The HighLighter (Glass-Core Open-Source Halogen Log) Kit Hosted by REFC Labs
- Thread starter RedEyeFlightControl
- Start date
4everpushingaboulder
Well-Known Member
Live bill of materials link on this page. You can click the link and order the same ones if you want.
Project HighLighted BOM and Datasheet
A Live HighLighter Bill Of Materials (BOM)for Version 1.0 can be found here. Tutorial videos for Version 1.0 can be found here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoSXMqAmWwc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM8Z3hEMgHA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO7BG8EPXxg Tutorial for Version 1.1 can be found...
And here is the BOM itself.
HighLighTED BOM Rev 1.0 by REFC Labs
lazylathe
Almost there...
I used a pair of scissors to cut my screen so it was nice and even and sits flat.
I also installed it upside down for a bit more space between the heat and the herb.
Just tried some concentrate on cotton... Turn the power up and ape away!
Amazing flavor and the clouds are nice and big and last forever! well almost...
Very versatile this vape!
4everpushingaboulder
Well-Known Member
That's PhotonicInduction on youtube, his videos are always amazing! Always really interesting and educational, and often a riot
Pukka
Well-Known Member
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I had totally forgot about using cotton to vape hash on and was about to attack a mighty concentrate pad w/a dremmel to make it fit my ...
Kudzu407
Para-Vaper
I finally got around to building my Heavy Green core. Put about 10 grams of beads and got the bulb all the way to the screen. Really thick glass and once warmed up it milks the couch potato in a couple seconds. After over an hour of use, it was still no problem handling bare handed,just like a regular core. It is for sure different and works great. Another fun HighLighter build and a keeper!
badbee
Well-Known Member
What exactly is that and where did it come from (I just mean the glass)?
Kudzu407
Para-Vaper
It’s just called heavy glass. I think it may say hvy glass on the website. It is from same place as regular core and listed on the bill of materials. @4everpushingaboulder posted a link above on this page I think.
Philabrookla
@philabrookla
I was hoping for a drop today, but now that I've put one together, I am tempted to just order the bulb, bulb socket/base, DC power jack, and soda lime balls from Red, then ordering the preforma screen from Amazon and a few of the 18/26mm glass blanks from mountain glass.
I have power adapters and o-rings, if I can manage to cut and form the thick screen, and red can toss in some ti wire for me, I think I'm pretty set. The power jack issue was resolved and the Jacks on refc are solid Im assuming.
I have power adapters and o-rings, if I can manage to cut and form the thick screen, and red can toss in some ti wire for me, I think I'm pretty set. The power jack issue was resolved and the Jacks on refc are solid Im assuming.
3migo
Is this a...what day is this?
I believe the standalone parts are moreso meant for people to acquire replacement parts one-off, not to assemble a whole core from them. I'm sure there will be another kit drop soon.
Philabrookla
@philabrookla
Agreed, and I definitely appreciate Red for pulling it all together. No need for me to get impatient
badbee
Well-Known Member
Thank you. I'm so tempted, I love the look of it. Too much thermal mass too far from the heater can, in theory, rob heat and reduce performance. What do you think? Is this heavier glass better, slower to preheat, the same, or just undefinably different?
Edit: just checked the shipping charges, ouch, three times the price of the stem
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Kudzu407
Para-Vaper
I have only ran it for a couple hours and so far seems pretty much like a regular core. I like the looks also as all internal parts are very visible.Just something to play around with and its better than I thought it would be but no better than a regular core.
oldfool
Well-Known Member
Is the inside diameter the same as stock? Just thicker glass?
masonjars
Well-Known Member
So I finally tried the Lotus wpa with my HLT. Here is an Imgur album of my first couple attempts and dialed in to my liking at the end. Enjoy!
Kudzu407
Para-Vaper
No it is not the same. It is a little larger.
badbee
Well-Known Member
More balls baby.
4everpushingaboulder
Well-Known Member
I thought it wasn’t the length of the stem or the size of the balls that impacted performance, but how hard you suck!?
Kudzu407
Para-Vaper
“Giggity”
masonjars
Well-Known Member
HLT w/new piece!
What temp do you have the Highlighter set on while in the Heatshield?
masonjars
Well-Known Member
5.3-5.4v gets coffee brown AVB (6.6-6.7v w/o)
Improvaper
Well-Known Member
Today I'm playing around with controlling the Highlighter with a PID. It simply turns it on and off to maintain the temperature... not the best for bulb life, but it does seem to work. My aim is to have it crank a bit harder when in use to eliminate the refractory period between back-to-back baskets. I'll let y'all know how it goes...
3l3tric
Well-Known Member
I'm curious if there's a thermocouple/thermistor that can be placed within the beads for a more responsive reading. I'd found this amphenol glass-encased thermistor that looked somewhat promising, but I'm not 100% certain about the safety of putting dumet wire (copper coated nickel IIRC) in the vapor path, and the maximum operating temp is 300C, pretty close to the highest temps you'd see in the barrel already. One idea I had was using a dremel to grind two shallow grooves in the ground glass joint and put the thermistor leads there, mounting the thermistor right above the proforma screen so it would only be measuring airflow, although you'd have to make your PID controller figure out when you're taking a draw and when you aren't, since there would be drastic differences in readings between when there's air flowing over it and when there isn't.
Also, regarding the method of temp controlling: I did some research awhile back, and I think a better solution for bulb health would be to build a VVPS that could be controlled by an arduino or other PID capable microcontroller. Integrated circuits like the LM338K use a potentiometer (variable resistor) for their voltage control, and digital potentiometers are available for arduinos that could allow for .1V stepping (or likely even finer steps). This way you could keep the bulb always on but have fine-tuned control over exactly how much heat the core would be generating.
One nice thing is these two problems can be solved independently, so you don't have to figure out a solution for the temp-monitoring issue before proceeding with working out the arduino VVPS (far easier IMO). Once I get one of these myself I'll probably go right into making the arduino controlled VVPS for it sans PID functionality, which will still provide some nice features like being able to implement voltage boost profiles. Then later down the line, I can work on installing a thermistor and PID code for actual temp control.
Materials safety is a pain, though, and I'm thinking it's gonna be pretty hard to find a responsive thermometer that'll be fully safe in the vapor path. One possible idea I had was a "passive TC coil", where you'd put a coil of SS wire into the core outside the beads, and measure with an ohmmeter to calculate the temp (similar to how TC ecig mods work). The main problems here are I'm not sure how responsive this method would be (if it takes 20 seconds after a change to yield accurate temps, kinda not worth it) and you'd only be getting an average of temps across the whole heating tube, not measuring the air temp at the end which would be more accurate/responsive to what your bowl temps should be. Regarding thermistors, it also looks like the majority top out their operating temp at 300 degF, which makes measuring right beside the bulb way more iffy. Maybe there'll be some miracle thermocouple someone finds one day with a 400 deg operating temp, glass encased, with leads made from a vapor safe material.