The Digital MermaidThis is the first is a new series documenting the work needed to make "Mermaid's Rest" ready to bring home to Canada. This is odd in that it's going to be a series covering diesel engine work, which is the exact opposite of what the end goal is. However, before the conversion can happen, we need to cover a ~700nm journey using her existing Yanmar.
This episode talks about the general plans, and starts to deal with her major diesel fuel issues.
0:00 - Reviewing the Video Experiment 1:00 - YOU AMAZING PEOPLE! 3:44 - Update on the 12v Batteries 5:39 - Diesel Fuel System Issues 9:34 - Getting To Work! 10:46 - Digimer Fights a Bottle 13:00 - A Problem With The Plan 13:27 - Digimer Fights a Hose 16:21 - Channel Topic Update 17:18 - Digimer Fights a Hose - Round 2! 21:50 - Digimer 1, Hose 0 23:59 - Other Issues To Fix 27:18 - Old 12v Batteries 28:16 - A Table Tangent 28:37 - New 12v Battery Plan
Preparing For The Trip Home - Part 1 - Batteries and Diesel (Ep. 53)The Digital Mermaid2023-02-05 | This is the first is a new series documenting the work needed to make "Mermaid's Rest" ready to bring home to Canada. This is odd in that it's going to be a series covering diesel engine work, which is the exact opposite of what the end goal is. However, before the conversion can happen, we need to cover a ~700nm journey using her existing Yanmar.
This episode talks about the general plans, and starts to deal with her major diesel fuel issues.
0:00 - Reviewing the Video Experiment 1:00 - YOU AMAZING PEOPLE! 3:44 - Update on the 12v Batteries 5:39 - Diesel Fuel System Issues 9:34 - Getting To Work! 10:46 - Digimer Fights a Bottle 13:00 - A Problem With The Plan 13:27 - Digimer Fights a Hose 16:21 - Channel Topic Update 17:18 - Digimer Fights a Hose - Round 2! 21:50 - Digimer 1, Hose 0 23:59 - Other Issues To Fix 27:18 - Old 12v Batteries 28:16 - A Table Tangent 28:37 - New 12v Battery Plan
Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @BillCarlson (Project Lightening) * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @LadyKSailingEp. 102 - The Engine is Out!The Digital Mermaid2024-10-18 | With the help of my friend Ryan, the engine finally comes out of Mermaid's Rest!
-=] Chapters 0:00 - The Pull Plan 2:13 - Deconstructing Woodwork 5:21 - The Knee Bone is Connected to the Hip Bone 9:28 - Success! Despite Glued, Not Screwed 12:28 - Pulling the Shaft Log 13:27 - Finding a New Concern 14:33 - Fighting Seacocks 17:05 - Picking my Seacock Battles 18:43 - Time to Break Things 21:39 - Cooling and Helping 23:21 - Breaking Things in Creative Ways 27:03 - Planning the Rails 28:40 - Growing Power Problems 29:58 - Unbolting the Engine 31:04 - Building the Rails 35:50 - Power Problems Get Worse 38:33 - Rail Assembly 41:18 - Getting the Slides Under the Engine 44:21 - Beefier Sliders! 46:25 - Preparing to Pull 48:03 - The Pull Starts! 49:07 - First Hiccup 50:40 - Clearing the Bell Housing 52:31 - Time to Lift! Or Not... 55:40 - The Engine Floats 58:37 - Dropping The Engine Down
-=] Music Attribution 1. Lord of the Land by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Artist: http://audionautix.comEp. 101 - Engine Pull, Part 1The Digital Mermaid2024-10-11 | Recharged by the recent crossing, and no longer suffering summer heat, it's time to pull the engine! In part 1, we get the transmission off and the engine stripped!
-=] Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella * @BillCarlson
-=] Chapters 0:00 - Welcome Back to the Boat 2:16 - Draining the Transmission Oil 3:18 - Unwrapping The Exhaust Elbow 6:03 - Draining the Engine Oil 7:33 - Cracking the Transmission Bolts 9:44 - Removing the Exhaust Elbow 11:25 - Back Again; The Plan 12:47 - Aft Bulkhead Rot 13:25 - Brack To Cracking 16:34 - The Transmission Comes Out! 19:55 - Pulling the Prop Shaft 21:28 - Can the Prop Shaft be Saved? 23:53 - The Plan to Pull the Engine 25:21 - Cleanup 27:17 - Stripping the Engine! 29:02 - Alternator Revelation? 29:44 - Stripping Engine Wiring 30:32 - Pulling the Lazarette Box 32:22 - The Starter Comes Out! 33:00 - Finishing Stripping
Folk Round by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100357 Artist: http://incompetech.comEp. 100 - First Off-Shore Passage; Halifax to St. JohnsThe Digital Mermaid2024-09-23 | I was invited to crew for an old friend from Halifax to St. John's (Conception Bay) earlier this summer. It was a much needed, extremely lovely trip, and I knew I wanted to save it for episode 100.
This is my personal favourite video so far. I know it's not a technical video, but it's the trip that breathed fresh life back into me. ^_^
-=] Chapters 0:00 - Arrival in Halifax 0:06 - One Hundred Episodes! 3:47 - SY Zora and Mermaid's Rest 7:07 - Day 2; Head of Jeddore to Stachans Cove 8:37 - Day 3; St. Peter's Canal (lock) 11:50 - Day 4; Strachans Cove to Johnstown Harbour 13:54 - Day 5; Exploring Maskell's Harbour 16:43 - Day 6; Exploring Big Harbour 17:30 - Day 7; The Crossing! Day 1 20:30 - Day 8; The Crossing! Day 2 27:49 - Day 10; The Crossing! Day 4 29:34 - What it's Like Resting on Passage30:58 - Dolphins and Whales! 33:32 - First Visit to Newfoundland 34:53 - Visiting Signal Hill 36:13 - Visiting Cape Spear 38:40 - La Manche Trail
-=] Music Attribution Landras Dream by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://audionautix.com Back To The Wood by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://audionautix.comEp. 99 - So Many Switches; SPI, DMA and New Crew!The Digital Mermaid2024-09-01 | Meet the newest crew, Mae!
This video is an update to show what's been going on since the last video. We cover using shift registers over "SPI" to allow the helm to have many, many switches and drive many, many LEDs without needing a lot of I/O pins from the STM32.
We also look at how I have been working on wiring up the protoboards that will be used the next time we drive the motors.
