BioLite Camping Stove

[modustollens]

Yeah, that's what it has in it, that's pretty awesome though, what do you plan on using that for?

My TEG just arrived in the mail. So, I have yet to tinker with it and see just what I can do. Though the plan is, using some heat sinks, to generate power by fire either by attaching it to the portable wood stove (see signature link) or by setting it near the camp fire. My friend's been experimenting with his and has been able to run both his radio and a string of LED lights in his Kifaru tipi/stove setup. Ideally it will be able to be used to recharge batteries for the gps and flashlight etc..

There are many videos on you-tube of these things being used to generate power off all sorts of things; some people have them wired into the car's battery charging system as a backup for the alternator.

But I am only at the start of the process and have no working prototype; I suppose I can make a post when I do.

As for these wood gas stoves they are certainly fancy tech but I doubt I would ever use one for I have never had any trouble starting or cooking over a regular fire. I fail to see how there is going to be that great amount of gain in efficacy at such a small scale - though maybe someone with more experience with them can comment. Back in the day I did make some 'hobo stoves' but I generally found them to be a pain in the rump.

MT

[111t]

What do you mean smacked around? Do you spank your stoves when they are bad?

...Sometimes an indicated response for older design whisperlite internationals on kerosene...

[MyDogMike]

Interesting idea...me thinks they're gonna ask a pretty penny

[chimpac]

That stove looks awesome. I hope it is cost effective. I prefer wood over gas as well but compact and small wood stoves usually cost a pretty chunk of change from what I have seen.

Make your own chimney /stove from a coffee can, I will make the parts you cant. I have a better design than the Kifaru or t-goat.
look at my posts.

[Raven492]

Saw this today, looks like a pretty solid idea. Similar to a lot of other (and cheaper) stoves, uses whatever you can find as fuel, But also has a usb outlet which it powers from the fire. Its not particularly big (about same size as a nalgene) and would be great for night time charging of phones/batteries when solar isnt possible

http://www.biolitestove.com/BioLite.html

[TacAir]

Right now - vaporware - no shipping dates.

Like a lot of other tech gadgets, almost all of the 'news' seems to be regurgitated presser (good PR team if nothing else)

Long on hype - save the world - short on specifications. I did find where this stove would put out one or two watts (no voltage or current numbers) when the stove is burning.

Wonder how well it will do when the soot builds up. Cool as hell idea though!

OR - you can DIY for a lot less
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS1F55Lynbs

http://lifehacker.com/5854512/build-a-t ... ctric-lamp

http://www.deadinsect.co.uk/2010/04/the ... lies-lamp/

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to- ... tric-lamp/ - Photos to follow to make a power source.

More gadgets from a bygone era

And of course, unobtainium


Enjoy!

[Sledgecrowbar]

It's a fascinating idea, if it works. It uses a Peltier unit, I wasn't aware that these could be used in reverse, but the science seems plausible.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_cooling

Peltiers were popular for early homebrew computer overclocking when combined with watercooling systems. You put one between the CPU and your cooler and run a second power supply to the peltier (as they pull a significant charge themselves). One thing I remember, they produce twice the waste energy on the hot side that they remove from the cold side, so your cooling system better be up to it or the whole operation gets ugly fast. As active cooling goes, it was a huge step up in energy consumption to reach colder-than-ambient temperatures. Some guys even stacked them, I can't imagine how dangerous that got.

Their popularity never took off because vapor-phase cooling (cannibalizing a mini-fridge for the refrigeration system) ended up being roughly the same cost/effort but yielded better results. Cool technology though.

Theoretically, this stove could last as long as your average fold-up solar panel, i.e., indefinitely, given gentle handling. And power generation would be steady and sustainable. Makes me want to make a tin box stove and test it, but you'd need a quality heatsink to get energy to flow through it at a decent rate, and you still have to protect the wires from all the radiant heat from the stove. Overcoming solvable engineering problems, this could be something anyone could make on the cheap, especially if they already had a collapsible wood stove. Maybe the heat sink could be another tin box for melting snow overnight while you charge your batteries.


