IROBOT ROOMBA

Though most automated vacuum cleaners are happy to bounce around your rooms, bumping into furniture like a drunk sleepwalker, IROBOT ROOMBA 980 is leading the pack in terms of vacuum intelligence.

Armed with a number of iAdapt 2.0 navigation sensors and iRobot’s proprietary visual simultaneous localisation and mapping technology (or vSLAM for short), the Roomba 980 impressed greatly when it was released in the US and UK late last year. Now, iRobot’s most advanced vacuum cleaner to date has finally arrived on Australian shores.

As packed as it is with high tech features, including newly-added iOS and Android app control and Wi-Fi connectivity, the Roomba 980’s increased functionality over previous models does bring with it a hefty price tag – one that may realistically make the unit inaccessible for many users (US$899 / £799.99 / AU$1499).

That said, we’re convinced that the iRobot Roomba 980 offers enough robotic wizardry and technological advancements to make it a viable purchase for those who can afford it, or an utterly magnificent gift that’ll likely make you the favourite son or daughter in your family.
The set up

Right out of the box, it’s possible to have the Roomba 980 up and running in a matter of minutes. Once you’ve plugged your Home Base docking station’s power cord into a wall socket, all you have to do is remove the battery pull tab and yellow bin insert from the Roomba’s undercarriage, press the clearly marked ‘Clean’ button in top of the unit, and your automated vacuum will start cleaning your home immediately.

Press the unit’s ‘Home’ button, and the Roomba 980 will stop everything and, in one of its most impressive acts of futuristic awesomeness, automatically guide itself over to its charging station like it’s following a homing beacon. It’ll also do this when it’s running low on battery or if its bin is full.
Appy days

Though this control method is already quite easy to manage, the Roomba 980 is also the first iRobot device that can be controlled via an iOS or Android app. Connecting the unit to the app is a cinch – the iRobot app will automatically detect your Wi-Fi network and ask if you want to connect your Roomba to it.

Next, type in the password to your Wi-Fi network and hit continue. Go to the unit and hold down the buttons with ‘Home’ and ‘Crosshair’ symbols on them until you hear a tone and the lights blink. Release the buttons and the ‘Wi-Fi’ indicator will flash to let you know it’s attempting to connect. Once the network setup is complete, you can now start and stop your Roomba 980 from your phone, schedule up to three cleaning times per day, and even adjust the device’s cleaning behaviour, such as whether you want it to automatically initiate carpet boost mode or perform edge cleaning duties.

It should be noted that issuing commands to the Roomba 980 from your smartphone or tablet isn’t an instantaneous affair. Actually, the vacuum performs sort of like a printer in this regard, sending queued requests that will sometimes take a few minutes to be recognised. At first, you may be tempted to

repeatedly issue these commands in an attempt to get a response, but this will only add more jobs to your queue and get you further from your desired action.
Domo arigato, Mr. iRobot


The Roomba 980’s iAdapt 2.0 navigation sensors allow it to move around and clean an entire floor of your house without crashing into things or dropping down stairs or ledges. It will still bump into walls and furniture, but in a way that’s ever so gentle.


Cleverly mapping your home’s layout as it cleans, iRobot’s vSLAM technology actually scans the environment around the Roomba 980 to memorise and create distinct visual landmarks. This helps it keep track of where it has already been, making clean up jobs more direct and efficient.


Instead of forcing its way through things, the Roomba 980 will hug itself along obstructions, including chair legs, bicycle wheels or any other solid object that’s touching the floor, inching around them until it’s cleaned as much uncovered floor space as possible.


At 35.05cm in diameter, the Roomba 980 is wider than your average vacuum head, but thanks to its circular design and rotating body, it’s able to manoeuver through narrower areas than you’d initially think were possible.

It’s pretty low to the ground, too, though at 9.14cm in height, there’s a chance it could be a little too tall to pass under some beds, which is the kind of hard-to-reach area that would be ideal for an automated vacuum such as this.

In the box, you’ll also find a pair of battery-operated Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers. As the name implies, these act as a virtual wall that will keep the Roomba from crossing certain areas. For instance, if you don’t want the Roomba to enter a particular room, you can place one of these barriers down by the entrance. These are also great for keeping the device away from your ground-level pet food bowls.

