Reusing power sources to power devices of different voltages: voltage converters

42V DC Power 19V 2A regulated DC to charge a laptop that spends 3A

In this post we will see how to feed these appliances we have at home, whose power supplies had stopped working and left, forgotten, in a drawer.

For example, that portable power supply can have a second life and continue feeding any device that requires a power exceeding the capacity (watts) of the transformer. While we maintain the amps equal or exceeding the needings by the apparatus we want to power, we just have to make sure that the voltage output is the same or little less of your device needs.

If for example we need an  e-bike charger, or need a charger of a given voltage, we can adapt economically the output voltage: This is where the boosters and converters come into play modifying voltage DC to DC.

Solar thermal collector configuration supporting gas/oil boiler

Antonio from Orense had a solar panel with a deposit of 150 lts connected to the same circuit ACS but separately, so that when it was sunny had to walk opening and closing keys to harness this energy and save fuel in the oil boiler.

With solar thermal energy (pre - heat the water with a solar collector) all are advantages. This renewable energy system is today the fastest amortized, usually in two years the installation is amortized, and lasts up to 30 years , with minimal maintenance. It's easy money, and who have not it installed, properly sized, they are throwing money to the trash, literally.

After analyzing your installation of ACS (ignoring the heating pipes), I advised him to use solar thermal as we do; supporting boiler  (gas in our case).

The method is simple; it provides warm water tank directly to the boiler, so that it only has to provide sufficient energy to bring it to the temperature (usually 60 °), and so you forget.

Save energy with a timed plug: Do it yourself with Arduino

I used this to build a wireless plug socket countdown

I had a Wireless programmable plug Contros of Broadlink with the wifi card damaged:

and I realized that I could come in handy a plug to be activated for a certain time simply by pressing the button, with increments of the same time with each pulse (similar to working electronic microwave, that with each press of the button quick heated adds 30 seconds to the time). A picture is worth a thousand words (explained in spanish, sorry):

Modifying an insertable wood stove to add double combustion and fans

In this post, which had long been "waiting" for various reasons (my apologies to Alberto, intone the mea-culpa), an animated friend of sustainability we discuss how modified 2014 a stove without too much effort to optimize its performance , having fun how nice in the process.

Alberto tells us who dared to take pictures of it and write it done because it came in handy examples and information I put in this blog.

Adding steel tubes for double combustion and fans increase the combustion efficiency to deliver oxygen where it is needed, and also preheated, and fans are needed to optimize the extraction of heat to the room and extend the life of the stove by reducing the temperature of the structure , which otherwise would be very stressed by extreme temperature changes to increase performance. These modifications are safe (with the only danger plaster smoke, controllable and which will be discussed in detail). 

So, without further ado, let him be himself who tell us (apologies for the quality of the photos):

Presentation and project

The first is to introduce Alberto and I am not a professional in this sector, but I like the tools and I dare all.

I needed an insertable for the house in Ávila, at 1360m above the sea, as the chimmenie fire never could heat the cold granite house. And of course I wanted to double and double combustion chamber. 

I do not remember very well the extent of the gap in his fireplace; would be about 530mm, about, quite recently, I found an insertable fire made ​​of that size. The sides of the fireplace are also granite but the problem is securing a roof beam in the middle of the house and did not make me any grace the walls shake too.

So I Have This Test was willing to custom. I was asking for tempered glass in the door to start ... phew... 'find materials that work !!.

By chance I found a home at a low price approaching the measures, and for 250 euros I found very interesting in Leroy Merlin especially since half the work had already been done.

Everything you wanted to know about planned obsolescence ... and other topics on home appliances

Good, I was thinking about writing an article about the "planned obsolescence" after having a nice discussion with a "Blablacar" passenger long ago, but what was my surprise that my a friend Antonio Sanchez has already done it, and very well in his blog on saving on home appliances, and I 'm grateful to him for keeping people well informed of (I subscribe to every word of him, I think I wouldn't explain it better). Well, for me:

Fuel economy in a car: Charging the battery the Arduino way - Part One

In this post we will see what details we consider to adapt a vehicle to save fuel by switching off the alternator when we are not interested to charge the battery (and take advantage of braking, engine braking, etc. to do so), taking advantage of lessons learned in the previous post . This It is especially useful in a diesel , where power consumption is much lower than in a gasoline car.

Currently any measure is little to lower the consumption of a car, and although we are in a period of decline in fuel prices, this is transitory, because as with any commodity product high demand prices will soon go back up (or keep at the highest possible price that permits its competitors).

We can change the wheels to a eco profile ones, change the oil by other more energy efficient (as we discussed), etc. And one of the points of great savings capacity (between 1 and 5% savings) is in producing electricity, generating electricity with oil is very expensive. Some people even partially hybridized vehicle for changing the alternator motor / generator and replacing the battery with a LifePo4 (Forum GoldenMotor).

