Fluxer Heaters, induction heaters for Dynavap

[vapormachina]

How do you see the Fluxer Deluxe carrying it all day long? Is it not too wide to wear it in tight pants?

A Flix-sized IH would be great along with a battery. I always say that the manufacturer that achieves a really pocket size IH will blow up the market

I definitely want a Deluxe but the yearlong waitlist pulls me back, if you put returned units or the like back in the store again I will throw myself into one like a hyena, I didn't see the last ad on time; I do not care about the color, type of coil or the extras.

I think this is the biggest drawback of the device, you should expand the business:LOL::LOL:

 

[Jethro]

The FD is too big and heavy to carry comfortably in pants, and I don't even wear tight pants.

It's a long wait but it is certainly worth it.

 

[vapormachina]

The FD is too big and heavy to carry comfortably in pants, and I don't even wear tight pants.

It's a long wait but it is certainly worth it.

Thanks, it's the information I needed.

Surely I will join the list anyway but I don't have any IH yet and it is very frustrating

 

[TommyDee]

Welcome to the forum @dantemaniaco How about a Flix and a car adapter?

 

[vapormachina]

Welcome to the forum @dantemaniaco How about a Flix and a car adapter?

that sounds really good. but why not even go further? Maybe a case with a built-in battery that can be attached or detached from Flix so that it can be turned into a desktop or pocket heater of your choice. Or maybe a V2 Deluxe with the Flix innovations and a bit smaller
we always want more and more

 

[mr_cfromcali]

definitely want a Deluxe but the yearlong waitlist pulls me back, if you put returned units or the like back in the store again I will throw myself into one like a hyena, I didn't see the last ad on time; I do not care about the color, type of coil or the extras.

I think this is the biggest drawback of the device, you should expand the business:LOL::LOL:

Thanks for your comments, @dantemaniaco. Believe me, if the Flux Deluxe were easier and quicker to build I would definitely build more of them.

Unfortunately, it is neither of those things: it isn't easy to build and I simply cannot build them as quickly as people would like. I am also reluctant to involve a third party in their construction as a) the design has enough tight tolerances and critical areas that I hesitate to contract with a third-party to make them, and b) no one wants to pay $250 - $300 per Flux Deluxe, which is what they are likely to cost if I have someone else manufacturer them them for me.

I've been making heaters for a few years now, and this step from "making these in batches in my garage" to "contracting with a factory to make these devices in the hundreds or thousands" is an enormously large step!! It's hard to be an industrialist, or even a junior industrialist™ wannabe: there's risk, there are large capital expenses, and doing it with any ability requires its own skill set. It's not as easy as it may seem from the movies.

The Flix is my attempt to move past some of issues that keep me from scaling up the production of the Flux Deluxe. It's design is simpler and has fewer "critical fit" areas, so its production scales much better. It has the potential to be portable, but it's only been on the market since June 9, so portability is still in its future. I'll get past these teething issues soon, I hope, and can begin to explore more of its potential as a portable unit.

Hopefully that explanation is helpful.

Cheers!

 

[NexVision]

that sounds really good. but why not even go further? Maybe a case with a built-in battery that can be attached or detached from Flix so that it can be turned into a desktop or pocket heater of your choice. Or maybe a V2 Deluxe with the Flix innovations and a bit smaller
we always want more and more

So basically a Flix docking station. I could go for a Flix and a couple docks.

 

[Mono Loco]

If I used SS routinely as my go to tip type, I would probably as @mr_cfromcali about raising my coil a bit so as to heat lower on the cap and get more energy into the SS before the tip clicked.

Man, y'all keep confusing me! When you say "heat lower on the cap", you mean closer to the stem, near the bottom of the bowl, but farther away from the tip, right? It's just an orientation/perspective thing, but if the DV in standing erect (LOL) in the I.H. then "lower" (to ME) would be more towards the Tip ... which, I guess is "higher on the cap" by your thinking. English is amusing ... remember the comedian Gallagher? "Why do we park in a driveway and drive on the parkway" or Huey Lewis "Sometimes, bad is bad".

 

[vapormachina]

Thanks for your comments, @dantemaniaco. Believe me, if the Flux Deluxe were easier and quicker to build I would definitely build more of them.

