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I couldn't make it out but my bro and some others went to AZ. I got to build the Chevy and solar generator (ridged box) .. But I had to do some work.

I think an m12 powered fishing pool is a great idea. Albeit a bit of a gimmick it would be useful "fishing" wires.

Ya, I got lucky. I was still able to BBQ dinner for the wife so the 4th wasn't a total loss.

that Yeti is insanely overpriced. But in fairness they do make a $400 unit that works very well. I'll have a build log of this thing, I'm not trying to sell them so I don't mind sharing what I learn. This first build was quick and dirty. I wanted to get a system up and running and start testing. The next unit will offer more protections and capabilities. This build was cheap, but mostly because I already had most of the parts. I had the battery, new from one of those solar powered parking ticket booths. Bought a cheap 150Watt solar kit with charge controller. $50 inverter, USB waterproof panel mount chargers were about $20 on Amazon. I had wire and fuses, the Ridgid box, and LED strip lights. I want to upgrade to a pure sine wave inverter, better charge controller with auto AC charging switch, and the bigger battery. I think a proper inverter will be the bulk of $$$. But being an electrical engineer I'm certain I can build one, still the transformer is $$. I'm co-teaching a microcontroller class and have a few ideas for building a 'smart' generator but I don't want to get ahead of myself. The goal is to build a cheap unit that's easy to use.

I hurt myself today and I wanted to use this as an opportunity to reinforce safety and the importance of wearing full personal protective equipment. I was using a grinder and the cord snagged on something and the tool tipped, the cutting wheel broke apart and sent shards flying towards my face. I was wearing safety glasses but not a full face shield. A shard cut through my nostril, almost cut the tip of my nose right off. What I did wrong 1) took the simple task for granted and didn't wear full face shield 2) had removed the guard from the grinder in a previous job and didn't replace it 3)used an old cutting wheel What I can do to prevent this from happening again 1) do a better job of removing clutter from the work shop 2) wear ALL PPE, every time. No matter how quick or easy the job 3) use a new wheel on every project, spend the extra few $$ for the diamond wheel 4) don't be a dumbass (that ones hard)

First pic from the field test are in. Looks like the guys are checking on Dan & Eric

This is the Ridgid case I used. I also have a roller version with a much bigger battery. Everything is indeed modular and because it's also custom, I'm not worried too much about fit. I can hack, cut, and 3d print what I need to make things work. But if I go the M18 route, I'll switch over to a Milwaukee case so everything matches.

http://www.goalzero.com/mobile/p/138/goal-zero-yeti-1250-solar-generator-kit Just for reference, my build is a lot like the Yeti Solar Generators, except my design doesn't $$$ a sh*t load.

Protoolnut; I like the idea of a solar lawn mower, hell just hack the mower to self-drive and your in the money. I wanted to be able to provide lots of light with this generator so in the short term I bought one of those $100 husky LED work lights and rigged it to the system. Then I saw Milwaukee's new m18 work light and new monster battery. I'm thinking a red team branded solar generator that accepts M18 batteries could be cool. Dual purpose generator/cordless tool charger. After all when your building in BFE you can't just plug in a charger. The guys made it to AZ. I asked them to take some pics so I expect them tonight. They did send me this pic. 2015 Chevy Colorado Crew Cab Shortbed z71 4x4 . Not my truck but I'm doing all the build work. Not many upgrade yet but soon it will be an off-grid "Overlander". Installed some LED bed lights, CB, sliders, roiling bed cover with bed rails, rack, rack mounted folding tent, .. And a few other little things. I want to build a "port" - something for the solar generator to lock into. Charge from the truck while driving and power the truck while camping/working. Milwaukee Worklight: http://professional-power-tool-guide.com/2015/06/new-milwaukee-tool-lights-for-2015-first-look/ Milwaukee Battery: Husky Worklight:

Hello TIA. I have been busy and haven't posted much lately. Work has been consuming and Unfortunately I was laid off, but it's for the best. I'm back at school and working towards becoming a professor (electronics/Automation). Anyway, you clicked on this post to see a Ridged Solar Generator right? But first the backstory: It's July 4th weekend and a day most Veterans fear. Bombs bursting in air often trigger PTSD. Unfortunately many veterans won't be able to deal with their demons and 22 a day will commit suicide. Most likely even more this weekend. I don't mean to bum you out, but instead bring to light a serious problem. Withe the support of my wife and family I have started a non-profit. OG Vets, Off-Grid Veterans. Our goal is to provide education and assistance to Veterans who would benefit from an off-grid lifestyle. I have a little team and some land. My brother-in-Law bought some land in Arizona and has donated it to the cause. ogvets.org (don't expect much, godaddy special and not much content. A work in progress) Being an electrical guy the first project I wanted to tackle is a solar generator. A solar generator is a battery system that is recharged via solar and can source both AC and DC voltage. I had the idea to build the generator into a Ridged stacking toolbox case. I like how the feet fit together and I'm sure I can rig a "pad" that transfers power between boxes. Well last night I prototyped the build. I had to really rush the work because some of the crew is driving out to AZ (this morning) for the 4th. I'm staying behind to study. I worked all night and finished a simple iteration of the box. Really just a proof of concept. I had to scavenge parts and wires from my workshop, McGiver would be proud! Inside the box is a 12vdc deep discharge battery, 450Watt inverter, 4xUSB chargers, led light-bar, and some control/charging circuits. My next prototype will be more complete but for now this box really kicks butt! I bet you want to see it? Well, I finished about 10min before the crew left. I didn't get a chance to pictures and I didn't take the time to photograph the build because time I did not have! I'll text the crew though and ask them to send some photos. And they really have no excuse not to, considering they have 4g and unlimited power! Edit: add link for ogvets.org

Next upgrade should be some "smart vents" Example: http://www.keenhome.io/products/smart-vent Not a lot of people even know these thing exist but for a guy like me: 2 story house - single AC. Auto routing airflow save on cooling bills in the summer.

Very nice work, another win for Red Team.

Looks like they just jumped on 'coolest' wagon, trying to ride the success of the cooler kickstarter. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ryangrepper/coolest-cooler-21st-century-cooler-thats-actually My wife backed the cooler for me, gifted it to me for my last birthday. It might be crap but it's creative. The toolbox is some hipster garbage, IMO. I couldn't take that to site. It would break, or I would get laughed at. Either way, my tools are not going to fit. I'll pass.

Well I am working on an 8'-10' portable one. The biggest problem with the big one, when they run the AC full blast, it kills the tornado. The small 8-10' is going to be more a 'tornado' in a box design. Traveling exhibit or allow for comercial buildings to easily install a cool exhibit. My current project is a full audio design for Discovery Science in Santa Ana. 3 stories of low voltage, networking, and 100+ speakers, including a theater. Not as impressive but it's a good size project.

Actually you can walk through the tornado. It's not very strong, a few standard industrial fans and motor controllers. Some special engineering and programming. Standard parts, but creative engineering.

As you all pointed out sketch up is not really practical for a quick design. I do use it though, but I much prefer SolidWorks or Autodesk. The main problem with sketch up is the fact it is not a true 3d modeling software. By that I mean sketch up does not build 'solids' it builds faces that look like solids, in reality the solid is hallow. That means the software is rather dumb. Solidworks on the other hand kicks ass. There is a process called weldments. What that does is... You can simply draw lines. For example... Draw 4 lines in the shape of a box, draw a line from each corner of the box in the down direction. You have just drawer a simple table. All it took was 8 lines and about 30 secs. Then you hit the weldments icon and the real fun begins. You are able to select a material, everything from lumber (rough cut or true size), unistrut, pipe, flat/round/hex...etc stock... You select the size, and you assign your selection to the lines. Solidworks turns the line into the material you just specified, 100% complete with material properties (mass, density, appearance, diminsions, etc) it also gives you the option to specify corner treatment (butt, miter, etc) and quickly position edges. You can import premade fastness that are located inside Solidworks (screws, nuts, bolts, etc) and Solidworks will automaticaly create the hole with proper clearance and counter sink/bore as needed. But that's not the best part. Solidworks automaticaly generates a cut sheet based on the above. It groupes 'like' cuts and counts them. So.. For about 1min of work you can generate a cut list that is 100% accurate. Pre cut all your material, and assemble. Solidworks has an add on from a 3rd party that specializes in wood (dovetail, finger/box joint, ply wood sheet cut layout, materials, hardware, etc.) Honestly though, that software package is $$$$ and Solidworks is better left to mech design then woodworking & home building. Revit is a better choice or even AutoCAD inventor. Something I think a lot of people don't use when it comes to all the CAD programs, pre made parts. Tons of free stuff out thee, a good drafter is really just a copy past expert. (Not really that simple but..) Sketch-Up has their own free network of fully modeled parts. I have even done a project where I pulled up someone's house in Google earth, imported the satellite view into sketch up, created a solid model from the picture. Searched premade parts for swimming pools, placed a swimming pool in the model, uploaded the model back into google earth. Then showed the clients what their upgrades would look like on their house, in their neighborhood. Start to finish.. About 30 mins.. Its worth the effort if you that big job.