You have to evaluate the suitability of this modification, as the lead-calcium batteries do not allow more than 20% discharge without damage, so there is little room to use them with a programmed charging. Ideally mount a LiFePo4 battery, but can cost more than 200 €, only useful and profitable to people that uses them a lot in short travels in the city (taxi drivers and transport vehicles).

The most innovative engines are now including programmed battery charging, so that is only activated when the low voltage level is reached, although I do not know what kind of battery this cars uses and what the procedure in detail.

Curiously, in the following video you can see how the workload on the alternator note clearly appreciate the drop in rpm (and automatic adjustment by the control unit) of this PSA 1.6 HDI diesel engine:

Current state of the art LED options in H4 / H1 car bulbs

Model H4 LED high performance

Tired of changing the H4 halogen lamps of my Xsara Picasso car, I was looking for alternatives in LED, checking the state-of-the-art in H4 Led lamps, If I could find one well worth installing, so getting savings in fuel and maintenance .

Is it legal? : To carry LED lamps  outdoor legally in Spain, for now we only have the option of installing a complete approved headlamp, and that must be installed by a certified workshop to carry the certificate to the periodic Technical inspection, because the headlamps are designed for a type of lamps with which it lights the same way (lumens and openness); this could cost easily €150. These lamps in theory can not be used on public roads (although for racing/testing purposes). There is no problem changing the ambiental interior lights to Led ones.

In the following video I commented highlight of these LED lamps H4 "SunnyLight"  and installation:

DIY Homemade pool water solar preheating system - by Jordi

Economic system of heating pool water

This past summer Jordi from Valencia was consulting on how to heat the pool water with economic polyethylene tube, and discussing their results, and is happy to share it with you.

Surely he noticed this post (system that does not use nearly as efficient) and was encouraged to heat his pool that way, and wanted to "removing the cold", raising its temperature from 18 to 25, a more comfortable temperature, taking advantage of the close roof surface where the sun hits well.

Jordi told me that he would use PE pipe Ø20 mm. and had doubts if it would work; the pool is quite large , 14x3 meters. I had thought to extend about 250 meters tube had calculated that fit on the roof.

Lighting by electromagnetic induction: Current best choice for high power lamps

When it is necessary to illuminate a street, building, etc, and lots of light output is required, induction lamps are more profitable than the LED because of its lower price and its durability.

Campana 250W used in warehouse

Key Features:

6 tips to save on your vehicle maintenance

Today, thanks to the internet we have plenty of advices and hints to save maintaining our vehicle, we have plenty of tutorials for whom are a little handyman; from changing lamps, brushes, etc to oil changes, and some dare to change pads and cushions. After years of use with my Xsara Picasso, I share with you the ideas and optimizations that can be applied to your vehicle to save money, helping the nature too.

1. Change the rubber instead of the entire windshield wiper

Change only the rubber and be ecofriendly

The humidity at home: Origins and possible solutions

Typical grid to beautify vents

When moisture appears in our house, the most important thing is to find out its origin , since it depends on the applied correctly and lasting solution, avoiding wasted expenditure of time, energy and money.

Moisture not only spoils the walls and all kinds of organic material (mold on leather, wood, etc), but their lack of treatment can be a source of health problems ;fungi, breathing problems (asthma, allergy), etc. While a definitive solution can not locate, we try to keep it in a healthy range (45 to 65% saturation) with a dehumidifier for example.

Philips vs Braun Shavers, what is technically better?

As you can see in the video, while most Braun afeitaduras use their own proprietary system, in which the blades cut hair using a reciprocating, and is actually the floating plate moving under a thin steel sheets the which makes the cut, in Philips shavers have 2 or 3 discs that cut the hairs that pass between the slots, cutting more effectively and accurately.

The SmartTouch XL; a marvel of Philips

The best choice for heating your home (updated 2014)

How do I heat my house cheaply and with greater comfort? This same question I became in the summer of 2006. And now I discuss in this article that will update as circumstances change.

Before heating, is 10 times cheaper and more effective to isolate; in this post or  this one's more information on this topic.

Having analyzed and changed the heating my house I have acquired some knowledge that I share with my readers, since heat your home is a major expense that if we do not choose it may prevent us to make ends meet during the cold winter months ; - ). Nor find myself in possession of absolute truth, so take my advice and reasons for yourself.

Example of success: changing oil boiler with wood boiler

If you have boiler heating oil, do as Gregoria and Manolo; consider installing wood boiler

The wood boilers and inserts are increasingly popular and successful, the possibility of getting free firewood (cleaning mountains of fallen trees and dry branches) is an advantage.

