Chapter 475 - 24: Chinese Chess
After an entire rainy season’s onslaught, some water inevitably accumulated in the excavation pit.
Once the rain cover over the pit was removed, the insects residing in the dark, damp environment scattered in all directions.
Under Sunday’s command, the natives moved all the waterlogged wood to one place—
Once dried, these will be used as fuel.
Occasionally, insects climbed up the earthen walls of the pit, and worried about poisonous insects, Chen Zhou issued a "kill on sight" order in advance.
While directing the work, Sunday also used a shovel to slap at the insects, and although it wasn’t laborious, it was busy work nonetheless.
...
Moving, tidying up the original dwelling, dismantling the rain cover, organizing the wood...
Even with many people, all in their prime, these tasks took a whole day to finish.
While the natives and Sunday worked, Saturday was cleaning.
Meanwhile, Chen Zhou brought his precious photovoltaic panels and energy storage battery to the sunny hillside.
With the manuals for the photovoltaic panel and the energy storage battery in his pocket, Chen Zhou did not rush to connect them after reaching the flat slope; instead, he took the manuals out for a quick review.
Although he had read the manuals countless times, confirming the complete compatibility of the photovoltaic panel and the energy storage battery,
he dared not be careless with these crucial items that would bring him into the electrical age.
...
The island’s dry-season sun blazed down on the barren construction site, making everything seem white and hot air rise everywhere.
The thin paper of the manuals nearly turned transparent under the sunlight, showing the text from the other side.
Wearing a straw hat and squinting, Chen Zhou carefully went through the two manuals from cover to cover, and only after mastering all the details and procedures did he start the assembly.
To allow the photovoltaic panel to receive more sunlight, Chen Zhou custom-built a wooden stand for it.
According to the manual, the optimal tilt angle for the photovoltaic panel is the local latitude plus 5°~10°. If the latitude is between 0° and 25°, the panel can simply be set up according to the latitude itself.
Chen Zhou did not know the exact latitude of the island, but judging by the climate, he guessed it was not far from the equator, between 0° and 20°.
Therefore, the support he made had an inclination of about 20°.
If the photovoltaic panel and the energy storage battery were to work properly, Chen Zhou planned to observe the energy output efficiency of the photovoltaic panel for some time, and then adjust the stand’s angle if necessary.
...
Fetching nails, a hammer, and angle iron for reinforcing the corners of the wooden frame from the toolbox, Chen Zhou deftly assembled the wooden stand.
Then he moved a single photovoltaic panel, placing it into the recess reserved in the middle of the wooden stand.
After setting the photovoltaic panel in place, Chen Zhou gave the frame a nudge and, seeing it unmoved, then moved the energy storage battery under the frame, connecting it with the photovoltaic panel.
After inserting the DC charging port, Chen Zhou crouched down, retreating into the shade cast by the photovoltaic panel, quietly waiting for the changes on the energy storage battery display.
...
It might be because it hadn’t been charged for a long time, or due to low output efficiency of the photovoltaic panel, that Chen Zhou’s initial wait was particularly trying.
At first, he could stay patient and check the monitor every fifteen minutes.
Later, he grew more anxious, suspecting a malfunction in the photovoltaic panel, or a mismatch between the two, checking his watch every five minutes out of impatience.
The second hand moved inch by inch, and though he was in hiding, beads of sweat appeared between the strands of his short hair.
The wait and anticipation lasting more than half a month felt like a bubble that could burst at any moment, turning into disappointment before his eyes.
Thankfully, the small icon on the energy storage battery’s display screen, indicating charging, kept flashing slightly, offering great solace to Chen Zhou—
As long as the energy storage battery wasn’t damaged, it indicated that it was still charging, albeit slowly.
...
Finally, after waiting for an hour, the numbers on the energy storage battery’s display changed, jumping from 59 to 60.
Chen Zhou was observing the display at that moment, and the instant he saw the number turn to 60, he couldn’t help but almost jump for joy.
No matter how slow the charging speed, as long as the photovoltaic panel could charge the energy storage battery, he could use all the electrical appliances before the energy storage battery failed.
Consequently, many mechanical parts that couldn’t be manufactured before were no longer just empty talk.
The dust blower, lever torque meter, multimeter, oil filter wrench, LED strong light, oil seal hook, and from the metal blacksmith tool kit, the small electric furnace, infrared thermometer, small hydraulic press, welder, electric blower, and angle grinder would now have power.
Even if several energy storage batteries were fully charged, they would only support their operation for less than 24 hours, but that would suffice.
Having electricity would quickly resolve many issues that had previously troubled Chen Zhou.
For instance, the difficulties of crafting a twin-cylinder engine by hand—
The challenges of twin-cylinder synchronization and accuracy in air timing sequence control. Previously, he could only use hand-forging; even with calipers and measuring tapes to gauge the dimensions, there was no guarantee that hand-forged parts would be perfectly matched in size.
Now, using an angle grinder to cut was convenient and precise, and if needed, the pieces could be further trimmed to control precision.
There were also the issues of cylinder sealing and crankshaft concentricity.
Previously, steel could not be processed, and hand forging easily led to porosity and cracks, which was a challenge to the material’s pressure resistance. Now, with the angle grinder and welder, the cylinders made from modern steel are definitely reliable in high-temperature and high-pressure conditions.