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a Log Home in the Hill Country

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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

A Break in the Texas Drought — Nature’s Resiliency

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on October 9, 2023 by JimOctober 9, 2023
photo of a Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) butterfly

It’s been a tough couple of years. The last two years have seen below-normal rainfall. While not unusual in the Hill Country, they have been remarkable for the depth and severity of the Texas drought. During the years ending September 2022 and 2023 we measured just 11.75 and 10.65 inches respectively. That compares with an average rainfall of between 30 and 35 inches.

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Posted in Gardening | Tagged glaucus, hill country, homesteading, howto, Leucophyllum frutescens, papilio, polyxenes, sage, swallowtail, Texas, texas hill country, tiger

Build a Really Big Lithium Ion Solar Battery

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on August 30, 2023 by JimSeptember 9, 2023
photo of the Really Big Lithium Ion Battery Box

The next upgrade for our Solar Power System was a Really Big Lithium Ion Battery (RBB). When we first installed the system in 2020, I didn’t have a cost-effective solution for Lithium Ion (LiFePo4 chemistry). That came later with the acquisition of a lot of LiFePo4 cells. Since then, I’ve built two small batteries to get used to the technology; one as a portable solar generator, and a slightly larger one to power the ham shack. With those under my belt, it’s time to tackle a 48-volt battery to replace the existing lead acid batteries.

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Posted in solar, Projects | Tagged 16s, 48 volt, battery, battery management system, bms, howto, lithium ion, off-grid, radiob, solar, storage

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

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

Easy Repair of a John Deere X304 Clutch

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on December 26, 2020 by JimDecember 26, 2020
photo of John Deere awn tractor

It’s amazing how time flies. Although it has been about 13 years since I bought the John Deere X304 lawn tractor for the ranch, it seems like yesterday. I still think of it as “the new tractor.” So it’s always a surprise when something needs repair. I use this machine for all kinds of things, from mowing to towing, and recently it developed a screaming sound near the front.

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Posted in repairs | Tagged aerokroil, clutch, DIY, how to, howto, john deere, lawn tractor, mower, Texas, texas hill country, tractor, Warner, x304

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