Fluxer Heaters, induction heaters for Dynavap
- Thread starter mr_cfromcali
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- induction heater
Moses Baca
Colorado State Reformatory #8755
Awesome, thanks for the video. That seems simple enough. So it's like heating closer or a bit further from the tip, similar to using a single flame torch? That makes sense.
That was the Ti tip?
Sorry, I just added a note to clarify that that was a SS tip, demo'd with a 15mm coil. I did test that same heater off-camera with my ti tip, and it worked just fine....but that's probably all the testing I can do until later tonight, lol.
That's it, exactly - changing the coil height produces a very torch-like response in the Dynavap! The adjustment is analog and simple, just like the Dynavap itself. So yeah, it just makes a whole lot of sense to control the device this way, and I wish it had occurred to me sooner (or I had listened to some of you sooner), but better late than never, lol.
As the demo shows, it seems like you can make this modification to almost any coil I've made to date, so it's immediately available to experiment with - for free! - as long as one doesn't mind a bit of disassembly and reassembly.
It only takes a few mm change to make a difference, btw, so don't go too crazy, or your load will combust.
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rnartian
Earthling flora is... fascinating.
Is this with the 15mm coil, or 16mm? That is quite the difference, good on you for testing for the optimal depthAnd, in "Breaking News", here's a quick video I just put together to demonstrate how to do this, including before and after coil position metrics. It turned out pretty well for an hour or two of effort. I hope you enjoy it.
The above video uses a 2018M with a SS tip.
I love how you're constantly working on your heaters and improving them even when it seems like they're damn near ideal.
Thanks for the kind words.
It’s a 15mm coil/SS tip in the demo.
It’s a 15mm coil/SS tip in the demo.
bannakaffalatta
Well-Known Member
I'm loving mine. I've had no issues with the 16mm coil and a Ti Tip. I get 3-4 good rips without any combustion.
caseball2051
Well-Known Member
Is there any danger I'm using my FD or the 18650s in chilly (around freezing) weather? Smoking some meats tomorrow and I'm going to be outside most of the day and don't want to stress my unit
Temps “around freezing” should be fine. 18650 batteries have issues with temps below -4 degrees F (-20 degrees C).
Checkvape1win
Active Member
It's finally my turn for a Fluxer! But I am still a bit indecisive and thought I'd ask a few questions in this thread, instead of pm'ing @mr_cfromcali as some of you might be able to answer my questions, and so others who might look for the same information.
I am looking for a stealthy otg device primarily, but would like it to light up a little, so in this regard I was wondering how much does the under glass LED lights up under carbon fiber? And how big are the heating differences between glass and carbon?
I'm also curious to know if Fluxer is a device I can just leave turned on, without damaging device or batteries? And how easy is it to use the battery indicator without having the external switch?
I also like a slow thorough roast, with a bit of leeway if I go over the click. My final choices are currently between a 16mm or 17mm coil. Which would fit this best you think? (I prefer using my 19M SS tip for what it's worth, but would like the option of using the TI as well).
And lastly, the regarding the included charger, is it possible to charge the batteries with or is it meant for using without batteries or how does it work exactly?
Well that turned into quite a bit of text! But I hope you guys can answer my questions!
Thanks in advance.
Ps. Some of this info is probably buried earlier in the thread, and I have actually read it all once but it was 6 months or so ago so I cannot remember it all.
I am looking for a stealthy otg device primarily, but would like it to light up a little, so in this regard I was wondering how much does the under glass LED lights up under carbon fiber? And how big are the heating differences between glass and carbon?
I'm also curious to know if Fluxer is a device I can just leave turned on, without damaging device or batteries? And how easy is it to use the battery indicator without having the external switch?
I also like a slow thorough roast, with a bit of leeway if I go over the click. My final choices are currently between a 16mm or 17mm coil. Which would fit this best you think? (I prefer using my 19M SS tip for what it's worth, but would like the option of using the TI as well).
And lastly, the regarding the included charger, is it possible to charge the batteries with or is it meant for using without batteries or how does it work exactly?
Well that turned into quite a bit of text! But I hope you guys can answer my questions!
Thanks in advance.
Ps. Some of this info is probably buried earlier in the thread, and I have actually read it all once but it was 6 months or so ago so I cannot remember it all.
