Can You Beat Us at DIY Solar? Hosts vs Chat Game Show - Unplugged LIVE Replay

Welcome back to Unplugged LIVE. This week is a first for the show: the episode got prerecorded and airs as a premiere. Around midday on taping day the crew found out they could not make the live show, so Eric, Rodney, and Adam fired up the cameras that evening and recorded a hangout instead of skipping the week. Eric calls it the behind the scenes preview to the after show. The night is pure catching up: Rodney's new business startup with its LLC, DBA, and insurance paperwork, Adam's phone-heavy week at the day job, the Vegas airport story with the unattended bag and the mystery hallway between terminals, camping at Queen Wilhelmina State Park in Arkansas, and a snapped line set that took out the mini split for good, which turns into a talk about why those R-410A units stopped being sold. The back half gets better still: the combiner box build on screen with its raceway and conduit, the truck story that ends in DMV paperwork, a sunshine report check with demo numbers filling in for the chat, two years of streaming history with the first stream dates and RE+ as the one miss, a look back at the very first stream that sparked the reaction video idea, the 20 to 30 minute after show pitch, AI agents talk, and a recommendation for a roof drone security build tested in a mock robbery. Topics in this episode: Why this week is a prerecorded premiere Rodney's business startup: LLC, DBA, and insurance Adam's week at the day job The Vegas airport story Queen Wilhelmina State Park camping The dead mini split and the R-410A problem The combiner box build The truck story: broken belt and the DMV Sunshine report check with demo numbers Two years of streams A look back at the very first stream The after show pitch Roof drone security platform Tell us where you want more: the members-only after show or the meetup with us at RE+ in Las Vegas. Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSceF6zNXxLURMrxcDpWaoCXf7Z63xrcGNg-zWRE-MEb5m-FAA/viewform Support the show through our partners: Signature Solar: signaturesolar.com and Current Connected: currentconnected.com. Use code GET50UNPLUGGED for $50 off orders of $500 or more. Disclosure: Some links above are affiliate links. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. The hosts: Eric (Home Energy Independence), Rodney (Rodney Hunt), and Adam (Adam De Lay DIY). Unplugged LIVE streams Thursdays at 8 PM Eastern and 7 PM Central on the Unplugged DIY Solar channel. Email the show: [email protected]

Tonight on Unplugged LIVE, we are making solar charge controllers easier to understand and helping you avoid common budget traps. Start with the basics of PWM versus MPPT: how each technology handles solar panel voltage and current, the power losses cheap PWM controllers cause, how to spot fake "MPPT" knockoffs on Amazon, and real-world examples that help you pick the right controller for your setup. The back half gets personal: Rodney announces his two-week notice live on air, Adam tests the Vatrer WiFi battery communications against his other battery brands, and the chat swaps its first controller stories, including the legendary budget specials that would not die. The episode closes with the solar farm debate: farmland versus parking lots. Topics in this episode: Why you can never wire a solar panel straight to the battery PWM explained: the light switch approach and where it falls apart The PWM power loss math on a real 300 watt panel MPPT explained: finding the sweet spot and running high voltage panels Side by side: PWM near 70 percent, MPPT near 97 percent How to spot a fake MPPT: weight, price, and voltage tells When PWM is actually the right call The PWM versus MPPT decision checklist for your build Rodney puts in his two-week notice Adam tests the Vatrer WiFi battery against his other brands Your first controller stories from the chat The solar farm debate: farmland versus parking lots Support the show through our partners: Signature Solar: signaturesolar.com and Current Connected: currentconnected.com. Use code GET50UNPLUGGED for $50 off orders of $500 or more. Disclosure: Some links above are affiliate links. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. The hosts: Eric (Home Energy Independence), Rodney (Rodney Hunt), and Adam (Adam De Lay DIY). Unplugged LIVE streams Thursdays at 8 PM Eastern and 7 PM Central on the Unplugged DIY Solar channel. Email the show: [email protected]

