Armed Polite Society

Quick note to all.

If you been sitting on the fence about replacing an aging central AC system, might want to do it before Jan 01, 2025. That's when the new R-454B refrigerant requirement goes into effect. Not only is it not backwards compatible, the new equipment will have internal leak detection systems adding to complexity and cost. If you have any problem after Jan 01 that requires replacement of either the coil or condenser, you're sunk. It's a whole new system or nothing. Buy a 410A system now and you'll get a less costly system which is good through at least the warranty period plus expected life of available replacement parts, and maintains the ability to accommodate parts-level repairs. Wait until after Jan 01 and you not only have a more expensive system to purchase, you also have a system that's also more expensive to service down the road because repairs will involve more instances of replacing entire modules rather than individual parts due to regulatory compliances.

HVAC buddy of mine clued me in when I called to schedule the heating system service-in. He's writing up a quote. It'll sting, badly, but not nearly as bad as a few years down the road with more expensive systems and several years worth of labor rate increases. In the interim, the increased system efficiency versus our 25 year old units will help offset some of the cost.

Maybe 280 or Jim will hop in to correct anything I've misunderstood (or gotten completely wrong).

Brad

One thing to keep in mind:

The last time I put in a dash cam it came with a cigarette liter plug, so 12VDC.  Looking at the current crop of dash cams it seems like USB-C is the standard plug now. While technically the USB-C Standard supports up to 20VDC, those Donger taps specify they output 5VDC, and the hardwire kits sold with the cameras all have a suspicious box like 10ft down the cable where you could hide it under the dash.

I'd want to double check what voltage my ~$250 camera takes before I just wired it up to battery voltage in the car.  If you do have to use the camera supplied hardwire kit, then it's long enough running the cable down to the dash is easier than stuffing it all in the headliner.

Just a thought.

The USB-C connector will support up to 20v, but the default power profile for all USB connector types is 5VDC. Anything with a USB connector, regardless of physical format, is designed for five volts. As you mentioned, the Dongar adapter and camera OEM wiring kits have internal voltage regulators for that purpose.

There are scenarios where higher voltages can be applied, but there's a handshaking protocol required to initiate the event.

Brad

"They are all too often handed out like candy."

Yo! You called?

Remember anything found on the internet take with an internet size grain of salt

Shabbos Kestenbaum
@ShabbosK
MUST SHARE: Ariane Tabatabai is the Pentagon official suspected of leaking highly classified Israeli intel. As a Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, she used her Harvard email to *communicate directly with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps* a U.S. designated terrorist group

https://x.com/ShabbosK/status/1848754802747961850

Just checked Lowes. $24 for 3/8 4x8. Anyone know how that compares to lets say 6 months to a year ago?

I just picked up some exterior 3/4" plywood a couple of weeks ago at Home despot for I think $38. I distinctly remember paying in the $70-80 range for one during the covid.