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a Log Home in the Hill Country

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How to Build a Ground Mounted Solar Array (DIY Foundation Guide)

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on December 10, 2019 by JimApril 23, 2026
Photo of the Solar Panel Mount site with Piers

Ground mounted solar array guide covering site selection, foundation layout, concrete piers, and a durable DIY mounting system for eight full-size panels.

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Posted in Projects | Tagged build, concrete pier, DIY, foundation, hill country, how to, quikrete, renogy, solar, solar panel mount, solar power generator, wb0mmc

Off Grid Solar System for Shop (2 kW System Design & Build)

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on December 4, 2019 by JimApril 23, 2026
photo of All six solar system panels installed

Off grid solar system for shop: real 2 kW system design to power a workshop, including air conditioning, lighting, battery storage, and backup power.

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Posted in Projects | Tagged air conditioner, consumption, DIY, energy, gas, generator, grid down, how to, insolation, Interstate, inverter, LED, lighting, power, rainwater, refrigerator, renogy, solar, system

An Altoids Light for the Solar Station

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on August 16, 2019 by JimSeptember 12, 2025
photo of Operating position at WB0MMC

Ikea makes a wonderful work light (JANSJÖ)that sells for about $13. I have several of them, and love the warm pool of light they provide on desk surfaces. Let’s convert one of them to solar power with the Altoids LED light project

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Posted in Projects | Tagged 12-volt, altoids, amateur, Anderson, battery, distribution, DIY, ham, howto, ikea, JANSJÖ, lamp, LED, power, power pole, radio, solar, supply, wb0mmc

Solar Water Pump for Well Completed | Solar Powered Rainwater Project

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on November 15, 2017 by JimApril 22, 2026
photo of Completed Solar Powered Rainwater System

Solar water pump for well—measured power consumption, battery capacity, inverter losses, and real-world off-grid system performance.

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Posted in Projects, Ranch Life | Tagged amateur, ampere-hours, battery bank capacity, build, charge, controller, deep cycle, DIY, equipment, Grid-assist, grid-tie, ham radio, how to, howto, Interstate, inverter, kill-a-watt, kilowatt, kilowatt-hours, kWh, marine, mppt, off-grid, panel, panel wattage, pwm, rainwater, renogy, solar, solar panel wattage, storage, teardrop, trailer, wb0mmc

Adding Solar Panels to an Off-Grid System | Solar Power Rainwater System

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on November 14, 2017 by JimApril 21, 2026
adding solar panels to the water shed

After testing our off-grid solar system, it became clear we needed more capacity. By adding solar panels, we improved charging performance, and expanded the system for real-world use.

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Posted in Projects | Tagged amateur, ampere-hours, battery bank capacity, build, charge, controller, deep cycle, DIY, equipment, Grid-assist, grid-tie, ham radio, how to, howto, Interstate, inverter, kill-a-watt, kilowatt, kilowatt-hours, kWh, marine, mppt, off-grid, panel, panel wattage, pwm, rainwater, renogy, solar, solar panel wattage, storage, teardrop, trailer, wb0mmc, woodworking

Weber Piano Action Rebuild – Refinement: Jammin’ Jacks

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on October 21, 2017 by JimJune 15, 2026
photo showing Measuring Key Dip

Every piano is different, and although there are recommended measurements for key dip, blow distance, hammer height, etc., changes are sometimes needed to suit a specific action. At this point, Danny Boone’s Regulating Grand Piano Touch and Tone suggested fully regulating … Continue reading →

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Posted in Projects | Tagged action, action rebuild, Bernerd, blanco texas, danny l boone, DIY, grand piano touch, hammer, how to, howto, jack, jack screw, let-off, Mollberg, music, piano, regulating, regulating grand piano touch and tone, regulation, repetition lever, restoration, rtfm, shank, Texas, texas hill country, weber grand piano, wippen

Weber Piano Action Rebuild – Early Impressions

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on October 20, 2017 by JimJune 15, 2026
photo of The Weber and Baldwin Pianos Nested

With casters installed and a rudimentary understanding of action adjustments, I was able to tinker. Hammer alignment went quickly, and as predicted, the sotto voce pedal now worked properly. Since the rockers were not snugged into their final position, they tended to drift, so I touched up the hammer line and let-off, and put the action back into the piano. It was time to play!

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Posted in Projects | Tagged 1893, 1927, action, action rebuild, Albert Weber, Baldwin Model C, Bernerd, blanco texas, carved victorian case, DIY, hammer alignment, how to, howto, Mollberg, music, piano, restoration, sotto voce, Texas, texas hill country, weber grand piano, weber piano company, woodworking

Weber Piano Action Rebuild – Baby Needs New Shoes! (Err, Casters)

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on September 17, 2017 by JimSeptember 12, 2025
photo of the Leg reinstalled with caster

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, the Weber had been without casters for about 20 years. After we moved to our log home, I was eager to make it more playable, but there was a distinct rattling!

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Posted in Projects | Tagged action, action rebuild, Bernerd, blanco texas, brass, carved victorian case, caster, DIY, flange, hammer alignment, how to, howto, Mollberg, music, piano, restoration, shank, sotto voce, Texas, texas hill country, weber grand piano, woodworking

Weber Piano Action Rebuild – RTFM

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on September 5, 2017 by JimSeptember 12, 2025
photo showing how to adjust repetition level spring tension

At the beginning of this project, my piano technician friend Jack recommended I read Regulating Grand Piano Touch and Tone by Danny L. Boone. It breaks the process down into 56 steps from reshaping the hammers to adjusting the pedals. I spent some time with it, but dove into the process with Bernard’s and Celeste’s help without really reading it all.

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Posted in Projects | Tagged action, action rebuild, back check, back check regulator, Bernerd, blanco texas, danny l boone, DIY, flange, getting things done, grand hammer butt spacer, grand piano touch, gtd, hammer, how to, howto, jack screw, Mollberg, music, piano, regulating, regulating grand piano touch and tone, regulation, restoration, rtfm, shank, Texas, texas hill country, weber grand piano, woodworking

Weber Piano Action Rebuild – The Circle of Refinement

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on September 1, 2017 by JimJune 15, 2026
photo of piano strings and hammers

After the much-needed boost of demonstrating the Weber with rebuilt action at our piano gathering, I was eager to continue. Time to align the hammers so they centered on the strings and shifted correctly when the soto voce pedal (or “soft” pedal, on the left) was pressed.

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Posted in Projects, Ranch Life | Tagged action, action rebuild, back check, back check regulator, Bernerd, blanco texas, DIY, flange, grand hammer butt spacer, hammer, how to, howto, jack screw, Mollberg, music, piano, regulation, restoration, shank, Texas, texas hill country, weber grand piano, woodworking

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