VapCap Induction Heater for Desktop and in Car Use

Pipes

Addicted DIY Enthusiast
Accessory Maker
There have been a few folks having a hard time and getting confused getting chargers to work.
I've decided to offer a home and/or car charger as optional accessories. I have just ordered an inventory of 5V 3 Amp units for both home and car which I should be getting in a couple of weeks. :tup:
Or include the home charger and up the price by $5. Not sure yet. :hmm: I like keeping the base price as low as possible. Tends to set the bar for other manufacturers. :whip:But OTOH including would take the charger out of the initial troubleshooting. :\
What do you guys think?
 

BabyFacedFinster

Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing.
I like the $5 option. People can add it, just like any other assessory you offer.

Loving my HS. I use it every fucking day :)

and the color changes are awesome. First cold click on a 19M cap goes just to blue, once warm the click comes at solid green. When ignoring the click for rapid fire action I only take it to transition from red to green. Timed perfectly.

Thanks for the extra insight @TommyDee. I knew you'd be the first to report out after "cracking" it open. I'd love to see the deep innards! Come on TD, keep going, just like Lewis and Clarke you can't stop half way.

I also went incognito, as with all the others. Sorry @Pipes. :shrug: The HS sitting on the table without a label and the flap door shut is completely uninteresting to passers-by in my house.
 
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TommyDee

Vaporitor
I did go in to figure out how to fix the charge port and although it can be off a bit, it is trapped in the housing so it shouldn't wander far.
I don't see how it could 'get lost' with how the board is installed.

20210329_180058.jpg

If the plug is below the hole, try pushing on the battery to move or compress this upper assembly. Pushing on the magnet, in some instances, can offset the charge port. As shown above, I added a few stiff foam strips to take up the excess space.

Anyone that does pull this apart, use the included tool. You probably won't have the problem I caused with pulling on the wires. This dislodged the BMS. Don't do that! Or at least put it back where it belongs in the printed slot. when you reassemble the unit.

Hmm... I spy a familiar capacitor... could it be HalfPint? LOL Not really. Detuned a bit? Just a bit.

The marvel is that the entire function is housed in a 2.3"x2.3"x1" space as a sub-structure. If you want to see - you'll have to experience its genius. There is no tamper seal! Just keep track of the magnet. The double sided trim tape is still holding well.
 
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stark1

Lonesome Planet
Cant help but be astonned by its actual size, the battery may well be
(slightly) larger than the Hotshot’s circuitry.

Having said that, while the naysayers may chime in, I for one
On the subject of form and function, would appreciaote
A similar heater housed in an enclosure which is
Ergonomically designed, a marriage of both form, and
Function.

In the meantime, I will happily be grateful to have a mag heater which
I can EDC.

Just my (humble, hopefully helpful) :2c: suggestion.:spliff:
 
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Shipwr3ck87

New Member
I've decided to offer a home and/or car charger as optional accessories. I have just ordered an inventory of 5V 3 Amp units for both home and car which I should be getting in a couple of weeks. :tup:
Or include the home charger and up the price by $5. Not sure yet. :hmm:
Yes, I would pay an extra $5 for a home charger and would buy one of the car chargers as well.
 

BabyFacedFinster

Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing.
My HS holds a charge for a damn long time. It is impressive. It did kick out yesterday after quite a while. I went right to my psm, which also holds a charge well. When you go back to a psm, you really notice how it's built like a tank. You could easily club someone to death with a psm. :) I try not to keep the psm fully charged when sitting in the bullpen. I think that makes sense?

My magnet got pushed in by accident and I'm trying to pull it out, to then glue it back in. :doh:

However, I don't seem to have another magnet strong enough to pull it out. Can anyone think of another way? It is too flush with the case to get a hook in there to pry it up.
 
BabyFacedFinster,
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bener

Vapeologist
A week with my HotShot


I received my HotShot about a week ago and have been using it regularly with a few of my favorite vapcaps. Here are my impressions to date.

First, I knew it was going to be small, but I was still surprised at just how compact it is! Despite its small size, it has enough mass so it doesn’t feel cheap or toyish. As others have mentioned, it’s about the size of a pack of cigarettes and, to me, it feels good in the hands; its size and shape lend to its ease of use. I also used my HotShot outside on my property and in my garage and shop so I got to use it indoors and outside as well as while I was relaxing and a bit more active.


Image of HotShot

CpPjvs9.jpg


Mine now is in its birthday suit without the stickers. I did it for Stealth.

I used the supplied USB cable to plug my Hot Shot into my desk’s handy powered port (5V/4A; nothing “smart“ about it, just power). Although I didn’t keep a close watch, it seemed to get charged up surprisingly fast. I would say it was approximately 70-80 min. After the HotShot was charged up it was time to delve into the research.

I used a few of my most frequently used vapcaps: an Omni, NonaVong, and glass body, all set up with titanium tips. My goal was to test my HotShot out and compare its performance to my Apollo2 and trusty single-jet. Although I primarily carried out my research using the titanium tipped vapcaps, as they are my preferred, I also used a 2020 M with SS tip for a few bowls.


Image of HS, Apollo and torch

uJ7FhAc.jpg




I set up my vapcap research lab to do my testing. I mostly focused on learning how the HotShot interacts with my vapcaps and how it was similar to — or not — to my user experience with the Apollo2 and my single-jet.


Image of Lab

9uRH9En.jpg




First, what I really appreciated right off the bat was that using my new HotShot was about the same experience as using my AC-powered Apollo2 IH. That is, there was no “learning curve.” I didn’t have to change anything in how I use the IH. I didn’t have to count after the click, etc.

