The HighLighter (Glass-Core Open-Source Halogen Log) Kit Hosted by REFC Labs

[Improvaper]

Yep, this is dope. Red and the gang have done all the hard work, testing, and sourcing of parts for everyone to have one of the best vaping experiences available for a great entry price. I'm excited to see how this kit comes together and compares to my DIY. What I can say for certain is halogen flavor is best flavor. I highly recommend it.

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

Cool project, parts for the core should cost no more then 10$ when purchased in bulk, cool that you decided to help the less handy with a ready made assembly. I also had an open source Halo-log thread going but all photos went to shit due to some host closing down and cleaning old stuff.
@funkyjunky was probably one of the first guys to come up with a design,other than a guy on e-bay that was selling them back in the 2013.

Here is video of the LUMO,might give you some clever ideas on the enclosure .

 

[dimmusp]

If halogen logs have been around for so long, how come they aren't more mainstream?

Is the HighLighter implementation "right" in some new way?

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

If halogen logs have been around for so long, how come they aren't more mainstream?

Is the HighLighter implementation "right" in some new way?

They0 have been around for a while ,but getting a company running ,surviving and making customers happy requires more than a concept and few sales on ebay / friends and family . I Have so many great ideas but i have no funds to make it work,so they are just making me happy.
OTher than that halogen logs have their downsides that must be aided with design tweaks. I dont think logvapes are mainstream enough compared to other vapes ,but there are guys that offerd top notch service and manage to survive in their niche.
I dunno what do you mean by right ,but i see place for improvement ,so it can be a cleaner concept.
I have asked FJ why he didnt release the LUMO and if i recall correctly he said it is a lenghty build process that he cant spent his time on.

 

[Cheebsy]

Where is the intake? Is it across the bulb and past the wires?

 

[oldfool]

halogen logs have their downsides that must be aided with design tweaks

Care to elaborate?

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

Care to elaborate?

1) Can be hurtful to the eyes . Can be aided with colored glass, heatshields like the aromed/element desktop by vapman.
2) Hot spotting/ Charring the load. Adding mesh and heat shield reduces the hotspotting . Bowl design i cruicial.
3) Make leads stainless steel, no fiber glass wire insulation ,especially in the airpath . Increase gauge until leads dont get hot.
4)Get rid of the ceramic bulb socket,cause it has brass contacts that oxize with god knows what. @Alan stopped making Halo-Hi due to this issue.
Other than that i have mixed feelings for covering the bulbs with beads, since those bulb are recommended in use only with open luminaries,but if they did enough testing i guess it is fine.
Shitty PWM can make bulbs scream so opt for a good controller. Make sure you clean the ink/letters from the bulb with iso before instalation.
I dont know how is it in the bead concept but using 20w bulb works just as good as using 50w one. Less amps less heat to the leads
From the all Halo-log projects out there ,the MUSA has most points/issues covered,although i like more the v1 vs v2 design.
The only thing that cannot be aided and bothers me a bit is that the leads of the bulbs are all covered with Niobium.

 

[KeroZen]

And modern bulbs tend to have IR reflective internal coatings to increase their light output while reducing IR emissions, while it's precisely the heat we are after. Apparently there are bulbs made specifically for heating purposes that don't produce as much light, that could be worth investigating.

There have been quite a few successful halogen desktops in the past, but AFAIK most are gone now and there's only the MUSA left.

I'm not buying the argument that using a light bulb is more efficient than a dedicated heating element in free air, but I understand the appeal to have the element isolated from the vapor path. Unfortunately as @Abysmal Vapor pointed out, there can be many other potential issues from a health safety perspective, none of the bulbs and sockets are tested for chronic inhalation and some are not even RoHS compliant.

One thing is sure though: starring at them can damage the eyes, so you really want some sort of cover.

But that's a cool project otherwise!

 

[arb]

What happens if the bulb cracks midhit?

 

[oldfool]

Hot spotting/ Charring the load

Seems moving the load away from the heat source a bit would fix that.

 

[RedEyeFlightControl]

Where is the intake? Is it across the bulb and past the wires?

