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Burning Man Projects 2023

Another burn is upon us! This year I got a chance to do some major infrastructure upgrades for the trailer and the truck, installing a much improved solar / battery system and an awning on the back for having additional space for more panels. I also started work on a fold away murphy bed, but had to pause as I ran out of time. I’ll get that done some time in the next year.

Last year I installed a 12v – 100AH battery, a 60A MPPT charge controller and 160 watts of panels for powering house lights and charging batteries. This system worked great, but I still needed to break out the 2000W honda generator when I needed to run AC or something more power hungry like the espresso machine. This was a real pain in 2022 as temperatures soared to 130F during the day, making getting up and turning on the generator in the mornings a sweaty no-fun experience.

I did some research into kits and found a Chinese supplier that sold a solar charge controller, panels, and a lithium iron phosphate “power wall” style battery. The total cost was about ~3k for the solar. Here is a breakdown of the specifications

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Burning Man Projects 2022

This year I had a huge opportunity to knock out some projects for the burn!

Usually I’m burried in startup work and just barely scrape away to go do that thing in the desert. This year I got a break right before and had a few weeks to really knock out art, and quality of life enhancements. I also planned a Tiki party the weekend before departure, so I was a bit stacked in the lead up to hitting the road.

I worked on two main projects for this year: Trailer upgrades and the Space Goats Sign.

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Dawn of the age of business.

It’s Business Time.

I haven’t updated this site in quite a while. The last time I was drawn to write, my good friend Justin Corwin has just passed on, we were still in the midst of the pandemic that will be a defining moment for the rest of our lives. I was working on fun projects for a small robotics focused incubator, but felt unfulfilled. To keep myself busy, I took on machine shop and engineering development work with the CNC mill and lathe I’d restored in my garage. I was making money, but I still didn’t feel like I had purpose.

304 Stainless is a cool material.

Over the last year, working on a small aerospace upstart called Vast, I found that purpose. One day I’ll be able to share that story, but for now my status is: amped to build something new.

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