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Heating, Cooling, Lighting / Re: Waste oil boiler flame head build
Last post by Xeonpony -Hotest water enters along the fuel line then goes under the tank then exits the rear back to boiler.
Bottom pipe will be to purge sludge and or any water that settles out.
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Heating, Cooling, Lighting / Re: Waste oil boiler flame head build
Last post by Xeonpony -Atm 1 pipe is attached but need to adjust the intake side of things then I can loop it into the house.
Will try to get that done in the next couple days and get the last of the insulation done then I can get the head fitted on and every thing set up
then I can get the main fuel tank all set up and plumbed into the head and the fuel line heating loop and tank warmer set in
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Heating, Cooling, Lighting / Re: Waste oil boiler flame head build
Last post by Xeonpony -The shed is coming along good as well, goal is to get the shed lined to R5 asap, so I can get the unit running but goal is R10 all round
Mechanical re-enforcement for the air intake / exhaust coaxial assembly
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Communications & Internet / Re: Ham radio...
Last post by MaryB -So many think 2 meters is line of sight LOL NOPE! Via troposheric ducting I have worker 1351 miles! Via the moon all over EU/Asia/Africa/SA... I have capability all the way to 10ghz...
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Communications & Internet / Re: Ham radio...
Last post by Mickey_D -Currently located a little north of Calgary, but originally from Blaine, WA (hence the US call sign for now)
I have an Icon 7100 and a couple Baeofang 5's, so similar to what you are talking about.
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Human Power / Re: Bicycle generator to charge your phone
Last post by MaryB -28
Human Power / Re: Bicycle generator to charge your phone
Last post by SparWeb -Digging down the recesses of memory, I'd suggest that different resins combined with fiberglass had different results. Some are more sensitive to moisture, some to heat, or both. If this is a pedal-generator for an exercise bike, you don't have to worry as much about it out in the rain. If it's for a mountain bike, then it is. Give me some time to try to remember which resins are more robust than others.
Also, to address temperatures, why not bury a temperature sensor in the laminate when gluing them together? Then just keep an eye on the temperature in the stack while you go. Temperature sensors aren't very complicated, even if they do take some trial-and-error to get hooked up right and calibrated. The digital ones need a micro but the analog ones (you can still get them) are dead simple enough not to need one, and/or go ahead and use a micro with really simple code.
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Human Power / Re: Bicycle generator to charge your phone
Last post by MagnetJuice -
Since this is a prototype, this stator is also an experimental build.
I would like to be able to find a way to build stators that don’t require using a lot of polyester or vinyl ester. Those methods produce a strong, durable and rigid stator, but is a lot of work and messy. I would like to find an alternative way.
For this experimental stator, I am using a sheet of polypropylene. This material is rigid enough to be used in a low power stator like the one that I am building here. Polypropylene can tolerate a temperature of only 100c (212f) without distorting. This small alternator will produce about 75 watts max. so I think that high temperatures won’t be a problem.
I think that for bigger alternators, it could be possible to use FR4 / G10 Glass-Epoxy Laminate or Nylon sheets that can withstand higher temperatures.
Epoxy adhesives and potting materials don’t adhere well to polypropylene and nylon. But that problem can be resolved by making locking notches on the board to lock the coils in place, as I did with these coils.
Those notches lock the coil in place and by using the high temperature epoxy only around the notches and to coat the coil, there will be plenty of air circulating around and through the coil to provide good cooling.
I would love to hear other ideas and suggestions from others about possible ways to build a stator. 3D printing is also a possible way to do it.
I will be busy with other projects for the rest of the week. I’ll put the bike generator together next week.
I have to plant a new lawn in my back yard this week. I need to break up the soil by hand with a shovel and mix it with 2 yards of fresh top soil. (I love the workout). I did the front yard this past spring. About 80% of the yards in these neighborhoods were tore up last year by raccoons and crows digging for grubs.
Ed
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Storage, Batteries & Management / Re: EV Batteries for home and Off-Grid Energy Systems
Last post by dnix71 -I built a 29v lithium pack for a Neuton Mower. Neuton went out of business and the only two battery packs they made were nicad and sla. Black and Decker had a 24v sla mower many many years ago and they didn't age well. 29v is a liitle higher than the 24v nominal the mower was designed to use, but it runs long and cuts well and the motor controller can handle 32v.
I made the pack from cells salvaged from a rental scooter, but the charger was hand selected from my pile because it's open circuit is exactly the finish charge and it trickle charges. I don't have the skill to build a custom pack balance circuit board. I am very careful with it because a 4p7s brick of commercial NCR's is a potential bomb. The guy I got the spares from had another scooter explode inside his home at 2:30 am. It woke him up and all he could do was open the door and toss the whole scooter outside and watch it burn.
