MAKE:Princeton Tomorrow

[nickjohnson]

All,

We have a MAKE:Princeton meeting tomorrow! This one will be inside
and away from flame as we discuss sustainability, energy, and ways to
make your home more energy efficient. Discussion will include an
analysis of (1) how energy is used in a home, (2) how energy is wasted
in a home, (3) how wasted energy can be reduced or reclaimed, and (4)
different ways to think about energy efficiency.

And, since this is make, feel free to bring your projects to show and
tell and bring a friend.

Where: Room 039, East Pyne Hall, Princeton University Campus
When: Tomorrow, 15 April 2009, 7:00pm
What: MAKE:sustainability
Who: You and your friends.

See you there! (and sorry again for the last minuteness).

[Jon Abolins]

For what it's worth, I posted the meeting announcement on my blog and
tweeted out an an announcement wilog post: th a link to the blog post.

Blog post: http://jabolins.livejournal.com/31585.html
My Twitter: http://twitter.com/jabolins

Alas, I still have my meetings in Newark on Wednesday evenings through
early May. This MAKE meeting sounds really good. Oh, well. Another
time.

Some thoughts for energy efficiency:

* Taming the wall-warts. Is there a way to dispense of multiple power
supplies & have one power supply that can deliver the right voltage,
amps, etc.?

* recycling the heat thrown off by electric/electronic devices.

* batteries: throw-aways vs. recharables.

* Using the hot air from clothes dryers for other purposes. Seeding bed warmer?

J.D. Abolins


2009/4/14 nickjohnson <nicholas.p...@gmail.com>:

[Jon Abolins]

For what it's worth, I posted the meeting announcement on my blog and
tweeted out an an announcement wilog post: th a link to the blog post.

Blog post: http://jabolins.livejournal.com/31585.html
My Twitter: http://twitter.com/jabolins

Alas, I still have my meetings in Newark on Wednesday evenings through
early May. This MAKE meeting sounds really good. Oh, well. Another
time.

Some thoughts for energy efficiency:

* Taming the wall-warts. Is there a way to dispense of multiple power
supplies & have one power supply that can deliver the right voltage,
amps, etc.?

* recycling the heat thrown off by electric/electronic devices.

* batteries: throw-aways vs. recharables.

* Using the hot air from clothes dryers for other purposes. Seeding bed warmer?

J.D. Abolins


2009/4/14 nickjohnson <nicholas.p...@gmail.com>:
>

[John LeMasney]

I can't make it (in class on Wednesday) but I posted this meeting on my New Jersey Sustainability social network at http://greenjersey.ning.com -- feel free to join and add related events.

John.

-- 
John William LeMasney
Rider University, 2083 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

Manager, Technology Training; Instructional Technology

phone:         609 896 5000 x7145
email:          lema...@rider.edu
office:         Fine Arts 137

Personal Blog:		http://lemasney.com
Breadcrumb Trail:		http://friendfeed.com/lemasney

[Rob Philp]

Wednesday's meeting was just Nick and I. As mentioned, we discussed
some possible methods for increasing the energy efficiency of a home.

I mentioned that I have been re-routing the exhaust of my electric
dryer into the basement, to warm it up in the winter, and provide
additional humidity to the dry winter air.

we discussed several other methods:
*harvesting waste heat from greywater leaving showers, sinks, and
washing machines to pre-heat the water entering the water heater.
*using a passive cooling system to freeze large blocks of ice in the
winter to provide cooling in the summer
* using solar heat collected to drive an intermittent absorption
refrigeration device, allowing solar heat to provide cooling. The
idea has been around a long time. This example is from 1935:
http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/ModernMechanix/8-1935/solar_fridge.jpg.
Adam Grosser has a passionate talk about the concept:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/adam_grosser_and_his_sustainable_fridge.html.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absorption_refrigerator
* A whole house fan could be made smarter if it has a simple
microcontroller, sensors for the interior temperature and exterior
temperature, and a way of setting the desired interior temperature.
That way the microcontroller could decide if operating the fan would
bring the interior temperature closer or not; and operate the fan
accordingly.
* Some time was spent discussing the merits of a Savonius turbine. I
had some success with a very tiny one I made from a tin can. Wikipedia
says that this style is used where cost or reliability is a factor,
since it is a drag-based design, and not as efficent as a lift-based
design. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savonius_wind_turbine
*The use of a solar chimney to draw air through and long underground
channel into the home, providing cooling in the summer.

[Ken Junkins]

Hi guys!

Sorry I could not make the meeting last night. Something critical came up
and I forgot to let you know.

I'm glad to hear that you had a productive conversation. Sounds
interesting.

I wanted to pass along some interesting information about the Maker Shed.
They are having a clearance sale. I just ordered two Bare Bones Arduino
board kits at $12.50 each. If I had a few more bucks I would have about a
half dozen. These are originally $19.99. PLUS I used a discount code
ARDINTRO for an additional 15% off. This sale is only on through the end of
April, and as long as the products last. It would be a good opportunity to
grab some deals. I am going to continue to use my Arduino Duemilenova for
development, and then roll code out to these BBA boards.

Just thought you might be interested. Go to www.makershed.com.

See you next meeting,

Ken