Alternative to the Induction Heater for Dynavap?

[hopla]

Maybe that's just a stupid idea and not even doable but what if instead of an induction heater we tried to build a lighter for the Dynavap based on laser diodes?
From very close a laser diode can heat up a paper sheet to a point it starts burning.
So why 2 or 3 diodes mounted together and very close to point at the Vapcap could not succeed in heating it up and make it click?
Laser diodes are very small and could fit a so much smaller and portable device than those based on induction heaters.
If someone has the knowledge or even only some notions in electricity (that i lack), his opinion would be very welcome.
I'm curious to know if some laser pointer of medium potency could be used like a torch? (i know that would be inusable as you would need some goggles but if that works it should work in a device designed to do only that)

 

[Copacetic]

Maybe that's just a stupid idea and not even doable but what if instead of an induction heater we tried to build a lighter for the Dynavap based on laser diodes?
From very close a laser diode can heat up a paper sheet to a point it starts burning.
So why 2 or 3 diodes mounted together and very close to point at the Vapcap could not succeed in heating it up and make it click?
Laser diodes are very small and could fit a so much smaller and portable device than those based on induction heaters.
If someone has the knowledge or even only some notions in electricity (that i lack), his opinion would be very welcome.
I'm curious to know if some laser pointer of medium potency could be used like a torch? (i know that would be inusable as you would need some goggles but if that works it should work in a device designed to do only that)

That's an intriguing idea
The danger from laser light could be avoided by making the chamber that the VC tip/cap is inserted into opaque (and with a reflective lining?).
A reflective doughnut with a diode or three might negate the need to spin too?
I believe that the torches we use for VC heating deliver energy levels FAR in excess of what is required to ignite paper, and that I've seen lasers that struggle to ignite same paper, but I know squat about lasers, so it's entirely possible that with the right device the required temp's could be achieved.
If a small pocketable heater could be made it would obviously be popular here!
Thanks to morons shining lasers at pilots, performers etc there might be fairly strict regulation of the sale/transport of laser devices.
Hopefully I'm wrong about that though ?
Sadly my experience of lasers is limited to enjoying them in consumer electronics.

Any FC electronics wizards care to comment?
@Pipes @rz @mr_cfromcali @stardustsailor

 

[hopla]

That's an intriguing idea
The danger from laser light could be avoided by making the chamber that the VC tip/cap is inserted into opaque (and with a reflective lining?).
A reflective doughnut with a diode or three might negate the need to spin too?
I believe that the torches we use for VC heating deliver energy levels FAR in excess of what is required to ignite paper, and that I've seen lasers that struggle to ignite same paper, but I know squat about lasers, so it's entirely possible that with the right device the required temp's could be achieved.
If a small pocketable heater could be made it would obviously be popular here!
Thanks to morons shining lasers at pilots, performers etc there might be fairly strict regulation of the sale/transport of laser devices.
Hopefully I'm wrong about that though ?
Sadly my experience of lasers is limited to enjoying them in consumer electronics.

Any FC electronics wizards care to comment?
@Pipes @rz @mr_cfromcali @stardustsailor

I had the same idea concerning the reflective doughnut (or some mini lens to focus and make the light more powerful) and the opaque chamber (any leakage could be dangerous and not discreet).
I've seen some laser diodes on youtube that are really very strong but some mini diodes with some tweaking can burn some paper from very very close.
And that the thing, our diodes would be very close to the vapcap.
Obviously my goal is to achieve a very portable device, for a comparaison people used to always carry a lighter with a pack of cigarettes, in my idea we could carry a laser "lighter" for the Dynavap (modern cigarette) or even a pack of Dynavaps.
Imagine a pack able to store 6 Dynavaps and one slot dedicated to the diodes to heat it up.
We could reinvent the pack of cigarettes+lighter all-in-one.
But i really lack the electronic knowledge...
For those who (like me 2 days ago) don't have any idea of the dimensions of a laser diode (not my thumb but some aliexpress' employee ) :

 

[Pipes]

Intreging but IMO, too many obstacles to overcome to get it to work.
1)Dangers of lasers and would need to be blocked from human eyes.
2)The target needs to be dark or the laser energy will just reflect off. Note that when you see them pop balloons that the balloons are generally dark in colour.
3)Heat distribution. And you guys think a lighter is hot spot prone. Laser heat a tiny little spot.
So in conclusion, not really feasible from what I can make out. At least at first glance.
Love the enthusiasm though.

 

[Tranquility]

https://www.instructables.com/id/Cheapy-Laser-Lighter-Burner/

 

[hopla]

Intreging but IMO, too many obstacles to overcome to get it to work.
1)Dangers of lasers and would need to be blocked from human eyes.
2)The target needs to be dark or the laser energy will just reflect off. Note that when you see them pop balloons that the balloons are generally dark in colour.
3)Heat distribution. And you guys think a lighter is hot spot prone. Laser heat a tiny little spot.
So in conclusion, not really feasible from what I can make out. At least at first glance.
Love the enthusiasm though.