The end of the tube. Yes air is pulled in over silicone, stainless, and ceramic. Unless we're altering the glass, this is a sacrifice for the ease of use and a trade off. Custom tubes are not off the table, we are in talks with another glass vendor, so this may become a reality.

Looks super cool, and I dig the open source nature. I'm also curious about the pros and cons of a halogen heater vs a more traditional design if anyone can speak to that. Also idle curiosity, is this still a convection design (bulb heats the air) or does the bulb directly heat the flower somehow?

This is still a convection design. The bulb heats 1 layer of glass beads that fit around the bulb, which heats air as it passes.

If halogen logs have been around for so long, how come they aren't more mainstream?

Is the HighLighter implementation "right" in some new way?

We spent a of time testing and optimizing the thermal mass, which is why the core performs the way it does.

Seems moving the load away from the heat source a bit would fix that.

I find quite the opposite, actually. For most vapes. The further the target is away from your heater's outlet, the hotter your heater needs to run. This seems to be standard for almost all of the convection units I've used, even when they are properly diffused.

 

[does_not_exist]

My sights are set on this and so much this. Having seen the development process and early-builds I can say that i expect the HighLighTED to be in my vape rotation for a very long time. The DIY nature means setting it up once is just as cheap and easy as keeping it up, and the results speak for themselves. The wood housing looks beautiful too.

The RedEye shines upon us!

 

[gordontreeman]

This is still a convection design. The bulb heats 1 layer of glass beads that fit around the bulb, which heats air as it passes.

Thanks for clarifying. Is the benefit over ceramic/stainless steel heater cores meant to be flavor? It seems like there are some trade offs that others have already brought up in this thread re: bulb life, eye damage (easy enough to avoid I guess, just don't look directly at the core once its shrouded), and power consumption? I've heard of them, just never gotten my hands on a halogen powered vape so I'm just curious.

Still, the price is very alright here. I signed up for your newsletter, so when the kits are out I'll look into it and a heater shroud. I was just poking around your site and you do some amazing things with Ti anodization as well, so I'm excited to see what your wooden/other shroud options look like--I'm not keen on butane powered vapes, but the JetDryV certainly looks a treat!

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

@arb That is the million dolar question. I mean , i didnt know the answer so i looked up the anathomy of the halogen capsules in detail and other then Niobium covered tungsten leads, quartz housing , tungster coil and surprise halogen atmosphere like Argone,Xenon, Bromine... (probably not harmful at least in the ammounts used)

 

[Cheebsy]

The end of the tube. Yes air is pulled in over silicone, stainless, and ceramic. Unless we're altering the glass, this is a sacrifice for the ease of use and a trade off. Custom tubes are not off the table, we are in talks with another glass vendor, so this may become a reality.

Thanks for taking the time to reply! This raises a couple more questions for me. As hinted at, these bulb holders are all very different quality. Could you specify which one you're using? Also, what is the material of the insulation on the cables?

And one more thing [/columbo] since you have a FLIR camera, could you possibly get a reading from the back side of the bulb holder please?

 

[arb]

@arb That is the million dolar question. I mean , i didnt know the answer so i looked up the anathomy of the halogen capsules in detail and other then Niobium covered tungsten leads, quartz housing , tungster coil and surprise halogen atmosphere like Argone,Xenon, Bromine...

Do NOT inhale the bromine..........no matter how tempting it may be.

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

Do NOT inhale the bromine..........no matter how tempting it may be.

In case you do, use horny goat weed to counteract.
There are roumours of bromine tea to be used back in the days to reduce sexual activity between soldiers in he army.
P.S Appolgies for the multiple posts and derail ),i am going to keep on topic from now on.

 

[RedEyeFlightControl]

Thanks for clarifying. Is the benefit over ceramic/stainless steel heater cores meant to be flavor? It seems like there are some trade offs that others have already brought up in this thread re: bulb life, eye damage (easy enough to avoid I guess, just don't look directly at the core once its shrouded), and power consumption? I've heard of them, just never gotten my hands on a halogen powered vape so I'm just curious.

Still, the price is very alright here. I signed up for your newsletter, so when the kits are out I'll look into it and a heater shroud. I was just poking around your site and you do some amazing things with Ti anodization as well, so I'm excited to see what your wooden/other shroud options look like--I'm not keen on butane powered vapes, but the JetDryV certainly looks a treat!