RENOGY MPPT CHARGE CONTROLLER

Low Voltage Disconnect (LVD)

The deep-cycle batteries used in renewable energy systems are designed to be discharged by about 80 percent. If they are discharged 100 percent, they are immediately damaged. Imagine a pot of water boiling on your kitchen stove. The moment it runs dry, the pot overheats. If you wait until the steaming stops, it is already too late!

Similarly, if you wait until your lights look dim, some battery damage will have already occurred. Every time this happens, both the capacity and the life of the battery will be reduced by a small amount. If the battery sits in this over discharged state for days or weeks at a time, it can be ruined quickly.

The only way to prevent over discharge when all else fails, is to disconnect loads (appliances, lights, etc.), and then to reconnect them only when the voltage has recovered due to some substantial charging. When over discharge is approaching, a 12 volt battery drops below 11 volts (a 24 V battery drops below 22 V).

A low voltage disconnect circuit will disconnect loads at that set point. It will reconnect the loads only when the battery voltage has substantially recovered due to the accumulation of some charge. A typical LVD reset point is 13 volts (26 V on a 24 V system).

All modern dc power inverters have LVD built in, even cheap pocket-sized ones. The inverter will turn off to protect itself and your loads as well as your battery. Normally, an inverter is connected directly to the batteries, not through the charge controller, because its current draw can be very high, and because it does not require external LVD.

If you have any DC loads, you should have an LVD. Some charge controllers have one built in. You can also obtain a separate LVD device. Some LVD systems have a "mercy switch" to let you draw a minimal amount of energy, at least long enough to find the candles and matches! DC refrigerators have LVD built in.

If you purchase a charge controller with built-in LVD, make sure that it has enough capacity to handle your DC loads. For example, let's say you need a charge controller to handle less than 10 amps of charge current, but you have a DC water pressurizing pump that draws 20 amps (for short periods) plus a 6 amp DC lighting load. A charge controller with a 30 amp LVD would be appropriate. Don't buy a 10 amp charge controller that has only a 10 or 15 amp load capacity!

Overload Protection
A circuit is overloaded when the current flowing in it is higher than it can safely handle. This can cause overheating and can even be a fire hazard. Overload can be caused by a fault (short circuit) in the wiring, or by a faulty appliance (like a frozen water pump). Some charge controllers have overload protection built in, usually with a push-button reset.

Built-in overload protection can be useful, but most systems require additional protection in the form of fuses or circuit breakers. If you have a circuit with a wire size for which the safe carrying capacity (ampacity) is less than the overload limit of the controller, then you must protect that circuit with a fuse or breaker of a suitably lower amp rating. In any case, follow the manufacturer's requirements and the National Electrical Code for any external fuse or circuit breaker requirements.

Displays and Metering
Charge controllers ( for example: RENOGY MPPT CHARGE CONTROLLER )
 include a variety of possible displays, ranging from a single red light to digital displays of voltage and current. These indicators are important and useful. Imagine driving across the country with no instrument panel in your car! A display system can indicate the flow of power into and out of the system, the approximate state of charge of your battery, and when various limits are reached.

If you want complete and accurate monitoring however, spend about US$200 for a separate digital device that includes an amp-hour meter. It acts like an electronic accountant to keep track of the energy available in your battery. If you have a separate system monitor, then it is not important to have digital displays in the charge controller itself. Even the cheapest system should include a voltmeter as a bare minimum indicator of system function and status.

Have It All with a Power Center
If you are installing a system to power a modern home, then you will need safety shutoffs and interconnections to handle high current. The electrical hardware can be bulky, expensive and laborious to install. To make things economical and compact, obtain a ready-built "power center." It can include a charge controller with LVD and digital monitoring as options. This makes it easy for an electrician to tie in the major system components, and to meet the safety requirements of the National Electrical Code or your local authorities.

Charge Controllers for Wind and Hydro
A charge controller for a wind-electric or hydro-electric charging system must protect batteries from overcharge, just like a PV controller. However, a load must be kept on the generator at all times to prevent the turbine from over-speeding. Instead of disconnecting the generator from the battery (like most PV controllers) it diverts excess energy to a special load that absorbs most of the power from the generator. That load is usually a heating element, which "burns off" excess energy as heat. If you can put the heat to good use, fine!

