View Full Version : Zelph Starlyte 3 Proto Test Report
ScareBear
02-18-2017, 04:35
I was fortunate enough to get my hands on Zelph's Starlyte 3 prototype. It does not have the pot supports attached, as the final product will, but I used a stainless steel grid screen that came with it to support the MSR Titan Kettle. The final product's pot supports will be at the same height as the grid screen I used.
All alky stoves are very wind-sensitive. After my first try at a home-made windscreen, I honed my craft and for the second set of tests, I made a very effective windscreen out of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
The features of the Starlyte 3 that impressed me were:
Capacity=holds 3 ounces
Safety=the alcohol is held "in suspension" and isn't just pooled.
Speed=once I perfected my windscreen, I had consistent sub-7:30 boil times
Weight=the unit, without lid or pot support screen weighs in at 27g!
Cold Weather=has a copper "wick" installed to aid in cold weather ignition!
Lid=keeps alcohol from evaporating during transport/storage/idle
So, the tests were run at 70 degrees ambient, 50 degrees water temp, 16 oz water, MSR Titan Kettle without lid, windscreen in place.
The average for the Starlyte 3 was 7:10 to boil and an average of 18g of fuel to reach boil.
These are, to me, excellent results for the unit. And, the Starlyte 3 has earned a place in the backpack, especially for trips less than 4 nights.
Good job, Zelph!:sun
ScareBear
02-18-2017, 04:37
Oh, and the fuel was yellow bottle HEET purchased at the Rural King store...the water was municipal tap water that was sourced from a deep well...just sayin...
Pictures?
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Thanks ScareBear for post your results. I love watching water boil when I develop something new. :D
A tool is in the mail that's needed for making these burners....I should have some made in about a week.......we'll see.:)
Wide bottom Aluminum pots and denatured alcohol give best results for fuel efficiency. Windscreens are a "must" ;)
ScareBear
02-22-2017, 22:30
Ahhhhhh....so would straight ethanol(Everclear) be the best then? Isn't denatured 95 percent ethanol?
BTW, the boil times dropped by over a minute when I tested with the IMUSA 10cm mug!!!!
I am going to test with the 1.25q IMUSA next...
Everclear would be best.....it's dual purpose (medicinal)
The Imusa mugs are rugged enough for the needs of many and the price is right to justifying the purchase of 2 at a time :-)
I hope to have a couple dozen burners made by the end of the day tomorrow. Will post here if that comes about.
ScareBear
02-23-2017, 10:10
Everclear would be best.....it's dual purpose (medicinal)
The Imusa mugs are rugged enough for the needs of many and the price is right to justifying the purchase of 2 at a time :-)
I hope to have a couple dozen burners made by the end of the day tomorrow. Will post here if that comes about.
So, I got the larger IMUSA(1.25q) and the boil times were very close to the MSR Titan. The handle of both IMUSA's gets as hot as the bottom! So, it is time to use the silicone tape wrap and see how that turns out...
And, as a weird hack, the lid for the MSR Titan is an almost perfect fit for the IMUSA 1.25q!!!!!! So, if there are any aftermarket lids for the MSR Titan, they would surely work...just sayin...
I have 8 completed. Will post a photo later this evening.
Dimensions:
3" Diameter at the lid
1-3/8" in height
Weight including lid: 0.9 ounce (25/26 grams)
38355
Duplicated above post, content deleted ;)
ImAfraidOfBears
02-25-2017, 03:18
Dimensions:
3" Diameter at the lid
1-3/8" in height
Weight including lid: 0.9 ounce (25/26 grams)
Made of food grade aluminum and stainless steel.
38355
Zelph - maybe the information is around but im oblivious.....
What is the advantages of this stove over the previous incarnation?
Zelph - maybe the information is around but im oblivious.....
What is the advantages of this stove over the previous incarnation?
Holds more fuel in suspension. Great for larger pots when cooking for two. Great for large Caldera Cone kits.
Will there be a complete version of the stove with pot stand and windscreen? If so, estimated weight and price?
Thanks.
Wayne
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Odd Man Out
02-25-2017, 12:01
Is the heat output on this one greater than a request Starlyte? I was testing my old Starlyte the other day, but was unable to get boil times down to where I want.
ScareBear
02-25-2017, 12:11
Is the heat output on this one greater than a request Starlyte? I was testing my old Starlyte the other day, but was unable to get boil times down to where I want.
Where do you want them to be?
Odd Man Out
02-25-2017, 13:02
I currently use an eCHS stove and an Olicamp XTS pot with wind screen that funnels air flow through the heat exchanger. This gives boil times of 3 to 4 min (2 cups RT water). I was testing various wind screen configurations with th Starlyte to see of I could get similar performance, but boil times were about double. I think the heat exchanger gives a big advantage for powerful stoves, but not so much with low power stoves. A more powerful Starlyte type stove could be useful for me.
ScareBear
02-25-2017, 13:49
I currently use an eCHS stove and an Olicamp XTS pot with wind screen that funnels air flow through the heat exchanger. This gives boil times of 3 to 4 min (2 cups RT water). I was testing various wind screen configurations with th Starlyte to see of I could get similar performance, but boil times were about double. I think the heat exchanger gives a big advantage for powerful stoves, but not so much with low power stoves. A more powerful Starlyte type stove could be useful for me.
