When I lived in Turkey, I heated my flat in the winter with 6-12 tealights on a terracotta plate. They gave off a lot of heat and used to keep the space warm. They are very useful even for simple cooking.
For thermopiles: The biggest gain in power is had from maximizing the DeltaT over the thermopile. You are limited to the maximum working temperature on the hot size, but theoretically ambient on the cold side. Using a passive 6 or 8 heatpipe heatsink-tower for a computer is a great way to cool the thermopiles. Adding a low power fan actually increases power output even when including the fans power consumption. You only need a moderate flow for a significant effect. Stacking modules is not recommended as this just spreads out the DeltaT even further. TEGs (ThermoElectric Generators) also benefit from a transformation of voltage/current to allow MPPT (Maximum Power Point) tracking and a battery is recommended to act as a buffer between the output and any load. This also stardardizes the load to common applications allowing for easier off-grid adaption. Lead acid batterys are great here as many systems are designed to be powered off them and they are rugged and reliable. MPPT enabled chargers for them are also quite cheap and reliable. You can view a TEG as a voltage source where the DeltaT defines the unloaded voltage and the flow of heat through the device provides the current. Natural idea from this is that it would act as a valve and if you load down or even short circuit a TEG more heat would flow through it (it's thermal resistance between hot and cold side decreases with load) and this is actually true but it's more a modulation of flow than a full control of it. It has enough of an impact that you can use electronics to save the TEG from overheating by monitoring hot side and dumping extra load to transfer more heat into cooler if needed. This helps user regulate heat input allowing more flexibility. Anyway, just thought you could use this information in future experiments. Have fun!
Nice! I came across an ancient blow torch design using an oil (whale? Olive?) and a metallic tube. Ancient glass blowers used this, not sure if it’s hot enough to solder
Hey Dave.. (waving) I have about 8 of them in a bag 6' away.. and about 4 LED rechargable flashlights and a couple of solar panel rechargable lights. Always ready to go. Kewl thought provoking ideas\projects.
Maybe combine the diodes with tea candles to heat tube and make more distilled water, candle could be the steady source and solar diodes could be the workhorse to pus out more steam, Powers Combine, shared hybrid, three sensible sources even better, I love the idea of starting with minimal test tube with heat jackets
@biogreenz6613 I like the concept of multi-heat source hybrid. There is no video of it currently, but one project in the shop is a heat storage mass with furnace plus solar electric heat input with both diode chains and resistance heat. That way I can burn wood to get heat and use solar to improve storage when it gets very cold.
Lots of great experiments performed.... It's just a matter of time before you end up doing something that sparks your imagination and creativity and you drive it further..... I was looking for something the other day and found a stack of diodes that I had purchased some time ago and completely forgot I had them.... I was experimenting with them today, I was able to get 60°c out of 4 diodes in series out of 5.1V, power consumption was 2.5W..... I was able to see a temperature of 90°c out of 3 diodes through the thermal camera... I have to get my hands on some TO220 package type diodes mounted to a heatsink, that would work best for my application. And then you posted a new video.... Coincidence? Probably not LoL 😂. Persistence overcomes resistance..... Keep at it!
@PeterMilanovski Persistence overcomes resistance... I like that one lol. I do not have a single TO-220 diode so I will get some. Mostly the power rectifiers have been serving current purposes.... I use about 80 of them to heat my workshop, a semiconductor space heater! Still a bit unsure how to finish the build, but they work really well! Even in the morning I get like 30w of heat. Nichrome would just act like a short more or less...
I watched amazon for "warehouse deal" tea lights and votive candles until I had a good stockpile. These are sometimes customer returns, usually warehouse damaged, etc and I hold out for a significant discount unless they are "like new". Usually what I get is fine, but sometimes what shows up is really bad and I've shared photos with amazon for a price adjustment.
@hlm34 I see you found it, are you referring to the DC heaters? You can also use an EV contactor as part of the circuit, those can switch massive voltage input with no problem at all
@jondurr A lot of it didn't go on camera... I was getting 100-200ma depending on the configuration, a tea light is very small but there is more than enough power to charge small USB gadgets
@solarpoweredge I had also think about such constilation: Orbeez the best would be transparent one let them suck full then place it in jar or a long transparent cylinder and place solar panels around im curious if it is enough to Power them
@CUBETechie Orbeez... those are really strange, I didn't know they existed. Well I don't know what would happen when heated, but if they are full of moisture they will surely hold heat. They're cheap and worth experimenting with :D
Ten years ago I gutted a countertop wine cooler which was an aluminum cup and a fan cooled heatsink with a peltier wafer sandwiched between the two. I filled the cup with old water and mounted the heatsink over a kerosene lamp I fueled with pump diesel. It ran an FM transistor radio with it's loudspeaker full blast.
When I lived in Turkey, I heated my flat in the winter with 6-12 tealights on a terracotta plate. They gave off a lot of heat and used to keep the space warm. They are very useful even for simple cooking.
@yannkitson116 Awesome :) I found it very challenging with one tea light to do much at all, but it's good to know what they can do
Amazing work, keep going, we need people like you.