-=] Chapters 0:00 - New Crew!! 0:53 - So Many Switches, So Few IO Pins 1:53 - SPI to the Rescue! 3:18 - DMA and So Many LEDs! 5:19 - From Rats Nest to Protoboards 9:34 - Coming Out of a Funk 11:46 - Who Rescued Who? 13:17 - How The Shift Registers Work (I think) 16:06 - Planning to Wire the Switchboard 19:01 - I Tell Lies 20:45 - Learning to Wire a Protoboard 31:46 - Thoughts On Prettiness 34:45 - Making Mistakes 37:07 - Learning From The MistakesEp. 98 - The Motors Spin!The Digital Mermaid2024-08-03 | Holy long video! It took a lot of work, but the motors are both spinning from the same helm! Well, mostly, thar' be bugs!
-=] Patreon: - patreon.com/TheDigitalMermaid -=] Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella * @BillCarlson
-=] Chapters 0:00 - Intro and Goal 2:01 - Helm Control Progress Update 3:18 - Testing the DACs 8:05 - Testing the ULN2003A Switches 10:19 - Moving the Rat's Nest 10:59 - Changing the Golden Motor Ring Terminals 16:19 - A Brilliant Controller Cooling Recommendation! 17:23 - Repining The Hall Effect Sensor 19:22 - A Kitty Interlude & Story 21:44 - Making the Kelly Controller Wire Harnesses, Pt. 1 28:21 - Dividing the Foot (Brake) and Speed Switches 31:45 - Debugging STM32 and Switch Issues 38:40 - I May Have Damaged the Nucleo Board 40:50 - Making the Kelly Controller Wire Harnesses, Pt. 2 41:57 - Inserting the Waterproofing Boot 43:08 - Mating a Small Wires to a Big Pins 49:20 - Recovering From TWO Mistakes 54:39 - Making the Kelly Controller Wire Harnesses, Pt. 3 58:45 - Crimping Failure and Fix 1:03:19 - Cable Colour Conundrum 1:05:59 - A Story; Saving and Losing the Past 1:09:45 - Fair Winds, Ol' Bev 1:12:11 - More Wires, More Colours, More Philosophy 1:15:45 - Five-Strand Braiding the Wires 1:18:26 - Circuit Board Plans 1:19:48 - Connecting the Kelly Controllers to the Helm Control 1:25:15 - Programming and Debugging the Kelly KLS7525N 1:33:31 - Comparing Controller Configs 1:35:05 - Spinning the 5kw, Unexpectedly! 1:37:24 - Calming My Nerves, Spinning the Motors! 1:45:02 - What's Next?Ep. 97 - Wiring Two Motors; Distraction & ProgressThe Digital Mermaid2024-07-04 | On the surface, this video is about wiring up the second motor and controller. Really though, it's about making progress, even when you're distracted.
-=] Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella * @BillCarlson
-=] Chapters 0:00 - A New Toy! 1:00 - The Plan and Size Comparison 2:59 - Paralleling Golden Motors over CANBus 4:12 - Sizing Bus Bars and Cables 8:26 - Breaking Down the Old Setup 10:50 - I Got Insurance!! 12:38 - Compatible Water Block?14:06 - Plans to Deal With Motor Directions14:53 - Wiring Up The Contactors 20:57 - Sorting Our The Main Controller Cables 28:36 - Planning For Redundancy 30:29 - Planning Cable Lengths 33:09 - Troubles Crimping Larger Cables 37:44 - Travel Plans and An Origin Story 41:42 - A Thought on Travel Videos 42:22 - Back To Crimping Troubles and Work-Arounds 46:52 - Cabling The Controllers, Mostly 48:33 - A Fuse Question, And Unknown Shmoo 49:57 - Finishing Up Cabling 56:25 - What's Next?Ep. 96 - Please Sir, My Prop, Hes Very SickThe Digital Mermaid2024-06-09 | After another $dayjob induced delay, here's my first attempt at sand blasting... It did not go well. However, progress was made, and I'm far from giving up!
-=] Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella * @BillCarlson
-=] Chapters 0:00 - The Goal For This Video 1:33 - Fairing and Foul Release; An experiment! 3:28 - Concern About Balance 4:12 - Parts For Upcoming Projects 4:54 - Plans For Prop Pitch Science! 8:19 - A Not-Needed Grease Mod 9:23 - Cleaning the Prop Without Stripping off Bronze 10:33 - Some Sad News 12:36 - Second Motor Parts Update 15:29 - Insurance Update 16:26 - Lets Start Grinding! 21:16 - Much Cleaner Prop Blades! 23:12 - Blasting, Try 1, Walnut Media 27:50 - Phoning a Friend 30:00 - Professional Repair Fail 33:06 - Making a Blasting "Box" 36:40 - Blasting, Try 2, Copper Slag Media 38:25 - Blasting Success! 40:16 - Compressor Problems 41:43 - 5kw Motor Order Issue 42:16 - What's Next?Ep. 95 - 2 Throttles, 2 Motors, 1 Brain - DIY Helm ControlsThe Digital Mermaid2024-05-13 | I've been deep into learning STM32 embedded development, and I'm finally starting to come up from under the rock I've been hiding under.
This vide is pretty technical, and probably not the most interesting. However, I wanted to make it anyway because projects are not all sparks and excitement. Working through long, slow spans of learning to do something is a real part of taking on big projects.
-=] Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella * @BillCarlson
-=] Chapters 0:00 - Intro / It's Spring 0:42 - Helm Control Progress So Far 2:11 - Why Am I Doing This? 3:20 - Four Devices with on Two Addresses 4:25 - Two Motors, Two Throttles 6:56 - The Genius and Limitations of Arduino 9:05 - Using Pins on STM32 vs Arduino 12:30 - DMA on STM32 and Other Efficiencies 16:30 - Displaying Data; Serial, LCD, Screen and Dashboard 21:51 - DAC Testing, Calibration, and Durability 24:58 - Prototype board, PCB Plans, and Cables 27:09 - Debug The DACs With Me! 37:11 - Bad Wiring! The Benefits of Planning Docs 41:31 - Kelly Controller Minimums and Maximums 43:47 - This Is What Learning Is Like 44:27 - Calibrating My Specific DACs 53:37 - What's Coming? 54:32 - New Parts; A HUGE Thanks to my Patrons!Ep. 94 - Pulling the Prop - A Change of PlansThe Digital Mermaid2024-04-17 | It's been a while, but progress is still happening! In this episode, we get the prop pulled, and I realise I didn't have what I thought I had.
