http://www.kimberconsulting.com/ 2010-09-07T12:18:27+00:00 http://www.kimberconsulting.com/ http://www.kimberconsulting.com/lib/images/favicon.ico text/html 2010-07-13T19:31:41+00:00 http://www.kimberconsulting.com/doku.php/about I'm a Cloud Engineer supporting Linux - and sometimes Windows - for a major hoster. I spend my working day solving customers' IT problems - or helping customers solve them. The problems always relate to Internet-facing servers, and involve a range of different web server software, applications, mail servers and databases. text/html 2010-07-20T11:56:09+00:00 http://www.kimberconsulting.com/doku.php/arduino_motor_test LadyAda MotorTest Code Modified to roll the motor back and forth slightly slower. This was a geared, 12v, 100rpm motor. // Adafruit Motor shield library // copyright Adafruit Industries LLC, 2009 // this code is public domain, enjoy! #include <AFMotor.h> AF_DCMotor motor(4); void setup() { Serial.begin(9600); // set up Serial library at 9600 bps Serial.println("Motor test!"); // turn on motor motor.setSpeed(150); motor.run(RELEASE); } void loop() { uint8_t i; … text/html 2010-07-18T21:01:22+00:00 http://www.kimberconsulting.com/doku.php/attopilot_current_and_voltage_sensor Arduino + AttoPilot Current and Voltage Sensor Arithmetic Thoughts on processing Arduino analog pin output to read and properly format AttoPilot sensor data AttoPilot's Specifications 63.69mV/Volt 36.60mV/Amp My Calculations Assuming Arduino’s 5V ADC in use: text/html 2010-08-09T04:41:39+00:00 http://www.kimberconsulting.com/doku.php/automatic_chicken_coop_door Automated Chicken Coop Door Owners of chickens often wail about having to get up to let their loved ones out to forage - and about having to abandon dinner to round their loved ones up and into the safety of their coop at the end of the day. After finding a couple of drawer runners abandoned by the verge and partnering them up with a small electric motor in my junk-box, I decided to noodle out an electronic circuit that would open and shut a coop door at dawn and dusk. text/html 2010-07-13T20:07:30+00:00 http://www.kimberconsulting.com/doku.php/beginning_aquaculture Beginning Aquaculture I came across aquaculture, and - wanting to run the flood-pump from 12V rather than 230V mains - built this 15-min repeating timer to switch the pump. [Flood-and-drain pump controller. 12V, built from junkbox parts] The flood-and-drain pump controller. The components for this circuit mostly came out of my junk drawer, left untouched for 30 years. text/html 2010-07-13T10:41:49+00:00 http://www.kimberconsulting.com/doku.php/cable_current_capacities Current Capacity Factors Battery interconnect metrics for low-power servers Rated Capacity (Amps) Continuous Capacity (Amps) Cross-sectional Area (mm2) Notes 300 112 16 Use for 12V systems up to 1.35kW; 24V systems up to 2.7kW600 225 25 Use for 12V systems up 2.7kW; 24V systems up to 5.4kW But cable current capacities vary with who you read. Eg: text/html 2010-07-14T12:16:57+00:00 http://www.kimberconsulting.com/doku.php/contact Contact Credit: This contact plugin is from http://bobbaddeley.com/doku.php/projects/programming/wiki/contact text/html 2010-07-13T14:20:37+00:00 http://www.kimberconsulting.com/doku.php/extend_controller_on_time Extend dump controller "on" time The GHurd dump controller has hysteresis built in but can still switch very fast if the following two conditions are being met: * The power source is providing a lot of power (high winds against a wind turbine, for example) * The dump load draws heavily on the battery text/html 2010-07-13T13:38:16+00:00 http://www.kimberconsulting.com/doku.php/ghurd_dump_controllers GHurd Charge Controllers The charge controllers used here are dump/diverter types built from G Hurd's excellent kits. These can be built to run in 12V or 24V circuits and the 12V builds can be configured to run in charge controller or low-voltage disconnect (LVD) mode. text/html 2010-07-13T09:37:39+00:00 http://www.kimberconsulting.com/doku.php/high_current_dump_load A High-Current Sink/Dump Load I needed a heavy-duty current sink to test and calibrate current sensors for the Nagios Renewable Energy Monitor system. Something able to sink the ‘normal’ load currents of up to 20 Amps and maximum load currents of 30 Amps I am designing for. text/html 2010-08-08T16:57:43+00:00 http://www.kimberconsulting.com/doku.php/misc Miscellaneous Useful links: Electronics parts suppliers: * Earthshine Electronics * bitsbox connectors * Leotronics connectors * stepper motor supplier * AttoPilot data cable extender possibly * HPC Gears Useful info: * Constant-current LED driver circuit design * <http://pldaniels.com/electronics/articles/toner-transfer-2/> * <http://techref.massmind.org/techref/pcb/etch/cx4200-vs.htm> text/html 2010-07-13T07:40:04+00:00 http://www.kimberconsulting.com/doku.php/nagios_renewable_energy_monitor Nagios Renewable Energy Device Monitor I wanted to apply the excellent monitoring, alerting, and status-management features of Nagios to renewable energy devices. Here is the result, updating in real-time… (use credentials ‘guest’ and ‘password’). text/html 2010-07-20T19:03:20+00:00 http://www.kimberconsulting.com/doku.php/optimise_relays Optimise relays in renewable energy control These four techniques extend component life and reduce power consumption in relay circuits. 1. Use a flyback diode Advantage: Protects your relay control circuit from the 'flyback' or 'inductive kick' voltage generated by a relay's collapsing magnetic field as the relay is switched off. text/html 2010-08-06T05:07:36+00:00 http://www.kimberconsulting.com/doku.php/sidebar * Nagios Renewable Energy Monitor * High Current Dump Load * Automatic Chicken Coop Door * G Hurd Dump Controller * Extend Dump Controller On-time * Optimise Relays for Low-Power Reference Pages: * AttoPilot Current and Voltage Sensor * Cable Current Capacities * J Hewes' Stripboard Planner (PDF) text/html 2010-07-21T19:12:02+00:00 http://www.kimberconsulting.com/doku.php/start Pre-processing Sensor Data to Enable Nagios Monitoring A sensor pre-processor enables Nagios to monitor the electrical conditions of battery banks, solar panels, wind turbines, and 'physical' conditions such as battery temperature or water levels in an aquaculture installation.