Halo-log

[Abysmal Vapor]

Well i dont have any connectors in the airpath . I twist the cables on the end where the bulb attaches. My wires are 316L. I use connector only at the plug,outside of the airpath and in the latest model outside of the vape.
Once you have materials at hand i am quite sure you will be able to work yourway around this. Thinking is much more productive when there are real things infront you,instead of schemes and diagrams,but that is just me.

 

[blokenoname]

Form spirals out of the ss wiring, which then serve as a socket for the bulb's leads.

Edit: Oops... too late. Should reload the page more often

 

[Goatbass]

Form spirals out of the ss wiring, which then serve as a socket for the bulb's leads.

Are these SS316L wires the same as the ones used in ecigs?

 

[blokenoname]

I'm using simple 1,5 mm ss wire in my logs, to lengthen the leads. Doubt, that this thick a wire is used in e-ciggies.

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

I cannot really recommend a gauge cause i havent found one for myself,but yeah,ecigs are max up to 1mm which is not nearly enough,i would suggest looking into soldering solid core wire,i have some on order but it will be weeks before it arrives,and i can see for myself that it is suitable. I have though of using a SS weaved rope but i cannot imagine how would i for coils out of that shit )..
Btw @blokenoname Did you got around forming the coils or are you still using the connectors for the bulb contact ? I read some shit about how to soften the wires. It seems that you need to heat it and let it cool real slow,if you cool it fast,it hardens.. thats why they are throwing swords in buckets with water after forging.

 

[blokenoname]

Using butt splices now. Connector clamps were yesterday. Forming spirals would work for the bulb, but as I'm doing mostly resistor logs at the moment (really getting fond of those little buggers now) and have to work in the confines of 9 mm & 7 mm (ID) ss and glass heater covers, the spirals are a bit on the fat side for that.
For the small halo log in my pic above, I also used butt splices now. Easier to change the whole heater from below, than just the bulb from above in that specific design.
Though if you want the bulb to be removable, spirals are the way to go, me thinks. Kudos to Mr. @MUSA Vaporizer

The ss wire itself, I reduced to 0,8 mm. Works fine. 1,5 mm is complete overkill. This is no wire... it's a friggin' ss rod, you can bash people's head in with

Seriously. It's a PITA to bend and form and a real PITA, soldering it to the DC jack. The stuff is so stiff, that you can easily drive the whole heater cover out of its cork socket with the heater, while manipulating it from below while soldering.... and if you've only a 30W soldering iron... get out the butan torch, to heat it up properly, to get the solder to stick

0,8 to 1,0 mm works much better.

 

[KeroZen]

Found some small gauge wire here, but it's SS430, nickel-free yet still sold as stainless:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/108297330/stainless-steel-wire-nickel-free-you

Goes down to 8 AWG on this particular shop.

I have a spool of SS430 e-cig wire in my box but I haven't tested it yet at all. Apparently some people like the fact it lacks nickel, since nickel is a more or less common allergen...

But yes, it's hard to find below 18 AWG (i.e 1mm) for e-cig applications.

 

[Goatbass]

I found this ceramic G4 sockets on DHGate. I am very much ignorant about safety regarding materials but I do know ceramic is supposed to be safe. Having something like this could make our lives much easier maybe? Apologies in advance if I am ruining the discussion with such newbie suggestions.

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

I found this ceramic G4 sockets on DHGate. I am very much ignorant about safety regarding materials but I do know ceramic is supposed to be safe. Having something like this could make our lives much easier maybe? Apologies in advance if I am ruining the discussion with such newbie suggestions.

Well i know there are various type of ceramics used for sockets. Most of them are unpolished and therefore a dust hazard. China would be the last place i would buy this part,cause they dont list true materials and no one is there to make guarantees. What bothers me most about these is the unknown material the leads are made of + the fiber glass insulation of the cables which ,i dont wanna touch even if it is only for removing it.

 

[Goatbass]

Well i know there are various type of ceramics used for sockets. Most of them are unpolished and therefore a dust hazard. China would be the last place i would buy this part,cause they dont list true materials and no one is there to make guarantees. What bothers me most about these is the unknown material the leads are made of + the fiber glass insulation of the cables which ,i dont wanna touch even if it is only for removing it.

I plan on visiting China very soon. I could go look for vendors that sell actually safe ceramic holders and leads if you could tell me how to identify them. I'm pretty confident about getting the right guy and it's pretty cheap to go to China from here. Around $200 so yeah. The ones that make good stuff rarely are in the drop shipping business.

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

You could to that,but there is that fact,that it works without it,and it is not needed ) .Less is more is main motto when i DIY.

 

[Goatbass]

You could to that,but there is that fact,that it works without it,and it is not needed ) .Less is more is main motto when i DIY.

True, if it's easier, why bother? If it's not too much trouble, could you post a few close up pictures of the SS wires you're using to make the sockets and how the mesh gets wrapped around the bulb? It's mostly for visual reference.

 

[Flower of empathy]

How about 'hacking' a soldering iron with TC (maybe even with PID ) to power a halogen?
eg 50w with 12v heater core is pretty common...

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

By hacking a soldering iron you mean using its regulation and supply to power the bulb.Probably wont try it ,but if anyone tries feel free to report .
I have some Halo-Wand ideas but left them for later phase,along with the other halo-log alterations,but it might a month before it happens because i wait for stuff from china to get here.I am kind of getting out of budget for DIYs and vapestuff,so i gotta slow down the pace on trying new stuff,and focus into completing the ideas who came first in line .There is a chance to fund this project further,as i showed some friends my DIY Gn0me heaters and now they all want one,i hope i have the time next weekend to make a batch for them and dont make too much breakage in the process,lol ..