Welcome back to Unplugged LIVE. This week the crew goes back to basics: volts, amps, watts, and battery capacity, explained the way we wish someone had explained it to us. The night opens with Eric's new security camera rollout, then flows into open Q&A pulled straight from the live chat, where the battery math takes over the show. Adam builds the water tank analogy on screen: voltage is pressure, amps are flow, and watt hours are the size of the tank. The crew works a real example: a 100 Ah 12 V battery holds about 1.2 kWh, and once you pick a depth of discharge you can math out how long a refrigerator runs and what actually happens at midnight when the power goes out. Battery bank state of charge drift, balancing, and the equal cable length myth get settled too. The back half covers the Section 232 polysilicon proclamation and what it may do to panel prices: a 15 percent tariff plus price floors of $21 per kilogram for polysilicon and $0.38 per watt for modules, effective December 4, 2026. Plus the EG4 12000XP warranty story, array grounding and ground rods answered from a viewer super chat, the Sunshine Roll Call (the community logged just over a megawatt hour this week), Eric's FlexBoss21 zero production mystery, and RE+ Vegas logistics. Topics in this episode: Back to basics night: volts, amps, watts, and battery capacity The water tank analogy: pressure, flow, and tank size Watt hours vs amp hours The 100 Ah 12 V battery: how much energy is really in there Depth of discharge and usable capacity Refrigerator runtime and sizing a battery bank What happens at midnight when the grid goes down State of charge drift, balancing, and the equal cable length myth Raspberry Pi 5 as a Solar Assistant node EG4 12000XP warranty story: swap or fix the old inverter The Section 232 polysilicon proclamation explained The $21/kg polysilicon floor and $0.38/W module floor from December 4, 2026 Copper, grounding rods, and array grounding Sunshine Roll Call: 29 on screen, community just over 1.1 MWh this week Rodney 136.1 kWh in North Carolina on a storm day Eric's zero production FlexBoss21 tampering mystery Copper thieves, trail cams, and protecting the homestead RE+ Vegas meetup: tickets, rooms, and plans Links and resources: Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/Bf7cb7rDnKk Signature Solar: https://signaturesolar.com/?ref=unplugged&utm_source=yt&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep40 - use code GET50UNPLUGGED for $50 off orders over $500 Current Connected: https://currentconnected.com/?ref=AzzpK9Fl&utm_source=yt&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep40 Watch and follow the Unplugged crew: Unplugged DIY Solar Adam De Lay DIY Rodney Hunt Eric | East Texas Homestead Home Energy Independence Watch us live every Thursday at 8 Eastern on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@unpluggedsolar Have a question or a solar setup to share? Email us at [email protected] with subject "Unplugged". Disclosure: This description contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. Safety note: DIY solar, batteries, inverters, grounding, and backup power wiring can involve dangerous voltages, fire risk, and code requirements. Consult qualified professionals and follow local code and manufacturer instructions.

It is the first episode of Unplugged Weekly, our new weekly DIY solar news format. Eric, Rodney and Adam break down the week in DIY solar: the news, the sunshine report board, and Q&A pulled straight from the live chat. The big story: a federal judge has restored the $7 billion Solar for All program after the EPA terminated it in August 2025. Two court rulings put the money back in play in September. Adam walks through what the program funds, and how to search your state name plus "solar for all" to find the grants and see who qualifies. Then New Jersey legalized plug-in balcony solar: up to 1,200 W per home, UL 3700 certified gear, no utility approval, no city permit, and landlords and HOAs cannot ban it. It takes effect March 1, 2027. Also this week: Pila Energy launched its plug-in mesh home battery at NY Climate Week (it powers out of a standard 120V outlet, and the crew digs into whether mesh anything here is real or a buzzword), UL launched a certification program for vehicle to grid so your EV can double as an 80 to 100 kWh home battery, and Goal Zero recalled 46,200 Yeti 3000X power stations because the circuit board can overheat (the fix is free firmware at recallsupport.goalzero.com). Plus hurricane season prep: test your backup power now, and how to size an inverter generator around the 75 percent sweet spot. Q&A covers rapid shutdown on a detached pergola, the AI agents Eric runs behind the scenes (Hermes, Ollama Cloud, Codex), Tigo CCA with the EG4 12000XP, where to buy panels in the southeast, and the RE+ Vegas meetup taking shape with a form coming on the website. Topics in this episode: The first Unplugged Weekly news format episode Solar for All is back: a federal judge restored the $7B program How to find Solar for All grants in your state and who qualifies New Jersey balcony solar goes legal: 1,200 W, UL 3700, no permit, HOAs cannot ban it Pila Energy plug-in mesh home battery: real or buzzword? UL vehicle-to-grid certification: your EV as an 80 to 100 kWh home battery Goal Zero Yeti 3000X recall of 46,200 units and the free firmware fix Hurricane season prep: test your backup power before the storm Generator sizing around the 75 percent inverter sweet spot Rapid shutdown on a detached pergola The AI agents Eric runs: Hermes, Ollama Cloud, Codex Tigo CCA with the EG4 12000XP Where to buy panels in the southeast RE+ Vegas meetup taking shape (form coming on the website) Sunshine report: 174 kWh channel high from SurgeonTech in cloudy Arizona, 37 reporters on screen, Eric closed with 6.3 kWh in Texas Links and resources: Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/iT_lSmT5awQ Goal Zero Yeti 3000X recall fix: https://recallsupport.goalzero.com Pila Energy: https://www.pilaenergy.com/ Signature Solar: https://signaturesolar.com/?ref=unplugged&utm_source=yt&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep39 - use code GET50UNPLUGGED for $50 off orders over $500 Current Connected: https://currentconnected.com/?ref=AzzpK9Fl&utm_source=yt&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep39 Watch and follow the Unplugged crew: Unplugged DIY Solar Adam De Lay DIY Rodney Hunt Eric | East Texas Homestead Home Energy Independence Watch us live every Thursday at 8 Eastern on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@unpluggedsolar Have a question or a solar setup to share? Email us at [email protected] with subject "Unplugged". Disclosure: This description contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. Safety note: DIY solar, batteries, transfer switches, generator interlocks, and backup-power wiring can involve dangerous voltages, fire risk, fuel and CO risk, and code requirements. Consult qualified professionals and follow local code. Never run a generator indoors, in a garage, or near windows.