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Storage, Batteries & Management / Re: EV Batteries for home and Off-Grid Energy Systems
Last post by SparWeb -... only about 5% of spent lithium batteries are properly reused instead of just being buried somewhere.
I think Ed's point is that this IS a way to reuse them, rather then throwing the material away.
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Heating, Cooling, Lighting / Re: Waste oil boiler flame head build
Last post by Xeonpony -Need to do some precise measurements on consumption to calculate out the actual BTU firing rate and fine tune it to meet the boilers rating & flame pattern.
But the testing in a combustion chamber mock up was very successful, clean hot burn.
I ordered a metal shed to house the boiler and burner system, will be insulating it and installing lighting. Now time to start running the pipe into the house and control wiring.
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Storage, Batteries & Management / Re: EV Batteries for home and Off-Grid Energy Systems
Last post by dnix71 -I am having to cycle out many tool batteries because the cells leak and die.
Tesla cars are cheap because he is tracking you and selling your personal habits to data brokers.
https://theoffroading.com/does-tesla-sell-driving-data/
Lithium battery technology is not closed cycle any more than fission nuclear power plant fuel rods are.
and from Bing: "Practical takeaway
If you use a lithium battery pack under moderate conditions (shallow discharges, moderate temperatures, regular partial charging), expect 8–12 years of service life for many industrial and commercial packs. For consumer devices, expect 2–10 years depending on usage intensity. Always check the manufacturer’s cycle life rating at your intended depth of discharge to estimate real-world performance."
and https://scienceinsights.org/why-cant-lithium-batteries-be-recycled/ only about 5% of spent lithium batteries are properly reused instead of just being buried somewhere.
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Human Power / Re: Bicycle generator to charge your phone
Last post by SparWeb -Looks like a small roast in the easy-bake oven.
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Storage, Batteries & Management / Re: EV Batteries for home and Off-Grid Energy Systems
Last post by SparWeb -There are already many examples of EV battery pack reuse in DIY solar/RE and auto conversion projects. The auto conversions especially are interesting for the "Frankenstein" vehicles that can result.
Some packs like the chevy Volt and older Leaf were easy to subdivide, to fit the new uses. Not sure if later, higher voltage packs like 400V Teslas and 800V Hyundais are as easy to split.
Try searching for aftermarket sellers of used battery packs, there may be plenty in the US and EU already.
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Storage, Batteries & Management / EV Batteries for home and Off-Grid Energy Systems
Last post by eColumbus -https://www.naturalnews.com/2026-05-22-used-ev-batteries-path-offgrid-energy-independence.html
Not only that, but because there are millions of aging EV vehicles on the road, the supply of used EV batteries will continue to increase and most likely they will get cheaper too.
Ed
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Human Power / Re: Bicycle generator to charge your phone
Last post by Bruce S - .38
Human Power / Re: Bicycle generator to charge your phone
Last post by MagnetJuice -They are held together with high temperature epoxy. I didn’t want to wait 24 hours for the epoxy to dry, so to heat cure them, I baked them for 1 hour at 150 degrees F (65c)
Here are the 3 sets of coils ready for the 3-phase stator.
These coils are wound with 2 strands of 23 Ga wire, that is the equivalent of 20 Ga. There are 95 turns on each coil and they have a resistance of .36 ohms each.
I manage to wind them without cutting the wire, that way I don’t need to solder them together.
Next step is to get the stator done and then assemble the generator.
Ed
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Heating, Cooling, Lighting / Re: Waste oil boiler flame head build
Last post by Xeonpony -Nozzle may plug once or twice on next batch of testing as any larger fillings may shed off despite best effort to clean but after that no more of that, ideally every thing should settle out long before hitting the screen in real world usage, but that added protection will make life easier down the road, as easier to drain the pot and hit it with a blast of cleaner and back up and running Vs dismantling the head assembly to remove the nozzle!
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Heating, Cooling, Lighting / Re: Waste oil boiler flame head build
Last post by Xeonpony -System powers up, oil pre-heater starts, upon reaching 80c switch closed with then closes the limit lock out loop enabling the controller
Call for heat comes in:
Blower motor and compressor come on at same time, this is during the pre purge and allows pressure to build in the line. Blower running closes the draft proving switch enabling air solenoid.
Fuel valve called to open, this opens air solenoid allowing pressure to the nozzle, and triggers the air proofing switch.
Air proofing switch on detecting set pressure then allows current to flow to the oil solenoid allowing oil to flow to the oil heater.
things to do is fabricate a nozzle intake screen, fabricate a cover for oil pre heater, and mount the burner mounting flange, install oil pre heater switch
this way should compressor fail there is no oil allowed to flow as a fail save.