These capabilities will likely scare the Nervous Nellies even more. On second thought, it'd better than Robbie. Maybe Elon should make it more like a clumsy looking Robbie than a sleek Optimus robot.
formerly Kardashevian Aspirations..... Discussion of my off-grid project.
These capabilities will likely scare the Nervous Nellies even more. On second thought, it'd better than Robbie. Maybe Elon should make it more like a clumsy looking Robbie than a sleek Optimus robot.
Disclosure: Yours truly is one of the 2000 investors in this potential method of energy production.
Eric Lerner of LPP Fusion gives a talk at a recent conference in Munich.
It was buried under a lot of stuff. The hobo stove is a lot like a rocket stove, but it is tiny. You can carry it around with you. Basically, it is a can with holes in the bottom so that air can get in. You put your twigs and such in it, and the fire will suck in air through the holes at the bottom. There's a tiny grill on top. Maybe you can put a skillet or a coffee percolator on top of it, see?
You need to get some twigs, and we've got 'em around here. But they're plenty wet from all the recent rains. Let's get them dry, and then set up our little stove. There could be a cookout of sorts.
Update:
A little thought on this ginned up an idea about extending the covered area that already exists. The hobo stove could be used for cook-outs. It's not all that big, but it doesn't have to be. Not likely to be useful for cooking steaks, but a hamburger or hot dog might well be within its capabilities.
The extension would take some lumber, and there's no more scraps that can be re-purposed. What I have here already looks tacky as all get out. New lumber and a bit more care could keep that from looking totally trashy. Maybe. I need to upgrade my skills in this department.
Looking back in the past: The hobo stove was tried and didn't work out in West Texas. There was no enclosed area, and it is quite windy out there. The wind kept blowing out the fire.
A funny idea has come over me. I'd like to see a catch or both! But it is a long trip and once again, I do not know if I'm up to it. Update after a little while: Nope. No way to make that trip. Too much stuff to do around here.
Going back to the moon, soon. In the video, they're at one of the Saturn V display sites SOMEWHERE (Florida). I know one of these sites near Houston at Johnson Space Center. You can visit it there and see that sucker up close.
They also got a Shuttle there too, but it never flew anywhere in space.
Don't break a leg if you ever go up there. Not very many doctors.
11/7/26:
There's a pdf file on the Version 3 blog. Check it out, if interested.
I'm done with this for now.
11/5/26:
First cycle is in on the LifePo battery. It checked out okay. I did a wash cycle with it, which is one of the main things I want to use the solar panels for. It will run a few things, and it handle the washer okay.
All in all, I'd say it was a good day.
Other things may be going all to hell, but this is working. So I've got that much.
An update on the progress:
The controller arrived, but it didn't have all the equipment that it was supposed to have. Rather than send it back, I just ordered some wiring that it needed. It had a different electrical connector than what I've been using, so I really wasn't prepared for this curve-ball.
The new hardware came in yesterday, and I hooked it up this morning. It is running okay, but the verdict on the batteries will take a cycle or two to know. That hasn't happened yet as of this writing.
Both stages have been static fired now. That means the final preps should be in progress and a flight could happen within maybe a couple weeks?