Fluxer Heaters, induction heaters for Dynavap

[Baron23]

Just a color I love!

Do you have one of these? I really like my Lucid IH and really don't torch VC's anymore.

But, it has some limitations and I did indeed sign up for a Flux heater some time ago. I'm really looking forward to it. I LOVE three 18650's, I don't care about weight...this is a home device for me and not an "on the road" piece of kit, and I love the manf open engagement with us on the forum.

@mr_cfromcali -cases look very nice. I would take any color...eh, not as hot on the pinkish purple, but I'm sure many will love that color.

Personally, I like the green best.

Cheers

 

[Terpenetime]

@mr_cfromcali I’m delighted that you’re delighted with your new enclosures and I’m sure they’ll help you serve more people more quickly.

Personally I absolutely love my OG model with its silver ‘Ring of Bling’

 

[ataxian]

Do you have one of these? I really like my Lucid IH and really don't torch VC's anymore.

But, it has some limitations and I did indeed sign up for a Flux heater some time ago. I'm really looking forward to it. I LOVE three 18650's, I don't care about weight...this is a home device for me and not an "on the road" piece of kit, and I love the manf open engagement with us on the forum.

@mr_cfromcali -cases look very nice. I would take any color...eh, not as hot on the pinkish purple, but I'm sure many will love that color.

Personally, I like the green best.

Cheers

I have a pink solo and a pink EVO!
White also is a color of some unit’s I have.
I like most color’s anyway.
Black is pretty standard?
Many device’s are just black.
I like to try stuff as well? (Color is subjective)

 

[mr_cfromcali]

@mr_cfromcali I’m delighted that you’re delighted with your new enclosures and I’m sure they’ll help you serve more people more quickly.

Personally I absolutely love my OG model with its silver ‘Ring of Bling’

Thanks, @Terpenetime . I have been giving this matter some thought* since these arrived. I'm also a big fan of the shiny chamfer around the heater hole - I think it's one of the signature style attributes of this device, which otherwise looks rather plain and industrial. The shiny chamfers around the other holes look good, too, but I feel like the one around the coil is a key part of this device's identity, and I want to keep it. Unfortunately, due to the factory's concerns about scratching their freshly anodized parts, they didn't give me any options for post-anodization machining.

Now that the cases are here, however, and I've had a chance to see the anodized cases up close, I intend to manually add a shiny chamfer to each lid. I still need to epoxy magnets into each case before I can use it, so I'll work this step into that process. Just the lid chamfer will be standard, though. If someone wants all of the existing chamfers machined (as shown further below), I'll offer that as a build option. It's extra work and will cost a few $ more, but it will be an option for those that want it.

The following images show the cases in these three "states": as I receive them; with just the heater hole chamfer freshly machined; and lastly with all the chamfers freshly machined:

Fresh out of the box:

As I intend to ship them, with a machined chamfer around the heater hole:

The option of full chamfering will also be available for a few dollars more:

*BTW, apparently not everyone sees (or even cares about!) these sort of details, lol. I explained the situation to my ever-patient wife and she rolled her eyes a bit at me/us as she didn't see any differences until I pointed them out to her, so...if the above cases all look the same to you, don't sweat it, you are in good company

That's all for now. Happy Friday, all!

Cheers,

 

[AcidFlashbang]

My heaters are supposed to arrive a few days before my batteries

 

[muunch]

I bought an older Fluxer (SN015 - made Dec2018) a few weeks ago... after chatting with Mrc, I realized my Fluxer had some old components, among other things. I sent it back home shortly before New Years to get the newer components swapped in, plus change my insert over to CF and get a new coil with the bends for adjustability.

Just got it back yesterday afternoon, and have played around a bit... First off, just opening the unit, I could tell how much the build quality had improved from when my unit was first built to where he was at now. Wires are shrinkwrapped, and ziptied to make it neater - the LED now has a little housing... there is additional branding on a little wireholder/spacer inside the unit inself... all quite impressive after seeing and using (and liking!) the first iteration of my unit.

After first getting it back, I had 3 spacers installed and found it was running a bit hot for 16mm! I mean really, I got pretty smacked just playing around! After some reading, I decided to move the coil, remove a spacer, and then push the coil down some... It now functions amazingly... and clearly better than the unit was when I first received it to boot!! The fact that you can adjust the coil on the unit so easily is just another of the advantages it has over some of the other units I have tried.