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Hi @Checkvape1win ,
Let me give my answers first. While I'm sure a few Fluxer owners have had the opportunity to try other Fluxers, most have not, and I'm not sure if anyone else has had the opportunity to compare glass vs. CF inserts.
The LEDs are probably half as bright with the CF insert. The glass and CF perform similarly, so I believe the wall thickness of the insert plays a greater role in its heating efficiency: a thicker-walled insert is always less efficient than a thinner one, regardless of material. For any given coil size, the heating time increases with the wall thickness of the insert.
Yes, you can leave it turned on. The Green LED uses ~20mA of power, but it can be disabled if you choose*. Other than the green LED, the device doesn't use any power at idle.
I'll let an FD owner with this setup answer this one.
The 16mm Thick Walled insert heats the slowest, followed by the 17mm. From your description I think you would prefer the 17mm, or even just a regular 16mm with a coil that's raised a bit more (~0.5mm - 1.0mm) than stock for a slightly extended heating time. 16mm seems to be the size at which ti and SS tips have similar heating times. As you can see in the coil size comparison videos I've posted to the Fluxer Heaters' YT Channel a few months ago, the SS tips have more mass and seem to perform better with the longer heating times.
It's for charging the batteries only. Its output is 1A, which is the maximum safe recommended charging rate for 18650 batteries; you can charge them at a higher rate, but doing so can damage them.
Anyway, those are my takes, so you have an "official" response to go with whatever else people have to share.
* Green and Red bi-color LED "defeat" info: If it's important to you to have the ability to disable the green "Power ON" and/or red "In Use" LED, please tell me in the comments section of your Order Confirmation form. Not everyone cares about this, and not all versions of the Flux Deluxe PCB have full control over these capabilities yet. I've added a pair of internal DIP switches to the latest version of the PCB to allow you to individually disable the red and green halves of the front LED (while still permitting full battery meter functionality), but those aren't fully available yet, as I'm still working through an existing stock of 20-30 PCBs that I pre-built on versions that lacked one or both of these switches.
TD;DR for above: If it's important to you to have the ability to disable the green "Power ON" and/or red "In Use" LED, please tell me in the comments section of your Order Confirmation form (not the Waiting List) when you submit that, and I'll try to accommodate your request.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Other Fluxer News
My December was filled with some great family events - my brother and his family visited from out of town, and we had several large, extended family celebrations with our parents and other sibling while they were here. It was a lot of fun. As soon as they left, my immediate family and I snuck out of town for a short holiday of our own, which was also a lot of fun. It was a very restorative December, but it played hell with my Fluxer production schedule. Consequently, I still have a few heaters from the last cohort to complete - and a few to repair, too - and I intend to get those done within the next couple of days. Thanks for your patience.
The other big news is that right around Christmas I signed off on the design (and paid for the production of) the first batch of 180 pre-machined Flux Deluxe cases. Woo hoo, that's finally happening! Those are being made right now, and I'm hopeful they will get to me by early February or sooner. A second batch of 200 has also been scheduled, but those won't go into production until after the lunar New Year holiday. I'll have more news on these as it comes.
That's it for now. Stay tuned, though - I have a few other Fluxer projects that I am actively developing -
- but they aren't ready to be shared just yet.
Cheers, and happy 2020!
Let me give my answers first. While I'm sure a few Fluxer owners have had the opportunity to try other Fluxers, most have not, and I'm not sure if anyone else has had the opportunity to compare glass vs. CF inserts.
The LEDs are probably half as bright with the CF insert. The glass and CF perform similarly, so I believe the wall thickness of the insert plays a greater role in its heating efficiency: a thicker-walled insert is always less efficient than a thinner one, regardless of material. For any given coil size, the heating time increases with the wall thickness of the insert.
Yes, you can leave it turned on. The Green LED uses ~20mA of power, but it can be disabled if you choose*. Other than the green LED, the device doesn't use any power at idle.
I'll let an FD owner with this setup answer this one.
The 16mm Thick Walled insert heats the slowest, followed by the 17mm. From your description I think you would prefer the 17mm, or even just a regular 16mm with a coil that's raised a bit more (~0.5mm - 1.0mm) than stock for a slightly extended heating time. 16mm seems to be the size at which ti and SS tips have similar heating times. As you can see in the coil size comparison videos I've posted to the Fluxer Heaters' YT Channel a few months ago, the SS tips have more mass and seem to perform better with the longer heating times.