Today I will discuss the case of Gregoria and Manolo, from La Rioja (Spain), this winter asked me for placing an insert stove with pan for heating and hot water, they were complaining of bills for diesel fuel (3,000 euros annual) due to poor insulation of their house, the doors and windows are made of iron (discouraging thieves), and while they are thinking to better isolate 150 m2 over two floors, because it requires a very high energy expenditure.

They were Not decided between several models, and models from Baxi Roca, the cheapest they found was Albizia model (70% yield, € 1,200 approx.) unregulated auto shot, and Serval (80% yield of 1,900 €), Portuguese manufacturing.

Update 02/11/14: Gregoria tells us this winter "around here we continue with our hydroboiler running, although at least in our case, has not been as great as expected, due to poor insulation we think of our house (that have not yet been undertaken.) The truth is that when the temperature drops below 5 °, we are still with a bit poor temperature, unless we burn more than 100 kilos of firewood a day ... When the temperature is not so cool if we got a lot more pleasant when we warmed up first with diesel. Lately, we have implemented a mix that works pretty well. As we still have operating the oil boiler when we turn on the stove, once the day we launch the diesel, about 20 or 30 minutes, this causes less firewood needed to heat the entire circuit and we heat faster. The fuel consumption is minimal, we took 70 euros all winter so far . Furthermore, for reasons of lack of time ... we stopped fetching firewood us, so we bought it at a fairly reasonable price 11 cents a kilo, beech and oak. "

Finally, although the choice of pellets is the most convenient, they decided on putting a wood, having the chimney suitable for stove measures, and have free fuel themselves like to enjoy nature and take advantage of clean mountains respectfully with their maintenance, removing broken branches and dead trees, so opted to put the model Albizia Baxi Roca.

And they can not be more pleased with the result: With 50 kg. daily dry firewood, collected directly from the mountain, they get put at 20 all day, your house look new, Gregoria told me enthusiastically.

How to Refill toner cartridges from laser printer

Refill toner cartridges from our laser printer can save over 80% on printing costs while contributing to reducing waste that is difficult to recycle (different plastics, aluminum, metal parts of the drum, toner, in a piece).

When toner is spent, the cartridge is empty, but cartridge parts (roller, gears, etc.), usually endure two or more times without loss of quality copies.

Further results will be the same as the original cartridge (if used toner compatible) while the plastic parts roller that transfers the ink does not wear.

TIP: Just make more than 50 copies per year as we get more cost effective to purchase a cheap color laser printer (between 100 and 200 €) with which we will save a lot of money on the cost per copy over the years compared to those of ink.

In this case, the HP Laserjet CM1312 toner brings a Factory endure only 500 copies called "test toner" and when they run are in perfect condition to be refilled, and put up the new ones enduring 1500 (covering the middle usual 5% of each page). 
The good thing is that it brings a CM1312 meters in cartridges that can be canceled without change in the configuration of the printer: 

Enter the menu, moving the arrows to the "Replacing consumable" option and select "ignore exhausted."

How to buy bulbs: Look at lumens and light-degrees

HOW TO BUY LIGHT BULBS: LEARNING ABOUT LUMENS IS A BRIGHT IDEA

The lamps are improving efficiency; Watts measure them no longer works. The new bulbs - such as halogen incandescent, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL for its acronym in English) and light emitting diodes (LED for its acronym in English) - have a longer life and use less energy than incandescent bulbs traditional, which means savings in electricity bills. In fact, from 2012, daily use bulbs will have to meet the new standards of the Department of Energy with respect to the amount of energy they consume. For the next two years, will eliminate any bulb that does not meet these standards .

Along with this change using more efficient light bulbs, a new way to select them when you go shopping.

What are Lumens?

For years, people have chosen to base bulbs in watts, learning by experience how much light bulb gives a typical 40 or 60 watts. But the wattage of a bulb consumes only tells you how much energy - does not tell you how much shine.

Because the new bulbs are designed to consume less power, wattage is not as reliable in measuring the brightness of a light bulb - you have to use the lumens.

Lumen = Brightness
W = energy

Lumens measure brightness, ie the total amount of light emitted. For example, a standard 60 watt incandescent bulb produces 800 lumens. Instead, a CFL causes lumens 800 and consumes less than 15 watts. 

Sending the warmth of a fireplace to the radiators with a coil

The cauldron of fireplaces Sierra (Granada)

With the onset of winter, and increasing energy bills (gas, electricity) should look ways to warm up cheaper and more efficient, as the use of biomass (wood, forest waste, olive pits, etc). 

In conventional wall mounted fireplaces, as already mentioned earlier in this blog, 80% of the heat is lost up the chimney if they have no heat recovery system (either by movement of air or water). 
In a wood stove cast iron outdoor setting this is not necessary, already have a lot of performance (depending on the oven). 

