Author: Nancy

As our warm weather begins in earnest, I want to thank everyone who has supported the Roadrunner Comfort project. Starting with Professor Frank Reinow, who introduced me to incubator programs at New Mexico Tech, to robotics graduate student Steven Lukow whose hardware design served as the basis for our current design (he went on to work for Los Alamos Labs), to Oni Miller at TLC Plumbing & Heating, whose partnership in product rollout has been invaluable, to those homes that took in our test units, to our first customers, to those of you just reading this, you have made the Roadrunner Comfort a reality. You helped birth the next-generation evaporative cooler controller that brings unsurpassed performance to existing swamp coolers at a bargain price. We have done this while generating a bare minimum of waste, most of that consisting of compostable plastic as we learned how to 3D print reliably. We still use compostable plastic, although we think of our product lifetime in terms not of years, but of decades. Anything less is unacceptable. Our controls sometimes replace others that have been in place for decades and still function as designed. We aim for the same kind of life expectancy.

We also aim for unsurpassed user-friendliness. Your cooler controller should not require much attention. When you want to change a setting, it should be as easy the first time as the fiftieth. It should be so easy that you don’t have to remember how to use it.

This year TLC is selling our first 100 controllers paired with a new swamp cooler from our Aussie friends at Seeley International. So far the only problem we’ve heard of is when testers at TLC couldn’t connect it to wifi because their wifi network name (not their password) had a space in it, and these first units could not include a space in the network name (passwords don’t allow spaces, so no problem there). That problem is fixed for future production, and no other problems have been reported, either with new customers or in our test homes where users have been relying on their Roadrunner Comfort controllers for two years now. No problems is music to my ears, and what we all want everyday. Roadrunner Comfort will not add to yours.

This picture of a roadrunner enjoying the breeze from a cooler was generated by AI picture generator DALL-E 2 and then edited by me. AI is even scarier than the internet which brings thieves into our homes. But it’s too powerful a tool to leave to scoundrels.

Until my next infrequent post, thanks for reading and for your support for the Roadrunner.

~ Nancy

I find myself getting better and better at communicating with animals. This gives me great pleasure, and hope for a better future. They have great wisdom built into their very existence.

This doesn’t keep me from spending the bulk of my time immersed in technology. I’m an omnivore when it comes to tech, at least up to a point. I enjoy doing product, electronics and mechanical design, as well as graphics, writing, and more. 3D printing is a gas (when it’s not giving you ulcers) and I love programming in C, though I’ve read that Rust is the new overwhelming favorite programming language, so I may be enjoying that before long.

I want the Roadrunner Comfort to support Matter (the new standard for smart home devices), but I’m not ready to tackle that integration yet, at least not by myself. The tools for developing Matter-based products aren’t yet user-friendly enough for me. But they are improving, it’s just a matter of time.

Right now, I have plenty of other things demanding my attention, not the least of which is shepherding the Roadrunner Comfort into production. Testing has gone well, though the number of units in actual use remains smaller than I had hoped. Not unexpectedly, design glitches (fortunately minor) delayed things, and like most engineering projects, this one is running somewhat slower than hoped for. At the same time, though, reliability and extended product lifetime are looking solid.

I’ve prepared production-level documentation for the existing product which could be built almost anywhere and sold widely with healthy margins. I’m working on establishing production, distribution and support networks, something that, were I employed by an existing company, would have been done by someone else and completed by now. But, as I mentioned, I’m an omnivore, and I’m not in a hurry. The Roadrunner Comfort is a product that will last for decades in people’s homes. In some cases it will replace controls that have been in place for many decades. Such older tech should never be replaced with something less reliable, efficient, or easy to use. So taking the time to get it right is my job #1.

Obviously, I’m not great at maintaining this blog. Sorry! In my defense, I’ve been busy.