-=] Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella * @BillCarlson
-=] Chapters 0:00 - Eclipse? STM32? Pulling the Prop 1:24 - Getting the Zincs Off 3:06 - Getting the Blades and Cap Off 9:41 - Getting the Collar Off 11:01 - The Value of Used Spares 11:53 - Why I Plan to Replace the Prop Shaft 14:56 - Freeing the Prop Shaft 17:58 - Clouds and Totality! 19:52 - Back To Pulling the Shaft 24:10 - Rudder Blocked 26:32 - Removing the Coupler 32:38 - A Brand New Plan... 36:21 - STM32 Update 40:20 - Post; O Glorious SandingEp. 93 - A Boat Update / InterludeThe Digital Mermaid2024-03-16 | Hi all! I'm eyeballs-deep in learning STM32 embedded development, and it's taking a lot longer than I expected. I'll do a proper helm update video next. I had to go to the boat this week though, and I found an unfortunate surprise. So, yay video content? ^_^
-=] Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella * @BillCarlson
-=] Chapters 0:00 - An Unpleasant Surprise 1:29 - Damage Report! Oh, Not So Bad 2:36 - I Got What I Paid For 3:44 - Bow Stand Down 5:27 - A Near Battery Mistake 9:26 - Checking On The Mast 13:19 - Bolts In a Hay Stack 15:52 - Various Tasks To Come 17:28 - Prop Shaft, Engine and Motor Plans 19:58 - Selling The Old Propeller 20:40 - Helm Control and Steering Gear 23:15 - Mounting The Stantions 26:51 - Prop and Rudder Concerns 28:24 - Stantion Surprise 29:48 - Deck Core Discovery 30:47 - She’s Water Tight(ish) Again 32:22 - Dealing With The Tarp 33:46 - Closing Up For The Day 35:53 - Post-RollEp. 92 - The Motor Spins!The Digital Mermaid2024-02-26 | Wow, ok, so this is a lot! It took a LOT more work than expected, but the motor is finally under my own control!
The Kelly KLS-72100N, Golden Motor 10kw BLDC, and my own home brew (with your help!) arduino-based helm controls are all talking and working together. It's been a slog, but holy moly have I ever learned a lot. ^_^
We use MCP4725 12-bit DACs to send voltages to the controller, and a TI ULN2003a Darlington transistor array to flip the switches going to the controller. I also chase down a voltage issue that turns out to be a really dumb oops on my side.
-=] Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella * @BillCarlson
-=] Chapters 0:00 - Intro, Springs, and Solar 1:28 - The Contactor is Hot! Why? 2:45 - Setting Up Solar Charging 8:37 - My Viewers Know Me Well 11:37 - Reconfiguring Victron SmartShunt 13:22 - Mic Failure and Pin Puller Tools 15:50 - Solar Charging Success! 16:11 - Adding Regen Support (a Second Pot and DAC) 21:33 - Saved By Patreons! Ignoring Trolls... 27:17 - What if the Throttle Cable Breaks? 29:31 - Adding Code Support for Regen 35:58 - A Kitty Interlude With a Sad Update 37:56 - Debugging Weird Numbers 43:22 - Noob Mistake, Voltage Issues 47:49 - Going Down The Wrong Path 49:31 - First Use of a Wonderful Gift! - Riden RD6024 52:33 - A Fresh Introduction; Fixing My Fixes 55:55 - Connecting The DACs to the Controller 56:49 - What Switches Do I Need? 59:38 - Flipping Switches With a Darlington Transistor Array 1:01:14 - Direction Control, Throttle and Speed Settings on a Boat 1:04:01 - Flipping Switches With Software 1:07:28 - Making Switches Stable With Resistors 1:09:36 - Stuck! Saved By Andrew (Again) 1:12:04 - The Incredible Value of Community 1:13:41 - Verifying The Switches Are Stable 1:15:22 - Configuring the Kelly KLS Controller 1:21:11 - Verifying Switch Voltages 1:23:03 - Final Pre-Spin Wiring 1:24:12 - Ready To Spin... 1:26:02 - IT SPINS!!!!!Ep. 91 - A Girl & Her MotorThe Digital Mermaid2024-02-10 | This video is a long one, covering the wiring, pinout and initial power up of Mermaid's Rest's new heart!
We fix an electrical incompatibility between the Kelly Controller KLS-79100N and the Golden Motor 10kw that could have gone badly. The contactor, key switch and throttle are wired into the Kelly, and finally it's powered up!
-=] Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella * @BillCarlson
-=] Chapters 0:00 - Intro / Setting Expectations 1:47 - Golden Motor to Kelly Controller Incompatibility 4:11 - How Big Is This Problem? 5:34 - It’s Big; Madi Struggles With Pins 11:00 - Making Compatible Pinouts 14:39 - A Crazy Milestone!! 15:55 - Mid-Video Expectations 17:10 - Securing A Small Monster 18:15 - Pre-charge Resistor Redundancy 19:12 - Eating a Delorean One Bite At a Time 20:09 - Adding An In-Line Fuse 24:57 - Preparing a Stand-in Key Switch 27:52 - Learning to Make JST Connections 29:11 - DIY Helm Update 30:14 - Powering The Controller 32:01 - Old Battery Rebuild, Nerves and Mistakes 35:15 - Kitty Interlude 36:29 - A Third Near-Mistake! 39:08 - On Constructive Criticism and Naysayers 43:10 - Happy Design Accidents 44:12 - Finishing Up Power Wiring 50:47 - Connecting Control Wires 54:29 - I Missed a Wire… 56:39 - What To Do With The Throttle? 58:45 - No Jumping! 1:00:02 - Throttle Fault Protection 1:01:09 - Booting An Old, Annoying BMS 1:03:09 - First Controller Power Up! 1:05:28 - Initial Controller Config 1:07:01 - Identification Angle RoutineEp. 90 - Helm Controls, Pt. 1The Digital Mermaid2024-01-30 | This video covers getting the new helm control working to the point that it's outputting the expected voltages based on the (very janky!) prototype throttle inputs! There's a little work on the seventh battery, but that will get sorted out in the next video.
