Hi all,
After much research, testing, and back and forth with some various insiders, I'm pleased to finally announce the initial version of the Voltage Keeper (VK for short.)
What is the voltage keeper? It's a voltage regulating device which can take nearly any input from 3-15v and output 1-30v, up to 25 watts. It is intended for log vaporizers and other low voltage appliances. Any resistor-based vaporizer should work well with the VK.
By default, the VK is configured for a range of about 9v-15v, although this varies slightly depending on the tolerance of the parts. All units have an internal trimmer which lets you vary this range of about 5-6v all the way from 1v-5v to 25-30v, though the unit will come calibrated for vaporization use out of the box. Why the smaller adjustable range you might ask? This completely eliminates the problem on many of the tattoo power supplies people were using where you have a knob that goes from 1-18v, and it's extremely difficult to dial in something exact like, say 11.85v. The limited ~9-15v range is much more fine and there's a lot more useful range of the knob with this setup. It also protects you against accidentally knocking the knob to some extremely high voltage, as you can limit the maximum voltage when the knob is set to maximum.
On that note, the VK is equiped with a 4 digit screen for increased accuracy, and the power switch actually has 2 "on" positions, the first position shows you the input voltage, which is useful if you're running off of batteries as you can monitor the battery drain. The second position is the standard "on" position, and shows you the output voltage as you'd expect. Ah, and yes, I did mention batteries. Since the VK can run off of nearly any input voltage, battery usage comes naturally. The unit has been used successfully with battery packs, the length of time you get will vary depending on the capacity of the batteries used. It is generally a good idea to only use batteries that have some sort of protection, or don't mind being drained all the way down, as the VK will drain the battery down until it no longer can provide enough current to keep up with the voltage you've selected!
The VK has a male jack for the output and a female jack for the input to prevent accidentally plugging in things in backwards. It also allows you to use standard male-to-female barrel jack extension cables with it. They use the standard 2.1/5.5mm barrel connector size, used on most if not all log vaporizers.
You can input any voltage in that 3-15v range, even lower voltage than what is coming out of it, as long as there is enough current. Another nice thing about the VK is that it can use your existing 12v DC power supplies as long as they've got around 1.5A current rating. 9v, or 15v supplies will work as well, as long as they have enough current. The lower the voltage, the more current needed, so for a 9v supply, you might want 2A, but for a 15v, you can usually get away with 1A. Unlike "down-converters" which take a higher voltage, and lower it, the VK has no "gap" between the voltage you put in, and the voltage you put out. You can put in a 12v supply, and get anything from 1-30v! Car adapters have also been tested to work with the VK, since car voltage is often a little higher than 12v, the VK is perfect for regulating it down to a more useful level. Of course, safety first people. It theoretically could even work with solar panels!
The boards used in the unit have short-circuit protection and will turn off if it detects a short. Simply remove the short and turn the unit off/on and things should be back to normal. Hopefully this means it won't burn your house down, but because of the nature of this product and the fact it could be used in many ways which are not intended, these devices are to be used at your own risk! Be responsible and use them as instructed and you will not have any problems.
The VK can be used to power anything, I've even had one of my testers use it to power a rotary drill and some other low voltage DC devices, from battery and/or AC power adapter. As long as the device is rated at 25w or less, it should be safe. I would probably recommend keeping this under 15w to extend the life of your unit, as running it at the maximum of 25w will create a lot of heat. For reference, most log vapes only draw around 6-9w, the VK can safely be ran 24/7 at that wattage without issue.
I'm recommending people do NOT buy a power supply with it, as you more than likely already have one! If you have something from 9-15v DC and around 1-2A, you're already set to go. The power supply which comes with most log vapes will almost always work with the VK as long as it's DC, so chances are, you're already set to go! Just stick the VK in between your vaporizer and the power supply, and you're off! By default, I'm going to include one male to female extension cable, which will connect your VK to your vaporizer. Just plug in your existing power supply to the VK, and plug the extension cable from the VK to your log vaporizer, and you're set.
I've also got some other various accessories you can buy, like male to male and/or female to female barrel adapters, male to male cables (NOT typically needed since the output jack is male already!), among other things. Car adapters have also been tested to work If you need some kind of unique cable made up, just ask, chances are, I may have the parts to make it for you already, or can get them if you don't mind the wait.
I've got 5 units I've delivered to one of my vendors, and another 4 I'll be selling directly immediately. I also have some factory seconds, these are scratched and/or have slightly different cases, I will offer them at a reduced price. The standard unit price with a male to female extension cable included is $45 plus shipping. AC power supplies are sold separately, but I do have limited supply of them, ask if you need one. The factory seconds I'll be selling at $40 plus shipping, functionally they're identical, there's just cosmetic differences and perhaps some scratches/blemishes. I'll likely have two of those available.
I've got 3 available colors, but what I have in stock may vary. Ask if you want a specific color! Red is pretty much the standard choice, and it's the least obnoxious in terms of brightness. I also have different, smaller knobs available. However, most people seem to prefer the big knobs. If you'd prefer a smaller one, please ask and I'll show you what I have available.
Once all the current stock is gone, I will also be taking pre-orders for the next batch of units. I may change the casing on the next round of units, so do not be surprised if the next batch looks different, but expect all functionality to remain the same. So again, standard unit is $45 plus shipping. Also ask about custom units, which will likely run around the $100 range. I have done custom units with things like voltage+amperage meters, different cases, among other things, however due to the extra labor these kind of units are going to be one-off only. If you're seriously interested in such a unit, I have photos available of some examples upon request.
