Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: K Frame on September 26, 2017, 08:17:58 AM
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Woot has it on sale for what seems to be a decent price today.
https://www.woot.com/
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I was tempted by it, but I don't need another piece of kit. Unless you're on a long backpacking trip, there are better ways of keeping your devices charged in the field that are smaller or more flexible.
Chris
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I was tempted by it, but I don't need another piece of kit. Unless you're on a long backpacking trip, there are better ways of keeping your devices charged in the field that are smaller or more flexible.
Chris
Don't disagree at all. Just an interesting piece of kit that someone might be interested in.
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No doubt. I was tempted just for experimentation.
I have a Raspberry Pie Zero and it would be interesting to see if it could run with a mild load directly from the Biolite. Could be fun to set up a fire-powered media server at camp. :D
Chris
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I had an interest in these a couple of years ago because the technology was interesting. They were just too expensive for a lark*. They're still, I think, too expensive just for normal backpacking, etc. If you're looking for electricity, little power cells are around twenty bucks. or even good solar panels are still cheaper these days.
Currently the only use I could see for one of these for myself would be as part of a SHTF car kit or something, but they're still a bit expensive for something you would stick in an emergency kit. I might buy one around $40 or so.
*At the time, I recall finding a few Youtube videos on how to build one for less than half the price with mailorder Chinese thermoelectric converters.
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The Biolite Cook Stove, a smaller version of the camp stove, is $20 less some places.
If I were in Florida or some other place where steady power was an iffy proposition, I'd be inclined to buy one of these as a last ditch way of keeping my cell phone charged.
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Want mine, if I can find it?
I tested it and tried using it couple times. Not quite junk, but not useful.
With kiln dried good wood, you'll get a tiny amount of power.
With "random sticks picked up in forest", it's enough to keep the fan going. Fan isn't super quiet either.
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Can't say that I do. Like Mtnbkr, I'm not really in the market for another piece of kit.