What would it take to fix the problems with this thing and make it genuinely useful/worth having with you?
>>627367
Really? Well, it's basically a Peltier chip with a water reservoir as a cooling system, so I'd remove everything except those two components, add a heat spreader to the other side to prevent burnout, and rebrand it as Powerpot (tm).
>>627392
I like the powerpot but have mixed feelings too
It's like cool, I can boil water and charge my phone over a regular camp fire. That's an improvement over the biolite already
But it doesn't take that long to boil water. Not long enough to charge a phone. Then I want to use that water for drinking or cooking but I can't until my phone's charged. It doesn't work nearly as well without the water to retain heat.
What I envision is something rod shaped, where you stick one end into the fire, and the other end is covered in radiator fins to dissipate heat. The peltier junction is between the two halves. The usb ports are in the far end.
If feasible designwise this would give you the benefits of turning your campfire into an electricity source without adding all the caveats of the powerpot and biolite which assume you'll also be doing other things, like boiling water for 5 hours or sitting there with your dink in your hand adding twigs to the biolite every 5 minutes and cleaning out the ashes
>>627401
You have to figure, though, that if it's hot enough to boil water, that it's going to overload the chip or melt the housing faster than a passively cooled heatsink can dissipate the heat, so you'd still need water, and in either case, you still have to have a fire, which isn't always allowed. Plus heatsink are frickin' heavy. Your best bet is to use the PowerPoint, and keep at least a sterno can, in case you can't have fires. Just keep water in it until it's nearly charged, and then start using it for cooking.
Or, get a medium sized solar charger. Mine is seven volts, and straps to the outside of my backpack, plus I don't need to stop and set up camp to use it.
>>627408
7 volts sounds about right for a smartphone. I am over cautious and usually bring a 30 watt folding array. With PV, the more the better as you can't control the quality of the light you receive but you can control how much PV you have.
>>627410
I don't know how it does in the winter yet, but summer shade kind of sucks, I need to keep it in the sun. Pic related is my setup. 7w solar panel, back up battery/flashlight.
>>627414
That looks solid. If you need more power, see >>627388 but be advised, if you mean to charge a bunch of cells in an enclosure like that, buy one with as minimal LED readout as possible, ideally one that does not illuminate while it's being charged. That wastes power that could otherwise go into the battery.
>>627410
I suppose this comes down to a personal thing. I leave the car at home and hike, bike or hitch a ride when I'm traveling, so keeping weight low is pretty crucial for me. If you're a car camper that won't be an issue for you.
>>627416
Yup. My setup works well enough for what I need it to, though. Better, in fact. Most days I don't bother charging my phone. But I don't take a lot of pictures, or anything, I go out to get away from tech.
>>627419
me too but for the reasons stated here http://boards.4chan.org/out/thread/627406/
smartphones are just too useful not to have on you. They are the most energy hungry thing I would consider bringing, and the only thing apart from my head lamp and flashlight that takes electricity. Aside from GPS and topographical map software that works offline, it's also a lifeline if you're seriously injured.
If you're bringing a camera you may as well just bring a smartphone and use the built in one, they're often quite high quality these days.
>>627401
>What I envision is something rod shaped, where you stick one end into the fire, and the other end is covered in radiator fins to dissipate heat.
So... something like a Biolite stove, then.
Why don't you just make a small fire and bring a battery pack? Chances are if open fires are illegal in your area burning ANYTHING is likely illegal too. Then you got to carry around this bulky, stinky, awkward unit with you. Why?
You can build/buy a ~20ah battery pack these days that charge your shit for a week or more and weigh's nothing.
Solar panels don't belong /out/, at least not yet. Even satellite grade panels have a shit power to size ratio. Hauling around a "7w" panel is a waste of space.
>>628635
Batteries are great if you can go home and recharge them after a day or two trip. When you're out for a couple weeks or more, batteries aren't worth shit compared to solar.
It's like arguing over whether igloos or stilt houses are better shelters. You can argue igloos are better all fucking day, but it doesn't mean jack shit when you're in the tropics. What's best you one person isn't necessarily what's best for everyone.
>>627423
>GPS and topographical map software that works offline
Lol. Maps.me was my recommendation, it's literally the only thing I carry a phone for. I do take a picture occasionally, but I prefer to live in the moment. Lately, once I've found a place to set up camp, the flashlight is the only thing I try to keep charged. I have been considering a USB hand warmer, but I think sodium acetate may be better.
Stop being a fag.
>>628641
But an igloo would keep you super cool in the tropics.
Pic semi telated