Unfortunately, it is neither of those things: it isn't easy to build and I simply cannot build them as quickly as people would like. I am also reluctant to involve a third party in their construction as a) the design has enough tight tolerances and critical areas that I hesitate to contract with a third-party to make them, and b) no one wants to pay $250 - $300 per Flux Deluxe, which is what they are likely to cost if I have someone else manufacturer them them for me.

I've been making heaters for a few years now, and this step from "making these in batches in my garage" to "contracting with a factory to make these devices in the hundreds or thousands" is an enormously large step!! It's hard to be an industrialist, or even a junior industrialist™ wannabe: there's risk, there are large capital expenses, and doing it with any ability requires its own skill set. It's not as easy as it may seem from the movies.

The Flix is my attempt to move past some of issues that keep me from scaling up the production of the Flux Deluxe. It's design is simpler and has fewer "critical fit" areas, so its production scales much better. It has the potential to be portable, but it's only been on the market since June 9, so portability is still in its future. I'll get past these teething issues soon, I hope, and can begin to explore more of its potential as a portable unit.

Hopefully that explanation is helpful.

Cheers!

Of course, I love your transparency

But Dynavap is growing very fast, vapcap is becoming a very popular device, you should grow with it and get rich

 

[RustyOldNail]

I don’t know much about electronics, a bit about batteries, but I do know @TommyDee likes to make things, TINY!
This is the smallest I can make a plug-in voltage tester. The built in LED meter on my Fluxer Deluxe is fine for a quick check, but GEEKS like to see the actual voltage, and fun to see it drop when you do a VC cycle.

PLUG: 2.1mm x 5.5mm
SHRINK WRAP TUBING: 1.25” diameter
VOLTAGE METER: 2.5-30 volts

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0761MG9NS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[TommyDee]

You got a product there @RustyOldNail ! That looks solid and robust. Excellent integration!

 

[RustyOldNail]

You got a product there @RustyOldNail ! That looks solid and robust. Excellent integration!

You inspired me!

 

[NexVision]

View attachment 1867

I don’t know much about electronics, a bit about batteries, but I do know @TommyDee likes to make things, TINY!
This is the smallest I can make a plug-in voltage tester. The built in LED meter on my Fluxer Deluxe is fine for a quick check, but GEEKS like to see the actual voltage, and fun to see it drop when you do a VC cycle.

PLUG: 2.1mm x 5.5mm
SHRINK WRAP TUBING: 1.25” diameter
VOLTAGE METER: 2.5-30 volts

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0761MG9NS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Curious to see you going to document results based on battery charge?

 

[RustyOldNail]

Curious to see you going to document results based on battery charge?

Just mental notes. You can start to see and feel the difference in both timing and results as the voltage drops from fresh charge of 12.6volts DC. You can see how much the voltage temporarily drops, and the fairly fast rebound, depending of course on the health and internal resistance of your 3 - MATCHED 18650 batteries. Each 3 heating cycles, seems to drop my Sony VTC-5 bats by “.1” volt, at least at the beginning.

 

[TommyDee]

4.2V is a peek li-ion charge. It quickly settles to the 3.7V range (11.1@3S). When the cells are mostly depleted, they quickly drop below 3.5V [10.5V/3S] resting which means they are ready for a charge. Definitely charge if they drop to 9V while firing.

What voltage are you seeing when firing on a fresh charge?

 

[mr_cfromcali]

HI all - welcome back to Fluxers Heater's old home thread on FC.

I guess the 14 pages we generated on the new site - which is pretty much all of the info on the Flix (link to the nFC to thread on this site) - were all a fever dream, like that one weird season of Dallas?

I am so confused...

I hope everyone's Friday is going well.

I've been working on the Flix's MOSFET issue - discussed in the nFC thread linked above and also explained below - and with some helpful input from @TommyDee I think I have a handle on it. Seems like a pair of components that don't play well together are to blame.

The issue as you might encounter it: If your Flix stops heating and makes a buzzing sound when you attempt to heat with it, it indicates that your Flix's MOSFETs have failed.

Remedy/repair: If this happens, you will unfortunately need to send your Flix back to me for repair. I'll send you a return shipping label for this.* The repair is straightforward, and I will return your Flix to you quickly.

*If you are located overseas, no worries, I have a plan for that, too. Please send me an email and we will discuss a different approach to improve the speed of this repair.

Root cause analysis: The failures seem to be due to the more "robust" inductors I elected to use at the last minute, as I was having difficulty sourcing the smaller size inductors I typically use. Opting for a smaller capacitor was probably also a factor. The resulting circuit wasn't properly balanced, and the MOSFETs bore the brunt of these mismatches.

The fix: The repair for this is straightforward. I will replace the MOSFETs and revert inductors and caps back to the Flux Deluxe's already-proven components, as originally spec'd, and which have a history of working well together.

If you are affected by this issue, please send me an email (fluxerheaters@gmail.com preferred, but the others work, too), and I will provide instructions and a shipping label for the repair. We will go from there.

Thank you for your patience, and my apologies for this hiccup.

Cheers,


PS: September 2019 Flux Deluxe waiting/order confirmation list email: Due to the above situation, I have not yet had time to complete this task, sorry. It's on my plate next, and I will try very hard to get these emails sent out this weekend.

 

[Stu]

I am so confused...

Don't be confused. I just merged both threads into one.

 

[fatbiker]

Don't be confused. I just merged both threads into one.

Thanks, I requested this earlier today.

Unfortunately, I was one of those who received a Flix that was defective. However, @mr_cfromcali did a fantastic job communicating and worked quickly to remedy the problem. I had mine shipped to him, repaired, and returned to me in exactly 7 days. Now that is service! I have been able to use my Flix a handful of times today and it works flawless. It's everything I was hoping for. It has completely revolutionized and elevated my Dynavap experience. I couldn't be happier ever considering the minor inconvenience.

I look forward to using this device on a daily basis

 

[Macicman]

All this merging makes me feel like a Wonder Twin. Please fix the picture attachment issue.

 

[Stu]

Please fix the picture attachment issue.

This isn't the thread for FC customer service. If you have a problem with pictures or attachments, hit me up via pm or post in community discussion. BTW we don't have any "picture attachment issues" that I'm aware of.

 

[Summer]

What happened @Macicman, I thought your handle was Magicman?

 

[someTooL]

@mr_cfromcali Thanks for all the updates on the flix issues. Mine is currently running fine. Really digging the button heating control.

My question as a 1st round owner would be is this a wait and see issue, or something known that will eventually fail? I ask because I assume you’ll be switching future flixes to the Fluxer Deluxe MOSFET.

 

[Macicman]

An obvious typo that needs fixing.

 

[Andy Capp]

Hitting’ like a champ the second time around. It went out the first day, I got it back in less than a week. Great customer service !

 

[mr_cfromcali]

@mr_cfromcali Thanks for all the updates on the flix issues. Mine is currently running fine. Really digging the button heating control.

My question as a 1st round owner would be is this a wait and see issue, or something known that will eventually fail? I ask because I assume you’ll be switching future flixes to the Fluxer Deluxe MOSFET.

Yes, going forward I will revert the Flix to the original Flux Deluxe components I'd planned on using when I first drew this up. I'll continue to research lower capacitance circuits and will offer one in the future if I think it is worthwhile and stable, but my first order of business with the Flix at present is improving its reliability, and that means going back to a proven design

For first round Flix owners I consider this a "wait and see" issue, but I own this issue, and I'll have your backs and make sure that you are satisfied with your heaters. Although there are more instances of this issue than I want to see, there are still many more properly functioning Flix at the moment than there are units in need of repair. The majority of first round Flix owners are not going to experience MOSFET failures, though of course it's still early in this product's lifecycle and I may be proven wrong on this point.

Now, having said that, if you want to send your Flix back for me to make this correction proactively, before it potentially breaks, please send me an email (fluxerheaters@gmail.com address preferred) and we will work out the logistics. On Flix that have not experienced MOSFET failure, it only takes me about 5 minutes to swap the four components l need to swap. And if I do need to change the MOSFETs, it only takles about 10 more minutes.

Hopefully the above is helpful and allays some concerns.