Of course the experience with a single-jet torch compared to the IH isn’t apples to apples, but I was pleased to see that it was very straightforward achieving something similar to heating the tip of the cap vs the midsection by using the HotShot’s advanced lighting system as a reference. Once you get the hang of how a torch or particular IH interact with your tip and cap combo, the light color can be your point of reference. Or, you can just ignore all that and go by the click.

During my first round of experiments I was able to achieve 17 bowls with 2-3, sometimes a fourth, cycle each. After the battery conditioning charges (first 3), I achieved 18-20 bowls on average per charge, then I decided I knew what I needed to know and haven’t bothered counting since then.

Over the course of the weekend I took the HotShot along with me as I did stuff. It was during that period that the magnet fell off. I didn’t have any epoxy, so I used (very judiciously) some Gorilla Glue. It’s been fine ever since.

I made a couple of observations which reaffirm Pipe’s specification for a charger. When I used the ports on my desktop power bank (link given above), it was clear when the HotShot was charging because the warm temperature was easily perceived when touching the unit on either side of the charging cable. When I used a typical USB power brick (in this case an Anker), I thought my HotShot was charged because of time and the cool feeling, but I only got about 5 bowls before it was out of power. I did a bit of “testing” and realized that if you have enough power, there’s no doubt the HotShot will be warm around the charging port while being charged. If, however, you use something under-powered, you’ll feel some warmth, but might not even feel sure it’s warm. So, if you’re not sure that it’s warm, your charger is likely an underpowered one.

I feel that the HotShot is a portable IH worthy of your money, especially if portability, sufficient battery capacity to be practical, and ease of use are features you’d like in an IH. Other posters, like @TommyDee, for example, have already attested to the intelligent choices Pipes made in designing and building it. I’ve opened just the battery door on mine to verify I could do it, and I have to say that to me, having a user-replaceable battery is an important feature. The number of bowls per charge, especially when considering its size, makes it a good choice for a taking along when you’re on the move, especially outside where torches sometimes have a hard time, but even in and around your home. It isn’t too bulky to put in your pocket. The Hot Shot really offers a lot to like!

On the ‘could be improved’ side of the ledger would be the door covering the heating chamber, which I have decided to close after each use whenever it’s not on a tabletop indoors. My main fear while using it when I wasn’t seated indoors was breaking the door off the hinges. That said, I have already thought of a possible solution should that happen — use an appropriately sized cork to seal the unit when not in use. And, come to think of it, my Aollo2 doesn’t have a cover, so it’s not the end of the world if the door breaks. Probably, however, having a cover is helpful in keeping the heating chamber free of debris if you pack your HotShot. Using the case it comes in would help, of course.

** NB - folks I had this written up in draft form a couple of days ago, but I munged things up and the draft got posted in error, but only a couple of the images appeared. This is a slightly updated version of that post. I hope it’s still relevant! **
 
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Ramahs

Fucking Combustion (mostly) Since February 2017
My HS holds a charge for a damn long time. It is impressive. It did kick out yesterday after quite a while. I went right to my psm, which also holds a charge well. When you go back to a psm, you really notice how it's built like a tank. You could easily club someone to death with a psm. :) I try not to keep the psm fully charged when sitting in the bullpen. I think that makes sense?

My magnet got pushed in by accident and I'm trying to pull it out, to then glue it back in. :doh:

However, I don't seem to have another magnet strong enough to pull it out. Can anyone think of another way? It is too flush with the case to get a hook in there to pry it up.

I've had mine for at east a couple weeks now, and I'm still finishing my third initial battery conditioning cycle.
 

stark1

Lonesome Planet
My caps seem to click when the light changes from green, to blue.

:uhh: When leaving one cap in a bit longer (it hadnt clicked), a burning smell came up, and the limiter/spacer
Came up with the cap. Too hot? Unglued? What happened.

Other than that, the size of the HS makes it ideal to waist belt carry when out and about.
In a perfect world, my preferred enclosure would have soft round curves, no edges. YMMV :tup:
 

Pipes

Addicted DIY Enthusiast
Accessory Maker
:uhh: When leaving one cap in a bit longer (it hadnt clicked), a burning smell came up, and the limiter/spacer
Came up with the cap. Too hot? Unglued? What happened.
It sounds like the wooden heatshield, rubber friction pad got flipped. The wood side should be on top and the offset friction pad stuck to and underneath the wood heatshield. :nod: The orange high-temperature-resistant rubber can withstand a fair temp but not high enough to use as the shield. :science:
 

stark1

Lonesome Planet
The HotShot is Perfect!

Smart, Simple, Elegant.

Cheers Pipes,

Lawless*

Will agree, with one small addition, a battery level indicator




But of course the “little” may just get a wee more....

And curved “edges”, just like a 👩 ❤️
 
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stark1,
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passenger

is this thing on?
Hey, it's been a while that I checked in here. What is the momentary available LineUp of Pipes IHs? I have the Portside and Portside mini and they have retired it seems? Still going strong here though.
 
passenger,

Han Solo

Guess which vape I got just before joining
When I used a typical USB power brick
When I mentioned that I charge mine off a power bank, perhaps I should have noted that the power bank I use is also capable of jump starting my car battery :lol:
 
Han Solo,

TommyDee

Vaporitor
They should have put the DV shipment on the bottom so it wouldn't be so damn top-heavy.

Turns out the BMS is more than happy to trip when the pack is done. The output is really good throughout the charge. A little slower as you go but always vaped like normal by the end of the light cycle.
 
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