-=] Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella
-=] Chapters 0:00 - Intro and Overview 0:35 - Getting Started with the Arduino 3:25 - What the Kelly Control Expects 4:17 - Limited Potentiometer Range 6:32 - Running the Simplest Sketch 8:17 - Reading the Potentiometer Value 9:16 - Getting the DAC Working 9:59 - Finding the Usable Pot Range 13:25 - Pot Steps to DAC Steps 16:11 - Analog Pot Input to Voltage DAC Output 17:24 - Testing Arduino to DAC Output 18:26 - Initial Success!! 18:58 - OK, Not a Perfect Success… 21:38 - A Future Kitty Interlude 22:32 - Rebuilding the Original 48v Battery 23:55 - A Terrible Prototype for Better Debugging 24:51 - Back to the Seventh 48v Battery 27:46 - Debugging the Throttle Input 31:57 - Better Maths! Perl to the Rescue 33:16 - Open Source, Code on Github 34:43 - Testing the Better Math, New Bugs 39:10 - Back to the 80s! 40:35 - More Bugs Fixed; Variable Typing 42:02 - Madi Explains Code Badly 44:18 - A Working Demo! 45:05 - The Importance of Output Ramping 47:07 - What’s Next? And a Gift!Ep. 89 - Tying Up Loose EndsThe Digital Mermaid2024-01-15 | It's time to move on to the Helm development! Before that can start though, I need to tie up a bunch of loose ends (and provide a bit of an update).
If you need insurance in Ontario or Canada, * James Maynard, Insurance Broker * maynardinsurance.ca
-=] Channels that have Helped Me; * @SailingYachtZora * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella * @BillCarlson
-=] Chapters 0:00 - A Winter Interlude 0:35 - What's Next? 1:46 - Final Thoughts on JK BMS 4:52 - Is LFP OK at 2.0 ~ 4.2v? 6:24 - Charger Config over BMS Config? 8:05 - "You Don't Need a BMS"... 8:49 - Victron's External BMS 10:20 - Parallel-Battery Banks 11:26 - Forced Precharge Resistors 13:39 - Lost Battery Capacity, Why? 16:28 - The Insurance OdysseyNews from Off-Grid Garage; Dangerous JK BMS FlawThe Digital Mermaid2024-01-07 | This is a short video meant to signal-boost a very important video that Andy from @OffGridGarageAustralia just uploaded. The newer JK BMSes shipped with a significant bug in their firmware that can destroy LFP batteries.
If you've not seen his video yet, please give it a watch. It's a great video on it's own, and he deserves the views and credit for this discovery.
0:00 - Don't Use JK BMS 5:00 - Small Channel UpdateEp. 88 - Damaged Battery Test ResultsThe Digital Mermaid2024-01-01 | Edit: Sorry about the audio. I accidentally turned the mic volume down, and tried to boost it in post. The audio seemed OK before I uploaded it. It seems youtube somehow compresses or somehow edit s the audio and makes it break up more.
In this video, we recharge and then discharge the battery with the cell that fell to 2.0v. The test results were less than optimistic, but not in a way I expected.
-=] Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella * @BillCarlson
-=] Chapters 0:00 - Load Test Plans 1:38 - Preparing For the First Test 2:58 - A Kitty Interlude and JK App Gripes 4:43 - Quattro and BMS Config Notes 5:42 - Starting the First Test 9:33 - First Test Complete, Lets Try Again 11:16 - Setting Up and Charging Up For Test 2 15:25 - Charged up for Test 2 19:16 - Starting Test 2 22:00 - Test 2 Results… Not GoodEp. 87 - 2.0v; Did I Kill My Battery?The Digital Mermaid2023-12-25 | I had been running a parasitic drain test, and noticed the BMS on one of the 6 packs shut off. When I checked, one cell had dropped to 2.0v. Until now, I always thought that a cell dropping below 2.5v would be damaged.
-=] Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella * @BillCarlson
-=] Chapters 0:00 - Testing Batteries; Off-season Storage 1:07 - Uh, I’ve Got a Problem… 4:03 - A Message To Recent Subscribers 5:02 - Wait, Can The Cell be Saved?! 8:15 - Remembering How to use the iCharger X8 9:48 - A Rapid Recovery! 12:10 - A Kitty Interlude! 12:49 - Back to Recovery - Equalizing 16:47 - Can the iCharger X8 be a 24v BMS? 26:17 - A Brief Boat Interlude 27:24 - I Heard Back From Qishou (QSO) 30:03 - Getting the Quattro Back Online 33:43 - Rebuilding as a 48v Battery 35:52 - A Couple of Mistakes 37:55 - Bang! Sparks! 38:47 - Finally Charging Again 39:33 - Top Balancing IssuesEp. 86 - Decisions Made! - Lets Get TechnicalThe Digital Mermaid2023-12-18 | This video is very different from recent ones, and it covers, in some technical detail, the electric motors I've chosen, and why I've chosen them. We talk about "Phase 3", and what will come in the near future videos.
-=] Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella * @BillCarlson
-=] Chapters 0:00 - New Sweater! 1:13 - A Decision Was Made! 2:30 - Phases of this Channel 3:35 - Phase 3; Controls for the Controller 4:49 - Why the Kelly Controller?5:54 - The Helm Control Plans 9:13 - Why a 10kw Motor to Replace a 27hp Engine? 12:46 - Marketing Bullsh…; Controller Amperage 15:48 - Paralleling Motors 16:53 - But 10kw is only 13hp?! 18:25 - SV Bombadil; An Ericson 39B 19:50 - Understanding Power to Move! 23:07 - Adding a 5kw Motor; But Why? 27:14 - Could I Have Done The Trip Home? 28:43 - MOAR. BATTERIES! 32:15 - Estimating Range 33:29 - Running Mast Down, Without a Generator! 36:41 - Dealing With Duldrums 37:10 - Summarizing The Plans 37:59 - Insurance Problems, Plan Impact 38:55 - Phase 4 Plans 40:23 - Regen Numbers and Testing Plans 41:20 - Many Thanks and Thank Yous!Ep. 85 - Getting Ready for Whats NextThe Digital Mermaid2023-12-09 | The boat is home, and now it's to go up on the hard. I need to get power back to the boat, and I waited a bit too long to do that. This video has me making a questionable extension cord, reconfiguring the Multiplus, inspecting bow damage and pondering new possible electric motor options.
Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella
0:00 - Haul Out 1:33 - Damage Report 2:34 - Preparing the Mast for Storage 6:45 - Getting Back After a Break11:02 - Getting Power Back, Pt. 1 12:53 - Clearing the Deck 20:30 - Bow Damage and Repair Plans 23:26 - Making a Questionable Extension Cord 27:21 - Does it Work? 28:29 - Why Doesn’t it Work? 32:33 - Getting Recharging 36:44 - Reconfiguring the Multiplus 41:35 - Reconfiguring the Phoenix IP43 43:08 - New Electric Motor Plans?Ep. 84 - Going Home; Lake Erie & Welland CanalThe Digital Mermaid2023-11-26 | This is the end of the trip home... After all the preparation, all the work and repairs, the trials and tribulations of the trip itself; I'm home.
Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella
0:00 - Back Underway! 2:47 - The Last Locks on the Erie Canal 4:50 - A Tail of an Oops 6:45 - Reaching the End of the Erie Canal 8:08 - The Niagara River (Bugs! and Currents!) 12:17 - Stuck for the Night 14:35 - Black Rock Lock and Lake Erie! 17:00 - In Canadian Waters! 18:45 - Border Tales 23:34 - The Welland Canal 27:34 - Differences in Wakes 33:07 - A Surprise Visit 33:25 - HMU Failure, 4 Hour Delay 36:06 - Waiting on a Big Girl 39:23 - The Last Leg 41:20 - An Ode to a Diesel 42:03 - A Thank YouEp. 83 - A Hard Day, With Good PeopleThe Digital Mermaid2023-11-17 | This was the hardest day on the trip home... I lost cooling, the engine overheated, and I crashed into rocks trying to turn to the tow path. I worried about blocking the canal, so I called a "securite", and the USCG called out police and fire. In the end, it all worked out, but it was the lowest point I've hit since I started this project.
In the end, though, I am grateful this all happened. It was a test of my commitment, sure, but far more, it underlined and highlighted how many wonderful and good people there are out there.
With a very special thanks for Bruce and Gina of "Island Dancer", and Damien and Jess of @ProjectBrupeg who went above and beyond to help me out from this pickle I found myself in
Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella
0:00 - Lost Camera, New Gasket and Cooling Concerns 2:48 - Lift Bridges 3:55 - UK Narrowboats & Canadian Cobra Chickens 6:04 - Sailing Over a Road and a Status Update 7:46 - Baby Birds and Bridges 10:27 - A Very Bad Day 14:22 - Kedging & Warning Lights 15:23 - What Happened? 16:15 - With the Help of Friends 19:25 - A MacGyver Plan 22:54 - Going For It! 24:37 - So Many Thank You’s 27:52 - Repairing The Seawater Impeller 34:25 - Is It Fixed?Ep. 82 - A Tough Day on the ErieThe Digital Mermaid2023-11-14 | Nothing in particular went wrong on this leg of the Erie, but the locks were a struggle, physically and mentally. The growing sense that "something isn't right" wasn't helping, and I did my best to give the engine a once-over, but found nothing wrong.
(Spoiler, I missed the most obvious part...)
The UK Narrow Boat Channel, the wonderful; * @CruisingTheCut
Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella
0:00 - We’re Running the Long Way 1:06 - Refuelling and Range 2:54 - Land Manatees! 5:50 - Locks and Low Bridges 7:46 - Thoughts on Home 10:25 - Things Don’t Feel Right 11:45 - An Ominous Start to the Day 14:15 - iPhone vs Android, Help? 16:36 - A Dangerous Lock 18:25 - Wait, Where Am I? 22:35 - I Think I Might Have a Problem… 24:07 - Diesel and Cooling ConcersEp. 81 - Troubles & Twists; Erie Canal Locks 9 to 24The Digital Mermaid2023-11-11 | These few days came with plenty of challenges... None of them particularly hard to overcome, but lots of little problems and plot twists. We even got our first wee bit of drama thanks to a Canal Karen on the radio!
Oh, and we have a little guest video from a lovely patreon who came out to say hello along the way!
Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella
0:00 - Setting off! 1:43 - Logs, So many Logs 2:18 - A Surprise Visitor! 4:58 - A Plot Twist 6:34 - Another Plot Twist, Engine is Dead 9:09 - Configuring the Phoenix Charger for Flooded Lead Acid 10:47 - Back Underway! 14:08 - Lock 17, The Highest Lock on the Erie Canal! 16:59 - Canal Karen 19:26 - Stuck. Again! 23:08 - Lock 19, and Onward to Shallows 28:43 - Lock 21, Going Down 30:53 - Let's Go For It!Ep. 80 - Delightfully Calm; Erie Canal Locks 1 to 8The Digital Mermaid2023-10-27 | This is probably going to be a fairly boring video, especially after the last few videos. Nothing goes wrong, there's no drama, it's just a lovely day of transiting the first set of locks on the Erie Canal.
This was a very happy day for me! ^_^
Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @AcornToArabella
0:00 - Today’s Plan (and Strategy) 1:34 - And We’re Off! 4:12 - An Old Battleship 5:30 - Last Leg of the Hudson 8:20 - My First Ever Lock! 13:36 - Onward to the Flight of Five! 21:15 - Running for Lock 7 and 8! 24:26 - Lock 8, Are You There? 26:01 - Settling In For The NightEp. 79 - Mast Down, Breakdown!The Digital Mermaid2023-10-16 | This is a long one, folks! This is the second (of four!) breakdowns on the trip home. This one was really tricky to sort out, and we covered pretty much the _entire_ fuel system on the boat. I wanted to share the whole process in the off chance it might help someone else down the road.
In the end, it appears that some gunk clogged the pickup tube, some of it got through the filter and into the Yanmar's fuel pump, blocked it. This built up pressure, and the primer bulb popped. Got my first (and hopefully last, for a loooong time!) tow to a marina.
0:00 - Intro 0:18 - Forward Mast Horse Install 2:41 - Mast Lifted! 5:46 - Preparing to Depart 6:41 - The Health of the Mast 10:37 - The Health of the Mast Step 13:41 - And We’re Off! 17:46 - Breakdown! Pop Goes the Bulb 22:03 - Nope, Still Stuck 24:15 - Bypassing the Primer Bulb 27:27 - Automating a Manual Level 28:43 - Waiting For a Towed… :( 29:37 - Familiar Problems Stop Feeling Like Problems 30:47 - Bleeding While Waiting 32:58 - Donovan’s Shady Harbor ARE AMAZING! 35:05 - Replacing the Priming Bulb 41:35 - Advice From a Friend 43:49 - Clogged Pickup Tube? 45:01 - A Hero Arrives! 47:52 - Fuel Pump Failure? 51:55 - Pop! Fuel Pump Blockage! 54:47 - Reassembling the Fuel Pump 58:33 - Bleeding Injectors (Correctly, this time) 1:03:07 - Hindsight 1:08:01 - PreviewSaved By Friends, Unstepping the Mast (Ep. 78)The Digital Mermaid2023-10-11 | This video covers the short trip north to Catskills, NY. The main goal was to unstep the mast, but it turned into an unexpected, and short notice crew change. The video covers preparing the mast for unstepping before we continue north into the Erie Canal!