The last year saw good progress on the Roadrunner Comfort, if less than I was hoping for. But here is a list of good things that happened:

• My close cooperation with TLC Plumbing, New Mexico’s leading HVAC provider, continued. They only installed a few units out of the 100 they bought from me, but made key contributions to improving the product. I’m looking forward to delivering improved product to them for 2023 and continuing to work closely with them moving forward. Oni, Robert, and Keanu, you guys rock!

• I improved the user interface for entering Wifi login and on/off times to work more like a contemporary phone.

• I eliminated the irritating “Reading Temperature Sensor” screen that froze out user interaction for some seconds when the sensor was accessed once every minute. Also, when the display is sleeping it no longer lights up once a minute to show that message.
• The controller now pairs with an individual Bluetooth temperature sensor, enabling multiple controller/sensor installations within the same space.
• Various performance improvements and bug fixes.

In 2023 I’ll be focusing on a hardware redesign for lower cost and increased production, and planning for 2024 rollout of volume manufacturing and distribution. Stay tuned!

It’s all good news. Over the summer of 2021, we field-tested a revolutionary new smart swamp cooler controller in 9 different homes. The results were overwhelmingly positive: every user loved it. One even joked, “You’ve saved my marriage!” 

Designed and manufactured in Los Ranchos, this new controller, dubbed the Roadrunner Comfort, provides unprecedented comfort and convenience. It works with already-installed evaporative coolers, replacing existing switches, rotary, or old-school thermostatic controls. With easy drop-in installation (no new wiring required), it transforms virtually any swamp cooler into a modern, high efficiency, high performance cooling system.

The Roadrunner Comfort controller doesn’t just switch on and off the swamp cooler, like a thermostat, to maintain indoor temperature. Instead, it uses a sensor clipped to the air vent to keep the temperature of the air being blown into your home at the temperature you set. This keeps the air throughout the house at a constant, uniform temperature, rather than running chilly near the vent and warmer further away.

The smart Roadrunner Comfort controller has a color touchscreen with easy to use controls and a remote app for your phone for your convenience. The 3D printed enclosure uses compostable plastic, and the whole package is designed for an extended lifetime towards a more sustainable future. And, it is designed and made right here in Los Ranchos, New Mexico.

Look for the new product launch in the spring of 2022.

“The movement you need is on your shoulders”

-Lennon/McCartney, “Hey Jude”, from the eponymous album

It’s no secret that I was heavily involved in transgender activism (see gendertalk.com), and still am to a degree. My Dad taught me, by example, to step up and do the right thing when the situation warrants. That’s where the Roadrunner Comfort comes from. It’s my part to make our way of life more earth-friendly, more sustainable.

When Gordene and I moved to Albuquerque in 2016, my disabling neck injury relented within a year. First I wrote an iPhone app just for the fun of it (yes, I’m a big nerd). I looked around for opportunities to contribute to the health and welfare of our planet, as well as our local community. I noticed the primitive controls on our home swamp (evaporative) cooler. I alternately froze and baked at my desk location too close to a vent. When I looked online for better alternatives, I found no modern replacements. So I decided to design one. That is, after all, what I did professionally, but now the cost of the needed hardware tools had become affordable, and there were plenty of good, free software tools.

In early 2018 I built a functional prototype to see if what I had in mind was reasonably feasible. It was! I played with algorithms all summer, studying the variations in performance as the weather varied and tweaking for response time and stability. Then I met Dr. Frank Reinow from NMT, who secured a grant and a team of students to take the first crack at the design during the 2018-19 semester. When they finished I bought a 3D printer and built on their work, and have now, after 2 more years of development, installed 10 units in homes around Albuquerque, including two in ours. And the feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive. I’ll be doing a client survey this fall, and might even get some crude statistics. I’d hoped to gather daily data from all of them (via automatic email), but flaws in my programming reduced the yield to one installation plus the two units here in our home. Though it’s less than I’d hoped for, that data should be adequate for the new student team I’ll be asking to model the system behavior and further optimize the algorithm over this coming semester.

Whether or not the students succeed, our installed units show that we’re already outperforming regular thermostats. So we’re confident enough to plan to roll out a larger quantity product for sale in time for next summer.

