Alpine 2020/2021 - Induction Heater

[TommyDee]

I tweaked your numbers a little bit to match mine...

STL file - 3D Print peeps will know what this is... https://drive.google.com/file/d/11IA6xoLImXfnlGp_IWpDhsJIzGeQ8Wpz/view?usp=sharing

 

[Mono Loco]

show-off! :-)

 

[PigNib]

Awesome! thank you!

 

[TommyDee]

LOL

 

[fatbiker]

I really wish this IH had an auto shutoff function. I tend to leave it on all the time by accident. Seems like every time I use it I forget to turn it off. I come back a few minutes/hours later and notice that it's still on.

 

[TommyDee]

Not to worry @fatbiker - the only loss is the power to the LEDs. I decided it is easier to leave it on than to fiddle with the button.

 

[babaganush]

So do we know if 3 green lights = done charging or does it still need like 15-30 mins extra charge?

 

[Siebter]

It's not user-friendly but I don't think it's purposely made to be difficult to replace.

Have you seen any other IH and how it allows to swap the battery? Usually it takes a screwdriver instead of soldering equipment, sometimes there's even a cover that you would simply slide off.

Again, I have no personal interest in this device, I'm just surprised how such an approach with a device at that price can be accepted.

 

[PigNib]

Have you seen any other IH and how it allows to swap the battery? Usually it takes a screwdriver instead of soldering equipment, sometimes there's even a cover that you would simply slide off.

Again, I have no personal interest in this device, I'm just surprised how such an approach with a device at that price can be accepted.

I actually have not researched any other IHs but I'd be willing to bet that every one has positives and negatives.
If there really is one that is better in EVERY way I'd love to see it as I would probably abandon the Alpine or keep it as a second.

For an apples/apples comparison it would need to have the things the Alpine has and then have other features that wouldn't cause negatives.
Otherwise, the other one wouldn't be better, it would just be a preference. For example, all IHs w/o a battery option are eliminated

For example (things I like about the Alpine):
Battery powered
Ability to be recharged quickly in the unit with a standard cable (c2c would have been nice but the 12v barrel has lots of options. at least it isn't micro-usb)
Very portable
Heavy enough not to slide around (i still put silicon feet on mine)
Looks like a polished/finished product
Sealed for at least the bottom half of the device (ability to set down on a very wet surface with no worry or handle a spilled beverage)
One hand operation
Battery level indicator of some sort
Some sort of warranty (at least six months)
similar price

Would like to have without sacrificing the above:
correct magnet - ability to move magnet to different locations or remove it without destroying appearance would be ideal
18650 easily swap battery
Easy swap glass
more water resistant (power button sealed, DC-input sealed, top sealed, sealed glass tube, and could handle rain or a quick accidental dunk)
Better battery indicator (maybe a small OLED display or single color-changing LED that illuminates the glass and no external lights)
Ability to customize ( shut down timer, OLED info, lights actions and ability to turn off for stealth, etc)
usbc-usbc cable charging
hard-shell case not much bigger than IH
Ability to customize (easily change tops and use screws + seals there instead of glue)

 

[babaganush]

Im happy with my purchase, especially for the 80 dollar price I bought it at. Its exactly what I needed as this IH doubles as a desktop and a portable one; I dont know of any other IH that does that, but correct me if Im wrong. Since im rarely on the go, Im glad I could use it plugged in and I dont need to charge or swap batteries often to use it since Im a heavy user.

 

[TommyDee]

So do we know if 3 green lights = done charging or does it still need like 15-30 mins extra charge?

Yes, the lights are tweaked to show resting cell status. I get 11.86 volts at 3 green lights. The charger stops at 12.18V. I can stuff in an additional watt of power with a 12.6V charger.

 

[Mono Loco]

re: Alpine 2020
"... this IH doubles as a desktop and a portable one; I don't know of any other IH that does that, but correct me if Im wrong."

So, am I understanding you correctly - the Alpine's charging jack/port, which takes a barrel plug from a 12v 2A charger to charge the internal batteries, can also accept a 12v 6A signal from an AC/DC adapter to power the unit at will? If so, how would the high amperage affect the batteries (or does the BMS intelligence protect them)?

 

[TommyDee]

@Mono Loco - yes, that's been stated by the maker. Don't know where but it makes sense. The power port on the BMS is the same as the charge port.

 

[Mono Loco]

I just read this on Reddit (not from the maker)

"The alpine is battery powered. The battery supply they use is a 12v 2a power supply not a charger. The light on the supply stays blue. Does not go from red to green like every other charger. Using it while it plug it doesn't use the power supply for the full 6-10amps. It uses the battery and the supply just helps."

I'm gonna' have to find the Mfg's quote now!

 

[TommyDee]

That's a bit of a different statement. The wall wart is not actually a charger, it is a power supply. It has no smarts to be a charger. The charger -is- the onboard BMS which has no lights to output to show state.

Looking at the wiring inside, I have no doubt the wires are heavy enough to carry the current for a fire-cycle. I can even run one of my other IH from A'20 for a dual-fire group setup. Plug in a Flix or Caldron for example.

 

[thunderstealer1337]

Imma just build a external 18650 mobile battery pack for my caldron and apollo.

Imma just resell mine here if it ever shows up, imo these never got beta tested and the consumer is paying to launch the product and troubleshoot it for them. This is the response for everything on reddit lol, well you have 1 year warranty - they will take care of you..... Ugh still trying to get mine that was stated to launch 6/5. Then another reddit stated he got a phone call for his shipment stuck on 7/2, turns out his engraving had issues and they were resending his out on Friday.

