Good/Bad Timing
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Miscellaneous / Off-topic
Forum Discription: Pull a chair up to the campfire and chat. No religious, political or weapons talk, please.
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=14662
Printed Date: 02 May 2024 at 11:52pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Good/Bad Timing
Posted By: fwunder
Subject: Good/Bad Timing
Date Posted: 24 May 2021 at 6:06pm
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So after 7 years and little use, I decided to sell my Yamaha 2400iSHC. It's just a little heavier than I want to deal with, I've added quite a bit of solar and I just don't use it much for camping. More for farm chores running power tools away from house. Anyway, I figured I would part with it and buy the Honda EU2200i. I posted it on Facebook Marketplace @ $850.00. Two days later, it's gone. Two buyers lined up. Wow! I thought that's sooo cool. Ran right up to Home Depot to buy the Honda ( they said it was in stock ). Nope. Not in stock there and not in stock in any HD for 100 miles. I started checking around. Nope, nowhere! So I called a local Honda shop I know who is more expensive than most, but local. Talked with the owner. Walt said he can't get them. He was more worried about his order of Honda snow blowers. They won't return his calls. Me thinks we got us a Honda ( Japan ) shortage. Be forewarned! fred ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Replies:
Posted By: podwerkz
Date Posted: 24 May 2021 at 6:08pm
When the buyers lined up around the block....there is your first clue! ------------- r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten! |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 24 May 2021 at 6:14pm
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Yep. Not complaining at all. I can wait. Just not aware of shortage. Were you? f ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: Pod People
Date Posted: 24 May 2021 at 6:38pm
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Try Camping World-which I hate to promote. I bought 2 units from them last February and they were on sale, including free shipping for $995. don't know if they still have them. Good luck Vann ------------- Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179 https://postimg.cc/0zwKrfB9"> 
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Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 24 May 2021 at 6:41pm
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Thanks Vann, but out of stock there too. ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 24 May 2021 at 7:02pm
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Everything it seems, including Honda generators have been in short supply up here in Ontario's Near North as well. About a month or so ago a friend of mine decided to pull the trigger on a Honda and none could be found to buy. He called all over the province and I recommended our dealer in town. (He lives about 6 hours away) and they had ONE 3000 WATT inverter genny slated to come in next month...and it was the only one at all to be had.
Supply problems affecting everything I imagine. Andy ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 24 May 2021 at 7:41pm
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Do you have a Hammersmith located anywhere near you? They have a couple in stock here in Traverse City, MI but the cost of shipping from here to there would be prohibitive and ridiculous. ------------- God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 24 May 2021 at 8:06pm
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No Hammersmith in NJ, Jato. Thanks for looking though!
fred ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 8:35am
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Northern Tool seems to have them with a 1-2 week backorder.
Freezers are another item that seems to be scarce as hens teeth. I ordered a Samsung one 6 weeks ago, still waiting. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: podwerkz
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 12:46pm
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Anything and everything with a chip in it, or steel, wood, foam, silicon, copper, etc, is in short supply. New ham radio equipment, especially radios and amplifiers, are getting rare and more expensive. We DO live in interesting times.
------------- r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten! |
Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 12:50pm
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Try buying lumber products these days. ------------- Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
Posted By: podwerkz
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 1:11pm
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Yeah, 2x4x8's are about $10 here...or close to it. Six months or a year ago they were less than 2 bucks. Plywood? Fuh-get-about-it. It won't be long before the flatbed trucks that deliver lumber products will have armed guards in armored escort vehicles like the OST trucks. Crazy.
------------- r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten! |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 2:06pm
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Wood costs sure have gone up. We had a garage 24x26 built behind our home last September and at the time it cost an extra 8000.00 just for materiel.
Pre-covid OSB sheathing wood sheets 4x8 in size were 11.00 dollars (Canadian)...last September the same OSB sheets were 22.00 dollars and now? Here they are over 60.00 a sheet...has glue gone up that much? A cottage neighbour just got an estimate on wood costs and those same sheets for his dream cottage build will cost an extra 4000.00! That doesn't even include the added cost of the rest of the wood that would be needed. They are putting off the build for now as it is too expensive. Andy ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 2:33pm
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Just bought two sheets of 3/4 in BCX. 80$ each. Ugh. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 2:49pm
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Wow, that is crazy expensive!
And I just read that the USA wants to double the tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber. That can only fatten more rich-guy pockets (meaning the lumber companies there as they can raise their lumber prices higher...as well as the International trade lawyers, etc) and take it from the people who want/need to build as the added cost has to be passed on to the end buyer. ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 3:43pm
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Tariffs are a tax on consumers. And some industries where there are alternative choices it can severely damage the market.
