How to Install 21st Century Equipment in a 19th Century environment

 
It is always going to be interesting when a statement is made at the Works which goes as follows: “I see we have a half a million rand satellite system which connects us to the world, but can someone tell me when we are going to have running water in the toilets”.
 
Couple this statement with the fact that Ghana Electricity has not quite made it to the workshop site and you can place bets that the installation is going to be a problem.
 
Problem one: It appears that when you DHL a system to Accra in Ghana, despite there been a direct flight from Joburg to Accra, DHL believe in well traveled goods and will send the package via Lagos.  So of course when Lagos has a strike, your package will be delayed.
 
Problem two: When you get around to installing the system, the fact there is no wired electricity is but a small problem. This is adequately resolved by the use of a Generator that powers the site during the day. The complication then comes in when the voltage measured between live and earth exceeds the voltage allowable by the card manufacturers, and the resultant “pop” does not bode well.
 
Problem three: Ordering spares from South Africa is a simple thing, but the insistence of using DHL a second time starts worrying me. Via Lagos once again, and two packets arrive in Accra after the due delay. The issue that starts you tearing your hair out arises when the two parcels addressed to the same company are placed in two different trucks. Result – one box arrives on one day and the other box arrives the following day.
 
Problem four: Once everything is connected and goes through rectifiers and regulators and UPS’s, the system is up and running and testing can begin.  Testing goes really well, email “flies” up the line (as fast as something can fly up a 64KB line) and we work out that you cannot use the comms as well as receive email.  This requires setup change in SA and is apparently a simple issue to resolve.  What is not that simple is when the UPS’s start beeping and while Frikkie is trying to find out what the issue is, everything goes blank and there is no power.  What now appears to be the problem is the voltage that comes into the plugs is around 190, instead of the normal 220-240 that is expected.  As per their design, the UPS makes up the voltage from the battery and in short order, the batteries are flat.  The main reason is that the Genset is used for welders, grinders and other nice equipment. Simple way to resolve this, by a small 6.5kVa gennie and run the sat system off this equipment.
 
Problem five:  I bet you were thinking, they not going to be able to find a small genset….  Welllll   you wrong, that took one phone call to the local steel supplier/landlord/pump supplier/generator supplier and we had the choice of gensets all EX STOCK!!!! Now you come to the problem that have plagued accountants and engineers for years.  The accountant says, start the gennie, make up an extension cord and plug the system in.  The engineer says, we have to build a plinth, bolt the genset down, cover it from the elements, rewire the part of the building that feeds the system to ensure that no aircons will draw power from the small genset and eventually we will have 220v at the plug.  For those of you that know me… you will guess what happened and know that after remembering to go and purchase petrol and oil, the little unit was quite happily puttering away providing power.
 
Problem six: It appears that when you run a UPS flat flat… it needs time to recharge again.  Taking into consideration it is now 5pm, and we have been up since 5am (see previous posts), lets go home and rest before we raise the beast again the next day.  The little genset is left puttering away happily, with dire warnings to the security guards if it is not there in the morning.
 
Problem seven: Wonder upon wonders the genset is still there, puttering away hoppily as we decide to try and switch over to the big genset to run the system in the day. Problem remains. Not enough voltage, battery’s drain and 30 minutes later we back to square one. Restart small genset and resign ourselves to running the small gennie 24/7.
 
Problem eight: A simple planning exercise, we have run out of petrol
 
Problem nine: Petrol is duly obtained, and it is discovered that the container used to transport the petrol is a container that normally would hold sulphuric acid. That’s never really a problem as long as it did not have a quantity of sulphuric acid in the container which quite happily mixes with petrol and gives the petrol a lovely black color which fortunately is noted as an attempt to fill the gennie tank is made.  Solution is simple, send nice man out again with a (now) verified clean container to get more petrol. 
  
 The fact that you have read this means it is working :>