After much research, testing, and back and forth with some various insiders, I'm pleased to finally announce the initial version of the Voltage Keeper (VK for short.)
What is the voltage keeper? It's a voltage regulating device which can take nearly any input from 3-15v and output 1-30v, up to 25 watts. It is intended for log vaporizers and other low voltage appliances. Any resistor-based vaporizer should work well with the VK.
By default, the VK is configured for a range of about 9v-15v, although this varies slightly depending on the tolerance of the parts. All units have an internal trimmer which lets you vary this range of about 5-6v all the way from 1v-5v to 25-30v, though the unit will come calibrated for vaporization use out of the box. Why the smaller adjustable range you might ask? This completely eliminates the problem on many of the tattoo power supplies people were using where you have a knob that goes from 1-18v, and it's extremely difficult to dial in something exact like, say 11.85v. The limited ~9-15v range is much more fine and there's a lot more useful range of the knob with this setup. It also protects you against accidentally knocking the knob to some extremely high voltage, as you can limit the maximum voltage when the knob is set to maximum.
On that note, the VK is equiped with a 4 digit screen for increased accuracy, and the power switch actually has 2 "on" positions, the first position shows you the input voltage, which is useful if you're running off of batteries as you can monitor the battery drain. The second position is the standard "on" position, and shows you the output voltage as you'd expect. Ah, and yes, I did mention batteries. Since the VK can run off of nearly any input voltage, battery usage comes naturally. The unit has been used successfully with battery packs, the length of time you get will vary depending on the capacity of the batteries used. It is generally a good idea to only use batteries that have some sort of protection, or don't mind being drained all the way down, as the VK will drain the battery down until it no longer can provide enough current to keep up with the voltage you've selected!
The VK has a male jack for the output and a female jack for the input to prevent accidentally plugging in things in backwards. It also allows you to use standard male-to-female barrel jack extension cables with it. They use the standard 2.1/5.5mm barrel connector size, used on most if not all log vaporizers.
You can input any voltage in that 3-15v range, even lower voltage than what is coming out of it, as long as there is enough current. Another nice thing about the VK is that it can use your existing 12v DC power supplies as long as they've got around 1.5A current rating. 9v, or 15v supplies will work as well, as long as they have enough current. The lower the voltage, the more current needed, so for a 9v supply, you might want 2A, but for a 15v, you can usually get away with 1A. Unlike "down-converters" which take a higher voltage, and lower it, the VK has no "gap" between the voltage you put in, and the voltage you put out. You can put in a 12v supply, and get anything from 1-30v! Car adapters have also been tested to work with the VK, since car voltage is often a little higher than 12v, the VK is perfect for regulating it down to a more useful level. Of course, safety first people. It theoretically could even work with solar panels!
The boards used in the unit have short-circuit protection and will turn off if it detects a short. Simply remove the short and turn the unit off/on and things should be back to normal. Hopefully this means it won't burn your house down, but because of the nature of this product and the fact it could be used in many ways which are not intended, these devices are to be used at your own risk! Be responsible and use them as instructed and you will not have any problems.
The VK can be used to power anything, I've even had one of my testers use it to power a rotary drill and some other low voltage DC devices, from battery and/or AC power adapter. As long as the device is rated at 25w or less, it should be safe. I would probably recommend keeping this under 15w to extend the life of your unit, as running it at the maximum of 25w will create a lot of heat. For reference, most log vapes only draw around 6-9w, the VK can safely be ran 24/7 at that wattage without issue.
I'm recommending people do NOT buy a power supply with it, as you more than likely already have one! If you have something from 9-15v DC and around 1-2A, you're already set to go. The power supply which comes with most log vapes will almost always work with the VK as long as it's DC, so chances are, you're already set to go! Just stick the VK in between your vaporizer and the power supply, and you're off! By default, I'm going to include one male to female extension cable, which will connect your VK to your vaporizer. Just plug in your existing power supply to the VK, and plug the extension cable from the VK to your log vaporizer, and you're set.
I've also got some other various accessories you can buy, like male to male and/or female to female barrel adapters, male to male cables (NOT typically needed since the output jack is male already!), among other things. Car adapters have also been tested to work If you need some kind of unique cable made up, just ask, chances are, I may have the parts to make it for you already, or can get them if you don't mind the wait.
I've got 5 units I've delivered to one of my vendors, and another 4 I'll be selling directly immediately. I also have some factory seconds, these are scratched and/or have slightly different cases, I will offer them at a reduced price. The standard unit price with a male to female extension cable included is $45 plus shipping. AC power supplies are sold separately, but I do have limited supply of them, ask if you need one. The factory seconds I'll be selling at $40 plus shipping, functionally they're identical, there's just cosmetic differences and perhaps some scratches/blemishes. I'll likely have two of those available.
I've got 3 available colors, but what I have in stock may vary. Ask if you want a specific color! Red is pretty much the standard choice, and it's the least obnoxious in terms of brightness. I also have different, smaller knobs available. However, most people seem to prefer the big knobs. If you'd prefer a smaller one, please ask and I'll show you what I have available.
Once all the current stock is gone, I will also be taking pre-orders for the next batch of units. I may change the casing on the next round of units, so do not be surprised if the next batch looks different, but expect all functionality to remain the same. So again, standard unit is $45 plus shipping. Also ask about custom units, which will likely run around the $100 range. I have done custom units with things like voltage+amperage meters, different cases, among other things, however due to the extra labor these kind of units are going to be one-off only. If you're seriously interested in such a unit, I have photos available of some examples upon request.
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