Solar is one of those. You can always choose just to continue to buy your electricity from your utility. A high tariff was placed on Chinese solar modules a few years ago after a couple of small US manufacturers filed a complaint with the international trade commission. That helped save a few hundred manufacturing jobs but cost thousands of sales, engineering and installation jobs which can't be offshored. Dumb. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 4:12pm
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From what I have read, the latest wood price increases are likely the result of a perfect storm in soft wood lumber production.
Many years of previous government's wood tariffs on Canadian softwood products (read pandering to a small but powerful special interest group of wood product companies) actually pushed quite a few lumber companies across the country out of business. Now add in the years of forests being wiped out by the Pine beetles have wiped out a lot of formerly harvest-able forests in America's Pacific NorthWest and the Canadian province of British Columbia. This reduces the amount of wood available to sustainably harvest. Then enters a global pandemic to add another layer of shortages and here we are...Very expensive wood for all! Andy ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 4:50pm
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So I found one EU2200i in Maryland. Online said they would ship to me free. Ordered it. We'll see if it shows up. Kinda surprised local HD didn't give me that option. Help desk just said, "Nothing within 100 miles." Maybe I just have said, "Look farther." ? f ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 4:56pm
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One must seek in order to find!
Glad you found one. Andy ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 5:00pm
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BTW and to completely change the subject... I just found a neat find in the attic. A 1953 Thomas Mercer Chronograph in perfect working condition. I locked the gimble, keyed it up, gave it a smart turn to port and it started ticking away! Sorry, but being a sailor from a previous life, this a super cool find!!!  ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 5:46pm
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Wow, what a nice find indeed, as someone who loves watches (but no collection) that is one nice find. I would suggest taking it to a specialist to have it cleaned and examined to prevent any accidental damage. I love the case as well.
As for apologizing for using a nautical term, I hope no one "loses the bubble" over it. I never served on a sub, the origin of the saying (but have had to stumble on and off 2 frigates and 1 destroyer in my career in the RCAF) and love the saying. Andy ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 6:08pm
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Yessir Andy, I'm trying to find a local clock shop who might be capable of cleaning her up. I spoke with the Captain on the ship (Mobile Super Tanker) from which it came. He was amazed it still ticked. It was a retirement gift. In the day, they never started them. Only took them to shore to be calibrated and cleaned. They were wound twice a day - seven turns. You would get in BIG trouble if you didn't wind the clock! You should see the sextant that goes with it. Such a lost art/science. Yes, there was a time not long ago that giant tankers navigated the oceans with stars and a clock! Sorry to derail the thread. Just got a little excited with the find. fred ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 6:32pm
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I feel the same excitement seeing a nice timepiece like that.
It reminded me right away of several pieces I brought home from Afghanistan...All from early in the 20th century when Great Britain (I would guess) was doing a lot of looking around and surveying in the area. A collapsing spy glass bound in leather and the leather end caps, a beautiful sextant in its engraved manufacturer glass top case as well as a matching compass...also in its little wood and glass topped case. One of the screw adjustments on the sextant is bent but that is okay as I have them displayed as conversation pieces. I look at them and wonder as to their history. Thanks for sharing the photo of the watch Fred, and the thread was already running amok with our chatter on availability of everything (lack) and wood prices. ;-) Andy ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 7:11pm
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This was just a such a major flashback, in a different way, than it was for you Andy. For a few years in the 80's I delivered/captained yachts up and down the coast, the Bahamas and the GOM. I was never good at celestial. Maybe a noon shot or full moon. I would rely on dead reckoning for the most, which I was very good at, LORAN which was sketchy or RDF which a cheap AM radio worked pretty well. We didn't have GPS and SAT nav was scarce. The (usually) most accurate navigation was freighter fixes. We would see a super tanker or other ship on the horizon. Ask them where they were ( position fix ) and there ya go! Kinda like hitch hiking on the high seas! I was doing that in my twenties and early thirties so you can understand. LOL. I should stop now.. fred ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 7:45pm
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It flashed me back to my days working on C130's as well...I worked on them (and a couple other types at the same time)...they used to train new Air Force navigators how to navigate in C130's and that included special sextants that could work through the overhead cockpit access hatch that had a special attachment for it while in flight.
