05 entries

Tools & tech

Reused computers, small radios, solar math and the software that runs on very little. Parts lists, wiring and the mistakes included.

No. 008 · Tools & Tech

Planning a LoRa mesh with Meshtastic

Cheap long-range radios that pass text messages with no cell service and no internet. Notes on picking boards for a solar neighborhood mesh.

RadioElectronicsBand915 MHz
No. 007 · Tools & Tech

Checking used solar panels before you pay

Used panels are the cheapest watts there are, if they work. A multimeter and ten minutes in full sun tell you most of what you need to know.

SolarElectronicsPanels8 × 300 W
No. 005 · Tools & Tech

How this site is built, and why it isn't WordPress

Plain files built by Astro and served by Cloudflare. No database, no plugins to patch, no server to babysit.

WebSoftwareHome page≈55 KB
No. 002 · Tools & Tech

Three projects from one pile of hardware

An inventory of reused computers and microcontrollers, and three solarpunk projects it could become without buying much new.

HardwareRadioStatusPlanning
No. 001 · Tools & Tech

A solar server's power budget, device by device

Before buying a battery, I added up every watt the bench draws in a day. One reused desktop uses about ten times more than everything else combined.

SolarHardwareLoad≈1.1 kWh/day

The other beds