Some pics of his house: http://www.flickr.com/photos/faircompanies/sets/721576286741...
C++ programming pioneer hacks off-grid, DIY, smart home
11–20 of 33 posts
Re: C++ programming pioneer hacks off-grid, DIY, smart home
#12and he wired it for pure DC lighting (which makes sense with solar, but Amelang also likes how “peaceful” DC lighting feels). Congratulations are due to him for his resourceful unreasonableness but this sounds a little tinfoil-hat to me.
Most AC-DC converters are switching power supplies that switch on and off at very frequency (ie. 10kHz). When you have 2 switching supplies close together they can introduce some interesting harmonics, especially if they aren't shielded well.
Likely, he switched out incadescents for some other lighting type and if he was using flourescents you can definitely hear it.
Re: C++ programming pioneer hacks off-grid, DIY, smart home
#13and he wired it for pure DC lighting (which makes sense with solar, but Amelang also likes how “peaceful” DC lighting feels). Congratulations are due to him for his resourceful unreasonableness but this sounds a little tinfoil-hat to me.
Listen to a house during a blackout. Nothing to hear.
Re: C++ programming pioneer hacks off-grid, DIY, smart home
#14Burning wood isn't particularly "smart"
Re: C++ programming pioneer hacks off-grid, DIY, smart home
#15Reminds me a bit of Paul Lutus http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1681247 Automated homes seem to be like video phones: common in science-fiction, we now have them, but they (curiously) aren't used that much.
Don't know about you, but while I knew video phones existed a long time back, almost all of my calls with my parents recently have been over Facetime, now that there's a simple, intuitive way for us to use it (I bought them an iPad). Automated homes may just be a technology waiting to be designed right, not just solved. After all, home is our retreat from...well, anywhere, really. Design matters if you're going to be encountering it all your life.
Re: C++ programming pioneer hacks off-grid, DIY, smart home
#16Burning wood isn't particularly "smart"
Why ?
Re: C++ programming pioneer hacks off-grid, DIY, smart home
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
He says it "feels" different. I think it's very unlikely that people can perceive AC power cycles.
Anecdotal data point: I can see it. Not when looking directly at a light but on my peripheral vision it is very noticeable at times. I'm pretty sure lots of people are able to perceive it but do not mind. NB: I'm in Europe and the AC is 50Hz.
Same here, flickering goes from noticeable to disturbing.
I'm also far too sensitive about this kind of details, solarization of plasma panels, dithering of 6bit lcd..
Re: C++ programming pioneer hacks off-grid, DIY, smart home
#18Burning wood isn't particularly "smart"
Why ?
Unless he has high-tech stoves, it is pretty polluting. Smoke contains many toxic chemicals.
http://www.treehugger.com/renewable-energy/is-burning-wood-f...
Re: C++ programming pioneer hacks off-grid, DIY, smart home
#19and he wired it for pure DC lighting (which makes sense with solar, but Amelang also likes how “peaceful” DC lighting feels). Congratulations are due to him for his resourceful unreasonableness but this sounds a little tinfoil-hat to me.
Put into context, the initial drive to go off grid and build something like this was due to his employer bringing in fluorescent lighting and not permitting employees to use their own lights. He quit his job over this. So clearly lighting is a big deal to him and I wouldn't doubt that this environment feels much more peaceful than a cubicle with fluorescent lights. He also claims that he can see flicker in fluorescents as well as incandescents.
Re: C++ programming pioneer hacks off-grid, DIY, smart home
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
He says it "feels" different. I think it's very unlikely that people can perceive AC power cycles.
You can "feel" AC - not the power but the sounds that it creates inside devices. There is a resident "hum" from most mains AC devices, particularly energy bulbs, linear tranformers, CRTs, switch mode power supplies, heating, appliances etc. If you're all DC with LED lighting etc, there is no 50/60Hz hum any more. You genuinely don't notice it until it's not there any more.
the best way to describe it is an extra level of silence or 11 level of silence..