Things just keep adding up that all the publicly blasted information is not what is actually happening

 

[TommyDee]

Engraving could have gone better. That was on this end. I don't know were we, the consumer, have not become the defact-o-standard beta testers. This is certainly a beta release by all accounts. But they are in this for the long haul. Products like this require tweaking, and that, they may not have been ready for. Now to see how Randall handles it.

I'm working on a self-sustained pack today too @thunderstealer1337 . Mine will be 3S 18350 w/ BMS and a USB Micro charge port and the PSM style meter. That will make for a very cute little 1200mah 3s pack.

And as to quality, I can tell you one thing to look for; how clean is the insulation on the wires at the solder joint? What I've seen so far has been consumer grade professionally done assembly. Some bird-caging but clean and undamaged insulation just past the solder joint. These are hallmarks I look for when I justify 'quality'. Having the wrong magnet is a fit&finish problem. 1 element in hundreds. Honestly, I am not being a fan-boy. I still want to hear their plan on battery exchange. I'm also a bit dismayed by the lack of control over their shipment handling. Growing pains? I do think they will make a place in the IH space. Let them get past this initial offering to see how they respond. I like the A'20 but I still like mine too. I cannot tune the A'20 like I can my DIY efforts. It is a nice looking unit on the coffee table and that counts for a lot with my wife. Not to intrusive while calling to you like a Siren.

 

[Mono Loco]

Hey ... are you a sucker for a 20% sale? Howzabout a 30% store-wide SALE? I just got an eMail from Interplanetary development ... if you need (OK, want) a Silo case (for $24.50, down from $35) or maybe a Launch Pad (for $8.75, down from $12.50), now's a good time!

@TommyDee ... yeh, cleans welds (I mean solder joints!) with minimal collateral damage are sign of skillful work. They have at least one capable 10-year old girl assembler in their sweat shop (gals have better fine motor skills ... but WE are better at gross things, LOL)

 

[InvisiKat]

I know this has been addressed somewhere but I can’t find the reference now - is it ok to just leave it plugged in while using it? And when the batteries run out, can it simply function as a plug-in IH?

 

[acstorfer]

Heck, I’ll throw another question into the fold. Is the Mighty power adapter better/worse/equal to the supplied power adapter if I were to use it to charge my Apline?

 

[BabyFacedFinster]

Engraving could have gone better. That was on this end. I don't know were we, the consumer, have not become the defact-o-standard beta testers. This is certainly a beta release by all accounts. But they are in this for the long haul. Products like this require tweaking, and that, they may not have been ready for. Now to see how Randall handles it.

I'm working on a self-sustained pack today too @thunderstealer1337 . Mine will be 3S 18350 w/ BMS and a USB Micro charge port and the PSM style meter. That will make for a very cute little 1200mah 3s pack.

And as to quality, I can tell you one thing to look for; how clean is the insulation on the wires at the solder joint? What I've seen so far has been consumer grade professionally done assembly. Some bird-caging but clean and undamaged insulation just past the solder joint. These are hallmarks I look for when I justify 'quality'. Having the wrong magnet is a fit&finish problem. 1 element in hundreds. Honestly, I am not being a fan-boy. I still want to hear their plan on battery exchange. I'm also a bit dismayed by the lack of control over their shipment handling. Growing pains? I do think they will make a place in the IH space. Let them get past this initial offering to see how they respond. I like the A'20 but I still like mine too. I cannot tune the A'20 like I can my DIY efforts. It is a nice looking unit on the coffee table and that counts for a lot with my wife. Not to intrusive while calling to you like a Siren.

@TommyDee, I was kind of surprised that you picked up one of these units. Beyond a nice wooden case, what do these units have that you haven't already figured out and made as a homebrew set up? Your portable mini units look like they could fit in an Alpine case with some room to spare.

 

[TommyDee]

@BabyFacedFinster - purely the finished looks. More or less a present to my wife in having a clean(er) coffee table.

I'm still working on my own and seriously considered just getting a look and passing it on. Now, I won't let go of it any time soon. Do want to tinker with it.

 

[Siebter]

One note about leaving the unit plugged in all the time – LiPos, as used in the Alpine, shouldn't be left fully charged or fully empty for longer periods of time as this will stress them and shorten their lifetime. It's even recommended to discharge them a bit when storing them overnight. Any cell will get stressed when being left fully charged, but LiPos are known to be particularly sensitive to it. Leaving them plugged to a charger will render the device unportable in no time (and I'm not even sure if you could still use it at a desktop then).

For an apples/apples comparison it would need to have the things the Alpine has and then have other features that wouldn't cause negatives.
Otherwise, the other one wouldn't be better, it would just be a preference. For example, all IHs w/o a battery option are eliminated

Um. I was referring to the battery situation here, not even comparing the whole unit to something else – it was just one point that to me shows with what kind of mindset this device was designed. As for pretty much any other point on your list, it's hard to come up with an IH that does not match those parameters. Mine has 12 months warranty, charges fully in 15 minutes, is fully water resistant, one hand op via momentary switch, has a full digital display for battery indication and even the magnet is set correctly. And mine is not even the latest iteration of that model. And believe me, I could go on showing off how low a level the Alpine is compared to pretty much any other IH on the market, esp. when it comes to quality of the build and user friendliness. It actually amazes me. It's a sad attempt to hop on the IH bandwagon. Look at Pipes, Fluxer, Mag Heater, Apollo or VapOven to see examples for innovative, userfriendly and customer oriented IH companies. The only real advantage the Alpine seems to have is availability, and even that point... well.

 

[invertedisdead]

It's a sad attempt to hop on the IH bandwagon

It just seems cheesy - this is a staple product in our small vaporizer community. To take it offshore and undercut other builders like Walmart feels so out of place IMHO.

 

[stark1]

ZUP! My (new) A20 came like this. No glue need apply?

I am so unglued!