Portable Power Sources and Vaporizers

[vtac]

...could someone who owns the extreme tell me what it says on their power adapter "box", specifically output Volts / Amps / Watts? I'm interested in using the the Extreme in environments with less than ideal electrical capabilities, specifically my car, and I'm curious as to how it would function there. Thanks!

Great question!

We're all kind of dreaming of the perfect portable vaporizer, however, in some cases, bringing along your main vaporizer would be more desirable and is only limited by lack of power. Camping, etc.

There are portable power units on the market designed to emulate household AC power, I'm assuming these should work fine. How about car cigarette lighter power sources, etc.

Do we have any budding electrical engineers who can shed some light on this?

Bottom of my SSV:
120VAC 60Hz 52W

Extreme Vaporizer:

Power supply says:
Input: 100-240V-1.5A 50-60Hz
Output: DC 19V---3.0A max

 

[Mr Tambourine Man]

It looks like the Extreme uses 19V DC, which means it PROBABLY could be powered by 16 rechargeable AA batteries in series. Kind of a lot, but really not too ridiculous, and about half the price of the official battery pack (assuming it ships at 80$). With 2.5 AH rated batteries, which is a common amount these days, you could get at least 50 minutes of usage, but probably quite a bit more, as the Extreme probably seldom draws the full 3 amps. However, there is some inherent risk in this method, as NiMH rechargables are not totally steady in their voltage, and drop somewhat when being used. Its hard to say if the extreme could handle this or not. The official battery pack may be regulated, avoiding this problem. A regulator could be made, but would increase the complexity of the "project" considerably.

BTW, I'm in school earning a major in Electronics/Computer Engineering Technology, although I'm only in my second year. I'm still mostly in "theory" land, without a whole lot of education in application.

 

[stickstones]

BTW, I'm in school earning a major in Electronics/Computer Engineering Technology, although I'm only in my second year. I'm still mostly in "theory" land, without a whole lot of education in application.

Well, that explains why I have no idea how you came to your conclusions! That went about 18 feet over my head. I'm sure glad we have people like you around to figure that stuff out!

I dropped out of engineering school and went over to the business school as soon as I hit engineering physics, calculus and chemistry!

 

[Mr Tambourine Man]

I know several who have done the same, they seem to be pretty happy with their choice

 

[vtac]

I was thinking more of those power pack/inverter devices. I can't link to the ones I'm talking about because the websites url system is horribly designed, but here are the specs on a cheaper one.

* Provides 120V AC household power, 12V DC power
* Built-in 400W inverter
* Sealed, non-spillable 20 amp-hour AGM battery
* Powers camcorders, video games, stereos, 13" TV/VCR combos, as well as runs hand-held blenders, fans, computers, laptops, clock radios, and small power tools

Actually, you should be able to click this link then put in M4B2C1 as the postal code to look at them.

P.S. Did you decide on a vaporizer, Mr Tambourine Man?

 

[alcatraz]

You could run the extreme off a computer charger, and I know that they make combination wall/car chargers that output 19V and can supply more than 3A.
You could also get a battery pack designed to power a laptop computer, as they often output 19V and are often Li-ion batteries, which means that they will be lighter and hold more energy than a similar sized lead acid (car battery) or Ni-MH pack.

A quick google search found this one,
http://insidecomputer.stores.yahoo.net/unlibaforlap.html
for $59 shipped.

5.8Ah at 19V means that the extreme could run at its maximum power consumption for 1h 56min on a single charge.
AA rechargeable batteries often hold around 2Ah.

There's no picture of what plugs the battery comes with on the output, so I can't tell if it will work, but it comes with 9 of them, so chances are good that one will work.

 

[Purple-Days]

Litium batteries would be better suited to a vape, running at almost full power til the end, rather than a declining output like a NiMH setup. Also when looking at that mA hour rating, that's a brand new battery and not a real world rating after a use or two. Whatever your theory says, cut that by about 25% to get field use times, IMO.