It's for charging the batteries only. Its output is 1A, which is the maximum safe recommended charging rate for 18650 batteries; you can charge them at a higher rate, but doing so can damage them.
Anyway, those are my takes, so you have an "official" response to go with whatever else people have to share.
* Green and Red bi-color LED "defeat" info: If it's important to you to have the ability to disable the green "Power ON" and/or red "In Use" LED, please tell me in the comments section of your Order Confirmation form. Not everyone cares about this, and not all versions of the Flux Deluxe PCB have full control over these capabilities yet. I've added a pair of internal DIP switches to the latest version of the PCB to allow you to individually disable the red and green halves of the front LED (while still permitting full battery meter functionality), but those aren't fully available yet, as I'm still working through an existing stock of 20-30 PCBs that I pre-built on versions that lacked one or both of these switches.
TD;DR for above: If it's important to you to have the ability to disable the green "Power ON" and/or red "In Use" LED, please tell me in the comments section of your Order Confirmation form (not the Waiting List) when you submit that, and I'll try to accommodate your request.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Other Fluxer News
My December was filled with some great family events - my brother and his family visited from out of town, and we had several large, extended family celebrations with our parents and other sibling while they were here. It was a lot of fun. As soon as they left, my immediate family and I snuck out of town for a short holiday of our own, which was also a lot of fun. It was a very restorative December, but it played hell with my Fluxer production schedule. Consequently, I still have a few heaters from the last cohort to complete - and a few to repair, too - and I intend to get those done within the next couple of days. Thanks for your patience.
The other big news is that right around Christmas I signed off on the design (and paid for the production of) the first batch of 180 pre-machined Flux Deluxe cases. Woo hoo, that's finally happening!
Those are being made right now, and I'm hopeful they will get to me by early February or sooner. A second batch of 200 has also been scheduled, but those won't go into production until after the lunar New Year holiday. I'll have more news on these as it comes.That's it for now. Stay tuned, though - I have a few other Fluxer projects that I am actively developing -
- but they aren't ready to be shared just yet.Cheers, and happy 2020!
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Checkvape1win
Active Member
Thank you for your very thorough response!
I am glad that you have had a nice Christmas! And cheers to a great 2020!
And I hope someone can follow up with a little experience on this matter.
One followup question, can someone with the external switch share their experiences with transporting it in bags and pockets or similar?
Baron23
Well-Known Member
Just wonderful. You are so willing to answer questions in a clear and concise manner. I really do appreciate your work, mate.Hi @Checkvape1win ,
Let me give my answers first. While I'm sure a few Fluxer owners have had the opportunity to try other Fluxers, most have not, and I'm not sure if anyone else has had the opportunity to compare glass vs. CF inserts.
The LEDs are probably half as bright with the CF insert. The glass and CF perform similarly, so I believe the wall thickness of the insert plays a greater role in its heating efficiency: a thicker-walled insert is always less efficient than a thinner one, regardless of material. For any given coil size, the heating time increases with the wall thickness of the insert.
Yes, you can leave it turned on. The Green LED uses ~20mA of power, but it can be disabled if you choose*. Other than the green LED, the device doesn't use any power at idle.
I'll let an FD owner with this setup answer this one.
The 16mm Thick Walled insert heats the slowest, followed by the 17mm. From your description I think you would prefer the 17mm, or even just a regular 16mm with a coil that's raised a bit more (~0.5mm - 1.0mm) than stock for a slightly extended heating time. 16mm seems to be the size at which ti and SS tips have similar heating times. As you can see in the coil size comparison videos I've posted to the Fluxer Heaters' YT Channel a few months ago, the SS tips have more mass and seem to perform better with the longer heating times.
It's for charging the batteries only. Its output is 1A, which is the maximum safe recommended charging rate for 18650 batteries; you can charge them at a higher rate, but doing so can damage them.
Anyway, those are my takes, so you have an "official" response to go with whatever else people have to share.
* Green and Red bi-color LED "defeat" info: If it's important to you to have the ability to disable the green "Power ON" and/or red "In Use" LED, please tell me in the comments section of your Order Confirmation form. Not everyone cares about this, and not all versions of the Flux Deluxe PCB have full control over these capabilities yet. I've added a pair of internal DIP switches to the latest version of the PCB to allow you to individually disable the red and green halves of the front LED (while still permitting full battery meter functionality), but those aren't fully available yet, as I'm still working through an existing stock of 20-30 PCBs that I pre-built on versions that lacked one or both of these switches.
