, something got stuck and the lens won't come out. I'll try to fix it, but I may have to take it apart. I'm good at that kind of work:
-replaced the screen on my brother's iPod touch,
-replaced the screen on my Acer, and also fixed it when a drink spilled on the keyboard. It turned out the short melted two puddles of solder together on a microchip and I just scratched it until they didn't touch anymore.
-fixed my shortwave radio by soldering in a new schtoky diode too.
-soldered my brother's gas tank leak, using flux so it would get a good seal.
-fixed our washer a couple of times. Once to replace a part and the other to get the spin clutch working again.
I'm working on getting better at electronics, which has been a weak area for me.
It's late, so bye for now....
October 18, 2009
We've caught a mouse that has been chewing on our door trying to get in, now there's another. Jan is glad we got the traps, thanks dad! Mousetraps are cool!
I've been having lots of dreams lately, and I'm glad because for a while I was missing my dreams. Either I couldn't remember, or I just wasn't having them, this was last year, so each time I remember one I'm glad. Of course I can't remember one now that I want to write. Let me think....
I had one last night where someone I knew was in a new house by a road, it was dark, and the person had just woken up and was trying to find the bathroom. Only it was a new house, and went the wrong way right out the door to outside, and around the house feeling confused being half asleep and scared and not knowing where they were and made it back in the other side. I was like, it's alright, you're ok, I know you, you were sleepwalking. And then the person was imagining they were somebody else. I don't know, but I thought I'd put something on the web.
I had another the other night where I went downstairs in a large building and ended up in a natural cave that led out into a jungle. There was even water, and two kids showed up, it was their hideout I think.
Reminds me of the time I got lost with some classmates in the caves at Lavabeds National monument. I think it was me, Billy, and Jack, and another, and we went through this part where we had to crawl on our bellies to get through to the other side and the cave kept going. We walked around and saw someone had scratched a date on the wall from the 1800s and it was totally cool. We thought it was a soldier from when Captain Jack made his stronghold there and ambushed the soldiers who were trying to wipe them out. I think it was in golden dome cave, but I'm not sure about that. There was golden dome, and chocolate cave, and others. Anyways, we realized we had to get back, and we didn't know which way to go, we were trying to find the spot we crawled through, didn't know where that was. But then we saw something. We saw light. It was a natural hole with rocks spilled in from near the ceiling. We climbed up, and it was a tight squeeze, but we ended up in the middle of nowhere, no hiking trails, roads, or signs of civilization. Then we heard honking, and went towards it. We followed the sound to our schoolbus, which was driving around honking for us so we could find our way if we were lost. That was a cool trip. One of my favorite places. And I'm glad I went back with my dad and brothers a couple times after that.
I've been having lots of dreams lately, and I'm glad because for a while I was missing my dreams. Either I couldn't remember, or I just wasn't having them, this was last year, so each time I remember one I'm glad. Of course I can't remember one now that I want to write. Let me think....
I had one last night where someone I knew was in a new house by a road, it was dark, and the person had just woken up and was trying to find the bathroom. Only it was a new house, and went the wrong way right out the door to outside, and around the house feeling confused being half asleep and scared and not knowing where they were and made it back in the other side. I was like, it's alright, you're ok, I know you, you were sleepwalking. And then the person was imagining they were somebody else. I don't know, but I thought I'd put something on the web.
I had another the other night where I went downstairs in a large building and ended up in a natural cave that led out into a jungle. There was even water, and two kids showed up, it was their hideout I think.
Reminds me of the time I got lost with some classmates in the caves at Lavabeds National monument. I think it was me, Billy, and Jack, and another, and we went through this part where we had to crawl on our bellies to get through to the other side and the cave kept going. We walked around and saw someone had scratched a date on the wall from the 1800s and it was totally cool. We thought it was a soldier from when Captain Jack made his stronghold there and ambushed the soldiers who were trying to wipe them out. I think it was in golden dome cave, but I'm not sure about that. There was golden dome, and chocolate cave, and others. Anyways, we realized we had to get back, and we didn't know which way to go, we were trying to find the spot we crawled through, didn't know where that was. But then we saw something. We saw light. It was a natural hole with rocks spilled in from near the ceiling. We climbed up, and it was a tight squeeze, but we ended up in the middle of nowhere, no hiking trails, roads, or signs of civilization. Then we heard honking, and went towards it. We followed the sound to our schoolbus, which was driving around honking for us so we could find our way if we were lost. That was a cool trip. One of my favorite places. And I'm glad I went back with my dad and brothers a couple times after that.
September 15, 2009
August 18, 2009
July 11, 2009
June 29, 2009
happy umaukking
Jared was a happy passenger on his mom's back. We could smell the wildflowers as we were driving, almost like lilacs. There were wild onions growing too. It was fun.
Got the Honda going.....
Had to replace the axle, rear differential, starter rope, it's running pretty well now. The electric start even works!
Fish for Dinner
Me cutting the fish JJ got from Devon at the beach. MMmmmm Mmm it was good. I haven't really gotten much practice filleting fish, but hopefully I will get to practice more.
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