I've received consistent 6 minute boil times with the IMUSA 10cm mug, Starlyte3 proto, MethylAlcohol, titanium foil windscreen(hey, I upgraded!), 70F ambient, 50F water temp. These times are acceptable to me. The best my Optimus CruxLite will do in the test is 3 minutes flat, so you will forgive me if I am a bit suspicious of a 3 minute boil time for a non-pressurized alky stove without a CalderaCone rig. Even with the magical OliCamp pot...
Not sure how to make the Starlyte3 "more powerful"....Zelph, some help here?
The btu's (power?) in alcohol are the same in a eCHS stove as is in the Starlyte burner/stove.
The delivery of that power to a pot bottom can be different and the "speed" of boil can change.
The size and material of the pot makes a difference on how "fast" the "power" will be absorbed.
"Variables" oh how we have to contend with "Variables" :D
What lane are we in???? Fast, medium or slow?
Do we like one piece stoves, stoves that don't spill fuel if tipped over or canister stoves that roar and are fast or maybe stoves that smell like fish(esbit). "Variable" likes and dislikes;)
THX for sharing.
Scare bear, you have this stove correct? http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/mega-starlyte-burner-with-lid.php
I had some questions but this info as well as watching Shug's juggling act the gray clouds parted.
Just got my Venom in the mail. Like what I note. Zelph delivered as promised.
ScareBear
02-25-2017, 19:26
No, my stove is the prototype of the one that Zelph pictured in a post in this thread. Here is a photo of my proto. Note the copper wick for cold weather lighting aid. Also, note that mine has been in testing for a couple of weeks and over a half gallon of different alcohols...if it looks a little rougher than Zelph's photo that's because it is a proto...just sayin.
And, Zelph delivers what he promises, in my experience.
38364
Will there be a complete version of the stove with pot stand and windscreen? If so, estimated weight and price?
Thanks.
Wayne
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
At this point I have no plans to provide pot supports like the ones I sent ScareBear. I have just the burners without the copper wick available to ship beginning on Monday. I have copper wick coming in the mail to arrive maybe on Wed.
In April I will pair this burner up with a titanium pot support/windscreen and the Modified Toaks Light 900ml pot. I really like that pot and think it might be worth while to do a dozen kits.
Dogwwod referred to the Mega Starlyte burner that holds approx 4 ounces of fuel and so now there is the newly created 3 ounce capacity XL3 which is shorter in height making it nice to fit inside of pots.
I'm not at home where all of my tools are so I'm at a loss for speedy advancement.
Copper wick arrives tomorrow. Will have some of these burners available on Tuesday next week.
Got a dozen assembled, will list them on Monday.
Rex Clifton
03-05-2017, 19:47
Got a dozen assembled, will list them on Monday.
Hi Zelph: I have a Caldera Cone paired with a Snow Peak 700. Would this be a better stove for this setup than your modified Starlyte?
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Odd Man Out
03-05-2017, 21:16
I've received consistent 6 minute boil times with the IMUSA 10cm mug, Starlyte3 proto, MethylAlcohol, titanium foil windscreen(hey, I upgraded!), 70F ambient, 50F water temp. These times are acceptable to me. The best my Optimus CruxLite will do in the test is 3 minutes flat, so you will forgive me if I am a bit suspicious of a 3 minute boil time for a non-pressurized alky stove without a CalderaCone rig. Even with the magical OliCamp pot...
Not sure how to make the Starlyte3 "more powerful"....Zelph, some help here?
The btu's (power?) in alcohol are the same in a eCHS stove as is in the Starlyte burner/stove.
The delivery of that power to a pot bottom can be different and the "speed" of boil can change.
The size and material of the pot makes a difference on how "fast" the "power" will be absorbed.
"Variables" oh how we have to contend with "Variables" :D
What lane are we in???? Fast, medium or slow?
Do we like one piece stoves, stoves that don't spill fuel if tipped over or canister stoves that roar and are fast or maybe stoves that smell like fish(esbit). "Variable" likes and dislikes;)
Sorry for being vague. I couldn't recall the specifics on my tests so I looked it up. It was 4 minute boil times. I've compared the performance of my system to a guy using the identical stove in a cone and we get pretty much identical results.
Also, I am using power as in physics class, that is rate at which energy is delivered. The energy in the alcohol is the same, but the rate at which it burns (power) will be different with different stoves. Of course how much of that heat gets delivered to the water (efficiency) and thus the net power will be affected by other variables (pot, stand, etc...). I expect a Starlyte's power would be somewhat proportional to the size of the burner opening. The modified Starlyte has a smaller opening and burns slower. Does the bigger Starlyte have a bigger burner opening?
Rex, I can't say how it will react in the 700 cone. I only have tested it under a TD system made for a Fosters pot and it behaves well.
The XL3 has a 1.5" opening. The original Starlyte has a 2" opening.
The smaller opening is better for enclosed systems such as the TD Cones.
They are complete and listed:
https://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/123646-Starlyte-XL3?p=2132737#post2132737