Thanks for your interest. You could be the only one who has read this far. 😉

Stay tuned.

On January 26 I received a “non-responsive” email from the DOE, meaning that my project doesn’t fulfill what they were looking to fund. The primary reason given is the limited geographic area that my project addresses.

I’m good with that. The SBIR funding was a long shot, but one that I thought worth taking. I learned a lot in the process that will help me going forward.

I’m going to focus on the technology again for awhile, adding connectivity and diagnostic functionality to a package that looks great and works reliably. This, in preparation for field deployment in volunteer homes this summer.

I’m also making connections with the other entrepreneurs in the Albuquerque area, thanks to Dan Heron and ActivateNM.

Momentum is building!

First milestone towards a DOE grant is now behind me: a letter of intent is now in the hands of the DOE Topic Manager. I won’t hear any feedback unless it’s deemed NOT responsive to the topic, and if that not for several weeks. In the meantime, I’m diving into proposal prep, with the help of John Servo with Dawnbreaker, a company that specializes in helping startups commercialize their innovation.

From the LOI:

Evaporative cooling (EC) is a highly efficient technology that uses less than one-third of the energy of compressor-based systems, making its adoption an effective tool in the fight against global warming. While EC adoption is growing in the industrial sector, it is losing market share in residential applications, especially new construction. ND intends to counter this trend by developing and producing a modern residential EC controller that provides superior comfort and IAQ [indoor air quality], while addressing convenience, a leading reason people switch from EC to compressor-based cooling.

First, I am beyond thrilled to announce that as of today, Nangeroni Design is a family business. My wife and partner Gordene O. MacKenzie, PhD has agreed to bring to bear on the cooler controller project her brilliant academic background and savvy business experience. Gordene will serve as Partner and Senior Advisor for the firm. This agreement will be formalized in due time but is considered by the two of us to be effective immediately.

Second, ND has been accepted into the Department of Energy’s Phase 0 SBIR program, which will provide us with the following services:

1) Letter of Intent (LOI) writing assistance;
2) Phase I proposal preparation, review and registration assistance;
3) Market Research Assistance;
4) Indirect rate and financial information.

We are deeply grateful for this assistance and look forward to filing a successful proposal by February 22. Stay tuned.

On November 9 the Department of Energy released their SBIR phase 1 release 2 EERE topics for funding opportunities. Topic 12, Healthy and Efficient Buildings, seems like a good fit for the Koolest Controller. The KC will improve the performance of evaporative cooling (EC) systems, encouraging continued use of existing EC systems which are many times more efficient than compressor-based (CB) systems. It could help slow the trend, in arid climates, of replacing EC with CB.

It saves energy by:

• Making more efficient use of the EC systems already in use.
• Encouraging installation of EC systems in new construction.
• Reducing the need for manufacture of new hardware like motors and fans, by extending the lifetime of existing systems.
• Reducing the system capacity requirements by reducing peak load.
• Balancing energy demand by its constant energy use profile.

EC has its disadvantages, it is generally only used in arid climates. But with worldwide arid climate on the increase, so too will be demand for this energy-miser technology.

I think it’s a good investment for our government. We’re talking pretty small seeds here, that should grow into giant oaks.

Life testing of key electro-mechanical components has established their lifetime in excess of 20 years.  Further design work is underway to extend the lifetime of the battery-operated sensor to approach the shelf life of the battery (currently 10 years).  Improved product deployment starts next spring.  Still on the list: funding for regulatory approvals and IP protections.

By the way, have I mentioned that the Koolest works with your existing swamp cooler?  It replaces the rotary switch or thermostat you already have.  That’s it.  Nothing more needed, although a home wifi network and cell phone will be handy if you’ve got them.

Until next time, stay healthy.  Think kindly of your neighbor, your fellow citizen, your world.  Protect them by wearing a mask and social distancing.  Sorry it has to be this way, but the alternative is to kill a lot of people who are important to some of us.  Please do it for their sake.