Is It Working?
How do you know if a controller is malfunctioning? Watch your voltmeter as the batteries reach full charge. Is the voltage reaching (but not exceeding) the appropriate set points for your type of battery? Use your ears and eyes-are the batteries bubbling severely? Is there a lot of moisture accumulation on the battery tops? These are signs of possible overcharge. Are you getting the capacity that you expect from your battery bank? If not, there may be a problem with your controller, and it may be damaging your batteries.

Conclusion
The control of battery charging is so important that most manufacturers of high quality batteries (with warranties of five years or longer) specify the requirements for voltage regulation, low voltage disconnect and temperature compensation. When these limits are not respected, it is common for batteries to fail after less than one quarter of their normal life expectancy, regardless of their quality or their cost.

A good charge controller is not expensive in relation to the total cost of a power system. Nor is it very mysterious. I hope this article has given you the background that you need to make a good choice of controls for your power system.


At Wholesale Solar, we will be happy to help find the products that are right for you. For pricing and product information give us a call. We'll also answer any questions you might have about your system.

Guest Post: Concrete Sidewalks and Concrete Curbs

Are you looking for a concrete contractor to replace, repair or install a new sidewalk or concrete curb?

While a curb, sidewalk and gutter might be thought of as a trivial part of your home or office, they play a bigger part than you first may think! Concrete sidewalk repair and concrete curbs, in good repair add to the overall value of your property because they increase the appearance greatly.

While the added outdoor appeal is fantastic, another aspect many don't consider is that a curb can also help keep you and your home, office and lawn protected from vehicles. A curb is a buffer to keep cars from parking on your grass, running over expensive plants and destroying your sprinkler system. Additionally, concrete sidewalk repair enable visitors to your home or office to enter the building with ease.

Commercial and residential paving contractors can provide a long list of services, including concrete sidewalk repair and concrete curbs. Here are some other services that you may be interested in as well:

Professional Concrete Installer Services 

• Decorative Concrete
• Sidewalk Concrete
• Driveway Concrete
• Concrete Crack Repairs
• New Concrete Projects
• Sidewalk Patios
• Sidewalk Installation
• Concrete Waterproofing
• Sidewalk Stamp Concrete - Stamped concrete is a new and popular trend for both commercial and residential customers alike. Different patterns of stamped concrete are available such as brick, flagstone, stone, and even tile and wood. Stamped concrete greatly compliments your property, driveway, pool deck, patio, and/or walkway.

Concrete Violation 

Have you received a sidewalk code violation due to cracked or sidewalks in need of repair? A local concrete contractor can visit your home or office to prepare a sidewalk estimate and discuss the sidewalk repairs with you or your property manager.

A professional concrete contractor can help you remove concrete violations, repair concrete cracks and have your sidewalk up to code in no time!

Proper Maintenance 

As a professional property manager, you must know that a progressive maintenance plan can greatly extend the life of your facilities parking lot, sidewalk and curbing. While improving the overall appearance of a commercial property, a well implemented maintenance plan based on local climate, the age and current condition of the parking surface can also prevent the headaches and the costs of replacing asphalt and concrete too often. A periodic inspection by your paving contractor can keep you advised of any potential repairs necessary and help you establish a schedule of service while keeping your within and a budget and meeting your facility's needs.

Join AI By The Bay on March 6-8 in San Francisco

AI By the Bay is the new AI conference from the creators of Data By the Bay, Text By the Bay, and Scala By the Bay. It consists of three days carefully structured to review AI area via learning with live coding (hai.ai), dig deep into a well-defined AI problem (self.driving.cars), and chart AI strategy with full-stack AI experts who both build AI systems and define its future (ai.vision).

Self.driving.cars speakers include:

VIRTUAL REALITY RIDES, 4K MAGIC, AND NOSTALGIA @ CES

Samsung 4D VR Ride, The fourth D stands for Dizzy

While everybody back in Silicon Valley was trying to stay dry during California’s recent weekend storm, two of Impekable’s developers got to spend the weekend in Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show, a place for tech companies from all over to show off their latest innovations. And these companies came prepared with more innovations than a NowThis Future video.

Extracting HL7 data using Talend and storing in Cassandra

Extracting HL7 data using Talend and storing in Cassandra

HL7 is a set of international standards used by clinical and healthcare providers to exchange information. This video explores using this HL7 data, extracting a few sample fields from it and then saving them into one of the popular NoSql database Cassandra.