Aaah yes, Jono now makes content for Victron, since he is quite good at it.

 

Lots of shots in that video that brings bacj memories... Schiphol airport, that railway system for buying tickets :-)

Edit: This contains shots of the Almere offices. R & D is up in the North in Groningen, it's a lot more boring but also more exciting.

Edited October 21, 20186 yr by plonkster

36 minutes ago, plonkster said:

Aaah yes, Jono now makes content for Victron, since he is quite good at it.

What a life!

Here's the first one he's made so far.
 

 

He has a calm and clear way of explaining things, I can see (hear) why the "blue team" asked him

15 hours ago, plonkster said:

Here's the first one he's made so far.
 

 

After moving my equipment and installing the second MPPT, i connected via the victron Connect app. I wanted to make sure the settings on both were the same. To my surprise the app indicated the New 75/15 needed some firmware upgrade, very easy, click "Yes" and everything happens in the back ground. Connected to the old one and obviously it did the same. 

Was impressed with how easy everything was. 

 

1 hour ago, Jaco de Jongh said:

To my surprise the app indicated the New 75/15 needed some firmware upgrade

The firmware they load during manufacturing is always a few versions old, not to mention that stock tends to sit a few weeks or months before you get it. For example, The Multis shipping now in SA has firmware version 424, which is about 9 months old, 430 being the latest. So whenever you install new Victron stuff... part of that install is updating the firmware :-)

14 minutes ago, plonkster said:

part of that install is updating the firmware :-)

I am not sure how long this remote update is available, but this was the first time it brought it up automatically, Seeing it for the first time was a surprise to me. 

I gave 2 cables away, now I am stuck with only one (Permanently mounted for monitoring purposes). Need to get another spare so I could check the rest of the blue stuff on my wall.  

21 hours ago, plonkster said:

Schiphol airport

I have spent a whopping 4 hours of my life in the Netherlands, and all 4 of those where in Schiphol Airport.

But I had the time of my life, I walked to as many vendors as I could and spoke as much Afrikaans as I could to see how far that got me

But some of them didn't want to play ball and swapped over the English :/

 

1 hour ago, PJJ said:

But some of them didn't want to play ball and swapped over the English :/

Indeed, they tend to do that. Some get irritated with you, because it may sound like you're talking "baby talk" with them. Others compliment you, saying that your dutch is very good. At a restaurant, the waitress said: Aaah, you're speaking old dutch! (I suppose that could be true... it did branch off some 350 years ago).

Kunt je wat langzamer spreken. Opens doors sometimes :-)

Edited October 22, 20186 yr by plonkster

Not to detail this too much... even if this thread is named n my honour. But one of the words I was really happy to know while going gift shopping for the family, is not a Dutch word originally: Cadeautje. It's from French. Cadeau is a gift, and as per usual, the tje makes it small. So if they ask you if it is a cadeautje, what they are really asking is if you want it wrapped.

7 minutes ago, plonkster said:

Jaco said

"Need to get another spare so I could check the rest of the blue stuff on my wall.  "

Then Plonkster commented

"Cadeau is a gift, and as per usual, the tje makes it small. So if they ask you if it is a cadeautje, what they are really asking is if you want it wrapped."

So if I read this together, I must then "assume" Jaco needs to indicate if he wants the cable wrapped... 

2 hours ago, plonkster said:

The firmware they load during manufacturing is always a few versions old, not to mention that stock tends to sit a few weeks or months before you get it. For example, The Multis shipping now in SA has firmware version 424, which is about 9 months old, 430 being the latest. So whenever you install new Victron stuff... part of that install is updating the firmware :-)

It seems that the upgrades can only be done via an Apple device?

 

2 hours ago, PJJ said:

I have spent a whopping 4 hours of my life in the Netherlands, and all 4 of those where in Schiphol Airport.

But I had the time of my life, I walked to as many vendors as I could and spoke as much Afrikaans as I could to see how far that got me

But some of them didn't want to play ball and swapped over the English :/

 

I spent a fair amount time in the Netherlands in 1990. Being tall and blonde I was mistaken for a local. When I answered in Afrikaans I was immediately identified as a country bumpkin from the Friesian Islands.

1 hour ago, Antony said:

It seems that the upgrades can only be done via an Apple device?

Works perfectly fine on most of my Android devices (two out of three). Works well on an ancient Samsung Note II, as well as on my new Huawei. I have a S4 mini with a custom ROM on it and on that one the bluetooth doesn't work properly (but it does with a fitbit). So nothing more than the usual "some devices have issues" stuff.

4 hours ago, PJJ said:

I walked to as many vendors as I could and spoke as much Afrikaans as I could to see how far that got me

But some of them didn't want to play ball and swapped over the English 😕

 

3 hours ago, plonkster said:

Indeed, they tend to do that. Some get irritated with you, because it may sound like you're talking "baby talk" with them.

Listening to this , I am not sure what to make of my experience. While working in the baking industry a few years back I had to order spares from Capway Systems in Utrecht, from the first time I phoned them, they asked me to rather speak in Afrikaans, maybe they did not like English............. or maybe they did not like "MY" English...

3 hours ago, Antony said:

So if I read this together, I must then "assume" Jaco needs to indicate if he wants the cable wrapped... 

No sir... thats not it, I am a much better giver than receiver... If its wrapped in the invoice indicating the price I payed for it, I don't mind at all, but that is the only wrapping I like. 

Even my Children cant understand it, I love giving them gifts, but all the gifts they give me still sits in my top closet, most of them still wrapped...