For car use the inverter sounds like the way to go.

 

[Hennessy1414]

so far what are the devices i can use to keep my PD warm when i transport it to and from a house? any good batterys that last about 2hours+

thanks

 

[Acolyte of Zinglon]

i would find a battery even with a 30 minute capacity useful, as i dont have a car and ride my bike everywhere, its nice to show up with a warm vape and not have to wait for it to warm back up

 

[max]

The Vapolution BP is ready to use with the PD, although ideally the connection should be refitted. Should be good for 90 min. or so.

 

[Hennessy1414]

i would find a battery even with a 30 minute capacity useful, as i dont have a car and ride my bike everywhere, its nice to show up with a warm vape and not have to wait for it to warm back up

my thoughts some what exactly

never show up with a cold PD again(sounds like a slogan)

The Vapolution BP is ready to use with the PD, although ideally the connection should be refitted. Should be good for 90 min. or so.

thanks a bunch max the cord to the power pack is loose or what? duct tape to the rescue?

 

[Progress]

Vtac, you rock 4 opening this thread and getting some conversation flowing about the topic

I will add all of my portable power options/info to this thread when I have time.

 

[Hennessy1414]

Hello all,

So much things to say..so little time.

Extreme has Lenmar battpak (hours of use & Buy.com = $89.99-$30 cc sign-up). See P\D thread for more details..

Will answer more ?'s if time bak 2 work (that's what I get 4 taking holiday

PS: Vtac, you rock 4 opening this thread and getting some conversation flowing about the topic

what batt. pack for the PD did you also find?

 

[Hennessy1414]

what?^?^?^

 

[youdontknowme]

I'm definitively not the most qualified person I know to talk about this, but from anecdotal experience:

- many serious projects use tons of AA (or C, or D) batteries in packs, this approach isn't as ghetto as it sounds. quick googling yields http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=258 as one possible place to source some premade packs
- many electronics that take "wall" power (eg. 120VAC) can accept anywhere from about 90-240V, due to the nature off the rectifier inside, but don't take my word for it, research before you break something
- anything that runs of 12VDC (PD?) with low current draw should be able to use something like an alarm battery or car battery for a pretty long time (car batteries, or any large lead acid batt, are pretty serious).
- However, if you end up going with car-type battery, two things: 1) get a sealed battery, so that acid doesn't leak out. 2) try and avoid "cranking" or shallow cycle batteries and instead get deep cycle batteries (you might find these for applications like powering a golf cart/trolling motor on a boat) since these are designed to provide power over longer periods of time, as opposed to a burst of high current
- keep in mind that if you run a vape that isn't controlled by a thermocouple or some other type of closed-loop feedback (eg. a Vaporbrothers or PD versus an Aromed or Volcano Digit) of off a battery and end up under or overvolting it, assuming you don't break it (and you probably won't) you may end up having to recalibrate and use a different knob position. I can't speak for how well the PD handles undervolting since it has no adjustment
- if you end up getting an inverter for your car outlet, see if you can get a model with no fans or quiet fans, fan noise can be pretty annoying when you are trying to vape in peace. that being said i have used car inverters to great effect with the VB
- it may seem pretty obvious to many but if your vape in the end (eg. after "wall warts"/transformers) uses DC power, this is probably going to be easier to supply on the go than the same wall power (eg. using an alternator) you make use of at home

my

 

[Progress]

Here is some quick portable power info I have accumulated:

Sites with info on Extreme battpak:
http://global-tradekey.com/company/G05359/C130393.htm
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2283
*note: This battpak may work with the PD (not enough info...any insight? )
Extreme (19 V) battpak alternative (IMO is better--specs available):
http://www.buy.com/prod/lenmar-ppu1...ttery-lithium-ion-li/q/loc/101/204145806.html
PD options (still looking... :/ ):
Vapoultion or Vapir battpaks (loose cord issues on vapo or both w/ PD)
Battery with DC port - http://www.nextag.com/SMITH-VICTOR-Fanny-Pack-585003827/prices-html
Portable power pack w/ AC and DC outlets (for ALL vapes ):
http://www.duracellpower.com/portable-power/power-packs/powerpack-300.aspx