Channels that have Helped Me; *@ProjectBrupeg *@OffGridGarageAustralia *@AcornToArabella * @LadyKSailing
0:00 - Arriving at Hop-O-Nose 1:37 - Taking Down the Sails 3:16 - Mast Wiring Plan 4:15 - Adapting Found Mast Horses 6:43 - Hair Danger! 7:35 - Lost and Found Crew 10:21 - Removing the Table 14:57 - Mast Wiring 20:42 - Pulling Split-Pins 22:32 - Small Change in Plans 23:52 - An Unpleasant Wiring Surprise 29:57 - Insight to Mermaid's Rest's History 31:27 - Holy Grounding Plates? 32:03 - Unbolting the Mast, Puppy Interlude! 35:47 - A new Deadline, A new PlanMermaids Rest Tastes The Ocean! (Ep. 77)The Digital Mermaid2023-10-02 | This video covers two days of travel, from Cape May, NJ to Kingston, NY. Somewhat unbelievably, actually for real nothing went wrong!! ^_^
Much of the video here was thanks to Sue, who crewed with me from Annapolis to the Catskills. I thought I had lost most of the video around NYC, but she very kindly sent me over her video from the trip, so I was able to make this video for all of you.
Channels that have Helped Me; *@ProjectBrupeg *@OffGridGarageAustralia *@AcornToArabella
0:00 - Dion's Map! 0:19 - Up The Atlantic Ocean! 3:44 - Things got Spicy! 6:43 - The Lovely Brupeg Folks! 7:23 - This View... Pinch Me! 9:04 - Whales (and a birb!)!! 11:40 - NYC Harbor / Atlantic Heights 13:12 - Visiting Sunlight Conversions 13:33 - Visiting Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island 15:26 - The Cutest Lighthouse 15:50 - Battery Update 18:19 - A Story of an Measured Risk 19:19 - Engine Update 20:10 - Overnight Up The Hudson River 22:59 - Kingston, NY, A Gorgeous Town! 25:14 - Dodging Logs (Mostly) 26:45 - A Very Special "Thank You"Ep. 77 - On Our Way to NYC #sailing #shortsThe Digital Mermaid2023-09-30 | A short clip of the second leg of our trip home; Off the coast of Atlantic City, destined for New York CityEp. 76 - On Our Way to Cape May #sailing #shortsThe Digital Mermaid2023-09-25 | A short clip of the first leg of our trip home; Rounding up on Cape May after a 24 hour passage from Annapolis, MD.Day 1, Absolutely Nothing Went Wrong... (Ep. 76)The Digital Mermaid2023-09-25 | I'm very sorry for the delay in getting this video out! It's a very different video from my normal style, and I lost a lot of footage. So it took a fair bit to figure out how to put what I had together. In the end, I think it came out passably well!
This is the first day's travel, from Kent Narrow, MD to Cape May, NJ.
In the sea trials video, while looking for music, I found the artist @ChrisHaugenChannel. So when I needed music for the passage part of this video, I went back to see what else he had, and man is it great! I use three of his songs in this video. If you like the music, please check him out, and tell him I said Hi! ^_^
Channels that have Helped Me; *@ProjectBrupeg *@OffGridGarageAustralia *@AcornToArabella
0:00 - A Kitty Interlude (to start?) 0:26 - An Intro and a Renaming Story 4:29 - And We're Off! Kent Narrows, MD to Cape May, NJ 15:18 - And Then Things Went Wrong (The title is a lie...) 19:51 - And Then I Was Hit by Another Boat 21:02 - Recovering the Start Battery with the Victron Phoenix IP43 25:06 - What's Wrong With the Starter? 27:29 - Back To The Start Battery 29:33 - Back To The Starter 29:58 - On Superstition... 30:25 - What Is Reconditioning a Lead Acid Battery? 32:44 - On Being Tired, But Keeping Going 33:12 - Paralleling Gel Starter Batteries 34:31 - Will The Engine Start Now? Yes!!! 38:03 - Post-AmbleWe Leave Tomorrow (Ep. 75)The Digital Mermaid2023-09-11 | This is the last video before we start the long trip home! All the last little, but critical, tasks that need to get done have to get done.
Channels that have Helped Me; *@ProjectBrupeg *@OffGridGarageAustralia *@AcornToArabella
0:00 - What Are The Last Tasks 1:00 - Well That's Not How You Remove A Compass 4:12 - A Brief Crew Intro 4:41 - Finding 12v At The Binnacle, Take 1 5:48 - Replacing the Dutchmen Lines 8:19 - Day 2's Plan 9:55 - Finding 12v At The Binnacle, Take 2 12:49 - Dutchmen and Reefing 15:12 - Having Crew ^_^ 15:56 - Finding 12v At The Binnacle, Take 3 19:00 - Madi Realized She Missed The Obvious 20:16 - Spiders Are Friends 20:31 - "Installing" The New Compass 24:01 - Removing "Evergreen" 25:04 - The Last Sunset on the ChesapeakeAirhead Toilet Install (Ep. 74)The Digital Mermaid2023-09-04 | Finally, I face the yucky job I'd been putting off for ages. This episode covers the install of the Airhead desiccating ("composting") toilet in the head. I've had the toilet in the head for a while, but it's never been mounted properly or vented until now. This includes mounting the custom plinth for the much deeper profile of the toilet.
Channels that have Helped Me; *@ProjectBrupeg *@OffGridGarageAustralia *@AcornToArabella *@SailLife
0:00 - Intro / Plan 3:54 - Deck Vent, Plan A or B? 4:55 - The Question of Hoses 7:19 - Pulling the Macerator and old Hoses 14:10 - Unsponsored Product Placement 15:06 - Oh Look, More Hoses! 17:16 - Mounting the Plinth 26:20 - Mounting the Airhead, Part 1 28:44 - Airhead Vent Setup 31:40 - Mounting the Airhead, Part 2 33:25 - Test Sitting! 34:12 - Airhead Vent Routing 36:15 - Powering the Fan 41:33 - Madi Makes A Silly 42:14 - Arts and Crafts; Linking the Vent Hoses 48:48 - OK, But Did It Work? 50:08 - On-Deck Exhaust "Install" 55:52 - What's Next?Being Seen! Nav Light Repair (Ep. 73)The Digital Mermaid2023-08-26 | This was originally going to be a video for the lights and the head, but the lights alone turned out to be enough for one video. So in this episode, I come to understand how bad it is to use untinned copper wiring in a boat...
0:00 - The State of the Nav Lights 1:09 - Making Pigtails, And a Mild Rant 4:27 - Radio Problems, Attempted Fix 7:02 - Back To Lights; The Value of the Tug Test 9:13 - Finding the Nav Light Breaker 12:26 - Mounting the Stern Light 15:20 - Chasing the Starboard Light 19:41 - Chasing the Port Light 22:10 - Do I Even Have Power at the Bow? 24:24 - Success? Success!Almost Ready! Yanmar Oil Change (Ep. 72)The Digital Mermaid2023-08-23 | Getting down to the final tasks for the trip home! The main thing today is getting the oil changed on the old Yanmar, plus changing the oil in the transmission, and getting the water filter installed.
