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Sunday, June 9, 2019

Thank God I'm not a millennial!

Today I resolved to do two things - install the shower fan and switch and install the rear solar-input switch and wires. That was the plan. Looking at the box I'd mounted the switch in, there are two small mounting brackets molded into the plastic. Those I measured at exactly 1/8th inch diameter. That's way too small for my self-drilling screws. It's about the size of a 6-32 screw but I don't have any 6-32 rivnuts nor do I have any means to install a 6-32 rivnut as my rivnut puller doesn't have a thread that small.

In the end I decided to bodge it a bit and use the cables to secure the switch box against the ceiling until I can get some double-sided adhesive pads to slip between the box and the ceiling. That'll mean a trip to the store.
In order to put the switch in place I needed to crimp connectors onto the cables. The first of the two crimped on nicely. Crimping the second I had an almighty pain in my right arm. That was pretty much the end of work for today. I'd clearly upset an injury from last week to my elbow. I'd wondered what I'd done - clearly I'd torn or pulled a muscle somehow. My right arm strength is now much reduced.
So, today's two projects are being shelved until my arm heals. Both require crimping to be done. Posting the problem on a mechanics group got the response that I was a silly parsnip for not using a ratcheting cable crimper. In my defence I didn't know such a thing existed and had been using this obscenity from Radio Shack for the past 5 years.
Clearly I can't keep using that. I had a look online and found some from China but with August delivery dates. I need it way before then. At this point it's probably worth spending $20 - $25 for one locally than $5 on one from China that could take a couple of months to arrive - if it ever actually does arrive. I'm still waiting for my 10A self-resetting breaker. The tracking number, of course, is fake. Looking at the seller's feedback, they seem to suddenly have a large amount of negative feedback. So, that's something else to buy when I'm out and about again.

China and eBay seem to go in waves. I'll have a long period of success followed by short periods when everything either doesn't arrive or arrives but is junk. Right now the bus is pretty damned close to completed. It was completed before - or so I thought - then I went on a short trip and found out the shortcomings.

Left to complete - from memory (which is fickle):
  • Bathroom fan - including filling old screw holes with rivets.
  • External solar switch installation.
  • Installation of the cable from the main battery compartment to the distribution point under the bus - including installation of an as yet to arrive 10A self resetting breaker.
  • Attachment of some cable wraps to as yet unattached to beams using my air tool.
  • Installation of wires from the second charge controller into the battery compartment.
  • Construction of a battery holder to have a small battery in the battery compartment.
  • Installation of the new roof vent.
  • blanking off flush, the lower back door window.
I have had a problem with wasps under the bus. Today I believe two of the three I'd seen got inside the bus. I raced to the house and got the wasp spray, hitting them and knocking them down. The cockpit of the bus now smells like a refinery and that stuff leaves a nasty smell in my nose for ages after. With those dead, I hope there will be no more wasp nest under the bus.

I say Thank God I'm not a Millennial for two reasons. First - a millennial would go crying to their mommy or a physician or a psychiatrist. Second, unlike a millennial, I know its just an accident and there's nobody to blame or sue.

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