Just wanted to share my experience as a secondhand customer, as I felt the CS was very good considering I hadn't personally spent ANY money with Fluxer Heaters as a business until my heater was ready to be shipped back to me.

I was initially considering getting a 15mm coil for my 2nd unit (I had joined the list... then bought a secondhand unit unexpectedly and figured... fuck it! I want two anyway....!) but after seeing how my 16mm responds, and the variability it's capable of, I believe I'll be picking a 16mm and just going for wood enclosure, for more of an at-home/desktop unit.

Cheers and thanks again @mr_cfromcali !

 

[AcidFlashbang]

My heaters arrived, they look great and seem very well built. Now begins the long wait (2 days supposedly) for my damn batteries. So for now I have some expensive paperweights because UPS is slow as hell

 

[mr_cfromcali]

Hi all,

Thanks to @AcidFlashbang , @muunch , and the other customers that recently posted about their heaters! I really appreciate you sharing your experiences. It also helps others figure out which coil size they want, too, which is...helpful. Thanks!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Pre-machined case update:

Ever hear the one about the dog chasing the car? Be careful what you wish for, lol.

I spent some time Sunday and yesterday working on the first batch of new cases, epoxying magnets into their corners, and it's making me question my sanity. WTF was I thinking?! With eight magnets per case, it's an awful lot of neodymium magnets to wrestle into position. While my current epoxy process produces excellent results, I've found that it doesn't scale well, and it's still taking me a "non-trivial" amount of time to prepare these things.

I've installed magnets in 46 of the new enclosures so far, plus another half dozen partials that need magnets re-glued for one reason or another (not shown below). That took about 11 hours from start to finish, including cleaning the excess epoxy from the enclosures. (Solvent does the heavy work for this task, but it's still smelly, toxic, multi-step process.) Fun times?

Anyway, this the first batch with magnets installed. They still need lid gaskets and heater hole chamfers to be complete, but I'll do those steps as part of the final assembly.

My takeaway is that 46 in a weekend isn't bad, but for 11 hours of work I feel like I should have more to show for it. For all of you waiting for a heater, this is one of the barriers I need to overcome if I intend to make these on a larger scale. I have some ideas on how to scale up my methods, but it will take some trial and error to work those out. In the meantime, I'll do these in small batches and try to "eat the elephant" by doing a handful per day. We'll see how that goes. (edited for clarity)

New orders, next steps, etc.

I'm still working on some "business framework" issues my CPA wants me to address and that isn't nearly as much fun as it sounds, lol. I'll probably share some details of this once I am on the other side of it, but I need to get a few things in place before I build out too many heaters in 2020. I hope to have this paperwork stuff wrapped up within a few more days so I can get back to building heaters. It's important that I deal with these these other things first, so thank you again for your patience.

And that's where things stand at the moment.

Cheers,

 

[affirmative_dave__]

i raised the coil of my heater yesterday and it is better. the second heat up provided a stronger hit than i expected--coughed a bit. only used it that one time since adjusting the coil so nothing more to report on performance.

the process was easier than i expected. i was nervous about breaking it because i use it once a day and would have to go back to flame until it is repaired. felt foolish when i finished since it was very simple and seems safe to do oneself.

also took the opportunity to apply electrical tape to the leds below the coil so that it is not as bright when i'm out for a walk, toking up, at night. still glows, which i like, but it's subtler.

 

[vapognak]

I've also raised the coil, quick review:

(enable subtitles if needed)
Mine's 15mm, without option. #119

 

[martinstraka8282]

I am in line for mine relatively soon from the looks of things and I am getting excited. A nice treat for myself after a tough loss a few months back shattered my world. It's been nice to be able to follow along in this thread.

I really like the 2nd image of the Chamfers with all black holes except the big vape hole. That gets my vote over all being chamferred or none, but none is kind of appealing in a stealthy way. Tough call.

Is that really the battery meter that's in that video? A separate item you have to plug in?

Is this where the different implementation with the 3 way switch and LED change alleviates having to plug in the external thing shown in the video and you just flick the switch and watch the LED's?

