Research comes up with a list of things wrong with lead acid batteries. I had an old 73 Mustang that I could park for eighteen months and it would fire up, but the newer Honda batteries have a two month shelf life. The manufacturer’s never specify, but these batteries go dead eventually and, if they drain below a certain level, cannot be charged up again. I will never be convinced this is not intentional. A lot of regular charging gear is not compatible with the marine batteries, which have a gel inside rather than a liquid. I consider batteries an indispensable component of solar power, yet you would be very lucky to find a source that spells out the information above and all else you need to know to avoid costly mistakes.
As one example, there is a gadget called a float charger. I wonder how many batteries have been ruined by people who do not know it is not the same thing as a trickle charger. The difference is the float charger shuts itself off when the battery reaches full charge. The trickle charger keeps a small but steady voltage flowing, so if you are not there to disconnect it manually, it wrecks your battery.
A float charger automatic shut-off feature is important in most systems, read on. The voltage controller for the solar panels is a type of float charger. However, unlike a trickle charger, the float charger will not charge up a low battery, it should only be connected to a fully charged battery to keep it from slowly dying. Yet, I could not find a float charger that “measured” the battery first. I had to go get my multi-meter, always a hassle out of doors.
So, voltage controllers stop charging when the battery is topped off PLUS prevent backflow to your panels at night. That’s worth its weight in, well, lead. It was by accident that I discovered the rule that if that backflow is detected, you must disconnect the controller or it ruins itself. That’s just great, you engineers, all one has to do is stay up all night and watch a meter. I will design a diode system to take care of that. Still, it should give you an indication of what you are up against if you have any ideas about just running out and buying this kind of electrical gear.
A complete re-examination and measurement of the Honda electric shows that even with the sidecar brake light in operation, the alternator cannot keep the battery fully charged. I think I said I’ll install some switches to bypass the marker lights during daylight but that risks a traffic citation. I can see why the previous owner gave up trying to figure this out. The solar panels are only for the camper trailer, I may have to find another solution for the regular battery. If I start it ten times in a day, which is nothing, I can tell how each crank gets weaker. It is the alternator, a better battery won’t help, though I am rigging up an overnight float charger while it is parked at home.
This planning and purchasing required the entire day. I don’t exactly live next door to Harbor Freight, which is probably a good thing for my pocketbook. I relaxed by reading the history of the Crimea, that funny piece of Ukrainian land that juts into the northern Black Sea. Other than the nicest climate in that part of the world, I cannot figure out why anyone would want to fight over that place. But that’s what happened for a few hundred years. It seems to have been the first really major setback of Hitler’s war machine.
I also took time to read some detailed instructions on programming robotic arms. These are activated by servo motors, that is, electric motors which turn to a specific position and stop. What I learned was that all robots, but particularly humanoid ones, require power to stay stationary. Much like it requires constant but subconscious effort and calories to stand up. I’d never thought about that. I also learned that the best way to operate these robot limbs is via a simulator. Which is another tool I do not have. If you understand arrays, which are really just groups of numbers whose positions within each string have consistently related meanings, then you would likely be able to use one of these simulators.
In terms of what is out there, you can right now buy a robot for around $12,000 that can do anything you can do and operate any tool you can. It is strictly a matter of programming. I’m not saying the robot will do these things, only that it can. Every motion and degree of freedom of the human frame can be duplicated. All the necessary parts can be bought at most electronic supply houses. As we learn more about robots, the likelihood of us building one gets ever more remote. It would be massively expensive for what we could manage and in a sense, we learned what we wanted.
If I actually build something, it would be as a hobby. I have neither the tools or space to construct something useful. I said useful. It might happen when I get a bigger place. Agt. M, alas, turns out to be hard on equipment, especially expensive equipment. So all the really good shit is stored over here where, ahem, it sees an oil can once in a while. He gets the job done but has a kind of brute force approach. I admit I’ve broken tools, but usually it was from using them wrongly because I didn’t have the right tool.
Bingo was average again, the light crowd in the week after rent day as always. The interesting part was on the way up there with the eBike, who do I run into but Richard(?), the mechanic from my original scooter shop. Remember that place? Where I bought the yellow scooter that got stolen in broad daylight. He’s dating the gal from downstairs but moved to a different apartment in the same building. That’s why I couldn’t find the guy. He was never at home in the place he didn’t live. Ha, ha.
