01 JUNE 2009
Soldering Cells
After purchasing a flux pen from Maplin, we started the long job of tinning all the cells, front and back and the fitting the tabbing wire between the cells to join 36 together for each solar panel.
The...
28 MAY 2009
Charging System Upgrades
The existing charging system used a single battery and this was connected via the charge converter to the inverter and a 12v relay which switched the mains supply between the solar inverter power...
24 MAY 2009
Using 6mm thick flat aluminum bar, we made four brackets which were attached to the chimneys either side of the house and between these, two lengths of 25mm x 4.2m square aluminum bar were fitted to act as supports for the...
19 MAY 2009
Using 35mm square aluminum bar, we machined a slot into the bar and cut it into 30mm wide brackets which where drilled and tapped to take M5 bolts. Four of these brackets will be bolted to the panel base boards and this will...
10 MAY 2009
Two coats today of Dulux Trade Weathershield Preservative Basecoat to seal the wood, this needs 48 hours to dry and then the panels will be painted with exterior gloss and the glass ordered.
The photo below shows the panels...
09 MAY 2009
After purchasing further solar cells from the USA via ebay, We are building four new weather proof outdoor solar panels which should supply around 320w which should be enough energy to run the household lighting circuit and...
07 MAY 2009
I have added a new custom gallery to the blog which you can access via the Gallery link on the top of each page or on https://www.briandorey.com/gallery/
22 FEBRUARY 2009
Went out for a drive today with my Canon Eos 5D in the car and did one frame every second which was then converted into a time lapse movie
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3321437
18 FEBRUARY 2009
Below is the code to make an .aspx page written in C# which scans all folders on a website and generates a xml site map which google can read for all .htm or .html pages. If you want to add other file types, edit the in...
16 FEBRUARY 2009
The closure of www.swanageforum.co.uk
As the designer and webmaster of the Swanage forum, I thought it was about time that I put the record straight to why I pulled the site before any more rumours appear like the one...
24 JANUARY 2009
Some updates to the about me page!
In summer 2008 I had the chance to try some HD video recording kit and green screen for a web project and that got me hooked with video editing and production. After buying...
12 DECEMBER 2008
The solar panel has has a pair of 60 amp wires which run from the apex of the roof to a first floor cupboard where the battery, charge converter / controller, inverter and relay switch box is situated.
The picture below...
16 NOVEMBER 2008
Aluminium iMac Hard Drive upgrade guide
Upgrading the internal hard drive in a 2007-2008 Apple iMac to 1.5TB
The following guide provides step by step instructions on how to disassemble and upgrade your Apple iMac 20" or...
07 NOVEMBER 2008
After buying a Canon XH A1 camcorder a couple of months ago, I finally got round to buying the hardware and software to let me edit the hd video footage it generates, by buying a Mac Pro and a copy of Final Cut Studio 2 last...
18 OCTOBER 2008
After the sealant and paint had dried the mounting brackets were fitted to the back of the panel. The ridge tiles on the roof were then removed and the panel screwed to the main wooden beam across the middle of the roof. The...
13 OCTOBER 2008
After waiting a day for the painted baseboard to dry, I fitted the solar cells to the board today and soldered interconnecting wires to join them all together in series. Under artifical light the output from the panels was...