more lighting for the ranch - part 1

There are much more than what first meets the eyes with this inner gate. It has 120Vac power, gate opener, an outdoor wifi access point, and a 4k 20x pan/tilt/zoom network security camera. I found these wifi controlled outdoor power receptacles made by Feit from Costco. I use one for the LED string lights on this gate.

happiness is another small engine - part 5

 

This one is not so small engine, really. Having endure some big snow storms last winter I decided life is too short to not spending money to get a good snowblower. I have a 1/4 mile long private driveway that is all gravel road.

LG multi-zone mini split heat pump - part 3

Winter seems so far away when you are in the mid of summer. I dislike working in the sun and I know I would regret for not getting more done before the winter comes. The nasty old man will soon at the gate of the ranch threaten to destroy a lot of stuff that I worked hard for. It is time to plan ahead as a rancher worths his salt.

more infrastructure improvements - part 4

With the testing I am satisfied adding a wifi AP to the inner gate is a worthwhile improvement to the property. With this I would have internet covering the circa 3 acres of outdoor area around the inner gate. This would give almost complete wifi coverage of the property from end to end along the 1/4 mile driveway. I need to pull one more ethernet cable for the access point.

I wasn't looking forward to pulling another ethernet cable between the tractor garage and the inner gate through the in ground PVC conduit that already has a Romex, a 24Vac wire pair for the gate opener, and an ethernet cable. It is really not about just adding another ethernet cable. To add another cable, one has to pull everything out and pull the bundle with the additional cable though the entire length of the conduit.

more infrastructure improvements - part 3

A person is defined by the tools he has. With the East wall outlets installed and the floor washed, I decided to set up the electronics work station utilizing a good section of the wall that is sheltered from the before noon sun. Since its dismantling for moving from Portland to the ranch it has been sitting disassembled for 3 years now. How it all come back together gets fussy the longer they sits.

more infrastructure improvements - part 2

By planning ahead, I provisioned two loops along this East wall when I dropped a four-plex outlets on the corner of a North wall. The loops provide the 20A service run to the four-plex while allowing me to later add two more four-plex outlets. In all there are actually 16 outlets all are GFCI protected, as required by code in a garage building.

more infrastructure improvements

I never appreciate the need for a personal weather station until I moved out into the country. In a city all one needs are outdoor and indoor thermometer and indoor humidity sensor. Living in the country one needs to be more in tune with the weather including precipitations, sun, moon, cloud, storm, and wind. I'd never thought much of the Acu-rite weather station until I experience with one. It came with the property from the previous owners. The only thing I want to change is the location of the outdoor unit.

still, still yet another mini split installation - part 1

Some might think that I've gone mini split crazy. It is not. I'd always like them and I was one of the earlier person in US to install them, back in early 2000s. At the ranch I have planned to install one in the cabin. The cabin has no water or toilet. The only means of heat is a wood stove, or electric heater. I want to improve its amenities including water, heating and cooling, and a bath.

happiness is more iOT - my eunuchs, part 3

 

I have been looking forward to putting one of the Shelly Uni to work at the front gate. The Shelly Plus 1 module I installed inside the gate opener has been working flawlessly once I sorted out some quirks. The quirks involving changing wireless SSID. The only way you can change the SSID in these devices is you have to be in communication with it in. It can only connect to one and only one that you tells it to.

happiness is more iOT - my eunuchs, part 2

 

I was determined to clean up the big work bench in the laundry room so I can work more comfortably there with electronic projects like the Shelly iOT. In the process I came across a box that contains a lot of stuff that I bought for the Arduino projects a few years ago. Amongst them are what I thought DHT22 humidity/temperature sensors. I was beaming with excitement and rushed to wire one up to my Uni.

happiness is more iOT - my eunuchs

After installation of the Shelly Plus 1 into the gate opener I discovered the company sells a lesser known iOT module called Uni. It requires more electronics skill to use but has the most functions than the nicely packaged and easier to use modules. I went ahead and order four to get the best unit pricing.

think and act like a rancher

When you have a ranch with countless buildings and a huge barn, there is no such thing as having too many power cords. In fact you want power cords (extension cables) of various lengths. I like my cords to be just the right length, and very often circa 25 ft work really well for powering battery chargers attaching to the vehicles.

door bell 1/4 mile away - part 3

With my plug-and-play harness made for the Shelly Plus 1 module I was so eager to get it working at the front gate. I actually wasted some time trying to use the wireless network bridge AP 1/8 mile away hoping I can avoid adding a PoE AP which will add power consumption. The signal is simply too weak down on the ground even for the iPhone to work.

door bell 1/4 mile away - part 2

More progress on my incremental work to improve my front gate of the ranch for expected and unexpected visitors. Since I installed the PoE remote door bell camera I am satisfied with its design and functional reliability given the challenges of being 1/4 mile from the house. I want to be able to operate the front gate from the house. I also want to keep the cost as well as power consumption down. The latter is most important as everything there relies on solar energy.

still another mini split installation - part 2

The LG 12,000 BTU heat pump is finally on hand for me to finish the installation. It is the exact same model that I chose to install for the racetrack's office. It is one that will work down to extremely low ambient during the coldest of winter here.

still another mini split installation - part 1

I have long planned to install a mini split heat pump in the three-car garage. There is a full bath as well as the accumulators for the well water inside which rely on resistive electric heat to prevent the water from freezing in winter. I want to be able to use the garage as a closer workshop. It is a no-brainer decision, except finding time to install one. That time is now.

door bell 1/4 mile away

The front gate of the ranch is 1/4 mile away from the house. For security reasons I like to keep the gate closed. But what do you do when guests show up at the gate. For friends and acquaintances they can call ahead. But for unexpected visitors there is no way for them to announce their arrival, until now.

spring change over

It is time to change the front end implement on the tractor from winter mode to spring mode. I was first quite intimidated with installing the snow plow implement. Swapping it with the front end loader for the uninitiated is not easy. Doing it wrong you can damage the equipment or risk injuries. Also detaching and attaching the hydraulic lines can turn into a day long struggle. In time I learnt and got to know my equipment.

happiness is another light fixture

I have always wanted the Arco floor lamp by the famed Italian architect Achille Castiglioni. Only I had never have enough ceiling height to make it work. Now with the timber frame living room with a vaulted ceiling of 18 feet, would one serve both functional as well as atheistic purposes?

LG multi-zone mini split heat pump - part 2

My initial vacuum test purge was not good. I could not pull much of a vacuum and soon I realized I have many flare joint leaks despite I took time and care to make and tighten them. How I hunted down and corrected all of them is too complex for me to spend time to write.