Aromazap/Myrtlezap/CeramicRockZap

Well I bought my first CRZ. Time to update from the old brass zap. I got AP23 Ambrosia Maple. Love the looks as well as the beetle holes.

I am in New Zealand for the next month so she will have to wait till I get home! I hope Rick gives her lots of love till then.

I will report my findings when I can get my hands on her!

I'm heading out to the vapor garage to put the beauty to work,,,,,before bedtime.

collegerower said:

Well I bought my first CRZ. Time to update from the old brass zap. I got AP23 Ambrosia Maple. Love the looks as well as the beetle holes.

I am in New Zealand for the next month so she will have to wait till I get home! I hope Rick gives her lots of love till then.

I will report my findings when I can get my hands on her!

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I was actually eyeing that one on 420 and almost bought it but realized I didn't have the funds.. made me sad but good to see it is getting a good home!

The first VV power supply came in Friday. We are looking at several more designs in the coming weeks.
Duh Rick. This is the only way to go. I have been doing 13.8 to 14.2 volts so far. That does seem to be our sweet spot. I would be interested in other thoughts on "just right" voltage.
This is very close to the stock 12 VDC transformer we are supplying as that is putting out 13.5 to 13.8 volts with a load. The 13.5 transformers were probably close to 15 volts actual output.
The word here in Zapville is we will make this happen if at all possible. VV trans, 15 volts max, 1.5-2 amps with a voltage display, either analog or digital. Offered as the basic transformer or as an extra to the standard 12 volt(actually 13.5 volt output).

Rick always is slow catching up to the world but we do it when it is time.
New product. Variable temperature CRZ. Soon.
I'll have a Bubbler update tomorrow sometime.

collegerower, that is the sweetest Ambrosia Maple to come along so far. Lots of pink tint. You also got a super deal using the coupon in our signature. Thanks for doing another Zap. You will not believe the difference between the old Zap and the new CRZ. Good score, even if I do say so.

Rick said:

The first VV power supply came in Friday. We are looking at several more designs in the coming weeks.
Duh Rick. This is the only way to go. I have been doing 13.8 to 14.2 volts so far. That does seem to be our sweet spot. I would be interested in other thoughts on "just right" voltage.
This is very close to the stock 12 VDC transformer we are supplying as that is putting out 13.5 to 13.8 volts with a load. The 13.5 transformers were probably close to 15 volts actual output.
The word here in Zapville is we will make this happen if at all possible. VV trans, 15 volts max, 1.5-2 amps with a voltage display, either analog or digital. Offered as the basic transformer or as an extra to the standard 12 volt(actually 13.5 volt output).

Rick always is slow catching up to the world but we do it when it is time.
New product. Variable temperature CRZ. Soon.
I'll have a Bubbler update tomorrow sometime.

collegerower, that is the sweetest Ambrosia Maple to come along so far. Lots of pink tint. You also got a super deal using the coupon in our signature. Thanks for doing another Zap. You will not believe the difference between the old Zap and the new CRZ. Good score, even if I do say so.

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I'm excited to try one of these VV power supplies. keep up the good work guys

Rick said:

collegerower, that is the sweetest Ambrosia Maple to come along so far. Lots of pink tint. You also got a super deal using the coupon in our signature. Thanks for doing another Zap. You will not believe the difference between the old Zap and the new CRZ. Good score, even if I do say so.

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Thanks for the kind words Rick. I am realllly excited!

Rick said:

I would be interested in other thoughts on "just right" voltage.

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Good move Rick The sweet spot will vary depending on the resistor value in each unit. FWIW I've been running my PD for several years at 14V, but could probably go a bit higher because it has a 22 Ohm resistor. Also the PD is less efficient at retaining heat than the CRZ.

college, you are going to be one happy camper! Glad to hear you jumped aboard the train again.
And that Ambrosia is a beauty!

I'm with Hazy, Rick. The right voltage for each log will depend on the resistance of the heating element, and perhaps in some extend also on the size of the vape and the type of wood that is used. I have a resistance of 23,45 ohm in my UD (I've never used any one of your products so I have no idea how they compare exactly, accept from what I gather through reviews and comparisons of other members) and I usually use mine on 14,3V. But when it's cold and just turned on it's a little on the low side (if I'm in a rush I go as high as 14,8V to speed up the warm up time, that's the highest my PSU will go), and when it has been on for hours and the entire mass has warmed up thoroughly I can go down a bit to 13,8V. The voltage I choose also depends a bit on which strain I use and if I'm vaping hash or kief too.

