Just a quick note as I'm about to catch my flight to SFO! :) Good to hear one problem is solved! Do your strips/controller have an option to adjust the brightness? I run mine at about 30% brightness and they are still more than bright enough at night - makes a huge difference to the power draw. Hobb...

doh! ;-) hmmm, interesting challenge... if you wrap it, won't that cover up some of the LEDs? I don't think the 3M adhesive backing will stick to silicone rubber as I tried a similar option myself a few years ago. I honestly think the 'plastic bonding system' I sent you the link to has a good chance...

You will almost certainly need an activator to bond the silicone. RTV sealant stuff probably won't work - it didn't for me anyway, but might be worth a test as it's cheap and plentiful. I will try and find the brand I used. However, you could try something like this that I just found: http://www.hom...

My bad. I just googled it and you are correct, the IP68 does indeed look like silicone! ...it just looked like gel in the photo

You'll need an activator to wipe onto the silicone first. Hi again. On the off chance you're still watching this thread... I went with the IP68 (because fuck it all anyway, it's only money, right?). I decided that your velcro idea was pretty damn skippy, so I'm going that way. Right now I'm debatin...

I've experimented with a very similar configuration in the past and was unable to get a clean signal. I wasn’t using arduino, but the power config was the same. WS2812B seems more sensitive than earlier generations of addressable strip. My knowledge of electronics isn't sufficient to explain why the...

I'm not clear if you are planning to, but you can't run that type of DC-DC converter in parallel - the voltages will not be identical and thus the one regulating at the higher voltage will take all the load. However, the arduino, as you say, will still need a common ground for the data signal. You c...

That's pretty clever! Are those flat lithium cells? I stuck a bunch of LEDs in the bottom of some platform boots last year and the abuse from walking around on them broke all the wiring connections by the end of the week (even though they were fully encased in shoe-goop). Hope that stays working fo...

melodiousdirge wrote:I've been neglecting this thread. I finally finished my 20 Amp Hour 12 volt battery belt.

Very cool belt! This is my solution to the battery problem... always goes down well with the TSA

I also concluded that most filters would be too much hassle. Most 'proper' filters require at least 20 to 40 psi, and I don't really fancy rigging up a pressure pump and the extra power... In addition to the pump & power, RO would waste too much water, so that's also out of the question. For a good ...

At least it's better to run out of shower-grade water than drinking water ;-) As all of my camp travel from overseas, in previous years we've purchased bottled water in containers ranging from 2 to 5 gallons for speed/convenience. With a smaller group this was fine, although it would have been nice ...

Thanks for all the feedback. I daren't buy used drums. I'd be paranoid about whether any harmful chemicals had been in them, and If there was any residual taste I wouldn't have enough time to source an alternative, and I have very limited time to do extra washing as I only arrive in the US a few day...

I let mine soak for days with vinegar and then bleach solutions. I'm not sure if its necessary but its cheap and easy to do. Thanks Cap. Do you recall if they had a noticeable smell when they were new, before you soaked them? My dilemma is that due to transport logistics I'm having to pick them up ...

Hey guys, I’m looking at using 55 gallon water barrels for the first time this year (the blue HDPE water storage type). I found a disaster/preparedness store in the Bay area that has new ones for $55 each, which seems reasonable (though I don’t have much to compare to other than they are much more a...

Hello! I just started building my swamp cooler and bought the Silver Stone SST-AP181, which is almost 7" in diameter...crazy. Anyway, I mounted the fan to the 5gal bucket, but now need to splice the water pump to the fan and am not clear on the process. The water pump has black, white and green wir...

1. Fans for Figjam's 5G swamp cooler I’m also building coolers for the first time this year. I’ve done a lot of fan research and testing as I want my cooler to be as quiet as possible. All of the fans I found with a decent CFM and static pressure specification were relatively noisy, including those...

Check out the 'Love Potion Amphora' art car. Those guys did an awesome job with 'Rowlux' and LEDs.

No worries! ...As you say, the silicone tube is a loose fit, so it does have a bit more give with a tight bend radius and/or movement. With my particular design I think I get more benefit from having the strip fully supported and bonded directly to the velcro, as I run the strips vertically and the ...

I have a few strips attached to my coat. Breakages are inevitable so I take a gas soldering iron and plenty of spares, but I have had relatively good results with the IP65 gel coat stuff. I glue 10mm velcro to the back of the strip, and then fix the other side of the velcro to my coat. This makes it...

@ Gazmo Interesting idea w/ the radiator. Couple thoughts: running water thru a radiator, you'd have more friction and constriction, so may need a more powerful pump. test test test. Humidity from the swamp coolers at Bman is a nice fringe benefit. You also have to have an exhaust opening or vent i...

@ Gazmo Interesting idea w/ the radiator. Couple thoughts: running water thru a radiator, you'd have more friction and constriction, so may need a more powerful pump. test test test. Humidity from the swamp coolers at Bman is a nice fringe benefit. You also have to have an exhaust opening or vent i...

Anybody have any insight on flying with Cooler components? TSA hassles? practical advice? Instead of driving 32 hours from Michigan, my wiser wife decreed we are flying. Living in LA made this aspect of my life easier. :? Assuming your cooler uses the same components as the bucket cooler, you shoul...

Great thread, thanks for all the info! Thought I’d share an idea I had for making a 2 stage indirect/direct evaporative cooler. I appreciate it would add complexity, but I thought it might be fun to try. That’s if I’ve understood the theory correctly! Assuming you used a box arrangement. Imagine a h...

Not to be deterred, I think my initial experiment will involve covering the east/south-east side of the tent with single-sided radiant barrier, silver side inwards. The westerly-facing door and west/north-west side will be left without a radiant barrier so some heat can also escape. There will be a ...

Scale this idea to a dome, get it listed in the guide, add copious amounts of melted butter, and it's the Human Carcass Roast. Is it too late for placement? Too short of time for a kickstarter? s. I'll see what I can do, but I think a more practical experiment would be to surreptitiously fit some f...

Zhust wrote:Why am I compelled to answer? *sigh*

Because it's an interesting and thought-provoking discussion, of course ...plus there's plenty of opportunity for amusement at my expense should I end up looking like Simon or Jackass’ photos! As Trilobyte said, it's win-win!

Any marginal short term benefit that might occur by deflecting some of the early morning heat would be negated and more by the fact that the human body generates its own heat, and this heat would be trapped inside the foil chamber. You should test it out. Points for creativity, but I just don't thi...

I thought this might make for an amusing discussion… (and cop some abuse!) …Thanks for the helpful comments re shade structures etc. I do have a shade structure, but not everyone I know is able to build one – overseas logistics etc. mean some people just want to make the most out of a minimal amount...

You forgot convection. Your tent will be an oven. I'm expecting there to be a catch somewhere, but I think I'm still good for now... Convection requires a heat source, so I assume you mean heat conducted from the skin of the tent to the foil and thus into the air inside... Imagine the outside skin ...

Ha, I can see I’m gonna have a hard time explaining this one! Maybe I should start a science camp. We can have physics Tuesday, Chemistry Wednesday… and err, Biology Thursday… Ygmir is on the right lines, but not quite… I do mean the reflective surface facing in… Think if it this way… Foil is just a...