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Roy Creek Ranch

a Log Home in the Hill Country

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Solar Ioniq5 EV Charging: Self-Reliance and Reduced Carbon Emissions

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on May 8, 2024 by JimMay 13, 2025
photo of the Hyundai Ioniq5 electric vehicle

I’ve made about 20 posts regarding my adventures in Solar Energy. They all lead to a Solar-powered “Gas Station” for an Electric Vehicle (EV). As prices for solar equipment have come down, the idea is within reach on my budget.

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Posted in solar | Tagged DIY, energy, EV, how to, Hyundai, Ioniq5, power, PV, self-reliance, solar

Really Great Lithium Ion Solar Battery: Copper Bus Bars

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on December 13, 2023 by JimMarch 5, 2024
photo of 95 copper bus bars -- nearly finished

After building a wooden enclosure for the Lithium Ion Solar Battery, it was time to think about copper bus bars to connect all those cells together. This requires a little math, since the bus bars have to be big enough to handle current demand, but not too big — copper is expensive!

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Posted in solar, Projects | Tagged battery, DIY, how to, howto, ion, lithium, solar

How to Add an Awesome Wood Stove for Winter Heat

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on November 8, 2023 by JimDecember 7, 2023
photo of the first fire in the woodstove

With 8 kilowatts of Solar panel to meet our power needs, it was time to think about winter heat. The solar power could be used to pump water, provide lighting, charge various devices and run small appliances, it just wasn’t going to be enough for heating — especially at night. We have a nearly endless source of deadfall live oak here at the ranch though, and a wood stove was the obvious answer.

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Posted in solar | Tagged build, castings, DIY, energy, fireplace, Georgetown, hearth, heat, hill country, homesteading, how to, howto, independence, intrepid, off-grid, patio, power, pump, solar, stove, Vermont, wood, woodburning, woodstove

Add Solar Powered HVAC to Your Home

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on August 13, 2023 by JimAugust 20, 2023
photo showing the mini split head temperature

One of the dreams here at Roy Creek Ranch has been to add Solar powered heating and cooling (HVAC). We’re now producing substantial power from our solar array, and it would be nice to use that power as much as possible. Also, for those times when the grid fails, some heating and cooling will keep us more comfortable and maybe even a little safer in extreme weather.

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Posted in solar, Projects | Tagged Carrier, DIY, howto, HVAC, kill-a-watt, Midea, mini split, solar

Build A Great VPO – Part 3: Amp Repair

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on August 11, 2023 by JimAugust 11, 2023
photo of the Amplifier, ready for servicing

Just before disassembling the Thomas Transistor organ to create a VPO, I tried turning it on for one last listen. I wanted to sample a few of the basic sounds for later use building a sample set or synthesizer patches. It hadn’t been used for quite some time, though I had no reason to suspect it wouldn’t work. Within a second or two of powering the organ, there was a loud pop, followed by a very loud hum. Time to get it on the bench!

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Posted in Virtual Pipe Organ, Music, Projects, repairs | Tagged amp, amplifier, build, capacitor, DIY, electrolytic, esr, howto, MIDI, organ, pipe, re-cap, recap, theater, thomas, transistor, tube, vacuum, variac, virtual, vpo, wb0mmc

Build A Great VPO — Part 2 : Salvage and Move

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on August 8, 2023 by JimAugust 11, 2023
photo of the organ In place with new pedals

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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Posted in Music, Projects, Virtual Pipe Organ | Tagged ago, american, build, DIY, guild, howto, jensen, leslie, organ, organists, pipe, speaker, thomas, transistor, virtual, vpo, wb0mmc

Build a Handy 12-Volt Solar Generator with LiFePo4 Batteries

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on July 23, 2023 by JimDecember 7, 2023
photo of the completed solar generator

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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Posted in solar, Projects | Tagged battery, bms, build, bus bar, charge, controller, DIY, generator, howto, inverter, iron, lifepo, lithium, management, phosphate, radiob, solar, storage, system, wb0mmc

Solar Power Eases A Bad Ice Storm

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on February 14, 2023 by JimFebruary 15, 2023
photo of 5 Kilowatt Solar Array with ice

Solar Power Update With several posts regarding the installation of solar power at Roy Creek Ranch, one might wonder whether or not it worked. Read on and learn about our experience in an emergency situation. The Solar Array is enlarged … Continue reading →

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Posted in solar | Tagged charge controller, controller, DIY, electric kettle, hill country, kilowatt, kilowatt-hours, kWh, off-grid, panel, solar, space heater, storage, tankless, toaster oven, update, water heater, wood stove

How to Upgrade a Solar Power System

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on February 13, 2022 by JimFebruary 13, 2022
photo of the "New" solar panels and mount

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 →

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Posted in solar | Tagged charge, controller, DIY, how to, howto, inverter, kilowatt-hours, mppt, panel, solar, victron, wb0mmc

How to Get a PumpSaver for a Water Well

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on May 26, 2021 by JimMay 26, 2021
photo of The PumpSaver as part of the Solar Rainwater System

With summer on the way, and an end to our rainy season approaching, I am reminded of the dry summer last year and concerns about the water table here at the ranch. Fortunately, our water well performed during the last year’s drought, but a number of our neighbors had trouble with their wells. Some troubles were resolved by a visit from the well-service company and a replacement part of two, but at least one well’s water level was low — resulting in low or no water output.

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Posted in Rainwater, repairs, solar | Tagged DIY, equipment, how to, littelfuse, protection, pump, pumpsaver, rainwater, solar, well

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