From the "Technology" page.

Open wood fires are inefficient, wasting potential energy and creating toxic smoke due to incomplete combustion.

That annoys me enough to bear mention. Maybe they're talking about third-world kitchens, where smoke inhalation could be bad, but it still annoys me. The romance and sensory experience of campfires are about 50% of my enjoyment when going out into the woods. The other 50% being... going out into the woods.

[flanker71]

I dig the idea, wonder if you can adjust the heat for cooking. Either way, i think i want one.

http://biolitestove.com/BioLite.html

[NamelessStain]

Too bad they aren't making them.

Try searching 'biolite' in the forums.

[sarky]

What do you mean they aren't making them?

[Sckitzo]

Too bad they aren't making them.

Try searching 'biolite' in the forums.

Weird, because someone on another forum I visit got one

[KillaICM]

2 pounds? Ouch. I do want one though.

[Mr. Black]

That sucker is heavy but dang cool. I would love to have one....reasonably priced as well. I wonder what the durability factor is on it.

[NamelessStain]

From the manufacturers website
"Introducing the all new

BioLite CampStove

Price: $129. Reserve yours today.

Shipping for camping season 2012."

Well if your friend got one, I assume he's the first. Please have him do a review and post it here. I would be interested in his opinions.

[Sckitzo]

Will do, assuming he meant he had one and not ordered one. It was a dude on the Wasteland Weekend forums, not a friend.

[ineffableone]

Basically this is a gasifying rocket stove like the StoveTec or G3 rocket stoves but with a little fan that creates electricity. Very cool design. You can see this in the Home stove design, while in the camp one it is a bit more difficult to see.

I imagine the reason it weighs so much is due to fire brick inside it.

I would love to get one of these. I love the idea for power charging.

I am using a TriTi caldera stove from Trail designs, which gasifies some of the wood smoke making it more effeceint. But it is not a proper rocket stove made to gasify to the max. Though the TriTi caldera is much lighter weight.

[ineffableone]

a couple videos of this stove

BioLite Camp Stove Demonstration


Introducing the new BioLite CampStove

[ineffableone]

some other threads on this stove

biolite wood burning Stove+ battery charger.
http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=89773

BioLite Stove Charges Your Phone While Cooking Your Dinner
http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=81439

BioLite Camping Stove
http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=62234

[ineffableone]

Mods you might want to merge these threads on this biolite stove

some other threads on this stove

cool idea.... I want one
http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=90760&p=2019306

biolite wood burning Stove+ battery charger.
http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=89773

BioLite Stove Charges Your Phone While Cooking Your Dinner
http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=81439

[azrael99]

the concept is interesting. but i wonder if there would be danger to use it inside a camp, cave or any closed environment

[Woods Walker]

I merged all the topics on this subject in the BOG forum. I will leave the one in self Self-Sufficient Living.

[Sckitzo]

Too bad they aren't making them.

Try searching 'biolite' in the forums.

Weird, because someone on another forum I visit got one

Ok, I was wrong on the guy getting one, I must have confused two different people, but it was more of "This would be awesome if it wasn't vaporware"

My bad, I shall continue to eat my shoe.

[ineffableone]

Too bad they aren't making them.

Try searching 'biolite' in the forums.

Weird, because someone on another forum I visit got one

Ok, I was wrong on the guy getting one, I must have confused two different people, but it was more of "This would be awesome if it wasn't vaporware"

My bad, I shall continue to eat my shoe.

Don't worry since NamelessStain was wrong too. They are making them, they just have not been officially released yet, they are coming out this spring or summer.

So keep an eye out, they should be here soon.

[Woods Walker]

Did he just dig a hole for wet ash/coals and bury them? Now I have seen everything. Well in anycase it seems to operate a bit like a zipstove and that is a good thing.