Charge your GPS with FIRE!!

[Zhurdan]

I ran across this today and can't decide if it's the coolest thing or the most gimmicky thing I've seen thus far this year.

Apparently, it uses part of the thermal energy generated by the small fire to charge a fan, that in turn makes your fire burn more efficiently... oh and you can charge USB items with the surplus energy. Pretty interesting.

[docsherm]

That is very cool. $129 for the stove is not bad at all. I could not find a price for the home model.

I signed up for their updates and will post info as they send send it.

[Cesiumsponge]

Neat idea but thermoelectric generators are somewhat inefficient and fragile. The downside is that these trickle chargers via USB take a while to charge things. With something like a wood gasifier stove, you'd better have enough fuel to keep it going. Is like to see how the stove performance itself compares to something like the Bushbuddy or some of the other fan-powered wood stoves.

[Zhurdan]

They are not out yet, so no reviews at this point.

I was going to Google "Bushbuddy", but being that I'm at work and don't want to get fired, I think I'll wait until I get home.

[Abraxas]

Very cool

[Cesiumsponge]

Bushbuddy is a nice little gasifier wood stove for ultralight folks. I'm curious how fast the TEG unit charges compared to a small solar AA/USB charger. The solar charger I just lash to the outside of my pack when I'm on the go. Of course, it also relies on good sunlight to work.

[Robryan]

For once I think I will wait to hear the reviews on it. I think I have learned my lesson on buying everything that comes along. I am now the world leading expert on what NOT to buy for camping or SHTF. It is tempting though because if it is a thermocouple device it should be very sturdy and last a long time (ones on furnaces that detect the pilot light will last 20 years working constantly) in fact forget the stove I would like to find just the thermocouple device they use as I think I could make greater use of it.

[juliomorris]

I had an old 12 volt cooler/heater that the charger went out on I pulled the cooling unit out to use as a battery charger for our deer cabin. All you do is set it on a wood stove and the heat makes dc voltage. At one time you could buy them for about $30 but I can't find them anymore. It doesn'y out alot but when you have a fire going all day it puts out about 150 watts.