Image: Cassette flush with heat fans with 85% yield

Calculating the cost of lighting according to the type of bulb

Picture: r (Energy Trends)

With the price of electricity rising steadily, and the prices of CFLs, correct evaluation of what type of lighting to use at home is necessary to not lose sleep over the bill. 

Recently I commented the advantages and (current) limitations of the LED; this post by a simple calculation table, see what it would cost to illuminate a room, hallway, or whatever depending on the type of lamp chosen. 

Ex LED lamp with E27 and 420 lumens with 6W consumption.; glows like a traditional 30W

I entered the data for five similar lighting lamps (1000 lumens); comparable to a 75W traditional incandescent bulb: 

1. E27 LED lamp ; 10 / 12W consumption
2. Philips CFL; Consumption 15W
3. Halogen; 50W, their advantage is that they last longer and shine a little more (because it uses another gas).
4. Traditional low power ; use halogen technology.
5. Traditional 75W

Report: LED lighting, present and future of lighting

LED Bulb E27 6W to 220VAC

The lighting technology LED is already present and future of lighting, with prices a few years ago was prohibitive but are becoming more affordable and superior performance compared to other light sources, making them rapidly depreciable . 
They are currently recommended especially where they can not be placed compact low-power, as in bathrooms and hallways (CFL does not hold up well off and frequent or cold locations such as garages on): 

• LED technology is low power consumption, with savings of 80-90% compared to incandescent and improving every year.
• Ecological; no Mercury or polluting materials, emits no UV or infrared.
• Lifetime: Duration between 20,000 and 50,000 hours, depending on the quality of the lamp and the LED.
• Instant light, as fast as incandescent or halogen.
• Can be switched on and off as many times as you want without reducing useful life.
• Because of its semiconductor format optimally support vibration and shock; it will work even if the casing is broken, contrary to the other technologies.
• With more lumens per cm2 than halogen and CFL, and more efficient, have great ability to be miniaturized (flashlights, televisions, etc).
• Uniform light without shadows into the light, available in warm white or pure, or all colors to consumer tastes.
• Design only limited by the imagination thanks to its compact size and low temperature of LED; the possibility of sharing the light sources as we want by the lamp allows innovative designs integrated into the environment ; are valid for any type of use.
• As in the CFL, some models can be adjusted easily by varying the electric current applied to a regulator. Very useful for environments that wish adaptive dynamic light environment (eg., We could program Arduino ambient lighting that adapts to the light coming through the windows, or human presence, illuminating more where people are ).

However, its disadvantages, but salvageable, are: 

• The angle of the light from an LED is directed at an angle of limited brightness;There are lamps with angles between 30 and 240; laterally to illuminatemanufacturers seek designs where multiple LEDS pointing to different parts or modern reflectors, which can be a problem of space, and rising from the lamp, but gradually being solved with lenses that scatter light or formats led targeted less.
• Are still relatively expensive when it comes to high power systems where other lamps are almost as efficient and cheaper, such as sodium vapor (80 lm / W, but also more polluting and less durable), since the ledes require heat sinks (this will change as improve its luminous efficiency).
• The LED works better the white light is emitted (temp. Color approx. 6000K), for more warm yellow light to be mixed with another color decreases performance slightly.
• Require temperatures below 70 ° C to maintain their life, so they need efficient heat sinks, which increases their cost.
• They are very long lasting, but its intensity decreases with time; for an LED with an expected life of 25,000 hours, you will after that time a light intensity of 70% the original, but it will illuminate; not "merge" normally, but they fade away.
• The high power LEDs must wear a suitable light fader so that if viewed directly by accident, do not harm the view (some are more intense to look at the sun directly).

This entry will discuss technology LED and its many advantages, the influence of operating temperature on the duration (disarm a lamp) and uses more current recommended (for those who want to minimize investment while taking advantage of technology); go for the LED is a very good investment, ecological and profitable.

Save with LED technology 

Changing brushes on washing machine

Too often, there are washers in perfect condition thrown in recycling because repair costs are too high and not worth repairing, and the consumer has to assess whether it is worth it because you do not know if it will give more problems or not, and with the aid renewal of appliances, makes you thinking twice.

But if it's a quality machine, and low power consumption with less than 10 years like this AEG, and the problem is that the brushes are worn (AEG usually eat them fast), always it is worth to repair it; two wipers is 15 €.

To access the brushes Lavamat AEG-5011 / 5012 have to remove the rear cover or case, which involves exposing half the labadora (handy for technicians, a success of AEG), takes several screws, both at the top, of which only removal of those to the rear half of the housing, and more difficult, leading to the sides at the bottom behind a plastic plug, because you have to use a hexagonal socket wrench to 8 I think it is.