Fiji Trip 2007 - first photos!

[BT Humble]

First the excuses:

1. The flash decided to stop working on my camera very early on, hence I was only able to take shots of well-lit subjects;
   
2. Rich was snapping away at a rate that would have made a 1980's Japanese tourist proud, so I didn't think I had to;
   
3. I'm a lazy man.  Very, very lazy. ;-)
   
   

OK, here you go.  Be warned, the page is about 1.5MB, and the larger shots (click on the thumbnails to view them) are about 100kB each.

http://www.smallsolar.org/success/mar2007/index.htm

Enjoy!

BTH

[BT Humble]

Oh, and:

4. My ADSL broadband decided to stop working while we were away, and I've only managed to get it working again today.

[commanda]

Take 2 and try again. First attempt at a response disappeared into the big black void that is the internet at times. This time I'll do control-C and save it to clipboard, instead of typing it all again.

I really hope you didn't create all those thumbnails and linked larger pics by hand. If you did, I've gotta give you a crash course in the power of Linux scripting, and pgg.

Wish I'd been there. Which I would have been except for circumstances beyond my control.

Jealous as ever.

Amanda

[wpowokal]

BTH I may have missed this but what was the rational behind cropping the blades?

allan down under

[BT Humble]

I really hope you didn't create all those thumbnails and linked larger pics by hand. If you did, I've gotta give you a crash course in the power of Linux scripting, and pgg.



It shall remain forever a mystery then!

Wish I'd been there. Which I would have been except for circumstances beyond my control.



That's OK, it's just how things turned out.  

BTH

[BT Humble]

BTH I may have missed this but what was the rational behind cropping the blades?

1. The mill was only really needed during the windy/rainy season;
   
2. The blades were too big for the alternator, and it was impossible to shut it down by shorting it out during windy season - it would still run at full speed;
   
3. It was very noisy whilst running at full speed;
   
4. It's located right up close to all of the teachers' quarters, thus denying them a decent night's sleep.
   
   

I reckon that it will still produce close to its rated 200W when it's needed, and rounding the tips should make it a whole lot quieter into the bargain.  Time will tell, and in this application I'll accept poorer low-wind performance as a trade-off for improved high-wind safety.  If you look at where the tower is located, you'll see why I REALLY don't want it to overspeed and throw blades.

BTH

[Bruce S]

BTH:

  Hot pepper? you didn't tell me they had hot peppers! Just HOW hot?

Bruce S

OH yeah , very nice on those pics, any word on how weel the new panels and mill is doing since leaving?

Too bad about the battery too. do they have any source to add to the current battery?

Cheers

[richhagen]

They tried to trick me into eating these tiny peppers with lunch one day at lunch.  They were tiny, but I suspect if you squeezed the juices out into a squirt bottle, you could use it as an effective pepper spray.  Rich

[richhagen]

I've been sorting through my myriad pictures and plan to post in the near future. By the way, in my defense, it was a warm rain. :-)  Rich

[jmk]

 Boy, it sure is a paradise over there! Thanks for the pictures. It looks like you guys had a great time. It's nice to see what you are doing over there. I am currious about the welder. where do you get one, and does it work well? That would be handy out in the field at great distance from the grid.

[Bruce S]

Hey Rich;

   Those little peppers >>> glad you didn't try them straight. They are known as Fiji fire!!! ~500,000 on the heat-o-rama scale and they make curry out of them.

O-yeah , they would've taken them from you at the border:-)

The white ones are actually hotter!! These you can buy in UK ~$3/OZ

even my 'ponics won't let these grow.

I would've been in heat heaven!!

Cheers

Bruce S

[richhagen]

Ben can probably tell you more about the welder, as he bought it before his 2006 trip and shipped it over there.  It is an inverter welder, and I have no complaints about how it welded.  For portable use in arc welding, it seems to me it would be hard to beat one of these.  My antique Craftsman weighs easily 3 times as much and has less power.  Rich

[BT Humble]

I am currious about the welder. where do you get one, and does it work well? That would be handy out in the field at great distance from the grid.

I bought it from a tool seller on Ebay while I was living in Melbourne, for about AUD$270.  Originally I was going to bring it home with me, but after a week of wistful looks and "You know, a welder would be SO handy!" type remarks I left it behind.

It weighs about 4kg, Vs the 40kg of your average low-tech hulking-iron-transformer welder.  I'm not sure how big of a generator it would need to drive it, but I suspect 8kVA would be a good starting point.

You can see a few more pictures of it on the 2006 photo page:

http://www.smallsolar.org/success/mar2006/

BTH