Comments on: Build a solar hot dog cooker

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 06:47:41 +0000

If you don’t understand the formula you can ignore it. Just draw a grid on 1″ centers on your plywood as shown in the picture. Then draw the parabola matching the blue line in the picture. Cut along the line. Simple.

By: MOOF ENSHMIRTZ

MOOF ENSHMIRTZ — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:21:25 +0000

i dont get your formula at all make it so people can do this quick and easy most of the people making the cookerss are kids in science fairs and projects. SO EASIER INSTRUCTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: morgan shelley

morgan shelley — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:18:15 +0000

good job friend!

By: hayes

hayes — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:10:18 +0000

this has convinsed me to do it by my self in the sceince fair [very interesting]

By: Ameia

Ameia — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:21:58 +0000

Cute.
One of the very best ways of reducing carbon footprint is to change what we eat. I’ve gotten away from buying commercially-processed foods and use mostly locally-grown produce. My kidney disease has improved dramatically in the past 4 years and I no have to face dialysis. I’m building a cheap greenhouse against the wall of my house to have my own vegetables (and melons!) all year round. I eat most of my food raw because it’s much healthier, but of course it saves energy, too. I still buy imported sugar and spices, some chocolate and tea, but I’m going to grow my own tea too. I eat a no-kill diet – eggs, only rennetfree (usually homemade) cheese, nuts, vegs and fruit. (Eggs are ‘chicken fruit – a potential, not an animal)

Love your site, many thanks, it’s bookmarked for lots of return visits

By: Rob

Rob — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:43:36 +0000

Hi Fredrik,
Agreed. Unfortunately I built this long before I had any intention of posting instructions for its assembly. Therefore I could only take pictures of the finished product. Sorry.

By: Fredrik

Fredrik — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:42:23 +0000

Hi! I really like your projects, but i have to say that it would be alot easier to understand all the steps in this guide with a bit more photos.

By: Ian

Ian — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:56:00 +0000

Abby.

While it’s true that not everyone may be technical enough to work with the formula given, you may have better luck getting responses and help from the author (and/or readers) if you at least try to be polite.

By: Abby Deitz

Abby Deitz — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:12:39 +0000

What the heck?!?!?!?!!? More simple instructions please. I have to do this for one of my classes and thisi makes sense until you say some crap about a formula!!!!

By: Sarah DeLeeuw

Sarah DeLeeuw — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:21:00 +0000

Someone earlier said that a shoebox-sized solar cooker doesn’t work. I am a former high school teacher. We made solar cookers for a project, and the smallest box cooked a hotdog to a black crisp on a clear day but only 50 degrees. Check out the webquest at http://www.nctm.org/resources/content.aspx?id=22453.

By: Rob Steves

Rob Steves — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 06:53:40 +0000

I originally posted this article on another site. 90% of the comments I received were simply to say how awesome the project was, but here are a few that offer some additional information.

joe said … 13:03, 31 March 2008 (PDT)
to make one about the size of a shoe box what would the demisions be?

Rob said … 00:50, 10 April 2008 (PDT)
To Joe… I think you’ll have difficulty cooking anything with a parabolic reflector the size of a shoebox. However, if you’d like to try, just scale down the measurements I used. A shoebox is about 12″ long while my cooker is about 48″ long, so just divide all the X and Y numbers by 4 and draw your grid with 1/4″ squares instead of 1″ squares.

klaas said … 12:34, 14 May 2008 (PDT)
I liked your cooker so much that I decided to build one my self. It’s 0.75 meter wide, and 2.50 meter(approx 98.5″)high. It weighs some 40 kilograms I guess….. Took my only a couple of hours work. I did cut the sides in one pass: I used some twenty screws to fasten them together. Just as I wanted to test the beast, a cloud decided that there was enough sunlight for the day…. Thanks, Klaas.

Eric Seavey said … 08:19, 25 June 2008 (PDT)
I’ve built one a year ago that is 4×8 feet in size. My version is designed for space heating in the winter, where the absorber is only 1×4 foot copper plate with one copper pipe, and acrylic front panel, that increases the efficiency and water temperature considerably even during 0-15 degrees F periods. The sun will focus on the absorber for for about 3-4 hours and “shut off” passively during warmer weather periods. BUT…be very careful, since it does not take much to damage your eyes with this kind of brightness at the focal point!

Solar Homer Simpson said … 02:28, 13 December 2008 (PST)
For those less inclined, PITSCO sells something simular( for alot of money ) already made. I love to see this stuff. I have been building/operating/maintaining utility grade solar thermal parabolic trough power plants here in the Mojave Desert under three different companies(LUZ/KJC/FPL) for the last 22 years and anything that gets the word out is great.