Search results

I'm still around but I decided to focus on my consulting and release everything as open source. I haven't gotten around to making the release yet but I will. PCB's, wireless stuff, arduino firmware and mono MVC site. It's not perfectly complete but it would make a good platform for someone to...

Mine aren't too bad actually compared to previous years. 8 pinhole leaks and one gusher. Certainly not maintenance free.

I really feel like the best solution is to slice the first 4-8 rows of each panel at the ends and install the rubber plugs they send in the plug kit. You lose some heating but it's insurance against leaks. I've identified all of my leaks again, which I was able to do pretty effectively by...

My advice for an inexpensive DIY solution is as follows: NEMA 6P enclosure. Raspberry pi with USB wifi dongle and an arduino. Custom arduino board with relays for contactors. Software would have to be efficient. Mono/C#, PHP or python wouldn't be fast enough for this little board, I would...

I haven't disappeared though it looks like it. I have an infant son and he is unexpectedly (well expectedly if you're being realistic) taking up much more of my time than I thought. I am wrestling a couple of bugs which is preventing me from putting up the store and releasing everything. The...

*sigh* I opened my pool a few days ago. I'm afraid to enable the panels.

I'm curious about your respective setups that makes pulling ethernet cable feasible. Did you have separate conduits laid back when the pool was made?

Thought I would revive this one more time to let you all know that I posted 3 more videos on the page linked in my signature. Those demonstrate the configuration process and general usage of the web interface. I realized that that's a pretty important piece of the puzzle and that was missing...

That's not a bad idea at all. I'll look into a subscription to that service too. Still I'll leave that feature in place since there is no way it can be remotely activated and could prove very useful.

Hah, I just noticed that too. I'll delete my posts but I never saw the big deal in reviving a thread.

Right, that was my main gripe with the industry as a whole. There is no "X10" for pool automation. But my system strives to be much better than X10, more like insteon ;) But I don't think the average homeowner needs or even wants crestron style products and pricing. I can't say how...

My new system is specifically designed for someone like you. See the link in my sig. It is capable of meeting all of your needs. Where in the country are you?

Hehe been there done that. When I got my solar install finished I ran out of steam and daylight so I just ran a 10 foot pipe from the solar return straight into the pool so I could get it going.

Hey everyone, now that I got some things straight with the admins, hopefully this post makes a bit more sense and adheres to the rules. I wanted to talk to you about my new pool controller. I'm trying to start a home automation company and the pool control portion of it is the first part. I'm...

Gorilla tape does well when exposed to water. I used it on a solar cover and it lasted for probably a year before it started to come off.

Hrmm.. that's really interesting. I am running 8 panels on a steep slope roof which equates to 16+ feet without bursting any panels. I probably could get away with hanging them vertically from the headers. That sure would have been a more effective installation.. Oh well. There's no way I'm...

I would probably use pieces of perhaps aluminum U channel to distribute the load a little more widely. It'd be a lot cheaper if you could find some way to saw some pvc or abs pipes in half and use them as supports. Really that's all there is to it Even using a nice fat strap would probably...

There is all kinds of very serious sounding warnings in the manual about NOT mounting them that way. Warranty void, etc. They even made me take pictures of my install before they honored the warranty. My guess is the tubes pull out of hte manifold when stressed.

Doug, The relays I am using are quite small... 5A current rating at 250V. The intention was to use them to piggyback larger contactors. They are sized for that purpose as well as handling the current of a valve actuator. Also, I'm not sure I understood your setup. When you say you need 4...

Ok I need everyone's help. Whether you are interested in the system or not I'd like people to describe their automation needs. I am trying to come up with the best "default" configuration. You see the water resistant connectors that are of any reasonable quality are very expensive, thus...

Actually here's an idea even, they should build a nice thick plastic mounting point onto the manifold themselves and the manifolds should be held with diagonal straps on either side of each panel. Those straps can then be hooked to some kind of constant tension clamp which will allow the panel...

Here's some more fun! 2 of the panels were leaking pretty severely near the bottom stress points and you can even see the holes in the pipes. I tried to patch them with a plug kit they sent me unsuccessfully so I figured hey, 2 new panels = $150.. no big deal. I forgot how much of a pita it...

Hi all, Well my spring release promise has been blown. Unfortunately I have a day job, a bad auto racing habit, and some needy family members and friends and those things conflict with getting this system off the ground. The biggest issue however has been a confounding hardware/software bug...

Hi all, Everything is coming together nicely. I've had prototypes of the final revision of the board manufactured and did the final base testing to make sure the wireless and relay setup works. The board now handles 4 devices and is capable of controlling jandy valves whereas it wasn't...

I dunno. I think I might have to give these a thumbs down. I have a rather large self installed setup on a steep 45 degree pitch garage roof. There are 8 2x20 panels and they are strapped down in 3 places according to the instructions. The panels are sloped from one end to the other...

Steve, I did see your site and I was inspired by how you did your wiring, connectors and water proofing. I do have different ideas when it comes to interface and interaction though. Jeff, I am trying to consider all of that stuff and I came up with best estimates for their cost and rolled...

So I'm trying to understand now just how to wire up a 240v 2 speed pump but how they work. From what I read there is a high speed, lower speed and common terminal. In 240 volts does one hot leg go to common and the other hot leg go to high or low speed depending on what you want? Or does...

It's not that marketing isn't my thing (even though it isn't). It's that for all intents and purpose the project is still in vaporware status. I mean I spent the entire day trying to track down just one stupid bug so I can't say for sure that everything will come together as I expect...

Sure it depends what you're going for, but did I not convey enough that you can use as little or as much of the advanced features as you want and that there will be a focus on making sure everything is easy to configure? I was wondering if you could elaborate. Does everything sound difficult...