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Comment Re:obviously they should track the sun (Score 2) 327

I should have made something more clear: the insurance and liability risk is a key factor... If I sell an item that breaks and damages a house in a storm, and the insurance refuses to cover the item and the house... Especially if the house would have normally survived the storm without my system being installed... Then I'm looking at a lawsuit (from either the homeowner, the insurer, or a government agency). So, basically, it's not at all in my best interest, nor is it ethical, to sell you something that's not going to meet the minimum wind rating -- even if that's "Hurricane Rated Z3.4 and 80 mph winds". I just won't put the product on the market knowing I'm going to eventually be sued.

Comment Re:obviously they should track the sun (Score 3, Interesting) 327

One of the problems is it has to be rated for high winds; or, you're not going to be able to insure your house if it's mounted on the roof. OK, you might be able to insure it but they might void the coverage if you get wind damage that can be attributed to the panels. Accuracy really only needs to be a +/- a couple of degrees for PV. Hell, most people mount them flat to the roof, which is not pitched anywhere near ideal. some of the larger synchronous motors probably do have enough torque to push over a single panel; and, you can build a cam driven system that tilts the panels in a cyclic fashion. Problem is, if the power ever goes out it's going to be hell to reset all of them. Theoretically, you could use a system that relies on the Sun to heat and expand a liquid, pushing the panels from a "morning" orientation to an "afternoon" orientation. In the end... You're still going to pay more than $200 for a structure with "motor" that's strong enough to do the job and well built enough to survive for 10 years on a rooftop. You could probably make it for a couple hundred dollars; but, you'll never buy it for cost -- you'll end up paying double that (at least) after manufacturer overhead (design and support) is rolled into the cost, and the distributor(s) and installer(s) mark up the price.

Comment Re:obviously they should track the sun (Score 4, Interesting) 327

Just a guess (from an engineer, so it's a sophisticated guess)... Might be $200 per panel because the motor has to be big enough to move the panel in prevailing winds; and, the structure has to be strong enough to keep the panel from being ripped off the roof during a storm. Again, just guessing.

Comment quiet case water cooling (Score 1) 720

move your machine into a nice quiet understated case like the Fractal Design R4. Use a single 140mm or larger low speed fan just to move the air through the case. Then water cool it and use a large passive cooler... Something like a Zalman Reserator. Once done, the only noise will be the pump(s) and the single fan.

Comment Re:Manifold? (Score 1) 189

What I didn't say, but was intending to imply above, is that was for older engines. My new Ford 4 cyl with the polymer intake manifold... not so much. Modern fuel injection manifolds are dry, and as cold as they can keep them. Plenty of room on the exhaust manifold shield though.

Comment Re:Manifold? (Score 1) 189

Young one, back in the day.... *ripples of time*

Before fuel injection, Automobiles used a device called a carburetor to mix fuel into the inlet air stream. Intake manifolds were wet -- meaning there was always fuel in them. In order to enhance vaporization at the carburetor and prevent fuel from condensing out of the air stream onto the sides of the iron manifold, stock intake manifolds were either bolted directly to the exhaust manifold (inline engines) or had a passage running through the center of them for exhaust heat (V engines). The alternative system used passages containing engine coolant coming directly from the cylinder head. Either way, the intake manifold's plenum was always at least 200 degrees F.

So, you see, it is possible to cook food on top of the intake manifold

Comment Re:never send a robot to do a man's job... (Score 1) 38

I get that. I was tweaked by the "as the human eye would see it" editorial statement. "Color corrected high resolution image" would have been enough.

Although, now that you mention it, I bet a oil painting done by an astronaut in synchronous orbit of Europa would be great.

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