Thank you for your point of view!
Yeah i saw that on some balloon (blue one i think) the laser don't burst it.
So from what i understand if i wanted to make it somewhat efficient i'd need the diodes to point at some black enclosure that would fit like a glove on the Vapcap tip.
Enthusiasm is what gathered us all in here, some like you have the knowledge to even make things go farther than just posting some odd ideas . (made my funny IH because i saw yours )

 

[Pipes]

Thank you for your point of view!
Yeah i saw that on some balloon (blue one i think) the laser don't burst it.
So from what i understand if i wanted to make it somewhat efficient i'd need the diodes to point at some black enclosure that would fit like a glove on the Vapcap tip.
Enthusiasm is what gathered us all in here, some like you have the knowledge to even make things go farther than just posting some odd ideas . (made my funny IH because i saw yours )

Yes, a black encasement would solve a couple of problems. Not sure how well the heat would transfer from the encasement. Or how fast. Fun stuff.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Cheapy-Laser-Lighter-Burner/

I love near the end where he lights a cigarette. He's actually shooting it up near his eyes. You can see it reflecting off his cheek under his eyes.

 

[hopla]

Copper seems to be the solution when it comes to transfer the heat.

And from what i saw you can enlarge or contract the focus point of a laser diode quite easily (maybe 3 of them pointing at different side of a copper enclosure and then testing how long it takes to heat up the tip with variation of the focus point dimension?)
God i wish i had a lab, or a friend with that kind of a hobby like him

.

 

[Tranquility]

Yes, a black encasement would solve a couple of problems. Not sure how well the heat would transfer from the encasement. Or how fast. Fun stuff.


I love near the end where he lights a cigarette. He's actually shooting it up near his eyes. You can see it reflecting off his cheek under his eyes.

I know, I was astonished as well. I don't think a laser would be a good project in a lighter one uses near one's face. My main goal was to give a how-to on firing up a laser for heat.

 

[hopla]

There's a copper foil tape double-sided conductive on amazon for quiet cheap 21.8 yards, 20 meters for 5.88$, 1/4" so 2 pieces of 3cm (1.18") of this foil would be enough to cover the tip heating surface.

I just bought this laser pointer

(a Youtuber recommended it) now i'll have to wait for...30 days to experiment some things with my Vapcap.
China is cheap, but china is far

 

[Pipes]

I don't think you're going to get great results using that copper tape. It has a glue adhesive which will just burn up and smoke. You would need something more like a clip on black metal. Something like the picture but without the fins.

Also, I may be wrong but I think you need more power than those laser pointers that claim crazy wattage and are actually only a few milliwatts. I think you will need more like 1000+ milliwatts. Here is an example.
They get pricy fast once you get over 100 mW or so. You would also want like 3 of them to get any speed out of it. Gets pricy fast eh?
Good luck, it will be an uphill battle.

 

[hopla]

I don't think you're going to get great results using that copper tape. It has a glue adhesive which will just burn up and smoke. You would need something more like a clip on black metal. Something like the picture but without the fins.

Also, I may be wrong but I think you need more power than those laser pointers that claim crazy wattage and are actually only a few milliwatts. I think you will need more like 1000+ milliwatts. Here is an example.
They get pricy fast once you get over 100 mW or so. You would also want like 3 of them to get any speed out of it. Gets pricy fast eh?
Good luck, it will be an uphill battle.

Yep i saw that adhesive glue and i didn't buy it (maybe Isopropyl alcohol could rub off that glue though?), the wheel/clip is interesting but i wanted something like a copper foil to be able to cloak the tip not in a definitive project but to maximise the chance to heat up the vapcap (and see the difference between heating the tip alone and the tip in copper foil).
Copper foil is interesting because it's conductive but also much thinner than any wheel/clip on black metal that would need to be heated up before it can heat the tip. But as a noob i can't be totally affirmative.
This laser pointer was demonstrated on youtube as a good one with focus adjustment (it burnt "things" and as far as i am a scientist it's good enough for me ), and i want to see how much heat i can get from a cheap laser (the main idea is still 3 laser diodes, even less potent that this one at the beginning).
I have the feeling that we shouldn't need those pricey lasers to get some result, we'll see!

 

[Pipes]

This is what I'd try as the laser target. Copper is still too reflective. A good heat conductor but needs to be flat black to absorb the energy.

 

[hopla]

This is what I'd try as the laser target. Copper is still too reflective. A good heat conductor but needs to be flat black to absorb the energy.[/URL]

yeah! that looks interesting, or something more plain to focus easily (main thing is to find something very thin, to avoid losing time and heat on it)

Although copper is still way more interesting when it comes to conductivity, maybe some blackened copper (copper can easily be blackened by oxydation or am i totally wrong?)

Just for the fun and serendipity brought me there:

 

[hopla]

Received and tried the laser, it is very disappointing.
You can't light a match (misleading publicity) so it's of no use.
I still believe that with 3 potent laser diodes (1000-1500+mW as stated by Pipes)+system of tiny magnify glasses to make the heat stronger there would be something functional to achieve, and it could light up a logo with the reflection of the internal light (but i don't have neither the money nor the time for the moment).

Only good thing is the case they send it in, it will make a great portable case for my Dynavap gear+tiny bong