This is part 3 of a 4-part series on building a toaster reflow oven: Oven hardware Controller hardware Manufacturing Controller software So far we’ve looked at the hardware design, but aside from modifying the oven in part 1, nothing has been built yet.

This is part 2 of a 4-part series on building a toaster reflow oven: Oven hardware Controller hardware Manufacturing Controller software In part 1 we discussed the selection and modification of the oven itself. It’s now time to work on the external controller.

This is part 1 of a 4-part series on building a toaster reflow oven: Oven hardware Controller hardware Manufacturing Controller software After reflowing for some time with hot air and saucepans, I’ve decided it’s time to build a dedicated reflow oven. There are tons of DIY reflow oven projects out there, but I decided to design and build my own (see NIH syndrome) for the fun of it.

With a plethora of manufacturers and models for pool solar controllers, it can be challenging to put together a system that just works, without resorting to sourcing everything from a single manufacturer and buying their overpriced controllers.

Once the core project is complete, we’ll be having someone install solar-thermal panels on the roof of the house. It’s the one job I’ve decided to outsource as I’m not keen on spending a few days on the second story roof securing them. I also don’t have the requisite safety gear to work up there and am not keen on buying it just for one job.

Building an automatic water manager for a vertical garden wall.

Toyota Prius - courtesey of Pawel Golsztajn I own a second generation Toyota Prius, and while it’s a great little car, it has one fatal flaw - the 12V auxiliary battery. Unlike most cars, the 12V battery in the Prius isn’t used to power the starter motor for the combustion engine. That is powered by the main hybrid battery. The 12V battery is used to power the vehicle electronics during the start up process. Once the vehicles computer system is booted up, the hybrid battery takes over.