Warning: Seriously nerdy stuff lies ahead. Proceed with caution.
This week we have an update on our "bus automation" project. Last time we introduced the technologies that we were exploring as well as some of the hardware we intended to use for experimentation.
I spent some time configuring and learning
After installing the baseplate and tow bar setup on our Dodge Durango tow car, we had to figure out the tow lighting. We actually already have the umbilical that connects the wiring from the back of the bus to the front of the car. It was left with the bus
While we are still waiting to pick up the bus from the painter, we have been keeping busy. We spent the summer building our solar rack, then we spent several weekends working on projects around the house in preparation for selling it, and this past weekend the time came to
As many of you recall, we dropped the bus off to our painter in Mexico in mid-June to get painted. Mexico has had very heavy rain in this last monsoon season. This is very good for Mexico - very bad if you want to get a bus painted.
Wow! You guys had great questions last week. We sat down and tried to answer them all. Before we get started, here’s one thing you should know about us - we are both introverts, but if you get us talking about something that we are passionate about, we aren’
Oh, hi there, Friends!
We have now had the bus for nearly two years (Oct. 22, 2016 was the day we brought her home). Many of you have followed along with us for much of that time. But, we have also had many, many new friends join us in recent
When we first started dreaming up the plan to have two layers of solar panels with the lower layer sliding out, we knew that the biggest challenge would be automating the sliding mechanism. There is no way we want to be climbing up on top of the bus all the
We finally had our solar rack design planned out and one of four sections built as our prototype. Now, we just had to recreate the prototype three more times. We set up production for each piece and part - measuring, cutting, sanding, drilling, bolting together, welding, sanding again, painting.
All
Last week, we got a good start building our solar rack by designing and building the prototype for the lower layer of solar panels (4 of our 8 Sunpower E20 435W panels). This week, we are moving on up to the upper layer of panels (the other 4 panels). Initially,
It’s finally time to tackle building a rack to hold our solar panels. The goal is to get all eight of our Sunpower E20 435W panels on our roof, giving us nearly 3500W of solar. We realize that using panels of this size (81.5”x41.5”) is quite
The bus finally made it into Mexico to the paint shop! Some of you may be wondering why we aren’t waiting until the end of our renovation to have the bus painted. The main reason is that we want the roof repainted before we install our solar panels. And
After our first experience attempting to cross the bus into Mexico to get to our painter was a bust, we were a little gun-shy to try again. But, what was the worst that could happen? We would have to turn around and come home again...for the second time? We
When we first bought the bus, we knew right away we needed to do something about the driver’s and passenger’s chairs. First off, cosmetically they were in really bad shape. We looked into recovering them, but the more we sat in them, the more we realized it wasn’