I ask because I am not a fan of that solution and would forego a battery meter in that case, but I also feel like I'm not understanding clearly the new options for battery meter that mr_cfromcali has mentioned a few times.

Cheers!

 

[vapognak]

Is that really the battery meter that's in that video? A separate item you have to plug in?

It is! Mine is without any option.
You can choose to have it build-in, and in this case it will turn on when you push the on/off switch so you can check battery meter.

 

[TommyDee]

@mr_cfromcali - pizza and a hemp bar. Scaling up is a commitment to long term production. I did something similar early last year. It was a zoo to keep up with demand only in that I underestimated the volumes I would need to provide. Batches were 3, 5, 10, 10, ... many operations. If I processed 100 pieces at a time through each step, the level of effort would have cut in half. There would be days in each step but 100 would be ready to move while the next 100 had parts in inventory ready for processing. Stuffing boards was the one operation I could have outsourced and saved money. I could have ordered 3D printed parts but that would have cost me money. I had a cost variance on Chinese suppliers of micro-processors that should have become an negotiated buy in a much larger quantity.

As you are nearing 200-someodd units, you've got the process down. Now is the time for some financial analysis Don't underestimate the power of friends and family. If the process is foolproof, anyone can do it with minimal instruction - yet complete instruction. Once you build up an inventory of completed goods, life will get a lot easier. Once youprocess 50/Mo. on a sustainable basis, go talk to an assembly house so you have time to go invent your next big thing.

As to my venture, I ended it as it was never about profit - it was a special limited time offer. Funny thing that most overlook - my $30 product cost all of $6 in parts all in. But the number of hands in my pocket grabbing at cash is ridiculous. After 1 year and 100 pieces, the product broke even, which was the goal. Biggest time sinks - shipping and communication. Biggest risk - equipment failures and purchasing snafus'.

With a run rate of IH's that I glean just from this forum suggests it is still an under-served market. I can only suggest taking stock of a market window in your coming decisions. Pizza and a platter of tasty hemp goodness would certainly have me coming over to help build stuff.

 

[martinstraka8282]

It is! Mine is without any option.
You can choose to have it build-in, and in this case it will turn on when you push the on/off switch so you can check battery meter.

Thanks for the reply!!! That makes the decision easy for me.

 

[mr_cfromcali]

Hi,

I've also raised the coil, quick review:

(enable subtitles if needed)
Mine's 15mm, without option. #119

Thank you for taking the time to prepare that and share it, @vapognak ! It looks great, too!

I am in line for mine relatively soon from the looks of things and I am getting excited. A nice treat for myself after a tough loss a few months back shattered my world. It's been nice to be able to follow along in this thread.

I really like the 2nd image of the Chamfers with all black holes except the big vape hole. That gets my vote over all being chamferred or none, but none is kind of appealing in a stealthy way. Tough call.

Is that really the battery meter that's in that video? A separate item you have to plug in?

Is this where the different implementation with the 3 way switch and LED change alleviates having to plug in the external thing shown in the video and you just flick the switch and watch the LED's?

I ask because I am not a fan of that solution and would forego a battery meter in that case, but I also feel like I'm not understanding clearly the new options for battery meter that mr_cfromcali has mentioned a few times.

Cheers!

I hope to get to you very soon, @martinstraka8282 .

At this point, I have decided to detail the chamfers on the lid, but will likely leave it at that. The friend that has been helping me with artwork and other support A/B'd the three looks with me (no detail, just the lid detailed, and all the holes detailed), and the middle option looked quite good, so that's what I am going to go with. If someone wants to add add'l detailing to theirs, it's easy to do with a 90° chamfering bit and a cordless drill - please have at!

WRT the battery meter: I think a battery powered device needs a power meter. When I first introduced this heater, I wanted to include a built-in battery meter but hadn't worked out the circuit for it yet, so early heaters got an external meter you plugged in to use. Once I figured out the circuit for the meter, I added it as an optional feature, as it costs more to make and not every one wants it. So either way you will get a battery meter with your Flux Deluxe; pick the one you prefer.