Channels that have Helped Me; *@ProjectBrupeg *@OffGridGarageAustralia *@AcornToArabella
0:00 - Today's tasks 1:33 - Running the Engine Before Changing the Oil 3:23 - Draining the Old Oil 9:50 - Trying to Get it All Out 13:59 - Changing the Oil Filter 16:58 - Filter Flip Up... 18:27 - Gasket Lubrication 21:11 - Promise to the Dino Juice Converter 21:30 - Refilling the Oil, Funnel Fail 26:19 - After Oil Change Tasks 29:55 - Transmission Oil Change 32:36 - A New Funnel! 34:02 - Water Filter Install 36:30 - What's Left?Renogy DC/DC Charger Install (Ep. 71)The Digital Mermaid2023-08-14 | In this episode, I spend a long time considering how and were to mount the Renogy DC/DC Charger. By the end, I think I have it working, but, I don't. :(
Channels that have Helped Me; *@ProjectBrupeg *@BillCarlson *@OffGridGarageAustralia *@LadyKSailing *@AcornToArabella
0:00 - Intro and Planning 2:40 - Deciding How to Wire the Charger 5:00 - Planning the Ground Wiring 8:19 - Planning the Positive Wiring 11:51 - Routing Wires, Mounting Things 20:01 - Making a Fuse Block Mount 22:44 - Finding the Alternator's Ampacity 27:28 - Find a 12v Source for D+ 30:20 - Decyphering the Engine Control Panel 33:50 - Tapping in for D+ 38:05 - Madi has a Screw Loose... 39:46 - Finishing and Testing the Renogy! 42:33 - A False VictorySea Trials after One Year of Work! (Ep. 70)The Digital Mermaid2023-08-08 | After a year of extensive work by a complete nooby, it's time to test things out! If anything isn't working, this is the time to find out.
Channels that have Helped Me; *@ProjectBrupeg *@BillCarlson *@OffGridGarageAustralia *@LadyKSailing *@AcornToArabella
0:00 - A Clean* Boat! 1:12 - Getting under way 6:34 - Docking for Fuel 8:18 - Heading to the Anchorage! 10:57 - Anchoring for the Night 13:15 - Reflections 13:39 - A Few Lessons 15:41 - Short Haul and a new Dinghy
* Clean, for this boat...Preparing for Sea Trials (Ep. 69)The Digital Mermaid2023-07-31 | In this episode, I make a dash to get the boat running again in time for sea trials with a buddy boat. For this, the 12v DC system needs to be finished, the engine bay battery insulated, and the exhaust elbow wrapped.
Channels that have Helped Me; *@ProjectBrupeg *@BillCarlson *@OffGridGarageAustralia *@LadyKSailing *@AcornToArabella
0:00 - Ambitious Plans 0:40 - Starter Battery Install 3:32 - Starter Battery Disconnect Switch Install 11:07 - Starter Wire Gauge, Fuse and Battery Positive 14:20 - Battery Ground Connection 15:25 - Madi Struggles with a Buckle 16:04 - Back to Grounding 20:11 - Dressing Engine Wires 21:26 - Connecting the Starter 27:47 - Waiting to start the Engine; Engine Bay Battery Strap 29:40 - Engine Start? Alternator Working? Temps OK? 35:37 - Battery Thermal Wrap and Mount 44:00 - Exhaust Elbow Thermal Wrap
Me & My - "Dub-I-Dub" - youtube.com/watch?v=XTjJ2_P5P4UAC Install Finished! (Ep. 68)The Digital Mermaid2023-07-17 | In this episode, the quarter-berth goes back together, and the AC side of the boat's trip-home electric work gets finished up!
Channels that have Helped Me; *@ProjectBrupeg *@BillCarlson *@OffGridGarageAustralia *@LadyKSailing *@AcornToArabella
0:00 - A Generous Offer of Test Equipment 1:36 - Today's Planned Work 2:37 - Starting an Experiment 3:35 - Wiring in the quarter-berth 6:12 - Engine Bay Battery Stand 8:42 - Wiring in the Engine Bay 15:21 - Reassembling the Quarter-berth 20:54 - Mystery Pink Growth 21:50 - Review of After-Hours Wiring 23:38 - Battery Drain Experiment Update 24:21 - GoPro Failure / Lost Footage 25:01 - Finished Up the AC Side!!
Old Patreon "live update" video: - youtube.com/watch?v=mf05-orMi1gVictron Multiplus - Lazarette Install (Ep. 67)The Digital Mermaid2023-07-10 | This video shows the installation of the Victron Multiplus in the lazarette using 1/0 awg wire.
Channels that have Helped Me; *@ProjectBrupeg *@BillCarlson *@OffGridGarageAustralia *@LadyKSailing *@AcornToArabella
0:00 - Chonky Cable! 1:22 - Starter Battery and Alternator Regulator Musings 3:48 - Disassembly 6:34 - Mounting the Multiplus 11:52 - Inverter Wiring Struggles 16:20 - 1/0 Awg DC Wiring Install 22:02 - Engine Bay Wiring 26:25 - Inverter Cover Struggles 27:15 - Cable Management 29:03 - Connecting the Multiplus 32:23 - Going In CirclesLithium Charging Problem (Ep. 66)The Digital Mermaid2023-07-03 | In this video, I ran into a problem with the new batteries being quite out of balance, causing the batteries to disconnect well below the Multiplus's max charging voltage. I setup the Phoenix Smart Charger, hoping it will help balance the battery packs without being so hard on the Multiplus.
Channels that have Helped Me; *@ProjectBrupeg *@BillCarlson *@OffGridGarageAustralia *@LadyKSailing *@AcornToArabella
0:00 - Intro and an Issue 4:48 - Reconfiguring The Victron Multiplus 6:29 - Updating the BMSes 7:18 - Mystery Water Drips 7:53 - On Philosophy and Critics 8:37 - Mounting the Phoenix IP43 Smart Charger 14:45 - Wiring Up the Phoenix IP43 Charger 19:38 - Scavenging for a Nut 21:15 - Finishing UpCharging Lithium, Sailboat Upgrade Part 2! (Ep. 65)The Digital Mermaid2023-06-26 | In this second part, we get the AC power back online, and get shore power reconnected so we can charge the batteries.
