On Thu, 15 Dec 2016 08:46:53 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 14 Dec 2016 07:21:02 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 12 Dec 2016 17:53:20 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:


...My stainless needle
bearings in outdoor caster wheels have held up well.

That's cool. What's the weight on them?

They are under a lift platform that I use in the back yard. There
wasn't enough space to make them large enough to roll on dirt with a
load so they are stationary when lifting my snowblower etc. It's SO
much easier to work on small engines while standing up.

Oh? I thought you said it was under your solar array. /doubletake


The ball thrust bearing is for adding tracking to an HF 45W panel set.
It's the same size as 1-1/4" pipe, with clearance for 1" pipe to pass
through. The stainless needle bearings are on wheels of equipment
stored under cover on ground that may flood.

OK. I confused the two.


I bought the HF kit to experiment with, knowing it isn't large enough
to run more than a laptop. Over 5 years its output has degraded to
about 1.6A and the parallel undersized blocking diodes on the input
shorted and had to be replaced with one larger Schottky. Without the
diode the battery can feed back to the panel, creating a short-circuit
hazard. The digital power meter on my larger roof array also failed so
now the panels are on the list of connections I unplug before
thunderstorms.

I have an 80' redwood right behind my house, so it would likely
contain any lightning, but I think I'll put an arrestor on the solar
array, too. Not the 45W HF mini, but the 1kW I someday may get onto
the roof. The racking is in!


I mainly use it to keep vehicle batteries topped up, for which it
works well. The battery in my truck is 14 years old and my tractor has
had a series of cheap U1R batteries others had discarded. They need
frequent top-off charges to ward off sulfation, or whatever else
causes capacity to drop and automatic chargers to stop charging the
battery. My chargers are manual, home-made, and allow me to increase
the voltage until the "dead" battery accepts charge current again. I
decided not to make and sell them because they can easily destroy a
battery if misused or left unattended too long.

I hear that. Even with warnings, potential Darwin Awardees would
certainly be buying them and blowing things up, eh?


I keep track of starting battery condition with an HF carbon pile
tester by reading the current when the voltage needle is at the 10V
pass/fail step. Autozone measured the starting current the (warm)
truck actually draws with their hand-held tester. Although it needs
more current when cold it would be in the driveway where I can plug in
a charger.

Did you get the 100 or 500W model? Was it worth it? I used to have a
nice Sun battery tester with pile at work. 0-500W with a huge dial-up
knob and built-in VOM. Wish I had one now.


--
Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt