Can i keep my computers?

[Paul C]

 

No - it means 'not a lot' in our region of the country.

 

Me too, I interpreted it as "hardly any" - which is true. The laws of phyics would suggest that winter solar output is on average 10% of the equivalent summer figures; also anecdotally loads of boaters who liveaboard with solar power on board confirm similar figures. And that 10% is an average, some winter days are sunny but many are dull/rainy/miserable etc so will be less than 10%. Combined with the extra demand in winter, its never sensible to rely on solar power all-year - some other kind of power generation must be used in the winter time.

 

Hopefully the OP will be able to filter out the replies which could be misleading and give more weight to those based on facts and experience.

[Guest]

 

Me too, I interpreted it as "hardly any" - which is true.

 

Linky - Not to be clicked on if you you don't like reading swear words.

[Jim Batty]

Basic stats for us CCing:

 

-- What's TV?

-- 200w of solar panels with MTTP controller (bought from Bimble) means we don't need to run the engine to replenish batteries March - October (-ish)

-- Leisure battery bank = 440Ah

-- This setup covers 12v fridge, misc pumps, LED lights everywhere. It also runs an aging 15" MacBook Pro (with spinning HD and DVD/CD drive) running Adobe CS for as long as needed on sunny and bright-ish cloudy days, and straight off the Mac battery at night for as long as it will last (about 3hrs these days). There's also an older Acer laptop that sees occasional use.

-- 1500w inverter easily deals with everything regarding 230v and recharging stuff; that said wish we could fit a washing machine!

 

When I first moved on board I brought along my lovely eMac ... but it was a pain firing up the inverter (and usually the engine) to use it ... thus the medium-sized MacBook Pro. We have lots of windows in the boat, so I intentionally invested in the non-glare/higher res screen option, and glad I did. Such luxury afloat!

[Guest]

Hopefully the OP will be able to filter out the replies which could be misleading and give more weight to those based on facts and experience.

 

Agreed, I found Ange's post particularly relevant and interesting.

 

Yep. During winter months we had to be careful with our power usage and had to run the engine when we weren't moving, which we didn't have to do during the summer months, but there's no doubt that the solar we still got was a welcome supplement.

If I'd only lived on the cut for six months at a time in the summer this ethos would have suited me down to the ground

Which confirms my understanding and conversations I had with other boaters. (And I should add my experience of solar on the 'van, I realise it's not a a massive array but I do know it works on sunny days in Winter.

 

I should also add that the post I was addressing and the specific point I was addressing was not the original posters, it was a point by another about how to reduce the need to move the boat to generate power and anybody knows that solar will do that for you. (and equally anybody knows it doesn't work well or at all when the sun's not shining )

Edited July 21, 2016 by MJG

[Machpoint005]

 

Best of luck uploading then downloading 16TB in a reasonable timeframe.

 

The OP has 16Tb of storage capacity, not 16Tb of data. The external drives had to be bought in the first place.

[Paul C]

 

The OP has 16Tb of storage capacity, not 16Tb of data. The external drives had to be bought in the first place.

 

True.....I don't know how much actual data there is, or what kind (after all, it may be possible to compress it significantly). I took a guess that she's purchased 16TB of storage because she has >14TB of data (I think the little 2.5" drives come in a max 2TB size....)

 

From experience, that's an awful lot of data - it would be useful for the OP to clarify here.

[MissMax]

I have a stupid amount of external hardrives, some flash and some of those spinny things

 

2. 4TB

2. 3TB

2. 2TB

 

This is not including my floppys and old laptop hard-drives.

World domination is hard with only 1TB

 

PS They are redlining so that means they are almost full so i need more storage, which will be 4TB Flash

Edited July 21, 2016 by MissMax

[Paul C]

I'll stick with my original assertion, that using "the cloud" for this quantity of data, possibly from a mobile internet connection (even if its 4G) isn't feasible.

[Airfix Kid]

I've only had my Imac for three months.......(crys onto a Victoria sponge cake)

 

Is there absoulouty no way i could keep the Air and Imac (maybe using magic)

 

There's absolutely no reason why you can't use all three computers on your boat.

 

You simply need to be economical, if you're not using it shut it down, it's not often to need to run more than one..

 

The iMac will use the most power so only use it for mission critical stuff, the MacBook Air is the optimum for just messing about but the MacPro can be powered all day every day on a typical modern boat electrical system.

 

I have MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and a 24" display. 8 months of the year runs off a 250W solar panel.

[Airfix Kid]

Hmm, I'm on the fence, I found my 100w of solar managed about 4 or 5w at noon on a cloudless winter day. Not much help!

On a summers day it will get up to about 60w, so it's never living up to it's rating. It's a flexible one mounted flat. MPPT controller.

I keep hearing (in the real world) of people that know someone's aunty who has a friend that has the latest swanky American domestic panels and don't have to run their engines in the winter.

 

Are most of us playing with inefficient hobby panels and kit? Or is it a case of

Chinese whispers?

 

I'd spend the money for the convenience, but I'm yet to find a real first hand installation that is proven to do the biz. Like MTB, I'd like to see somebody's controller read-out in the winter showing a worthwhile output.

 

Or is it a case of Chinese whispers?

This. Basic measurement and physics says solar is 1:10 winter to summer so 4-5W plays 60W is about right.

A basic understanding of the way the sun works in the seasons also shows that doubling an array will make a much smaller difference in the number of 'self-sufficient' days that people think.

I think early March to late september is easily achievable without wasting too much power in the summer. Experience shows 250W is good for a boat without fridge, 500W will do a fridge and a couple of laptops and a fridge, 1000W is for those who want to use household appliances on a large inverter.

[ditchcrawler]

 

No - it means 'not a lot' in our region of the country.

Same

[Eeyore]

 

There's absolutely no reason why you can't use all three computers on your boat.

 

You simply need to be economical, if you're not using it shut it down, it's not often to need to run more than one..

 

The iMac will use the most power so only use it for mission critical stuff, the MacBook Air is the optimum for just messing about but the MacPro can be powered all day every day on a typical modern boat electrical system.

 

I have MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and a 24" display. 8 months of the year runs off a 250W solar panel.

Do you use the standard mains adaptors for the MacBooks? or do you use a third party 12 volt adaptor? I couldn't find an Apple approved 12 volt adaptor last time I looked; just wondering if you (or anyone else) has experience with them.

MissMax mentioned a standard "spinny" drive in one of the MacBooks suggesting its an older model; and thereby the possibility of needing a "magsafe 1" and a "magsafe 2" (the end that connects to the charging port) adaptor.

The iMac will of course need an inverter.

Steve (Eeyore)

[Guest]

Same

Covered.

[johnmck]

. Mr Micawber's famous, and oft-quoted, recipe for happiness:

"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen [pounds] nineteen [shillings] and six [pence], result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery."

Charles Dickens, David Copperfield

 

Exactly the same for electrickery. What you take out, you have to put back plus a good some!

We have converted to tablets. Occasionally the old laptop is fired up for work. It eats power.

 

Solar is brilliant. But. As Micawber says, if it ain't replacing what you take out, misery will ensue.

 

Keep it simple. Reduce power needs to the minimum and you will reach nirvana.

[Airfix Kid]

Do you use the standard mains adaptors for the MacBooks? or do you use a third party 12 volt adaptor? I couldn't find an Apple approved 12 volt adaptor last time I looked; just wondering if you (or anyone else) has experience with them.

MissMax mentioned a standard "spinny" drive in one of the MacBooks suggesting its an older model; and thereby the possibility of needing a "magsafe 1" and a "magsafe 2" (the end that connects to the charging port) adaptor.

The iMac will of course need an inverter.

Steve (Eeyore)

I have the older MagSafe adaptor and a Kensington 12V power supply.

 

incidentally I have swapped my hard drive for an SSD and I'm sure (though not scientifically) it uses more power.

Edited July 22, 2016 by Airfix Kid

[Dalslandia]

I often use my laptop on board, more lately i just use the tap, I could have used the stationary PC but I use that at home,

the coffee maker takes 4.7 kW, dishwasher 10 kW, and stow 15 kW, bow thruster 15 kW ...

 

so I see no problem.

 

(the genset is 55 kVA)

[Arthur Brown]

Solar will support your electrical needs if you have sufficient panels!

 

Use an MPPT controller they tend to get about 25+% more electricity from the sun into the batteries (compared to PWM controllers) -especially valuable in the winter!

