Build A Great VPO — Part 2 : Salvage and Move

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we talked about converting a Thomas Transistor Organ into a great Virtual Pipe Organ (VPO). This early 1960’s era electronic organ has good bones, but not worth restoring to its original condition. We can salvage some key components however. In this post, we begin with disassembly. Besides removing the parts we’re not going to use, it will also make the cabinet lighter. This is important since the organ must move to the second floor our home to make way for a remodel. with disassembly. Besides removing the parts we’re not going to use, it will also make the cabinet lighter. This is important since the organ must move to the second floor our home to make way for wood stove.

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Build a Handy 12-Volt Solar Generator with LiFePo4 Batteries

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Previously, I wrote about Upgrading a Solar Power System and mentioned a cache of new Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo4) cells. The “ThunderSky Winston” cells had come from a Segway repair operation and were new. A little looking around the ‘net revealed they were still available from GWL Group. With a capacity of 60 Amp Hours (AH) and nominal voltage of 3.3 volts, they looked useful for building a 12-volt Solar Generator.

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Build a Great Virtual Pipe Organ

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When I was about 10 years old, I went to an Italian restaurant in Louisville Colorado for dinner with my Dad. While I don’t remember much about the food, I certainly remember the restaurant because it had a Pipe Organ. The organ was behind glass windows on one side of the dining room, and a famous organist of the era, Dick Hull, played it while everyone enjoyed their meal. That was the beginning of my Virtual Pipe Organ project.

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Solar Power Eases A Bad Ice Storm

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The Solar Power Resilience Project at Roy Creek Ranch Over several years, we’ve built and expanded a multi-system solar installation at Roy Creek Ranch. In particular, a recent upgrade to the battery and inverter system significantly improved our resilience during … Continue reading →

How to Upgrade a Solar Power System

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Upgrading a Solar Power System It was time to upgrade the solar power system installed for the shop almost two years ago. I’ve been happy with original system, but it needed expansion as soon as funding permitted. I also wanted … Continue reading →

How to Pour a Concrete Slab for your Shop

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The shop here at the ranch was built in 2000. I got lots of work done there, but by 2011, two things were clear: the wooden exterior doors were in dire need of replacement and it would be nice to have a covered outdoor space to keep sawdust out of the shop. I installed new pre-hung metal doors and with the help of a neighbor, added a 20-foot extension that year — complete with a metal roof. There just wasn’t a concrete slab.

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How to Build an Inexpensive Storage Shed

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I’ve been threatening to build a storage shed at the ranch for some time now. After going through everything in the shop and selling, discarding, or giving everything away I could, it was still too crowded to work effectively. I needed more space. A friend had recently mentioned a sale on small buildings at Costco — it was worth a look.

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How to Wire a Solar System – Finished

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In the last post, I described the DC charge controller and battery wiring for the Shop Solar System. With solar panels and batteries connected, the inverter was functional. A quick test showed the expected 240 VAC at the inverter output, and it was time to connect it to the breaker panel in the shop.

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How to Wire a Solar Power System – DC

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In the last post, we mounted the solar panel array. Now it was time for the solar power system low-voltage wiring. The array is about 50 feet from my shop, where the batteries and inverter are located. I planned to use two strands of #6 UF direct-bury cable to conduct the predicted maximum of 36 amperes to the shop.

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How to Mount a Solar Panel Array – Framing

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In a previous post, we selected a site, cleared trees and installed foundations. Now we were ready for framing. There were four 8-inch concrete piers defining the four corners of the array. The plan was to mount two 10-foot 4-by-4 … Continue reading →