TD;DR for above: If it's important to you to have the ability to disable the green "Power ON" and/or red "In Use" LED, please tell me in the comments section of your Order Confirmation form (not the Waiting List) when you submit that, and I'll try to accommodate your request.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Other Fluxer News
My December was filled with some great family events - my brother and his family visited from out of town, and we had several large, extended family celebrations with our parents and other sibling while they were here. It was a lot of fun. As soon as they left, my immediate family and I snuck out of town for a short holiday of our own, which was also a lot of fun. It was a very restorative December, but it played hell with my Fluxer production schedule. Consequently, I still have a few heaters from the last cohort to complete - and a few to repair, too - and I intend to get those done within the next couple of days. Thanks for your patience.
The other big news is that right around Christmas I signed off on the design (and paid for the production of) the first batch of 180 pre-machined Flux Deluxe cases. Woo hoo, that's finally happening!
That's it for now. Stay tuned, though - I have a few other Fluxer projects that I am actively developing -
Cheers, and happy 2020!
Now, I just have to keep on waiting until my turn comes up. Hopefully, the production cases will speed that up a bit. Yes, Dorothy....I have no patience! hahaha
Cheers and thanks for your great participation on the board.
AcidFlashbang
Well-Known Member
You can see what date he's up to on his profile. He's currently up to 4/19/19
Baron23
Well-Known Member
Wow, that's some kind of backlog.
Since I sent my request to be added to the list via the form on his site, rather than from my email app, I don't have a sent copy to check the date....but it sounds like I'm maybe six months out also.
However, as he said, here's hoping that the newly machined outsourced enclosures really speed up production rates.
I'm sure he's doing his best and its far, far better than a lot of one man shop initiatives we have seen in the past.
Cheers
Thanks for replying, @Baron23 .
Here's the current 'state of the wait': I am presently building heaters for people who joined the waiting list in mid-April. I believe I completed the last of that cohort last night - and for which I still need to send the invoices! - and I will begin another cohort soon.
No one has asked, but these are some reasons why the Flux Deluxe waiting time is so long:
Lastly, I'll also share that I have at least one other Fluxer project I'm developing, a different device that's simpler to build. This project has a working prototype (and it's a pretty cool device, imo) and has left the design stage. I've sent off the spec for the enclosure, but as I learned with the FD enclosures, there's a lot of back-and-forth involved, so it may be a few months before this sees the light of day. It's a neat project though, and I think you folks will like it a lot. I'll share more info on it as soon as it's ready to be shared.
That's where things stand at the moment. I'll post another update on the pre-machined cases as I have more info.
Cheers,
Here's the current 'state of the wait': I am presently building heaters for people who joined the waiting list in mid-April. I believe I completed the last of that cohort last night - and for which I still need to send the invoices! - and I will begin another cohort soon.
No one has asked, but these are some reasons why the Flux Deluxe waiting time is so long:
- The waiting list is long. Full stop. Thanks very much for your interest!!
- These are still very hand-made devices and each takes time. My techniques have improved over the last year and my builds are both better and faster, but I don't have a 'turbo' mode.
- The build is tight and requires care; see above.
- I'm still the only work resource on this project.
- This is still a hobby/side business, not my day job. My day job - and time with/for my family - comes first.
Lastly, I'll also share that I have at least one other Fluxer project I'm developing, a different device that's simpler to build. This project has a working prototype (and it's a pretty cool device, imo) and has left the design stage. I've sent off the spec for the enclosure, but as I learned with the FD enclosures, there's a lot of back-and-forth involved, so it may be a few months before this sees the light of day. It's a neat project though, and I think you folks will like it a lot.
I'll share more info on it as soon as it's ready to be shared.That's where things stand at the moment. I'll post another update on the pre-machined cases as I have more info.
Cheers,
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Jill NYC
Portable Hoarder
+1,000New stuff.........
Terpenetime
Well-Known Member
...but thankfully well worth the wait
New stuff... if it’s a lightweight (more) portable Fluxer then count me in
AcidFlashbang
Well-Known Member
Just got my invoice
Stonedbadger
Well-Known Member
Haha I've got a while to wait, I didnt get on the list until September!
Well, well...take a look at what DHL just dropped off.
I have ~180 of these, in these four colors (initially):
The quality is outstanding, and I am very pleased with the way these turned out!! I can find a few small things I might change in the future - e.g., the chamfers are a bit more subtle than I might prefer - but all of the holes are the correct sizes and located in the right places (!!!!!), and believe me, it took a lot of persistence to make that happen! These will work very well, and I think they will make future Flux Deluxe owners happy.
I elected to go with single-hole lids for the first batch of enclosures as it allows for both switch options, but the second batch will be entirely two-hole lids, as about half of my customers elect for an external switch. I'll continue to drill those external switch holes by hand for now, and I may add a more visible machined chamfer to the heater holes on those so both lid holes match. This is still TBD, but I'll go with whatever looks best.
There are a few Fluxer-as-a-business "house-keeping" things I need to do before I send out more Order Confirmation emails. My CPA has dictated some business changes, and I need to follow his advice. These will cost some money, but they are necessary for the long-term viability of the business, things I need to do to be a legal business entity and stay out of jail, etc. As a result of these upcoming changes, I am expecting my business costs to increase, and this is going to result in some Fluxer price increases. Price increases rarely please people, but these are going to be necessary, as my business costs ARE increasing and in fact have already increased. I will share more details on these changes as I finalize them them.
For now, though, I just wanted to share that the first batch of pre-machined cases arrived, and they look very good indeed! Huzzah!
Cheers,
I have ~180 of these, in these four colors (initially):
The quality is outstanding, and I am very pleased with the way these turned out!! I can find a few small things I might change in the future - e.g., the chamfers are a bit more subtle than I might prefer - but all of the holes are the correct sizes and located in the right places (!!!!!), and believe me, it took a lot of persistence to make that happen! These will work very well, and I think they will make future Flux Deluxe owners happy.
I elected to go with single-hole lids for the first batch of enclosures as it allows for both switch options, but the second batch will be entirely two-hole lids, as about half of my customers elect for an external switch. I'll continue to drill those external switch holes by hand for now, and I may add a more visible machined chamfer to the heater holes on those so both lid holes match. This is still TBD, but I'll go with whatever looks best.
There are a few Fluxer-as-a-business "house-keeping" things I need to do before I send out more Order Confirmation emails. My CPA has dictated some business changes, and I need to follow his advice. These will cost some money, but they are necessary for the long-term viability of the business, things I need to do to be a legal business entity and stay out of jail, etc. As a result of these upcoming changes, I am expecting my business costs to increase, and this is going to result in some Fluxer price increases. Price increases rarely please people, but these are going to be necessary, as my business costs ARE increasing and in fact have already increased. I will share more details on these changes as I finalize them them.
For now, though, I just wanted to share that the first batch of pre-machined cases arrived, and they look very good indeed! Huzzah!
Cheers,
Stonedbadger
Well-Known Member
Well, well...take a look at what DHL just dropped off.
I have ~180 of these, in these four colors (initially):
The quality is outstanding, and I am very pleased with the way these turned out!! I can find a few small things I might change in the future - e.g., the chamfers are a bit more subtle than I might prefer - but all of the holes are the correct sizes and located in the right places (!!!!!), and believe me, it took a lot of persistence to make that happen! These will work very well, and I think they will make future Flux Deluxe owners happy.
I elected to go with single-hole lids for the first batch of enclosures as it allows for both switch options, but the second batch will be entirely two-hole lids, as about half of my customers elect for an external switch. I'll continue to drill those external switch holes by hand for now, and I may add a more visible machined chamfer to the heater holes on those so both lid holes match. This is still TBD, but I'll go with whatever looks best.
There are a few Fluxer-as-a-business "house-keeping" things I need to do before I send out more Order Confirmation emails. My CPA has dictated some business changes, and I need to follow his advice. These will cost some money, but they are necessary for the long-term viability of the business, things I need to do to be a legal business entity and stay out of jail, etc. As a result of these upcoming changes, I am expecting my business costs to increase, and this is going to result in some Fluxer price increases. Price increases rarely please people, but these are going to be necessary, as my business costs ARE increasing and in fact have already increased. I will share more details on these changes as I finalize them them.
For now, though, I just wanted to share that the first batch of pre-machined cases arrived, and they look very good indeed! Huzzah!
Cheers,
They look fantastic!! Nice one!!
ataxian
PALE BLUE DOT
Just a color I love!