Fit plenty of panels -the controller will terminate charging when the batteries are full, but winter output is of the order of 8 to 10% of summer output so you may well need shoreline or a generator.

When buying big drives, remember that drives do die so don't put data on a drive without backing it up 16TB of data would be a significant loss if the drive died.

Edited July 22, 2016 by Arthur Brown

[Rendelf]

I have a stupid amount of external hardrives, some flash and some of those spinny things

 

2. 4TB

2. 3TB

2. 2TB

 

This is not including my floppys and old laptop hard-drives.

World domination is hard with only 1TB

 

PS They are redlining so that means they are almost full so i need more storage, which will be 4TB Flash

 

You obsessively collect very, very high resolution footage of clouds?

[MissMax]

 

You obsessively collect very, very high resolution footage of clouds?

 

I actually do

 

Saw a fantastic boat today. I will most defiantly get solar panels and more batteries beyond the one starter and two domestic.

I never thought NBs would be so technical! They don't look like a complicated piece of transport from the outside, but once in it's like

a whole knew world of devices, logistics, pumps and space management.

[Lady Muck]

Any chance of posting up some figures please? I'd be most interested in the extremes, i.e how many AH you get on a dull December day compared to AH harvested on a sunny day in July.

 

My personal experience is the ratio is about 1:25. MJG thinks otherwise and takes great exception to me saying this and contends my installation is faulty. He might be right (I have suspected in the past too, but now think it is working normally) but it would be most helpful to compare my system performance with yours with some real figures.

 

Many thanks if you can!

I can't as Im on the home mooring in those months - Id probably have a lot more panels and one or two more batteries, if we permanently cruised. On the non shore power moorings near us a friend has 1200w of panels and that suits him all year round. Edited July 22, 2016 by Lady Muck

[MtB]

I can't as Im on the home mooring in those months - Id probably have a lot more panels and one or two more batteries, if we permanently cruised. On the non shore power moorings near us a friend has 1200w of panels and that suits him all year round.

 

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

But I have to say, I don't understand why your solar panels stop working when you're on your home mooring. Do you disconnect them or something?

[dmr]

Do you use the standard mains adaptors for the MacBooks? or do you use a third party 12 volt adaptor? I couldn't find an Apple approved 12 volt adaptor last time I looked; just wondering if you (or anyone else) has experience with them.

MissMax mentioned a standard "spinny" drive in one of the MacBooks suggesting its an older model; and thereby the possibility of needing a "magsafe 1" and a "magsafe 2" (the end that connects to the charging port) adaptor.

The iMac will of course need an inverter.

Steve (Eeyore)

 

I got a magsafe2 connector off eBay and spliced in onto a standard Maplin 12 to 19v converter (though set to the 16v range) and this has worked fine for a couple of years now.

The magsafe connector was advertised as genuine Apple, though most of the eBay ones look like copies. There is, I believe, a bit of electronics in the genuine Mac power supplies that applies a reduced voltage first, and only goes to full voltage when it recognises the computer is connected. I hypothesised this might be to prevent arcing on the tiny pins in the magsafe but I am not sure, it might just be Apple complications aimed at holding patents and preventing cheap clones.

 

..............Dave

[Dave_P]

 

I actually do

 

Saw a fantastic boat today. I will most defiantly get solar panels and more batteries beyond the one starter and two domestic.

I never thought NBs would be so technical! They don't look like a complicated piece of transport from the outside, but once in it's like

a whole knew world of devices, logistics, pumps and space management.

And the boat you saw was relatively simple!

[MissMax]

OMG it wasn't simple. Simple is just turning a switch to release the pixies that live inside the magic boxes, and letting them do all the maintenance jobs while you sleep.

 

PS I need your cat and your boat

[Lady Muck]

Thanks for your reply.

 

But I have to say, I don't understand why your solar panels stop working when you're on your home mooring. Do you disconnect them or something?

I fold them away, they are chained together and stacked up, when we are on the move, because we have only so much roof space, we take a 3 man canoe, a mountain bike, a fire pit and *ahem* a stepladder (for fruit picking) with us and we still want to leave some roof space. They don't tend to get folded out and switched on again, when we are back. We'd rather have the batteries permanently on a trickle charge off the shoreline, in the winter, perhaps that's one reason they last us so long.