Just tried to zap you, but it hangs and times out. It may be a problem on your end maybe?

Just sent the first #zap from my self hosted #LDN node + #AlbyHub/#AlbyGo. Feeling quite accomplished. 😁

Thanks. I will do. Mine are a mix of technical and n00b type questions. So it'll be helpful.

Perhaps I've not opened a channel or something? I'm still learning about this lightning thing. I'm self hosting a bitcoin node, lightning node, and Alby Hub. I may have misconfigured somehow. I'll attempt to fix it this weekend. 😁

If you're referring to the recent earthquakes, this might help: https://earthquaketrack.com/p/japan/recent

I should mention that Tdarr can use either ffmpeg or Handbrake as an encoding back end.

Ginger Beer, yes. Ale? No. Personally I prefer the simplicity and flavour of Ginger Beer. But I imagine the method isn't too much different? Ginger; Sugar; Yeast, a Saltana per bottle - mix, ferment, and serve over ice? 😁

AV1/Opus a Matroska (MKV) container. I hardware encode with an Intel Arc A310. I made 2x custom plugins for Tdarr. I do a lot of transcoding, so I like the convenience of dumping a file, and coming back a few minutes later to a complete encode. Handbrake is fine for small batches or single files. It also has a convenient to use GUI. ffmpeg is excellent for extreme control per encode. Tdarr is my choice for easily replicated automation. https://github.com/HaveAGitGat/Tdarr

Starting our #homesteading journey has not been straight forward. The #caravan we purchased, has some rather nasty hidden problems. They jerry rigged some solar panels, and some cheap junky hardware. When asked, they explained that it's all "New stuff, but it's all certified." The wiring was really heavy gauge, so that looked good, but when I looked closer, the #battery was undersized, the #MPPT was cheap Chinese bargain bin controller with practically no documentation, and all of the caravan wiring has been ripped out and replaced with basically a hand made loom that's not documented anywhere. The MPPT was so bad, it wasn't even able to charge the battery. The floor had a huge hole filled with bog, none of the taps work, because they require 12V to open the valves, but due to the shit solar setup, there's not enough power to open the valves. Big chunks of the plumbing are missing, but in not so obvious places. The more you know...

Absolutely. We have a lot to learn about self-suffiency and adapting to living off grid, but we're here for it. Hopefully, it'll all work out. We're prepping for a shakedown run to a nearby town, to test the caravan and towing. All very exciting!

#caravan #solar panels are finally charging the battery! Yay! I had to disconnect two of them, and put the others in series pairs to output 48V. The controller is more than capable of dealing with it, but it means in input voltage front panels is far above the minimum required to charge the battery. The voltage supplied by the panels must be over 5V higher than the voltage of the battery, otherwise the #Victron 150/70 will not charge the battery. Before, the solar input was 24V Max, and when it was overcast, the voltage dropped to around 8-18V, meaning the battery was not receiving any charge at all. Now they're outputting a Max of 48V, they drop to around 22V in cloudy weather, which is still more than the minimum 17V required to kick the charger into gear. Other problems I solved - there was a short in the system, a bad lead causing a feedback loop; and the fridge was turned on, causing a constant drain on the battery. Looking much better now:

Thanks! 😁 It's been 20 years in the making.

I have a weird business idea: A mobile takeaway shop called "Piss'n'Pies" (Piss, being New Zealand/Australia/British slang for Beer). The selling point is a can, or bottle of beer and a hand made meat pie, at a reasonable price point. Target audience would be manual labourers and blue collar workers on nearby farms and orchards. 😁

3 more days of work, then I'm finally free! I've got my 1997 Isuzu Elf Box Body, 4.5 Ton truck all ready to empty our house of unnecessary junk and rubbish. The Caravan is in getting modifications done to make it more long term livable. All that's left is to pack, clean up our house, make some minor repairs, rent it out, and put it on the market. Family #vacation first, then we look for a place to settle down permanently. Yay! #homesteading #travel #exciting

Good to see you again mate. 👍😁