DIY

For a long time we thought DIY was the best way to spread Solar Fire... we still do! But we have very little time now to develop that section so if you build, please document it in the blorum, we can create you an account very easily.

Here are our tips to help you with your construction.

Questions

• What scale do you need?
• What materials do you have?
• Do you want to buy everything new or recycle?
• Are you familiar with solar concentration?

In any case, we suggest you start to build a Batant (1m2) to learn the basic technique. This model can be used for cooking and demonstration.

Main applications for DIY

• Water disinfecting
• Cooking (Batant or Vesta model)
• Charcoal making
• Dehydrating food

Temperatures

• Batant model: 1m2 - 250/280°C
• Vesta model: 2,7m2 - 400°C

DIY advantage

The main advantage of DIY techniques for Solar Fire is that very simple methods can be used. This can take more time than sophisticated methods, but since you live on the location of construction and the machine can last decades, it’s generally not an issue. Building as a side project over a few weeks or months, depending on the size, is entirely doable.

One such technique is setting the mirrors directly with the sun. This radically decreases the tool set required. The disadvantage is that it takes time, so for building multiple machines the local production method is more convenient.

The building process of Solar Fire is extremely simple:

• 1. Build a square frame,
• 2. Mount it on a post so that the frame can rotate around it vertically,
• 3. Build some rows and mount them on the frame while allowing them to rotate horizontally,
• 4. Build some reflectors and put them on the rows so that they reflect onto the target,
• 5. Turn concentrator to face the sun and turn rows to reflect onto your target.
• 6. Heat something.

None of these steps requires any sophisticated calculations more complicated than arithmetic nor any software.

However, for simplest method, the setting of the mirrors has to be done by hand and eye, 2 joints connecting each mirror to their row is thus required in order to be able to set the mirror empirically. This isn’t a problem if you are do-it-yourself, only when you wish to export a setup-and-go machine.

These construction guides should get you started (feel free to experiment):

Construction guides

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For a 56 mirror machine, it takes less than a day to set all the mirrors.

Software is not required to build at a scale less than 10 m^2.

The software is only required if you want to produce fine tuned optimized machines or machines above 10 m^2. See the Store Page to purchase the method for setting the mirrors in factor and for optimized CAD and software.

More about Batant

Please read the dedicated rub here.