@mr_cfromcali - pizza and a hemp bar. Scaling up is a commitment to long term production. I did something similar early last year. It was a zoo to keep up with demand only in that I underestimated the volumes I would need to provide. Batches were 3, 5, 10, 10, ... many operations. If I processed 100 pieces at a time through each step, the level of effort would have cut in half. There would be days in each step but 100 would be ready to move while the next 100 had parts in inventory ready for processing. Stuffing boards was the one operation I could have outsourced and saved money. I could have ordered 3D printed parts but that would have cost me money. I had a cost variance on Chinese suppliers of micro-processors that should have become an negotiated buy in a much larger quantity.

As you are nearing 200-someodd units, you've got the process down. Now is the time for some financial analysis Don't underestimate the power of friends and family. If the process is foolproof, anyone can do it with minimal instruction - yet complete instruction. Once you build up an inventory of completed goods, life will get a lot easier. Once youprocess 50/Mo. on a sustainable basis, go talk to an assembly house so you have time to go invent your next big thing.

As to my venture, I ended it as it was never about profit - it was a special limited time offer. Funny thing that most overlook - my $30 product cost all of $6 in parts all in. But the number of hands in my pocket grabbing at cash is ridiculous. After 1 year and 100 pieces, the product broke even, which was the goal. Biggest time sinks - shipping and communication. Biggest risk - equipment failures and purchasing snafus'.

With a run rate of IH's that I glean just from this forum suggests it is still an under-served market. I can only suggest taking stock of a market window in your coming decisions. Pizza and a platter of tasty hemp goodness would certainly have me coming over to help build stuff.

Hey, @TommyDee - I appreciate hearing your experience and advice. I have thoughts along similar lines, and it's possible I am already doing some of the thing you mention. That being said, let's take this discussion to PM if you want to continue it. My inner poker player is extremely uncomfortable discussing strategic business decisions in a public thread.

That's it for now - cheers,

 

[TommyDee]

Agreed. This is certainly intended to be one-way conversation on my part in specifics. I am always available in PM if a niggle arises.
It may be presumptuous on my part to express such things openly, but they are never meant to be more than the 2 cents worth they entail.

I like your approach and the need is real. I really want to see the independents make a go of the IH market while it is hot.
Your forthcoming communication in this thread has been outstanding. Anyone using the Fluxer is lucky to have you behind their product.

 

[martinstraka8282]

I am going to gear up for this in advance and hoping someone can answer a couple questions.

I've read through this whole thread and at some point I read about recommended batteries and can't find it now. Can someone point me to Mr.C's post on this? Or possibly list the recommended ones in order? I will be going with the 15mm coil.

Also wondering what charge times are like with the direct adapter charging 3 18650's? I only have a Nitecore 2 battery charger atm, so would need to buy a new one to fit 3. Would i see a significant difference charging them this way over through the included adapter direct to the flux?

 

[mr_cfromcali]

I am going to gear up for this in advance and hoping someone can answer a couple questions.

I've read through this whole thread and at some point I read about recommended batteries and can't find it now. Can someone point me to Mr.C's post on this? Or possibly list the recommended ones in order? I will be going with the 15mm coil.

Also wondering what charge times are like with the direct adapter charging 3 18650's? I only have a Nitecore 2 battery charger atm, so would need to buy a new one to fit 3. Would i see a significant difference charging them this way over through the included adapter direct to the flux?

Any set of three matching, flat top, unprotected 18650 batteries should work. I like both the Sony VTC series and Samsung's batteries. Sony's VTC4, VTC5, and VTC6 series are each a bit different under the hood but they all work fine. Same with the Samsung 35E and 30QQ - both series work.

To avoid weird issues, choose name brands and buy from reputable sources to avoid counterfeits.

With regards to charging, most 18650 batteries charge at rates of 1A or less. You don't want to charge them at a higher rate than that as it can damage the batteries. The charger I include w/the Flux Deluxe charges at 1A. My external NiteCore charger offers slower charging rates - 750mA and 500mA (.75A and .5A) - and you can certainly go slower if you have that option. I've found that a fully depleted set of batteries will recharge in ~3 hours using the included 1A charger.

Hope that helps.

 

[martinstraka8282]

Any set of three matching, flat top, unprotected 18650 batteries should work. I like both the Sony VTC series and Samsung's batteries. Sony's VTC4, VTC5, and VTC6 series are each a bit different under the hood but they all work fine. Same with the Samsung 35E and 30QQ - both series work.