 

[atadam]

Received bubbler, gong adapters. Remains analog temperature control. Also bought 3mm ss316 today, yet can't make spirals, so either RoHS soldering or sawing off middle to fork the terminals. I wonder if Silver Solder in air path is safe. Even if it is it skyrockets the complexity, I can't find it anyway. Any suggestions?

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

Coils are the hard part .You can try softening the metal by heating it red hot and let it cool really slowly by increasing the distance between the torch and the ends. Where did you get the ss316 from ? (link?)
I dont know how safe is silver solder when temps are up to 350-450C ,better look into it cause at full power,i am able to melt even fine SS mesh with the 50watt.
Also it is important to achieve good contact at coils otherwise they and the pins of the halobulb might start glowing red,similar to the e-cig coil efect. I suggest avoiding 500 and 400 mesh.

 

[atadam]

Got ss316 from organized industrial site in Ankara, 3metre-3mm for less than a USD. The store did not have any mesh though. Could not find any reliable website to buy from, in Turkey. I will experiment with saw and SS now (parantheses reserved for editing). Also 350-450 Celsius is a bit over my expectation, wow. One last thing have you implemented any temp. control solution yet, @Abysmal Vapor? I think a microcontroller with a 5110 LCD, a relay and a thermocouple (or thermal sensor); well documented and freeware is the final solution. Yet baby steps, analog is just enough. led dimmer worked for you? That PID video in 1st page scares me about automated control.

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

Hello, neighbor !
Led dimmers work,but some are real screamers . I suggest using 35 watt bulb instead 50w ,it is more fool proof and less heat for the wires ,also because less amps.
Even with 35w over 80% power you combust,so 50w is pretty much an overkill unless you are doing concentrates. I have some aromed concentrate screens somewhere ,but i cannot find them,i really want to try them with concentrates.
As ss mesh source just get some ecig 200 mesh from aliexpress and you are set.
Concentrates vape pretty good of 4 layers of 500 mesh,though..
As far as the thermoprobe theme stretches i dont think i am ready to sacrifice the purity of the airpath. DId some reading and the thermocouple wont read properly if its wires are stripped of insulation,and having it out of the airpath wont do much good for the PID.
The best i can think of is hooking BBQ thermometer to get a live reading of what is going on.

 

[blokenoname]

Just coming back from reading the old Purple Days thread and it really cracked me up, when a guy ask Tom how he measured the temps in the PD and what they amount to and Tom answered something along the lines of: "Measuring!? No idea! It makes big clouds... good enough for me!"

 

[KeroZen]

My two cents out of the blue and without much thought:

• first cent: the creator of the Apollo, Venus and al. once said that he sourced bulbs optimized for heat output rather than light output, that's something to look into I think.
• second cent: I would also investigate using bulbs rated for higher voltages and feeding them a lower voltage than what they expect, to see if they would still produce heat and less visible light.

I don't know how many cells are inside the Apollo but I would guess two in series? Three at most? Would be interesting to know to what voltage it regulates, if it regulates at all...

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

@KeroZen Well first of all i have another on demand ,battery power project for the halo-wand,but all will develop in time.The Insta-log uses 12v pass trough which i am sure is perfect for the purpose .There are no light bulbs optimized for heating,unless there aint heatbulbs .lol . There is an OVEN version which is marked suitable for pyrolisis and good up to 450W,but thats only durability. There are some bulb which have increased IR,which is due to an IRcovering film which shoots energy back to the coil and increase the red spectrum even more. ,and i think this is what i think the maker of the Venus means by optimized for heat. I've tried them and honestly i prefer the shape of the classic ones.
And for the record less light to heat might be good,but it is not necessary as said it combusts even at 80%+ at 35w. Aromed's choice is the 50 watt halopin osram,effective and easy to source for anyone.
ALso on the Appolo topic, i think it uses a chip to regulate and also had some kind of herbsense technology which helps with regulation.
@blokenoname Dude did you check if you can dim the bulb with buck boost (by altering the voltage ) ?(Any screaming,when done ?)

 

[blokenoname]

Yep. Dimming works with the little VVPS the same way, it works with a PWM buck dimmer. No screaming at all.

I will try a 20-25W bulb next, to see if I can do a unit, that doesn't need dimming at all.

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

Yep. Dimming works with the little VVPS the same way, it works with a PWM buck dimmer. No screaming at all.

I will try a 20-25W bulb next, to see if I can do a unit, that doesn't need dimming at all.

I've tried 20w,and it cooled a bit too much for my liking from the draw and also the leads are thinner and it is hard to make a good contact with the coils therefore, glowing of the bulbs leads might happen.
I also tried insde 12mm metal tube,it worked ok,but i got 3 bulbs burned,so i gave up on it for now .I think they got a lot thinner glass than the 35 and 50 series.
I might go back to them 20w for a micro halo-wand version,but there will be sometime before i get there,i think they will work fine in on-demand,but i doubt they will handle heat longterm as good as the bigger wattage.
Also the unit with 12mm metal tube still needed dimming,otherwise you have to draw like the vaccuum cleaner to not combust,iniatially.This is why i gave up on the 20s.they cool faster but still can deliver overheat at start if draw is not adequate.

 

[blokenoname]

Ok. Thanks. That doesn't sound very promising then.

ETA: Have to admit, the 20 Ohm/5W resistors are hard to beat in that regard (using dimmer-less).

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

Yep, i would rather give the 60,75,90w bulbs a go,i plan to order some as get to the he Halo-wand project. I wish the PSU didnt get so bulky over 100w though..