Halogen is said to be one of the cleanest heaters in terms of flavor. Once the unit has been built and run for a bit, they settle in and run without much flavor at all. Thanks for the compliments!

What happens if the bulb cracks midhit?

We discussed yesterday at length when you asked in the reddit thread but we will recap here for visibility -

If the filament goes out, you just finish your bowl and wait for the heater to cool, to replace the bulb.

If the quartz package actually breaks, STOP breathing in. That should go without saying. I would presume any loose quartz will be trapped by the glass aggregate, if not by the heater screen, then the herb, then the basket screen, and then whatever the vapor is passing into prior to you. However, in all of our testing across all sites, and probably 100 bulbs or more, we have never had one physically break. Or burn out. The only broken bulb I have is one the factory sent me with one lead broken off.

Thanks for taking the time to reply! This raises a couple more questions for me. As hinted at, these bulb holders are all very different quality. Could you specify which one you're using? Also, what is the material of the insulation on the cables?

And one more thing [/columbo] since you have a FLIR camera, could you possibly get a reading from the back side of the bulb holder please?

At the rear of the naked core (bulb socket base) we are observing temps of 250-280F which quickly taper off. In the heat shielded core, we are observing 20-30F lower on average due to additional calories acting as a heater.

 

[arb]

Halogen is said to be one of the cleanest heaters in terms of flavor. Once the unit has been built and run for a bit, they settle in and run without much flavor at all. Thanks for the compliments!


We discussed yesterday at length when you asked in the reddit thread but we will recap here for visibility -

If the filament goes out, you just finish your bowl and wait for the heater to cool, to replace the bulb.

If the quartz package actually breaks, STOP breathing in. That should go without saying. I would presume any loose quartz will be trapped by the glass aggregate, if not by the heater screen, then the herb, then the basket screen, and then whatever the vapor is passing into prior to you. However, in all of our testing across all sites, and probably 100 bulbs or more, we have never had one physically break. Or burn out. The only broken bulb I have is one the factory sent me with one lead broken off.

At the rear of the naked core (bulb socket base) we are observing temps of 250-280F which quickly taper off. In the heat shielded core, we are observing 20-30F lower on average due to additional calories acting as a heater.
View attachment 8896

Thanks for the recap and that was for info here on this platform.
Do you feel like these questions are harassment?
If you do I will quit asking them as that is not the intent.

 

[RedEyeFlightControl]

Thanks for the recap and that was for info here on this platform.
Do you feel like these questions are harassment?
If you do I will quit asking them as that is not the intent.

As long as the intent is to help educate others, I don't mind answering again.

 

[oldfool]

power consumption

Are the bulbs power hogs?

 

[RedEyeFlightControl]

Are the bulbs power hogs?

No, we run then around 15-20 watts or so, at 6-6.8v. Very economical.

@Abysmal Vapor I wanted to touch on these comments -
1) Can be hurtful to the eyes . Can be aided with colored glass, heatshields like the aromed/element desktop by vapman.

-This is why we selected black glass - it's easy on the eyes and traps heat

2) Hot spotting/ Charring the load. Adding mesh and heat shield reduces the hotspotting . Bowl design i cruicial.

-We don't really see much hotspotting because of the way the air passes through the heater and thermal mass. Bowl design and distance to herb is indeed very crucial.

3) Make leads stainless steel, no fiber glass wire insulation ,especially in the airpath . Increase gauge until leads don't get hot.

-Stainless steel leads is a bad idea, SS is a known resistive heater. 16ga silicone clad strandcore should be plenty for 20 watts of power.

4)Get rid of the ceramic bulb socket, cause it has brass contacts that oxidize with god knows what. @Alan stopped making Halo-Hi due to this issue.

-The bulb socket we use has no fiberglass or brass. The contacts appear to be spring steel, and are crimped with a small copper lug under the rear silicone covers, back in the 200-250 degree zone. I am 100% certain there is no fiberglass or mica, and I am fairly confident you won't find brass anywhere in this airpath.


Other than that i have mixed feelings for covering the bulbs with beads, since those bulb are recommended in use only with open luminaries, but if they did enough testing i guess it is fine.