Perhaps it's an idea to inform each owner of the resistance of their particular Vape so they know where to start approximately? I know that the first thing I'd do as soon as a new log vape arrives is measure the resistance to know at which voltage to start, but not everyone has a multi meter so perhaps you can do it for your customers already and print it on the bottom or something?

edit: I use this particular PSU which also allows me to monitor what Amperage is drawn up to one decimal behind the comma, and I noticed the biggest temperature changes occur when the Amperage changes. On mine it goes from 0,3A to 0,4A at 12,3V and from 0,4 to 0,5A at 13,9V. Not sure if this is helpful or not but I thought I may as well share it too.

Oh, I hope this isn't considered as spamming, but I'd like everyone to have a look at this thread in case anyone may feel like helping out a fellow vaporist in trouble.

OhTheAgony said:

Perhaps it's an idea to inform each owner of the resistance of their particular Vape so they know where to start approximately? I know that the first thing I'd do as soon as a new log vape arrives is measure the resistance to know at which voltage to start, but not everyone has a multi meter so perhaps you can do it for your customers already and print it on the bottom or something?

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I think this is a great idea and probably something all log vape makers should do. I ordered a bunch of those resistors and they were all different values. Not one of them was 20 Ohm despite being marked as such.

I would just like to say that my zap vapes the hell out of my herb. Color is really brown. It must be the western red cedar, bc it gets pretty hot. Holding it when its been on for a day the zap is really really warm. Lastly anyone know how to polish my zap?

JustOnCloud9 said:

I would just like to say that my zap vapes the hell out of my herb. Color is really brown. It must be the western red cedar, bc it gets pretty hot. Holding it when its been on for a day the zap is really really warm. Lastly anyone know how to polish my zap?

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I wish I could achieve a more brown with my ABV, even with a coozie I wasn't able to achieve brown. Only very light gold with some green.

For polish, I just take some of the *zap polish* and lather it in while it's hot, seems to dissolve easy and the wood just SHINES beautifully with a glowing essence.

Butter? Hmmmm,,,,ok. Use your Zap polish?

Jeppy, if my short term memory loss hasn't kicked in, I believe Elluzion had a PD before a Zap? That version of polish was called Buzz Butter.

Whether you use that, or Zapolish, or some of Ed's BombAssButter, it's all good natural bee's wax.

momofthegoons said:

Jeppy, if my short term memory loss hasn't kicked in, I believe Elluzion had a PD before a Zap? That version of polish was called Buzz Butter.

Whether you use that, or Zapolish, or some of Ed's BombAssButter, it's all good natural bee's wax.

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Don't forget the Underbutter




I've never even used mine yet come to think of it, perhaps it is time for a good yet gentle rubbin'

See what I mean about the memory loss....?

Damn I'm dumb. And,,,I can say that.

I just grabbed a handful(16) of the standard 5 watt 20 ohm resistors we have always used which are the same ones used in most log vapes. All of them were right at 20 or 20.1 ohms. Specs call for + or - 5% which would be 19-21 ohms. I think the availability of a good VV DC power supply to 15 volts will fix any heat problems with CRZs or any log vape. With a voltage display on the VV, the actual ohm reading of the heater is not so important. Find your sweet spot with voltage, then leave it there. That number will change depending on what you want or your mood. Lower heat will give the most flavor and higher heat gives the thicker clouds but not as tasty in my book. I am running at 12.6 volts right now but the ambient air is 80 or so. Very unusual for us at 20 degrees over normal temps. That is another beauty of the VV. Turn the fucker down if you want. I leave it idling at 10 volts or so when we go to bed.

We are zeroing in on a choice for our first attempt at getting these VV things out there. They could be available sooner than we thought at a decent price if I can source them in the US. I am waiting for some pricing now.

I should have some Bubblers in stock by Wednesday. I still have to confirm that as our glass guy did the Moscow, ID Hempfest this weekend so he might be late. I will post here for sure the day/time they will be back in stock as there will again be a limited supply.

That's great that you're getting such close resistance values. Enables you to produce a consistent product. Maybe I've got a crappy supplier... they probably ship the out-of-spec ones overseas because they know it's too much trouble to return them :/

You're right, I think 15V should take care of everyone's needs. I must admit I do prefer the well-baked flavour I get at the higher temps!

My first thoughts were, "If it's not broke, why fix it?". It makes perfect sense though now. It takes whatever variables there may be out of the equation. Natural evolution of the log.

@Magic9-Interesting comment and exactly what I thought for years. The Zap is not broke, you are correct but it can be improved for those who want a little more OR a little less. The VV power supply will be offered as an option. If customers are happy with our stock engine(power supply), they will have that option for the standard Zap kit. But if they want more, they will have the option of a VV power supply for a reasonable upgrade price. If they want both the fixed voltage and the VV power supply, we will have that choice available too. We will also have the VV power supply available as a stand alone product.
I have zeroed in on a particular simple model that puts out 1-15 volts at 2 amps which is more than enough amperage and should actually be enough to run 2 Zaps at a time. It also has a large digital voltage readout. I will supply the power cord that will mate it up to any log vape that uses the 5.5 x 2.1 mm plug.

We have also found a US supplier and have our cost for the VV set. Now it is down to get the supplier the $ and ship to Zapville. I should have them available by the end of the week, possibly a bit later but not much.

Pricing is not set in stone as I have to check the size and weight of them first since we do not charge extra for shipping any item on our website so must include shipping in the price. I will say the upgrade should come in very close to what folks are paying over at HI for the VV upgrade. Difference will of course be a nice digital voltage display on ours. Ours is black BTW.

A 15 volt top end is just about perfect(as a maximum voltage) for these babies. CRZs can take the heat. The sweet spot will be between 12.5 and 14+ volts is my guess.

Bubbler update later today. My glass guy took a day off yesterday after a crazy weekend. You know how those glass guys are.

@hazy- I think some ohmmeters are not as accurate as others. I noticed the meter going through 4-5 steps of ohm readout before it settled at 20 ohms. They all settled within a tenth of an ohm. In fact I have never thought the ohm variance of the heater was that big a deal on heat production as I would switch heaters with very little noticeable difference. A VV power supply overrides all the variables. I just had a customer wanting his to run a little cooler.

Great development Rick!

Interesting that your heating elements were that close together btw. Do you know if you and Dave use the same supplier perhaps? If so it might be a good idea to just test them quickly before you put them in to a core just in case, because that is where my 23+ ohm element came from after all.

I think ohm meters are pretty accurate in general, but they are pretty sensitive and the value can vary easily. Just the amount of pressure you put on the point of contact between the measuring pin (I have no idea what it's called in English so I'm just making up names now) and the lead of the heating element can make a difference already I noticed.

I know what you mean about letting the reading settle. I've been using Ohmmeters for over 30 years, so I think I've got the hang of it

OTA, the "measuring pin" is called a "probe" in English.

OhTheAgony said:

Great development Rick!

Interesting that your heating elements were that close together btw. Do you know if you and Dave use the same supplier perhaps? If so it might be a good idea to just test them quickly before you put them in to a core just in case, because that is where my 23+ ohm element came from after all.

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Sounds like you just got a bad one. I've checked a lot of resistors and having one that's 15% out of spec is pretty rare. It's usually more like what rick said. 1-2% actual variance either way. That's not to say that the tolerance doesn't slip under a period of continuous use, but out of the box they're usually much closer than that.

If we want to settle this issue, rick can test 20 and I'll use the appropriate statistic to give us a definite answer.

More resistor news. Many of you already know this but thought it would be good to repeat.
I just reworked a Zap yesterday. The resistor read over 21.5 ohms. I replaced it with one I tested out of the box at exactly 20 ohms. Ran the reworked Zap overnight for testing, etc. Today the same resistor specs out at 20.9/21 ohms.
Every resistor tested in a previously heated unit was 21-22 ohms. Some were old ones laying around, some were recently built.
So we can conclude the resistors increase in ohm spec once the unit is heated.
Now a question or two.
What is the famed "break in period" about? Is it simply the resistor increasing in resistance?
I ask this knowing many folks think higher resistance means less heat produced. Reasoning for that thesis is an ohms law calculation showing lower watts consumed with higher resistance presented in another thread a while back.
But what about this theory? For most of my adult life when checking anything electric in cars to golf carts to 4 wheelers, etc for an electrical problem, I first always look for heat or smoke at a connection or junction. With NO resistance, the circuit connections will be cool and normal. If there is ANY resistance in the circuit, it will be hotter wherever the resistance is located, often a corroded connection or loose connection. Resistance equals heat in electrical circuits in my book anyway.
So why would higher resistance at the heater not cause more heat AT THE HEATER?
This also blows the heater spec argument if they all increase in resistance once heated. What good is an out of the box spec on the resistors? Does more heat(more volts) cause the heater spec to even go up more?
VV power supply gives us whatever we want without having to figure it all out.