OMG 85% but then what happened?

This afternoon I went to the bus to check the voltages and I could see a very impressive 12.9v and 85% capacity on the battery. It was another really good, sunny day. That looked very promising.

Meanwhile, having not slept too well and having only just about recovered from the dehydration of the day before I didn't start work until well into the afternoon. By then, of course the area in which I was working was shaded by trees. That was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Using a shovel, a repaired rake and my wonky wheelbarrow (yes, the tyre is flat and it leans to one side) I started work. Just look at that equipment. Millennials would throw their hands up in horror - not a switch, a dial or an LCD display anywhere. Fully manual and proven technology. Shovels have been around since the Bronze Age. Wheelbarrows since 200AD and rakes since 1874.  The most modern technology there is a rake invented 150 years ago.

Within a few hours I'd created really quite a good little parking area or rather got a lot further with my parking area. Now I have made a great big howler. I did not put tarp down first and I did not weedwhack the weeds so now they're springing through my crush and run. I'll put a tarp down over it all in a few days. I have to go to Lowes or somewhere to buy a tarp or black groundsheet or something. The alternative is pesticide and I don't want to release chemical toxins into the environment.

By the time I called it a day, I had very little left of my pile of crush and run. That 10 ton pile has now got down to probably about a ton. That I shall use tomorrow to patch areas that are thin, to tidy up the closest edge and to extend in another direction for parking a car. It looks like I might need another 3-5 tons at this stage.

So, back to the batteries. In the evening when I checked, they were hovering around 57% and the Renogy thingy was claiming 12.3v while the other meter was claiming 12.2. Near enough as to make no difference. I'm holding off on new batteries until the RJ45 dongle comes in from China. Then, assuming that works as it should, I should know definitively what is going on as it'll read the settings on the Renogy thing that don't appear on the screen.

Seriously, how half-assed is it for Renogy to flog a Chinese charge controller that collects information but won't let you read it until you buy another gizmo? The Renogy branded gizmo is at least $45. The one that I'm getting from the Chinese virus lab is exactly the same but less than half the price at $18 including $6 shipping. I wasn't about to blow $45 on a gizmo for the Renogy when as my readers already know, I'm unimpressed by anything Renogy pedals.

I did get a pile of 18650 batteries to put together to make a big battery to replace my probably failing lead acid batteries. Then I found the Renogy thingy wasn't ready to accept a 14.8v battery. That puts me back into looking for another battery but all is not lost. I still have use for the batteries. It's a different use and that will have to wait for drone project B or C.

Having got a few things from Aliexpress and found them to be a bit cheaper and better than stuff on eBay, I'll probably turn to Aliexpress for my lithium battery. BangGood was another recommended alternative. Amazon is right off my list and the Walmart site seems just to be a clone of Amazone - same as Newegg is,

Onward and upward. Tomorrow, all being well, I should knock out the rest of that pile of crush and run.