Maybe not for sale but you could build one. A rolling workbench is easy enough to build nd you can buy the motorized TV/projector lift. Alternatively, I was working on an automatic adjustable workbench with torsion box top. I have tossed around three basic designs. Small electric scissor lift/motorcycle lift. Electric linear actuator. Screw/chain/sprocket. http://www.firgelliauto.com/products/pop-up-tv-lift

Hello everyone, I know I have been MIA from posting for awhile but I do check in regularly and read everyone's post. It's great to see the forum growing, it seems like new members are joining everyday! The 'old' guys are really stepping up and owning the forum, your hard work shows! That's enough stroking your ego though, I'm posting today to show off my badass-ness! For those who don't know me, I'm a military vet (robotic weapons), have a background in industrial Maint & automation, electronic product design, CAD drafter (AutoCAD/Solidworks/etc), and hobbiest woodworker. I have a lot of skills and enjoy being creative. About a year ago I got a job with a pro audio video company. Although we are an AV company at heart, we specialize in the bizarre and 'creative'. Often we build exhibits and interesting interactives. One such project was a 20 foot indoor tornado. Yep, a big ass tornado that kids can control, play with, interact with, and even change the color of. I had a team backing me up but I was responsible for the overall design, SolidWorks drawings/Simulations, fabrication, and install. All my skills were put to the test, from structural engineering, metal work, fabrication, project management, electrical, ..... You get the idea. I think the tornado looks great, but I am a bit biased;) if your ever in the Los Angeles area, take a trip to the Discovery Science Center and check out all my hard work. A coworker made this YouTube video, although it doesn't show all the capabilities (color changing, intensity control, etc) it's still cool!

A stupid movie about two stoners trying to kill a Dictator, real life Dictator gets mad and hacks Sony, few days after the hack attack N.Korea's internet goes down ... oops. Is a movie worth all this stupid attention or is this about more than the movie, freedom of speech, freedom to challenge authority. Sony backed down, the movie theaters backed down, but the American people told Sony they are WRONG for folding. Sony released the film. Spreading like wildfire, this slapstick B-rated movie is now a patriotic obligation The Interview ... much debate and possibly the start of WW3 ? Either-way enjoy; Direct Download: https://mega.co.nz/#!EsIBTTqQ!7Jr4mouVnTDo8OkiRgiWdGkRf-w9xP9VsqOF2asXvIY Live Stream: http://m.movietube.co/watch.php?v=frsvWVEHowg

By the way, can you post a pic of the trailer. It would help me recommend a design.

I think staples jumped on the makerbot bandwagon. Basically the same machine in black.

Humm. I guess you guys don't prototype. The 3d printer has it's uses, proving a design in plastic before milling metal can save more then the cost of the printer. Besides that, printing a form that can be casted = Metal part. I have even printed replacement parts for tools. It's a tool like any other, know how to use it... Have a use for it, and it's great. Try to hammer in a nail with slip jaw pliers, don't get mad at the tool for not performing. Regardless, the low price of this printer reflects the advancement in tech. My 3d printer at work is over $30k, sure it's a lot better, he'll it can even print an AR Lower, I wouldn't fire a Dremel lower... Still, we are headed in the right direction. To tell the truth, the "toaster printing plastic doorstops" thing is funny, but very ignorant. It's not the material that limits the design, it's the user. I can build amazing things with a 3D printer, it's sad you limit your creations to doorstops.

So you need a battery for the trailer, the more amp-hours the better. Think of amp-hours as capacity, the battery is the "gas" for your inverter and the bigger the "tank"/ amp-hour, the longer you can run. Yellow top is the best because it can handle a deep discharge and the abuse your going to put it through. Buy one with a 3 year warranty and you will most likely be able to turn it in before the warranty expires and get a new one. I'm not telling you to break your battery intentionally but it happens. (If $$$ is an issue then you can get by with a regular battery and upgrade later. Also, you can build your system in stages... Upgrading as needed) It's best to keep your battery in a purpose built box, you can buy a battery box that's ready to mount and holds 2 batteries. If you wire your batteries in parallel you keep the 12v but increase the current. Alternatively you can wire your batteries in series and create a 24v system, but your going to need an inverter and gear rated for 24v. It's often easier to run 12v. It's important to use the correct gauge wire, box, and fuse. Batteries can catch fire and explode! You will need a way to charge the battery, solar is great if you plan to use the trailer on site or camping. You can also wire it to charge off your trucks electrical system. This method is faster then solar but requires modification to your truck and obviously your truck needs to be running for your trailer to charge. Also you will need to install a battery isolator. Last, you can just plug a battery charger in when needed. Might be a cost effective way to start your project but I'm sure plugging in your trailer every night will be a pain in the ass. You can combine the three for the ultimate system. I can provide a schematic when I'm at my computer (typing on iPad) but here are some options. Easy & Cheap One battery on trailer, fused with 120v battery charger wired. Will require you to plug in the trailer when charge is needed. LED's run off 12v, additional 12v automotive cigarette lighter socket provided. 12v tool battery charger, 12v coffee maker. Battery fused to inverter, 120v plug from inverter with on/off switch on +DC of inverter, breaker on plug. Better One or two batteries, charging system provided from truck Best Two batteries, charging from truck, solar, and battery maintainer via 120v. Sound system and blender for margaritas

Hey Ricky, what's your power requirements for the trailer. Do you need portable 120v and 12v? Do you want your truck to charge your trailer? Do you own any hardware yet? If so, what do you have?

Some-how I got stuck working today but my wife got the day off, she said Veterans Day is for the wives. Most of the guys on site today were veterans, all the admin and non vets took the day off, go figure.