That is a good skill to have if all goes South and all our fancy electronics are suddenly unavailable. Also still handy to know when flying in the far north but maybe that is all fixed up now with satellites and GPS coverage. The pilots could hear the baby navs struggling and would try to help out on the intercom saying things to the effect of,,,"I have never seen Churchill from this angle before ...". Ahhh, funny stuff eh?' Andy ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 8:05pm
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Bad enough trying to take a sight on a rolling boat. Can't imaging trying to get a fix in a bouncing plane! You're right, celestial nav is a fabulous and still useful skill! Ya know, one thing that has stuck with me through all my years of being without "position fixes" is a sense of where I am. Dead reckoning. You get a feel of wind and wave and current and and sometimes temperature and how fast you are moving. You know where the sun is and where it is moving. You plot your position every hour or few based on that. Sometimes you just do it it your head. Can be surprisingly accurate. It's not rocket science. Been done for centuries. Maybe it's just the folks I travel with, but I'm really surprised how people around me have such a bad sense of position/direction - even when the sun is shining in  fred
------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 8:27pm
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I say nothing...as that can get me in trouble! ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 8:35pm
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Before we get in trouble and bringing this back on track.. I ordered the MicroAir EasyStart 364 for my 178 to go with my new Honda EU2200i. I understand I may have not needed to, but seems like a good thing. I'm sure you folks will tell me if I did right and help me get it wired up right. I didn't order the "connection kit". I got boxes of connectors and crimpers that should work, right? Hey, so who has gone with an extended tank option with their Honda? fred
------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 9:02pm
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Here is the link to a video showing the install. I saved it for myself as I bought an EasyStart for our trailer as well...for when it finally arrives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soP0uZFd0nQ&feature=emb_rel_end And a 2nd link that connects to the easy start knowledge bank! A good start and of course, we can come back here if and when required. Andy ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 9:03pm
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Oops, here is the 2nd link...darn phat thumbs and hockey playoffs don't mix!
http://www.micro-air.com/kb-easystart/cat_installation.cfm ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 9:07pm
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You hold my beer and I'll do the first part. I'll hold your beer and you do the second part...and we'll plug it in! Deal?  fred ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 25 May 2021 at 9:14pm
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DEAL! I love it when a plan comes together!
Andy ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: podwerkz
Date Posted: 26 May 2021 at 5:39am
Speaking of timing....this morning's lunar eclipse, snapped with a smartphone, getting started: ------------- r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten! |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 26 May 2021 at 6:11am
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Cool shot, I like looking at the moon, stars as well as seeing satellites flying by on a clear night.
Andy ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 26 May 2021 at 6:24am
You did right.
Now get a propane conversion kit for the Honda and leave the smelly gasoline at home! ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 26 May 2021 at 6:37am
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Did someone say Hockey playoffs? My Bruins are looking good!! ------------- Leo & Melissa Bachand 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
Posted By: podwerkz
Date Posted: 26 May 2021 at 9:39am
Oh I forgot to post the other shot, about an hour later, of the lunar eclipse this morning: ------------- r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten! |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 26 May 2021 at 10:25am
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That must have been quite a sight to see, and the only lunar eclipse this year. I still remember the total solar eclipse I was able to see when I was a kid. Still have the pics such as they are. Taken through a welders helmet glass of course. A lunar eclipse is much better for the average person because you can watch it with unprotected eyes. ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: Pod People
Date Posted: 26 May 2021 at 4:41pm
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going backwards to the celestial navigation discussion--I live in chapel Hill NC which is the home of the University of NC. The UNC has the Morehead Planetarium which was ( and still is) the celestial navigation training grounds for all NASA astronauts. In the early 70's, I had an undergraduate astronomy class there and there were 2 astronauts in our class. They were there for 1 semester and took multiple celestial navigation courses . The planetarium could use their projector to show space(stars, planets) from any angle,any place, at any time. It is still in use today. Vann ------------- Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179 https://postimg.cc/0zwKrfB9">
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Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 26 May 2021 at 5:05pm
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I just might have to see about learning a bit about celestial navigation and try out the old-school sextant I have collected and now have on display...start with the basics and see how it goes. So much junk on the interweb, might as well weed through it and get something good out of it!
Andy ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 28 May 2021 at 3:02pm
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Got the Easy Start 364 installed without much problem. Instructions were very clear. I do recommend buying the installation kit for $10.00. I got tons of connectors, just not the one I needed to finish the install. Pissed me off. Anyway, it's installed and trained. Got the Honda EU2200i delivered today. I did a 1 hour break-in run with 10W-30. I'll drain and fill with new oil tomorrow and then load her up. Prolly not necessary, but I'll do it anyway. These Hondas like to be abused I think. How do you guys do break-ins? The problem now is....ITS FREEKIN COLD!! Thermostat only goes down to 55. I'm gonna have to put a hair dryer on the thermostat to test it!!  fred ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 28 May 2021 at 3:15pm
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If it's that cold it won't be a good test anyway, you need a hot day and a few thermostat cycles so the refrigerant back pressure on the compressor is high, which makes the startup current higher. It won't be long now. Summer will be here and you'll be wishing for that 55 degrees.
I can't remember the Honda break in procedure I used but I think you're tight, you want to load it up some to seat the rings. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 28 May 2021 at 4:31pm
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You got the easystart in and it is good to go, which is great to hear.
