I wanna install NetBSD on my original Raspberry Pi model B so bad, but I have so much wayyy more important shit to do first 😩

the plan is to eventually use it to monitor the UPSes and probably to control some on/off switches once I get those, and thus handle power control for the whole cluster in the event of power loss.

there is an actual point to this in that I have two long-term goals for my #CouchLab

1. be able to run it entirely off solar power

2. have it fully able to live in a vehicle (even a small one) as its permanent home

the latter is because it's very unlikely I will ever own a home, and with my sensory needs, getting a house on wheels is critically important.

widening the topic to the future life of this cluster in such a scenario, I have a general plan for that as well:

* use 35-watt tier (T-class CPU) #1LPC systems for now, with an eye to moving to 15-watt tier (U-class CPU) systems in another couple upgrade cycles; currently there isn't really a U-class equivalent of the T-class #TinyMiniMicro systems from the big manufacturers, NUC is about as standard as it gets.

* develop technique with gear on hand whenever possible, meaning continue using these ancient & crappy consumer UPSes with drop-in LFP batteries, use existing 15yo RasPi for control, but the point is to have the experience built up so I can quickly switch to a Pi Zero class system and a custom DC-DC UPS when the time comes.

also, I'm hoping by the time I'm ready to deal with my battery setup once and for all, it'll be real easy to do it with sodium-ion cells.

with respect to eventually converting the CouchLab to a #VanLab, and after having done some testing working (remotely from the lab) in a Nissan Versa, I've determined that a midsize to large sedan is my minimum viable product in that I'd be able to chill in it and get some computer touching done for a day or three without wishing for death. so eventually all this gear may need to live in the trunk of a 4th-gen Buick Regal or similar, which puts some constraints on things.

the setup I have right now wouldn't really be viable in a car that size, but I also am pretty unlikely to have such a car this year or the next, so I probably have plenty of time to evolve things toward reduced size and power consumption.

obviously I'd rather have a camper setup, and it'd be real cool to have it in an electric pickup truck or van because that'd solve a lot of power problems for me, but that may or may not ever happen, so I have to keep an eye on the lowest-budget possible solution to my problem of needing to get the hell away from noise & activity to be able to think.

there are also intermediate solutions between a sedan and a camper. I don't like Chrysler products but I keep hearing that the Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivan has developed a fairly healthy DIY following for whatever reason.