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USB charger powered by your stove

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Old 02-22-19, 02:32 PM
  #1  
Cyclist0108
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USB charger powered by your stove

Anyone use one of these (successfully)?

https://www.surplusprovisions.com/pr...nt=32837755782

Looks promising, but I don't want to spend $70 to find out it is useless.


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Old 02-22-19, 02:34 PM
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Never tried it but a great concept for camping, at least in thorey
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Old 02-22-19, 02:54 PM
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I can't imagine this being very useful on a tour. Just how long would you have to have it on a burner to charge your device? I only use my stove to boil water, so say 6 minutes, less for you Pocket Rocket users. Will it charge in 6 minutes? Not likely.
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Old 02-22-19, 04:02 PM
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Unique concept. Thermalelectric generator.

Most effective if it is hot on one side, and cold on the other (I.E, less effective once your cooking reaches a high temp).

I agree with @mrveloman, not good for quick boiling water for tea/coffee (cup/pint?). It might be OK for cooking stuff like Spaghetti, but I presume one would get less than the 1A as the water reaches boiling.
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Old 02-22-19, 04:13 PM
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Several years ago I could not figure out what was going on in the next camp site. Some guy kept gathering twigs off the ground to put in some thing that had small flames coming out the top, did that for over an hour.

It was later that I heard that there was some gizmo that converts fire heat to USB power.

Now, looks like you found the next generation, instead of being a wood fueled stove, it uses heat from some other source to power a USB.

I would not buy it but I have a dynohub and a couple small solar panels so my opinion is based on what I already use, your opinion could vary.
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Old 02-22-19, 04:17 PM
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State parks with RV sites would have Mains Power .. plug in and charge when you stop for lunch..
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Old 02-22-19, 10:09 PM
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I have to admit I am more impressed with the technology than the potential (pun intended) utility.

If I did get something like this, it would be one of those foldable portable solar panels to charge a backup battery. (In fact, I think I have one somewhere that I have yet to use.)
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Old 02-22-19, 10:26 PM
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Its almost useless. I bought one as a novelty and have tested it out. It works in the sense it will generate current that will recharge your device, but it is very slow.
As pointed out above, once the pot gets hot the output decreases. I think you could use it to recharge your phone in emergency and make a call, but I don't think you could
get a full charge out of it.
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Old 02-23-19, 01:28 AM
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Looks like something you'll never use. If you need a charger, battery packs would seem a better solution.
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Old 02-23-19, 01:50 AM
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I bet you'd be better off with a small power bank that takes up the same size and extra weight of that contraption. That's probably the least efficient way you could possibly generate power, and that's not counting how much longer you're gonna have to have the stove on to heat your food.
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Old 02-23-19, 06:10 AM
  #11  
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Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
Several years ago I could not figure out what was going on in the next camp site. Some guy kept gathering twigs off the ground to put in some thing that had small flames coming out the top, did that for over an hour.

It was later that I heard that there was some gizmo that converts fire heat to USB power.
It's been the subject of threads before. There is a new and improved version:

https://www.bioliteenergy.com/products/campstove-2

Very heavy. And what if all the twigs are wet?
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Old 02-23-19, 06:13 AM
  #12  
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
State parks with RV sites would have Mains Power .. plug in and charge when you stop for lunch..
And places like DOT rest areas. Even if you have a site without hookups at a private campground there are usually outlets in the bathrooms.
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Old 02-23-19, 01:05 PM
  #13  
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A typical USB charger delivers about 2.5 watts. How many BTUs does your stove produce? You could be able to figure out if it would charge it or not. My guess is your stove is not going to be on long enough to do any real good.
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Old 02-23-19, 01:35 PM
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Originally Posted by spinnaker
A typical USB charger delivers about 2.5 watts. How many BTUs does your stove produce? You could be able to figure out if it would charge it or not. My guess is your stove is not going to be on long enough to do any real good.
According to the Power Pot website

The larger the temperature difference between the water in the pot and the bottom of the pot, the more electricity the PowerPot will produce. For example, melting snow in the PowerPot is a great way to generate electricity, because snow is so much colder than a flame. However, you don’t have to worry about overpowering your device, because the PowerPot has a built in regulator which insures that you safely charge your USB devices. The regulator outputs 5 volts (USB standard) and up to 1000 milliAmps of current, which is the most any smartphone/MP3 player on the market can handle. This means when you’re charging your USB device with the PowerPot, you will get the same charging time as you would from your wall outlet at home
I think most smartphones now can handle a 2.0 amp charge. An iphone 6 will take about three hours to charge from zero to fully charged at 1.0 Amp. Thats a long time to have your stove running. It might work better if its on an open fire. I will have to experiment with mine some more, but at this point I cannot recommend it.

https://powerpractical.com/pages/how...electrics-work

Last edited by skookum; 02-23-19 at 02:13 PM. Reason: edited to add link
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Old 02-23-19, 03:28 PM
  #15  
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Put your own multi meter on it's output yet?
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Old 02-23-19, 05:02 PM
  #16  
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Cooking in the outdoors is challenging enough with wind, cold hands, etc. I can't see complicating it with wires and electronic devices in proximity to flames and liquids.

It just isn't necessary when a $30 Anker PowerCore Slim 5000 weighs 139 grams including bag and cord and charges a device while riding or sleeping.

It will charge an iPhone XR from dead to 50% in about 30 minutes and will charge it from 30% to 100% two times and still have juice left over.

The pot in the Powerpot kit is also aluminum. It isn't Ti.


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Old 02-23-19, 05:12 PM
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Rube Goldberg

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Old 02-23-19, 05:13 PM
  #18  
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
Put your own multi meter on it's output yet?
If I had a multi meter....

(I know, I know, what kind of guy doesn't have a multi meter?)
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Old 02-23-19, 05:23 PM
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Originally Posted by TimothyH
I didn't get that little light with mine...
At 0.5 A it will take 6 hours to charge your iphone.
You will have lots of boiling water , maybe you can use it in your portable shower or something.
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Old 02-23-19, 05:48 PM
  #20  
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I'd either bring one or two 26kMAH battery packs, or one 10k pack and a solar charger if I'm thinking I'll be going days without power.
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