BioLite BaseCamp Stove Compatible Battery 3.7V 2600mAh Li-ion

Biolite BaseCamp Stove — 3.7V Li-ion Replacement Battery (INR18650)

This is a 3.7V, 2600mAh Li-ion INR18650 cell for the Biolite BaseCamp Stove. It powers the stove's internal fan system, which drives combustion airflow during cooking. Without a functioning battery, the fan stops and the stove loses its ability to regulate heat output.

• BaseCamp Stove fan circuit: The BaseCamp Stove routes battery power through a small brushed DC fan motor. The INR18650 format is the only cell geometry that fits the stove's battery bay, and the BMS monitors discharge current to protect the fan motor from overcurrent events during startup surges.
• Bench tested on actual hardware: We cycled this cell through the stove's fan control board at sustained and peak draw. The BMS held cutoff at the correct low-voltage threshold and recovered cleanly on reconnect — no handshake errors with the stove's controller.
• Post-fire residue on battery contacts: After cooking sessions, ash and soot can migrate into the battery compartment. Wipe the cell contacts and bay terminals with a dry cloth before reinserting — carbon residue increases contact resistance and causes the fan to run slow or stutter even on a full charge.

Why the BaseCamp fan slows down mid-cook even with a charged battery

The fan motor draws higher current when airflow is restricted by ash buildup in the burn chamber. That increased load pulls the cell voltage down faster than normal discharge — this is called voltage sag. When cell voltage sags below roughly 3.2V under load, the BMS trips the output to protect the cell, which the stove reads as a low-battery condition even if the resting voltage is higher. Clearing the burn chamber reduces motor load and keeps the cell voltage stable through the cook.

Fan runs at full speed but stove produces noticeably less heat than before

This symptom usually points to a degraded cell with reduced capacity rather than a fan or airflow fault. A cell that has lost capacity will reach the BMS low-voltage cutoff earlier in the discharge cycle, cutting fan power before the fuel is fully combusted. Check resting cell voltage with a multimeter — a healthy INR18650 at full charge reads between 4.1V and 4.2V. If the cell rests below 3.9V immediately after a full charge, the cell has degraded and needs replacement.