Click Here to return to the Main Page NOW!
Thank you for clicking my donation link. I've added this link
for several reasons ...some of which affect you (my user base)
directly, and others which will help me with my goals and work as
we move forward. Please take a moment to review my items below
and see if you find them worthy of your support! 
Why you might consider donating to OUPower:
- This site is completely free of any charge to all users.
I have invested hundreds of hours (that's no exaggeration
) in its development and design. The main site runs on
100% "home grown" software that I wrote
specifically for ease of use and streamlined access to
vital project information. Information and updates are
immediately displayed to visitors and project pages are
sorted by "updated status" for fast
identification of new material.
- This site allows direct uploading of your project
pictures and details through a proprietary web interface.
Again, "home grown" software that I made
specifically for you (my users) so that you can quickly
and easily post all of your projects and updates. It
allows for unlimited project space and directory creation
within your project area. Users have full control over
all of their project information. -Yes entirely FREE!
- I would like to move my website home to my local LINUX
web server rather then paying to have it hosted by a 3rd
party company. This would require paying my broadband
company (Comcast) about $150 per month for the business
service, but would have many benefits! I'll list just
some of them here for you now:
- It would allow me to easily backup all project
information on a nightly basis and save that
information directly to DVD for off-site safe
storage. Right now my only means of backing data
up is through my internet connection; a painful
process for a site as "content heavy"
as we are. Needless to say backups do not happen
as often as I would like.
I would hate to loose valuable project
or forum data! 
-Yes the web host does offer
backup services but they are very expensive.
- It would allow us unlimited bandwidth throughout
the month.
- It would allow us to have unlimited server space
since I'd own both the server and the hard drives
storing the data! -Woohoo!
- It would allow us unlimited database connections.
Right now we're on a shared web server so you may
sometimes see the SQL error from the server where
all connections are busy!
-This would eliminate
that problem. 
- It would allow me to finally enable Video uploads
directly into project directories!! -OMG
Really!!?? Since we would finally have unlimited
space, bandwidth and backup abilities this would
no longer be a problem. These are the reasons I
do NOT allow it on our 3rd party web host now.
- I would like to one day sustain my family's income from
my efforts in this line of work. Whether it's through my
website or through a particular project / product the end
result would be the same. I'd be doing what I love to do
and supporting my family at the same time. Right now I am
making ONLY enough money from the website ads to support
its monthly hosting fees and that's about it.
- I finally have room for a shop now that we moved.
Unfortunately I have little to no money for it. Quotes
are all coming in around $26,000 and I have considered
emptying my 401k savings or taking a bank loan for the
project but neither of these options seems very appealing
to me. $26k gets me a 30x40 shop with a really nice
upstairs room. The lower room will have 10 foot walls and
a concrete slab. I plan on doing my foundry, metal shop
and caustic materials (electrolysis) down below. Wood
working and storage will be upstairs. Unfortunately the
quotes do NOT include electric, insulation and plumbing.
These will all be additional costs. Of course then
there's equipment to consider!
So if you're still with me after that long winded write-up, I
hope that you'll consider helping me out. Right now my shop is my
#1 goal. I'd like to have it built before winter if possible. You
can help turn my dream into a reality. I am posting
the Donation meter while my "shop project" is
active so that people can monitor the progress toward that goal. If
things don't go as I hope I'll just keep plugging away slowly and
steadily as always.
Click Here to return to the Main Page NOW!