When I break in I start with small loads, on and off every 5 or 10 minutes. On 5, off 5, you get the idea. I use the eco mode switch to vary the engine speed as well. Kind of breaks in the engine (seats the rings at various speeds, not just when running full full out). Work up to the heavy loads after an hour or two. I imagine it is good for the electrical windings as well, not going straight into a heavy load situation. Or, if in a rush just give'er, eh! Have a great evening Andy ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 29 May 2021 at 10:20am
The new EU2200i has a nifty bluetooth app which can be helpful. The remote cutoff and engine hours are really helpful. Nice seeing wattage usage also. I noted that running in eco-mode ( idle ) I could get about 650 watts. After that it revved up. ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 29 May 2021 at 12:14pm
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Interesting. The scale is reading in VA in your screen shot. Does it display watts as well? I'm interested in what the a/c compressor power factor is. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 29 May 2021 at 2:14pm
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The Volt Amp gauge is the only display. According to Honda, it is "what the generator is producing vs. what is consumed by a device". For all practical purposes, I figured it's the same. If I can find where I put my Kill-A-Watt, I can find out. fred ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 29 May 2021 at 5:14pm
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True power might be as much as 20% less than VA on some motor loads. The generator windings and transistors care about amps while the engine cares about true power. So if the power factor is low we could see the inverter/generator trip it's breaker while the engine still has significant available power. That would make a difference in how the system works at high altitude for example.
That's why I'm curious. The power factor can be difficult to measure accurately if you're using two different meters because relatively small errors between the two can build up. That's why I was wondering if the new Hondas did both. You can try with the Kill A Watt but the result might not be very accurate. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 29 May 2021 at 7:09pm
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Dumb it down for me OG. I put a 1500 watt space heater on it and the app showed 1490 VA. I'm thinking the VA meter could be great in managing power to keep running in eco mode when possible. May be good @ prediction fuel consumption too. They say 8.1 hours or more @ 1/4 load which would put it somewhere between 400-500 VA. My initial observation showed that I had to push it up to about 650 VA before throttle up. AC unit should be fun to test. fred ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 30 May 2021 at 8:00am
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If you looked at the current and voltage waveforms on an oscilloscope you would see that for some loads they are overlayed (in phase), on some the current lags the voltage (out of phase) and on some the current leads the voltage (out of phase).
The loads where the the waveforms are overlayed are "resistive", ones with current lagging are "inductive", current leading are "capacitive". Since power equals volts x amps you have to multiply the instantaneous current and voltage at each point on the waveforms to get the true power, which represents the work being done by the electricity. If the two waveforms are out of phase the true power will be less than VxA as measured individually by a multimeter. VA is called apparent power. All the electrical gear (windings, inverter transistors, conductors) still has to handle the current even if it's not doing as much actual work. Space heaters are big resistors do they are resistive loads, meaning that their current and voltage are in phase and VA = watts. So your space heater would be expected to have VA=watts. Motors are inductive loads, meaning that their current lags the voltage. So watts < VA. Power factor = watts/VA and motors are typically in the range of 0.8 to 0.9 PF unless PF correction has been added, typically a capacitor. So say your Honda is designed so that it's engine and generator sections are matched for max loads of 2200 watts with a PF of 1 at sea level. That would mean that if you ran a 2200 watt space heater the engine would lug and the generyor would start to overload simultaneously. If you went up to 7000 ft elevation (assuming the rule of thumb 3% per 1000 ft elevation derate) the engine would lug first. Now put a motor load of 2200 VA and 0.8 PF on instead. At sea level the generator would start to overload before the engine would lug. But at 7000 ft both would give up at the same time. Hope that makes sense. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 30 May 2021 at 11:03am
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Yeah, that's right. Resistive loads like your space heater do not affect the power factor. Capacitive loads will delay the voltage relative to the current, and inductive loads will move it the other way. VA tells you what the volts and amps are, but does not consider the power factor (watts). ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 30 May 2021 at 4:10pm
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It is apparent that I do not possess the true power I thought. Watt I will do, however, is continue to resist, use my best inductive reasoning and avoid capaciture!! (sic) Thanks for the lesson, guys! I need a beer or four. fred ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 30 May 2021 at 4:35pm
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We'll spare you rooting out the mean square (RMS), you'd probably want more like 10 beers for that procedure... ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 30 May 2021 at 5:52pm
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I've switched to Jack Black - go for it!! Just kidding. Hey, I did just get a nice cover for the Honda. I don't think the covers that advertise HONDA make much sense. Kinda like me wearing Under Armor logo stuff - it just attracts all those 20-30-40-50 and some 70 year olds with nefarious motives! Anyway, it looks pretty good. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079242HBT - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079242HBT fred
------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |