Fluxer Heaters Updates
Hi Everyone,
Happy Wednesday, back with some updates on Fluxer's current models and upcoming projects! Now that that Dynatec's Orion is released and available in large, factory-made numbers, I feel more comfortable revisiting the hand-built Fluxer Heaters lineup and planning for its future. I want to share some updates with you on the various Fluxer models - where things stand and where I think things are headed.
The Fluxer product line is "in motion" at the moment, thanks to the addition of the Flite and the stuff I've learned while designing it. BTW, I need to give a HUGE shoutout to
@TommyDee , who has been patiently filling in the gaps in my IH knowledge and explaining to me exactly how the various components of this circuit work together (or against each other) to make the IH magic happen. Thanks, Tom! Tom explained a few things that I can act on immediately, some ways to tame the IH process and bend it more to our will. Heh heh heh.
Once the dust settles and I'm done with my current round of revisions, I expect the Fluxer Heaters product line to look like this:
Flix: the Flix is a desktop 12VDC IH that can be made portable with the addition of a separate battery pack or 12V cigarette lighter adapter. The Flix has a lot of options and its base model will remain the least expensive Fluxer model.
Flite Deluxe: The new Fluxer pocket-sized 18350-powered IH is going to be Fluxer's most portable model. It will have both full power and PWM modes. It will also have a built in battery management system (BMS) with circuit protection features and built-in DC charging capability. This last item is a new feature that I added last week. More info below.
Flux Deluxe: Fluxer heater's flagship model, a portable 18650-powered IH with full power and optional PWM mode. Built-in battery management system circuit with circuit protection features and charging capability. Built-in battery meter. Widest choice of coil sizes, wooden case option, etc.
That's the big picture, and where I want to take Fluxer's product once the Flite is ready for sale. I am still hopeful that will be by the end of the month. More to come, so stay tuned.
More specific updates, by model:
Flix: I am continuing to sell Flix in the store, and my goal is to make a batch of 24 every two weeks or so, assuming there's sufficient demand. I posted a batch of two dozen Flix about two weeks ago and am almost ready to post another.
If you are waiting for a Flix, I expect to have more in my web store by the end of the week. 
One of the projects I'm working on at the moment is a PWM module for the Flix, similar in function to the one I demo'd for the Flite. Unfortunately, the first version didn't work as expected...and neither did the second, lol. I think I have it figured out this time, so I'm hopeful my third try will get the job done.
The Flix PWM module is a two-part solution: the PWM module sits on its own mini-circuit board, and this connects to the circuit board via a new plug I added. There isn't a lot of room inside the Flix, and to make it all fit I had to squeeze the PWM circuit to a tidy 15mm x 20mm footprint, or about the size of a postage stamp. The circuit adds a small knob to the side of the Flix, behind the mid-point of the case, for easy adjustment. I'll share pics once it's truly done and I have a working version of it. Hopefully that will be in a week or so...otherwise, I suppose I'll be working on version 4. I'll keep you posted.
Once this option is ready, I'll demo it and share pricing and upgrade info for existing Flix owners. It works very well (in breadboard form) and I think you will like it!
Flux Deluxe: Fluxer Heaters' flagship model gets no love in this update, unfortunately. I do not have any immediate FD news for this particular update. Worse yet, I still need to send out emails for the October 2019 FDs. Sorry for the lack of progress, FD list members.
Actually, this is not entirely true: I *have* been doing some serious plotting and planning for the changes I want to make for the FD v2.0. I have drawn up some requirements for the revisions, and I also spent an inordinate amount of time staring at the FD circuit board, working out the things I want to change. The new requirements are mostly about making the FD easier for me to build without compromising its quality, but I also want to add the optional PWM module I mention above for the Flix (it gets its own special FD PCB). I will also be adding another DIP switch to allow you to kill the battery meter's optocoupler, which is a "hidden" LED that draws about 15mA whenever the FD is switched ON, even if the two LED DIP switches on the PCB are set to OFF. This is why an FD will run down over time if you leave it ON, even if you have the LED DIP switches set to OFF.
Flite Deluxe: Betcha didn't know I was making a Flite Deluxe?
It would have been hard to know this, as I didn't know it myself until last week. When I announced the Flite, I envisioned it as a flashlight-like device that was too small to allow me to include any inherent charging capabilities. Its circuitry is a tight fit, and in its first few drafts I barely had enough room to fit the basic IH components, and saw no hope of fitting a DC charge port and full battery management system (BMS) into it as well. Turns out I was wrong, and I was able to find enough room to include both a full BMS and an internal DC charge port. This means the Flite will rest in your pocket with only two external features, the push button and the heater hole. That's as slick a result as I could have hoped for.
The addition of a BMS, DC charge port, and a DC charger similar to the FDs are going to affect the final price, but I think that additional capabilities and circuit protections afforded by the new BMS offset this extra cost. I also think you folks will let me know if that assumption isn't true.
OK, going to wrap this up for now, as I'm all text/no pictures at the moment, but I will be back with more pictures and updates after I get the next set of circuit boards, hopefully by Monday.
TL;DR: I'll be adding more Flix to the store by this weekend. Also, the Flite is gaining a battery management system and battery charging capabilities (!), the Flix's PWM module is 'coming along,' and the Flux Deluxe is once again this week's forgotten child while the other models get all the love.
Cheers,
.
... this little fucker was all it took to make me appreciate my VapCaps again...
This version includes the battery management system I mentioned in the last update (the blue, oval PCB visible underneath the battery holders) and the DC charge port, visible at upper right. Please excuse the sloppy soldering on this prototype: