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RAINBOW
POWER COMPANY
RAINBOW POWER COMPANY LTD
E-mail newsletter #70
6 April 2004
CONTENTS:
1. COURSES
2. COPPER AND LEAD PRICES
3. WEB SITE IMPROVEMENTS
4. DC MOTION SENSORS
1) COURSES:
We are running two courses this month.
The first is our popular weekend Living With Solar Course
to be
conducted by Karlin. This weekend course is a course for enthusiasts
and
people who have (or intend to have) a home renewable energy system. It
covers a basic understanding of the main components and routine
maintenance of a home power system. The cost is $115.
The dates for the next course will be 17/18 April 2004
Pre-registration and a deposit of $25 is required by
Tuesday, 13 April
2004.
The second course to be held this month is a five day ‘advanced’ course
for designers and installers to be held 22-26 April. Please note that
you now need to complete a TAFE course to gain BCSE accreditation.
Contact Peter Pedals today if you would like to register and obtain the
course notes.
2) COPPER AND LEAD PRICES: The price of lead has increased
by some 30%
in the last year so expect battery prices to rise. Copper and hence
cable prices are also set to rise. Beat the copper price rise – any
cable ordered in the next two weeks will attract a 5% discount!!!
3) WEB SITE IMPROVEMENTS: We have again added a lot
of content to our
site. ‘FAQ/More Information’ icons have been added to many
product
lists. Here you will find additional information extracted from our
“Energy from Nature” book, past newsletters and other sources.
The other big news is that we have added a BBS/Bulletin
Board to our
site with several Forum categories.
I envisage it as a place for people to post opinions,
ask questions etc.
So if you are looking to buy an ‘inverter friendly’ appliance;
wondering
how much power an LCD television uses; need something for a village in
Vanuatu; have an opinion about carbon trading, visit the site now! We
need a few initial posts to get it going. It is moderated to ensure that
it is kept suitable for children.
4. DC MOTION SENSORS: This month’s longer general
article is about
motion detectors.
Some Uses for a Motion Detector
Motion detectors are sometimes referred to as Motion
Sensors or PIRs.
The PIR stands for Passive Infra Red which describes how the technology
works.
I have a 12 Volt Motion Detector on my verandah. It
is aimed between my
door and the steps leading up to my house. As soon as I open the door
to leave the house it turns my verandah light on. When I approach the
house at night it also turns on the light. It is great for keeping an
eye open for any snakes, etc, that might decide to come and camp on the
verandah in the evening.
Some people use PIR Motion sensors to turn a light on
outside and in
their outdoor toilet. National Parks have used them so that the lights
do not get left on all night in the toilet block. This saves on power
and attracts fewer insects into the building.
The same PIR technology is found in most burglar alarm
sensors. The
main difference is that you can arm/disarm the siren with a keypad. I
think even switching on a light outside can help deter many would-be
intruders. It creates an element of surprise and can create concerns
that cameras or other devices have also been activated. I believe that
this is a more successful deterrent than leaving a light on all night.
Because the light only comes on 'when needed' for a
maximum of 12
minutes, a DC Motion detector can save you power and allows you to use
a
brighter light than you could otherwise use on your solar system.
Note that the DC Motion Sensor is suitable for switching
up to 60W
lights. If you wish to switch a larger load, you would need to add a
relay to your 12 or 24 Volt motion sensor.
Have a Good Easter. We will be closed Good Friday and
Easter Monday.
That’s all for this month folks! Your comments
and questions are most
welcome; however, there is no need to send our newsletter back to us
when you reply! If you would like a price or product information, please
tell us which country you are from if it is not evident from your e-mail
address. This allows us to assess if local GST (tax) is applicable or
whether 240 Volt 50HZ products will work in your country etc.
Also please note that the advertisement below comes
from our server,
Topica, and we do not necessarily endorse this product or service.
Dave Lambert and the RPC crew |