Channels that have Helped Me; *@ProjectBrupeg *@BillCarlson *@OffGridGarageAustralia *@LadyKSailing *@AcornToArabella
0:00 - Intro 0:45 - Connecting the Multiplus 4:47 - A Change of Plans 6:20 - Temporary Multiplus Setup 9:10 - Madi Struggles With the Basics 11:02 - Madi Oopses, Madi is Tired 12:19 - Madi Struggles with a Cable 13:24 - AC From Batteries! 14:45 - A Rest Clears the Head 16:05 - Poor Person's Ferrules 18:45 - Connecting Shore Power 21:38 - Qualified SuccessGel to DIY Lithium, Sailboat Upgrade Part 1! (Ep. 64)The Digital Mermaid2023-06-19 | After so much planning, testing and building, the LiFePO4 battery bank goes into real use on the boat!
Channels that have Helped Me; *@ProjectBrupeg *@BillCarlson *@OffGridGarageAustralia *@LadyKSailing *@AcornToArabella
0:00 - Intro and Prep 2:24 - Accessing the Battery Bay 6:57 - Splitting the Quarter-berth in Half (Fractions!) 12:06 - What is what? Preparing for Tomorrow 15:02 - Lithium Install has Begun; Recap 16:00 - Tear-Out, Figure Out! Engine Bay 21:05 - Tear-Out, Figure Out! Lazarette 24:01 - Removing the Sentry Charger 26:46 - Pulling the Breaker Panels 29:40 - Recap and Recheck 35:18 - Applying Lithium Power! 39:23 - 120vAC No-Go, But Why?De-winterizing Water Tanks (Ep. 63)The Digital Mermaid2023-06-12 | In this video, the main thing covered is de-winterizing and shocking the water tanks.
Channels that have Helped Me; *@ProjectBrupeg *@BillCarlson *@OffGridGarageAustralia *@LadyKSailing *@AcornToArabella
0:00 - Intro and Tasks 2:52 - TDM's Hand-tool Rescue 5:27 - Flushing Antifreeze 10:34 - Seacock Concerns 14:04 - Preparing to Shock 17:20 - Hot-Water Tank, A Story and a View 26:47 - Shocking the Tanks 34:09 - A Note on Hot-Water TanksBroke down on the Hudson RiverThe Digital Mermaid2023-05-23 | Pre-departure update!Can I Charge LFP Off An Alternator, Cheaply? - Renogy DC-DC 40A Charger (Ep. 62)The Digital Mermaid2023-05-03 | I need to charge my LFP house bank from my alternator for the trip home, but I don't want to spend a small fortune on a Wakespeed WS500. Can I use the Renogy DCC1212-40 DC-to-DC Battery Charger?
In this video, I try to figure out how to use the charger. In a future video, we'll install it on the boat and see if it works.
Note: I bought this with my own money, it is not sponsored in any way.
Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @BillCarlson (Project Lightening) * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @LadyKSailing * @AcornToArabella
0:00 - Why Not an Alternator Regulator? 2:01 - How Will the Renogy Work? 3:40 - An Alternator Stand-In; Wiring the Input 5:26 - Wiring The Output 10:38 - Jumper Settings; Configuring for LFP 14:55 - Charge Enable Switch; D+ 18:46 - Powering the Renogy; I Oopsed 23:24 - Fixed! With The Help of a FriendTDM - Channel Update - 2023 04 24The Digital Mermaid2023-04-25 | This is a short update to explain how things might be over the next month or so. It's crunch time!
* patreon.com/TheDigitalMermaidPower To Get Me Home (Ep. 61)The Digital Mermaid2023-04-19 | This video finishes up the 12v batteries, and connects the Victron Multiplus Compact to the Cerbo GX. Save for the Renogy DC|DC converter, which will be in the next video, this finishes up the preparations for the new electrics!
Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @BillCarlson (Project Lightening) * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @LadyKSailing * @AcornToArabella
0:00 - Closing Up The Get-Home Batteries 3:26 - Mounting the Multiplus Compact 4:38 - Connecting All The Things 8:26 - Updating the Multiplus 12|2000|80 Compact Firmware 12:40 - Configuring the Multiplus Compact 15:02 - What's Next? Renogy!The Lost* Art of Cable Lacing - A Non-Expert TutorialThe Digital Mermaid2023-04-12 | This is an attempt at a tutorial video, from someone who is NOT an expert. ^_^
Years ago, I taught myself how to do cable lacing, an old technique of managing cables. I saw a NASA guide on it, and if it was good enough for NASA, well then my nerd-heart had to try!
The plan is to eventually lace all the cable harnesses on the boat, so this was my excuse to shake the cobwebs off and pick the lace back up. I hope some find it interesting, and maybe even a little useful!
0:00 - House-Keeping 0:32 - A Request For Feedback 1:38 - What is Cable Lacing? 2:42 - NASA, But Different 4:08 - I am NOT an Expert 4:51 - Avoiding Knots, Liberating Cables 6:09 - Starting Lock Stitch 8:04 - The Running Stitch 10:37 - Winding a Bobbin 11:41 - Extending the Running Stitch 12:49 - Closing Lock Stitch285 Ah Gel to 1120 Ah LiFePO4! (Ep. 60)The Digital Mermaid2023-04-09 | After a while working with diesel, we're back to electrics! In this video, we convert the 280Ah LFP 48v battery into 2x 560Ah 12v batteries, for a total of 1,120Ah! That should be enough to get Mermaid's Rest home with some creature comforts!
Channels that have Helped Me; * @ProjectBrupeg * @BillCarlson (Project Lightening) * @OffGridGarageAustralia * @LadyKSailing * @AcornToArabella
0:00 - Intro and Tasks 1:09 - New Plans; Trip Route 2:19 - New Plans; Propulsion Batteries 6:08 - New Plans; 12.8v Batteries, 2P4S 9:38 - A Bus Bar Experiment! 10:42 - Planning the 2P4S Battery Boxes 15:46 - Amperage and Wire Gauge 16:51 - 2P4S Bench Assembly 20:42 - Back to Building the Boxes 22:16 - Renogy 40A DC/DC Charger Plans 25:50 - Fridge Failure and Possible Repair 26:50 - Assembling The Batteries in the Boxes 30:19 - Nuts! My Bolts Are Too Long 31:55 - Stickers and Knives and Oops and Learning! 35:10 - Sparks and Extending Screen Cables 37:35 - Nuts! I'm Missing Nuts - Another Experiment! 39:38 - Testing the Assembled Pack 40:31 - Copy/Paste Speedrun! 41:30 - What's Next?
* Speedrun Music; Corncob - Country by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0