What products are the DIY solar manufacturers missing, and what would they make a killing on if they built it? Eric walked in blind to the topic, so every idea is worked out live, with the chat pile of AAA answers folded in. We cover the centralized communications hub every DIYer wants (the Victron Cerbo model that nobody else copies), the USB dongle grind, a brand agnostic monitoring hub and why it also solves the FCC remote access question, the universal battery communication hub and the battery to battery BMS Tower of Babel (JBD, Pace, Seplos, Pylon), Meshtastick and MeshCore control of inverters with no Wi-Fi, and the two GitHub projects that already exist for it. Plus Eric's watertight solar pergola roof and panel gasket ideas, the solar company that ships your whole kit with wiring diagrams and permit paperwork, the smart breaker and CT per circuit ideas, the inverter that auto starts a generator and the water heater timer trick for Chargeverter loads, alternator charging for 48 volt banks, a dedicated cell level battery screen that pairs like the Blue Eddy fridge power display, PoE powered monitoring per breaker, a customizable MPPT, a 120 volt smart outlet built into the side of the inverter, EcoFlow's Wi-Fi reconnection flaw, EV to MPPT high voltage handshake ideas, and the sunshine report with production totals from around the country. Topics in this episode: The R&D wish list format: what product should exist but does not Victron Cerbo: the single hub model and why nobody else copies it Dongle fatigue: four inverters, four dongle setups, zero local buffering Solar Assistant and the USB hub question Meshtastick and MeshCore: inverter control with no Wi-Fi, two GitHub projects already exist The solar company that ships wiring diagrams, labels, and permit help Chargeverter timer tricks: 240V water heater timers and smart plugs Smart breakers with timers and the whole smart panel price reality EV batteries under a trailer floor and the EG4 RX 60 under false floor idea Time of day charge windows and Blue Eddy battery maintenance mode Universal battery communication hub: JBD, Pace, Seplos, and Pylon all speak their own talk Per breaker PoE monitoring and the Emporia view comparison Customizable MPPT: low voltage high amps vs high voltage low amps Victron 8kW native split phase for the US market rumors EV to MPPT: the high voltage handshake problem and two step down idea Alternator charging for 48 volt: EcoFlow and Blue Eddie Sunshine report: 1.2 MWh channel day, 31 reporting, average 40.5 kWh, weekly highs 775 CTX and 289.4 WI RE Plus Vegas mid November: videos, live streams, and a possible meet and greet Eric's Solar Ports build on East Texas Homestead, new videos every Tuesday Links and resources: Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/BA2lvB1uTtk Eric's Solar Ports build series: https://www.youtube.com/@EastTexasHomestead Signature Solar: https://signaturesolar.com/?ref=unplugged&utm_source=yt&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep38 - use code UNPLUGGED50OFF for $50 off orders over $500 Current Connected: https://currentconnected.com/?ref=AzzpK9Fl&utm_source=yt&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep38 Watch and follow the Unplugged crew: Unplugged DIY Solar Adam De Lay DIY Rodney Hunt Eric | East Texas Homestead Home Energy Independence Watch us live every Thursday at 8 Eastern on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@unpluggedsolar Have a question or a solar setup to share? Email us at [email protected] with subject "Unplugged". Disclosure: This description contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. Safety note: DIY solar, batteries, transfer switches, generator interlocks, and backup-power wiring can involve dangerous voltages, fire risk, fuel and CO risk, and code requirements. Consult qualified professionals and follow local code. Never run a generator indoors, in a garage, or near windows.