@lukedvisscher4676 Thank you so much :)
Great stuff 😊
@DORILEE-lf7qn TY :D 👍
For thermopiles:
The biggest gain in power is had from maximizing the DeltaT over the thermopile. You are limited to the maximum working temperature on the hot size, but theoretically ambient on the cold side. Using a passive 6 or 8 heatpipe heatsink-tower for a computer is a great way to cool the thermopiles. Adding a low power fan actually increases power output even when including the fans power consumption. You only need a moderate flow for a significant effect. Stacking modules is not recommended as this just spreads out the DeltaT even further. TEGs (ThermoElectric Generators) also benefit from a transformation of voltage/current to allow MPPT (Maximum Power Point) tracking and a battery is recommended to act as a buffer between the output and any load. This also stardardizes the load to common applications allowing for easier off-grid adaption. Lead acid batterys are great here as many systems are designed to be powered off them and they are rugged and reliable. MPPT enabled chargers for them are also quite cheap and reliable. You can view a TEG as a voltage source where the DeltaT defines the unloaded voltage and the flow of heat through the device provides the current. Natural idea from this is that it would act as a valve and if you load down or even short circuit a TEG more heat would flow through it (it's thermal resistance between hot and cold side decreases with load) and this is actually true but it's more a modulation of flow than a full control of it. It has enough of an impact that you can use electronics to save the TEG from overheating by monitoring hot side and dumping extra load to transfer more heat into cooler if needed. This helps user regulate heat input allowing more flexibility.
Anyway, just thought you could use this information in future experiments. Have fun!
@1kreature Good information, thanks a lot!!
I really enjoyed this video! Thank you
@ssmedia Welcome, glad to hear it :D
Nice!
I came across an ancient blow torch design using an oil (whale? Olive?) and a metallic tube. Ancient glass blowers used this, not sure if it’s hot enough to solder
@peterxyz3541 Really cool, I'd like to trying making something like that
Hey Dave.. (waving) I have about 8 of them in a bag 6' away.. and about 4 LED rechargable flashlights and a couple of solar panel rechargable lights. Always ready to go. Kewl thought provoking ideas\projects.
@OFFGRID_Trucker [waves] good call, I think they are potentially the most underrated survival prep! Thanks for watching! :D
Maybe combine the diodes with tea candles to heat tube and make more distilled water, candle could be the steady source and solar diodes could be the workhorse to pus out more steam, Powers Combine, shared hybrid, three sensible sources even better, I love the idea of starting with minimal test tube with heat jackets
@biogreenz6613 I like the concept of multi-heat source hybrid. There is no video of it currently, but one project in the shop is a heat storage mass with furnace plus solar electric heat input with both diode chains and resistance heat. That way I can burn wood to get heat and use solar to improve storage when it gets very cold.
Lots of great experiments performed.... It's just a matter of time before you end up doing something that sparks your imagination and creativity and you drive it further.....
I was looking for something the other day and found a stack of diodes that I had purchased some time ago and completely forgot I had them.... I was experimenting with them today, I was able to get 60°c out of 4 diodes in series out of 5.1V, power consumption was 2.5W..... I was able to see a temperature of 90°c out of 3 diodes through the thermal camera... I have to get my hands on some TO220 package type diodes mounted to a heatsink, that would work best for my application. And then you posted a new video.... Coincidence? Probably not LoL 😂.
Persistence overcomes resistance..... Keep at it!
@PeterMilanovski Persistence overcomes resistance... I like that one lol. I do not have a single TO-220 diode so I will get some. Mostly the power rectifiers have been serving current purposes.... I use about 80 of them to heat my workshop, a semiconductor space heater! Still a bit unsure how to finish the build, but they work really well! Even in the morning I get like 30w of heat. Nichrome would just act like a short more or less...
I watched amazon for "warehouse deal" tea lights and votive candles until I had a good stockpile. These are sometimes customer returns, usually warehouse damaged, etc and I hold out for a significant discount unless they are "like new". Usually what I get is fine, but sometimes what shows up is really bad and I've shared photos with amazon for a price adjustment.
@Sylvan_dB Resourceful and makes good sense!
Do you have a video for a DC disconnect switch? Thanks in advance!
Never mind, I found your videos , thanks!
@hlm34 I see you found it, are you referring to the DC heaters? You can also use an EV contactor as part of the circuit, those can switch massive voltage input with no problem at all
Can you measure the current along with the voltage so charging watts can be calculated?
@jondurr A lot of it didn't go on camera... I was getting 100-200ma depending on the configuration, a tea light is very small but there is more than enough power to charge small USB gadgets
How about a Sandbattery?
@CUBETechie Good idea... I've built one, will upload it as soon as I can
@solarpoweredge I had also think about such constilation:
Orbeez the best would be transparent one let them suck full then place it in jar or a long transparent cylinder and place solar panels around im curious if it is enough to Power them
@CUBETechie Orbeez... those are really strange, I didn't know they existed. Well I don't know what would happen when heated, but if they are full of moisture they will surely hold heat. They're cheap and worth experimenting with :D
Ten years ago I gutted a countertop wine cooler which was an aluminum cup and a fan cooled heatsink with a peltier wafer sandwiched between the two.
I filled the cup with old water and mounted the heatsink over a kerosene lamp I fueled with pump diesel.
It ran an FM transistor radio with it's loudspeaker full blast.
@KeyboardBuster Nice. I found tea lights have so little heat. But my updated "thermopile" rig can make USB 5v w/ no DC converter