I built a Vapcap Induction Heater :) But broke it within a day :(

[bibblybobbly]

Was working quite nicely, enjoyed several bowls of vapcap. These are the components, now dismantled for debugging purposes:

Then on my last attempt to use it I noticed the LEDs were flickering and making a clicky high pitched noise. Then I saw smoke rising from the pair of coils and that smell of dying electronics, so I powered it down and unplugged it. After checking the connections I tried it again and it clicked and smoked some more, so I left it.

What do you think went wrong here and how can I avoid it happening again when I order a new induction heater module and retry?

 

[LesPlenty]

What do you think went wrong here

I built one similar that has been working well for many months (actually 1 year and 1 day)...powered by 2x18650 batteries, power supplies will kill the unit fairly quickly, especially if you go over 10v with that driver. Spend $5 more and get the next size up if you are at 12v,
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ZVS-Ind...279667&hash=item1cbcf3379e:g:d1EAAOSws29bxfNC
Here is mine,

Only problem I have had was a melted battery compartment wire when I was overtaxing it by heating my own concentrate vape (Redneck homemade Switch),

A Boundless CFX concentrate pod popped in the male part of the downstem and,

The whole unit can be made without a soldering iron, just a screwdriver, see here,
Post #26
https://vaporasylum.com/threads/dynavap-and-other-induction-heaters.651/page-2
I have been looking at the larger Driver I linked and a 4x 18650 battery holder or more to run it.
Have fun experimenting.

 

[TheThriftDrifter]

I recently built a unit, with Pipes help. There is heaps of info on his thread.

http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/vapcap-induction-heater-for-desktop-and-in-car-use.23211/page-122
​

The bare minimum would be a 10 amp fuse or breaker, 16 AWG wire or 14 AWG if running over 3 feet and a 5 amp push non-latching button switch.
The fuse should be as close to the battery as possible. Also, solder the work coil instead of attempting to use those blue screw-down connectors. Any loose connection with them will blow the FETs.
Check the soldering on the board as sometimes it's poor and a coil or cap leg isn't well soldered. Reheat if looks suspicious. Never power up without the work coil installed.
Good luck.
Oh, and shoot us a picture when you're done.

Love your build @LesPlenty. Sweet!

 

[bibblybobbly]

I recently built a unit, with Pipes help. There is heaps of info on his thread.

http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/vapcap-induction-heater-for-desktop-and-in-car-use.23211/page-122
​

Love your build @LesPlenty. Sweet!

I also got my ideas from that thread but I didn't see that post. Mine is connected to the wall with a 12V power supply, not batteries. I didn't realise that was too much for the driver, as I bought items recommended from that thread. Unfortunately I re-ordered the same unit before seeing the recommendation of https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ZVS-Ind...279667&hash=item1cbcf3379e:g:d1EAAOSws29bxfNC. Would you recommend I get a smaller power supply for it?

Also I used the blue plugs for the coil, I didn't solder it down. Maybe that was the cause of the meltdown, because I had jiggled the coil a bit just prior to it failing.

On a semi-related note, if I wanted to make a battery powered one with 18650s could I use my old Haze V3 battery charger to recharge them? The haze used modified 18650s with a little circuit board glued to the tops.

 

[LesPlenty]

ould I use my old Haze V3 battery charger to recharge them?

Not sure, check the Haze thread, I actually like the smaller 6\d12v driver with 2x18650 batteries as it takes 15 to 20 seconds to heat a cold vapcap and I believe to slow heat up is more consistent and flavorful than the faster 5-10 second jobs.
AC to DC power supplies usually do not supply enough amps to run an IH properly, at least a 10 amp supply that is under 12v, most power supplies are closer to 14v not 12x, check the actual output of your power supply.
Also, something about ac to dc converters can play up with the IH driver for some tech reason I believe.