-We aren't even close to reaching full bulb package operational temperatures, so we should not be experiencing anywhere close to the stress these bulbs are designed to handle. At full tilt, halogens run around 900 degrees F, if I'm not mistaken.

Shitty PWM can make bulbs scream so opt for a good controller.

Can you elaborate on the risks of electrical noise to a passive resistive heater? I don't consider this an issue unless the voltage is *so* unstable that you're experiencing wild temp/illumination swings. In which case, get a better PSU. The problem isn't with the heater.

Make sure you clean the ink/letters from the bulb with iso before installation.
-This is in the instructions

I don't know how is it in the bead concept but using 20w bulb works just as good as using 50w one.
-We found the exact opposite, the 20 watt bulb does not have enough snot for our use case. We tested 20, 35, and 50 watt across multiple voltages. The 50watt was far and away the clear and undefeated champ.

Less amps less heat to the leads
From the all Halo-log projects out there ,the MUSA has most points/issues covered, although i like more the v1 vs v2 design.
The only thing that cannot be aided and bothers me a bit is that the leads of the bulbs are all covered with Niobium.

-Unfortunately we can't alter the bulb leads, this is a known quantity.

The socket in question:

OMTO MR16 GU5.3 GY6.35 Lamp Socket, Common to Miniature Bi-Pin Base G4 G6.35 GX5.3 GZ4 MR11, LED Halogen Incandescent Led Socket Ceramic Body Lamp Holder (12-Pack) (12-Pack) - - Amazon.com

OMTO MR16 GU5.3 GY6.35 Lamp Socket, Common to Miniature Bi-Pin Base G4 G6.35 GX5.3 GZ4 MR11, LED Halogen Incandescent Led Socket Ceramic Body Lamp Holder (12-Pack) (12-Pack) - - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

 

[sunyata]

Looks awesome, very excited about the prospect of customising the heatshield! Are the halogen bulbs going into standard g4 ceramic sockets?

 

[RedEyeFlightControl]

Looks awesome, very excited about the prospect of customising the heatshield! Are the halogen bulbs going into standard g4 ceramic sockets?

I just updated my most recent response with socket info to quell some material fears. Scroll up a bit

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

@RedEyeFlightControl. I didnt meant like you dont have any of my suggestion covered already,i was talking about general design obstacles and downsides of the Halo-concepts since i thought that was the question i was answering .
2) I wont get into debate but there is hot spotting in the videos.
3) Protip : Increase the gauge to 2-3mm and there is zero issues, people just use thin ecig wire, that why it is an issue. Sry but i prefer bare steel to any insulated wire. SS Wires are cold to the touch. You can experiment if you dont take my word for it .
4)I meant that some of the sockets come with fiber glass insulation ot their leads,not that you have them. I highly doubt the contacts are SS as you say it is resistive and not a good material for the purpose. (Material is more likely Cn plated Cu which is the standart for DC leads or Nickel)
5) PWM like led dimmers are shitty controllers. Buck boost is better or PWM that works in inaudible frequencies is what you and the MUSA are using.
6) Bulbs are rated for 250-300 celsius there is special OVEN version which is suitable for pyrolisis by Osram and can handle 350 Celsius.

What are you using to retain the ceramic socket in the glass is it a silicone ring ? A metal retaining ring might be better . Or you are refering to the silicone in the airpath just to the wire insulation.

We can all nit pick all day and night ,but your concept is purer than what most vaporizers have in general ,people are having daily fun with less pure concepts with decades with no ill effects. Pe rfect makes shit expensive as in the end you need a lot of effort to solve minimal problems. I am pretty sure you are right in the middle between purity/simplicity of project and ease of build ,so you can deliver a decent price . I wish i wasnt such a maniac for purity and perfect operation , i am really extreme in my thougts often,just like the Princess and the Pea story. Sometimes it takes a pea under 10 matraces to keep me from having a good night sleep. I finally came out with a the optimal vape design solution for me,but it takes so much time to build ,so making 20 units per week will be more than a handful.
I want to wish you nothing else but good luck into your endeavour . I hope you didnt feel like i tried to bash your product or smth ,i am just interested in materials discussions and such.