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290 Watt DC-DC Power Supply
In this post I discuss building a multi-voltage DC power supply, built from commodity components, that accepts 10 to 24 volts in and will supply 5V 10A, 12V 5A, and 24V 3A for powering Raspberry Pi’s, routers, POE equipment, etc.
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Searching the Web with Generative AI
One of the things I love using Generative AI for is finding stuff on the web and getting answers to simple questions. For example, I wanted to know how old the band members of Rush were when they released the song Subdivisions. Doing this the traditional way using Google, I don’t actually get an answer,…
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Parts Replication System: Power Consumption
Now that the prototype Parts Replication System (PRS) has been up and running for a bit I’ve been getting settings and procedures dialed in and collecting some data on power usage. The power consumption data were collected using the setup shown in the first photo and will be used to determine the power budget for…
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Arch Project (Part 1)
Adding a sturdy sailing arch to Sérénité will provide space to attach the radar dome, antennas, and davits for the dinghy. It will also be the lynchpin in the larger project of “greening” power generation aboard Sérénité. The arch will serve as the attachment point for two wind generators (port and starboard) and form the…
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Sérénité’s Parts Replication System (PRS)
Part 2: The Printer In my last PRS post I broached the idea of having an onboard 3D Printer to fabricate parts. After much consideration I decided to go with an economical, mid-range printer for the test. I needed one capable enough to make a variety of parts, with a good size build volume to…
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Sérénitié’s Parts Replication System (PRS)
Part 1 – The Idea A few years ago, while I was perusing NASA tech briefs, I came across an article about how they were testing additive manufacturing to replicate parts in space, on demand. That is, instead of carrying a store of spares onboard a Mars mission to replace anything that might break or…
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We're still throwing it all away…
We give lip-service to recycling, but what’s in our dumpsters and trash bins tell a different story. This photo was taken of a trash bin that sat directly next to bins clearly labelled for recyclables. Why, after decades of advertising and outreach about the need to recycle our trash, does this still happen? Location: Onboard Sérénité, Back Creek,…
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Plastic, Plastic Everywhere!
We must do more to keep plastics out of the environment. From floating “islands” of plastic garbage that collect in the gyres of our oceans (Read more) to bits of plastic bags I find in the sediment that comes up with my anchor, plastic is a huge problem. Aside from the fact that seabirds, turtles,…
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The Stanley Norman
The Stanley Norman one of the 35 surviving traditional Chesapeake Bay skipjacks and a member of the last commercial sailing fleet in the United States. Out of a fleet of hundreds of skipjacks that worked Bay waters in the early years of the 20th century, today only this small number remain to carry on the tradition…
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Tornado Trouble
“Whirl, whirl, twist and twirl…” So, I fell asleep last night to the relaxing sounds of rain and distant thunder. Around 01:00, I was awakened by the sudden, violent movement of the boat in her slip as she was brought up hard against her mooring lines and rolled about 15 degrees to port. There were…