To avoid weird issues, choose name brands and buy from reputable sources to avoid counterfeits.

With regards to charging, most 18650 batteries charge at rates of 1A or less. You don't want to charge them at a higher rate than that as it can damage the batteries. The charger I include w/the Flux Deluxe charges at 1A. My external NiteCore charger offers slower charging rates - 750mA and 500mA (.75A and .5A) - and you can certainly go slower if you have that option. I've found that a fully depleted set of batteries will recharge in ~3 hours using the included 1A charger.

Hope that helps.

Thank you! That certainly does help a lot and I would say you saved me some cash from bothering with the Nitecore charger until/if I get a 2nd set of batteries. The advice on reputable sources is wise, many fakes out there. I found your post that I was referring to previously. The discussion was on page 53 about the distinction of how the different batteries can affect performance. Here is your comment:

"Yes, the 15mm coil does heat aggressively. I have found you can reduce the aggressiveness somewhat with batteries like the Samsung 35E (or similar) that have a low continuous discharge rate (CDR).

Sony VTC batteries have a CDR of 15A.
Samsung 35E (and similar) have a CDR of 8A.

I'd suggest giving lower CDR batteries a try, as others have reported this solution worked well for them. If the battery swap doesn't improve things for you we can swap you to a 16mm coil. Send me a PM or email and we can hash out the details."

That seems to clear up the difference and maybe the consensus on the "best one" doesn't really exist, they just have different characteristics that can be beneficial to the 15mm coil. I don't want to take up too much of your time, but would you say the low discharge rate while being a little less aggressive also provides better consistency? I find my Portside mini can be quite aggressive on a fresh charge compared to its performance on a drained battery.

LG H2's have been good to me in other devices as well.

 

[martinstraka8282]

My options in Canada are a lot more limited unfortunately and finding reputable dealers can be challenging, which is why I have more questions about batteries than seems necessary. Sorry to clog the thread up.

Can anyone weigh in on the Sony VC7's? They looks similar spec to the Samsung 35E but I can get them in Canada easily. IMR charges $153 USD for shipping 3 18650 batteries to Canada... link is for reference only.

https://www.imrbatteries.com/sony-vc7-18650-3500mah-8a-battery/

 

[mr_cfromcali]

Thank you! That certainly does help a lot and I would say you saved me some cash from bothering with the Nitecore charger until/if I get a 2nd set of batteries. The advice on reputable sources is wise, many fakes out there. I found your post that I was referring to previously. The discussion was on page 53 about the distinction of how the different batteries can affect performance. Here is your comment:

"Yes, the 15mm coil does heat aggressively. I have found you can reduce the aggressiveness somewhat with batteries like the Samsung 35E (or similar) that have a low continuous discharge rate (CDR).

Sony VTC batteries have a CDR of 15A.
Samsung 35E (and similar) have a CDR of 8A.

I'd suggest giving lower CDR batteries a try, as others have reported this solution worked well for them. If the battery swap doesn't improve things for you we can swap you to a 16mm coil. Send me a PM or email and we can hash out the details."

That seems to clear up the difference and maybe the consensus on the "best one" doesn't really exist, they just have different characteristics that can be beneficial to the 15mm coil. I don't want to take up too much of your time, but would you say the low discharge rate while being a little less aggressive also provides better consistency? I find my Portside mini can be quite aggressive on a fresh charge compared to its performance on a drained battery.

LG H2's have been good to me in other devices as well.

The lower discharge rate will be more consistent if only by reducing the maximum amperage available at a given instant. Instead of having a range of power that goes from "very high amperage output" to "low amperage output", you have a range of power that starts at a lower output and simply stays there until the available amps fall below that level.

Before I realized the importance of the relationship between coil height and cap tip depth - specifically, the need to raise the lowest turn of the coil to be equal to or above the vapcap tip, which I discuss a few pages back - I was more content to ride the battery power as a means of changing or affecting a given Flux Deluxe's heating profile. Now that I understand the importance of the coil/tip relationship, I would prefer to adjust the heating profile by moving the coil. The battery choice is one more variable to consider, but I think that proper coil height makes this variable less critical, as proper coil height gives you the right mechanism for ensuring good, consistent heating cycles, even with weakening batteries.

Those are my thoughts, at any rate.

Can anyone weigh in on the Sony VC7's? They looks similar spec to the Samsung 35E but I can get them in Canada easily. IMR charges $153 USD for shipping 3 18650 batteries to Canada... link is for reference only.

https://www.imrbatteries.com/sony-vc7-18650-3500mah-8a-battery/

Those should work fine, and perform similar to the Samsung 35E.

Sorry it's hard to find good 18650 batteries in Canada.

 

[martinstraka8282]

The lower discharge rate will be more consistent if only by reducing the maximum amperage available at a given instant. Instead of having a range of power that goes from "very high amperage output" to "low amperage output", you have a range of power that starts at a lower output and simply stays there until the available amps fall below that level.

Before I realized the importance of the relationship between coil height and cap tip depth - specifically, the need to raise the lowest turn of the coil to be equal to or above the vapcap tip, which I discuss a few pages back - I was more content to ride the battery power as a means of changing or affecting a given Flux Deluxe's heating profile. Now that I understand the importance of the coil/tip relationship, I would prefer to adjust the heating profile by moving the coil. The battery choice is one more variable to consider, but I think that proper coil height makes this variable less critical, as proper coil height gives you the right mechanism for ensuring good, consistent heating cycles, even with weakening batteries.

Those are my thoughts, at any rate.



Those should work fine, and perform similar to the Samsung 35E.

Sorry it's hard to find good 18650 batteries in Canada.

Great, thanks again! Gotta love the vortex that is 18650 batteries.

 

[AcidFlashbang]

Ok so me and the gf have been testing the fluxers out. The 17mm I find to extract a bit too quickly with the Ti tip as I like to enjoy flavor on the first rip. With the SS tip, however, I've found it to be perfect on the first click with the second click being useful for larger hits at the expense of flavor. The 16mm coil provides a good balance for the Ti tip, offering good flavor on the first click while going for the second click will reduce flavor and make the hit larger. I absolutely love how much quicker the heat up is when compared to a single flame torch in addition to the ease of use with not having to takw your attention away from what you're currently doing to hit the vapcap. These are wonderful products that are as small as they can be, there's virtually no empty space inside the enclosure when it has batteries inside. The aesthetics are quite striking too, all my friends commented on how nice they look.

Edit: a note on battery safety. The circuit will draw as much power as it can until it reaches its max current so using batteries as a limiting factor adds undo stress on the batteries which can lead to exploding batteries. This was why many peoples' mechanical mods were exploding; they didn't understand that you shouldn't extract more current from a battery than it's rated for. In this case it will likely just shorten the lifetime of the cells. Idk how much current this thing draws but I would go with a minimum of 10A rating, based solely off of the DIY induction heaters drawing ~10A.

 

[TommyDee]

Listen to @AcidFlashbang 's edit! This circuit is a constant power device. As voltage drops, current increases. The Fluxer is more efficient than the DIY from China which draws 60 watts with a stainless vapecap. 10V@6A which can drop as low as 9V (my limit under load) which will raise the amperage to meet the 60W. A Li-Ion cell is viable down to 2.5V (3@7.5V) which mean current will be 8 amps. This low voltage is hard on Li-Ions. And as you draw current, this voltage drops from the resting voltage due to internal resistance. I have protected cells that can handle up to 10 amps. Don't know if the Fluxer will take protected cells. Or if it would be a benefit.

 

[mr_cfromcali]

Te circuit is designed to use unprotected cells. I think the current draw is too strong to use a protected cell.

I have measured the FD circuit drawing right around 9A at peak power. It’s an efficient circuit, and it also uses better components than the cheap Chinese IHs. It should work better.

You make an interesting point about lower power batteries, @TommyDee. I’m not disputing it, but I will say that I have several sets of these in my battery rotation, and I haven’t noticed any particular difference in their or the Flux’s performance.

I may not have the chance to reply again tonight, so if this blows up into a larger discussion, I’ll be back tomorrow.

@AcidFlashbang , glad you put them through their paces and still like ‘em. Thank you for taking the time to write that up. Your report will help a lot of people who are considering coil sizes, as I am not aware of many non-15mm coil reports.