Oh please, oh please, oh please
Won't someone in technology
PD battery-me

Toke care

Edit: I've also found many other options, but none of them are coat pocket-sized like many of those mentioned above (and the one I want to find for PD's )

 

[Hennessy1414]

awaiting PD battery :/

 

[Frickr]

would something like this http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3062 work for the PD?

 

[Hennessy1414]

would something like this http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3062 work for the PD?

~$140 ....ill get another PD before that

 

[Frickr]

i know its expensive. the NiCd batteries are cheaper, but as mentioned above the lithium batteries would be better suited. and those get kind of expensive. the battery i posted should last around 4 hours on a charge from what i gather with the power usage of the pd and how much power this battery can put out.

here looks like a smaller cheaper option. http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3795 the charger is right at 30 dollars so a whole unit for 80. to go any cheaper than that and still have enough power to run more then an hour, while keeping the lithium, is going to be a little difficult to find. If you do find it, more power to you.

 

[Progress]

I just wanted to check in to see if anyone had found any battery packs that may work better than the options for the PD listed below .

PD options (still looking... ):
Vapoultion or Vapir battpaks (loose cord issues on vapo or both w/ PD)
Battery with DC port - http://www.nextag.com/SMITH-VICTOR-Fanny-Pack-585003827/prices-html
Portable power pack w/ AC and DC outlets (for ALL vapes ):
http://www.duracellpower.com/portable-power/power-packs/powerpack-300.aspx
I've also found many other options, but none of them are coat pocket-sized

Reminder: The PD requires 12 Volts/1 Amp of direct current

Oh please, oh please, oh please
Won't someone in technology
PD battery-me

 

[tradhead]

All your links look fine Progress, the issues are portability versus length of potential operating time. basically the bigger you go the more time you get.

this link http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-StormStation-Rechargeable-SS925/dp/B000B8GBCC/ref=pd_sim_auto_6
and similar devices offer pretty much unlimited 12V power , but they are big and heavy... for the car. I was impressed with this one http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3062

and
http://www.nextag.com/SMITH-VICTOR-Fanny-Pack-585003827/prices-html

for real portability...


PS I have heard of people extending their cables on a WW, this creates more resistance, so the PD wont get enough power. Also the cable is proportionate to the power draw so changing the provided cable for a thin cable is not advisable.

 

[bihsbihs]

So was there any consensus on how long this one would keep a PD hot?

http://www.buy.com/prod/lenmar-ppu1...ttery-lithium-ion-li/q/loc/101/204145806.html

It's only $65 right now with their promotion (cc).

 

[max]

I don't see a 12V output option on that. :/

 

[biopharmacopeia]

Are advertised voltage adapter ratings accurate? Are the specifications reporting a minimum voltage (with the unit actually always providing more), the actual constant voltage under the rated load (amperage), or what?

Using a digital mutimeter, I recently measured the voltage (no load; no vaporizer connected) for various low-voltage (12 volt/car voltage) DC adapters I have.
1) A Hewlett-Packard (HP) wall-outlet adapter stated 12 volts DC, 1 amp, but measured 16.1 volts
2) a Radio Shack plug-in-the-wall-outlet adapter switchable between 13.5 and 30 volts, 1 amp, measured 19 volts.
3) a Radio Shack external box regulated power supply was pretty right on - it claimed 13.8 volts, 3 amps, and measured 13.9 -14.0 volts.
4) I recall earlier measuring output from another wall-type adapter rated at 12 volts, but this measured at about 19 volts!

Might I just have some out-of-spec adapters? What do the specifications printed on the devices actually mean?