VapCap Induction Heater for Desktop and in Car Use

kuzko

kuzko

Well-Known Member
I currently own a Jarhead and was wondering if there was a way to adapt it to be portable as well.(Other than the Portside and Mini way.) Im working on building my own box for the Jarhead internals and I'm wondering if its possible to use a portable power bank as an optional feature if i want to take the heater box out of the house sometimes.

I saw on Amazon that they make like 27000mah power banks that have a/c outlets on them to plug big things into. Can I plug my Jarhead into one of these power banks? And if so, how much power does an average VC heat up use? How many heat ups would 27000mah get me? Forgive me if mah value is not what I should be focusing on for this question, i know very little about batteries or electronics.
 
phattpiggie

phattpiggie

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
@kuzko you would need to check the max discharge amperage. I get the feeling it is low in most power banks.

Looking at the Ravpower 27,000mah the A.C. is showing as 60-100w and the USB's are 2-3a.

If we round up/down my figures to 2000mah and 30 bowls to simplify the math.

1000mah gives me 15 bowls, for me this works out a gram.

27,000mah should be in the region of 405 bowls or 27g.

For me this would be just under 8 weeks to a charge.

From what I can see most power banks are for 'trickle charging' fones etc so they aren't really suitable for our needs but you could use one to charge 18650's or Lipo batteries.

If you check back in the thread you will see my first modded Skelly.
It's essentially a JH with an 18650 power bank.
 
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dtrdrk

Well-Known Member
hey guys,
just recently discovered this. awesome. i did start reading the thread but not completely so please dont be angry if i ask for anything already answered. its really hard to get the info from these huge threads.
from what i have gathered the unit is simply triggered by manually pushing the vapcap in the slot and thereby pressing the momentary switch right?

could one implement a timer circuit like this in order to not have to press while charging and also to trigger the perfect heating time each use?
https://www.ebay.com/p/Ne555-Dw44-M...Switch-Timer-200ma/506742449?iid=401290275828

just saw that the module has way too little power rating. but i assume there would be some that can go higher....?

like this relay version: https://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-Relay-...149843?hash=item2ecfa45853:g:~FYAAOSwAvJW9JwS
 
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Pipes

Pipes

Addicted DIY Enthusiast
Accessory Maker
Welcome to IH heating @dtrdrk.
You are correct about using a low current switch for activation. This method has proven very reliable and although it's a manual method, keeps the switching simple.
I had thought about what you looking at as well as optical pickup for sensing the insertion, but all these end up needing power for monitoring activity or sitting in a standby mode. One of my goals or criteria I'd set for myself was to have zero power drain while sitting doing nothing even with the main power on.
Also, the fancier/complex you get, the more other problems come up.
For example, the timing circuit. Replacing the FET switch with a more intelligent unit is the right idea and in fact, I had a member give me the solution and it's a great one but adds a layer of complication I want to avoid right now.

DC-5V-9V-12V-24V-Adjustable-Timing-Delay-Timer-Turn-On-OFF-Relay-Switch-Module
You would just need to swap out the current FET switch.


An optical type insertion switch is also not hard, circuit wise, but would change much in the tube assembly method. And again, would leak power all the time as the transmitting LED needs to be powered all the time sending light to the pick up. Also, if the emitting LED fails, the unit would be stuck in the ON state. Decided to abandon the idea. Could be combined with the smart delay above as well, and you'd have a Cadillac unit.

Have said many times, I'm a firm believer in simple works best.



:science:
 
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dtrdrk

Well-Known Member
thanks Pipes! great work and thank you for the in detail response. i might try one of these out :)
im thinking of building something ultra portable. would the basic setup work on a single 18650? or would i have to recharge 4 times a day? best

oh and one more question if you do not mind me asking.... has anyone tried this with the sandblasted tip of the "m"? does it still work?
 
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Pipes

Pipes

Addicted DIY Enthusiast
Accessory Maker
A single cell will not provide the necessary voltage.
Go with Lipo type and a BMS unit for your power needs and your good for at least a days worth of power. Can use the same 12.6 volt charger as with the 18650 pack. No balancing anymore but the batteries are 3s which means only one cell between the end cells. Balancing is a "would be nice" but would involve a more expensive charger and battery removal to charge, besides, these batteries are very reasonably priced so replacing isn't an arm or leg. Losing a few cycles in overall life is acceptable as a trade off. At least I think so.
@dtrdrk, have you checked out my FAQ, as has links to parts in it as well. You can get to it any time by clicking the IH picture in my signature.
Happy DIYing! :science:
 
K

Krazy

Well-Known Member
The PortSide comes complete with a lill charger doo-dad. Why didn't anyone tell me!

The batteries have lasted so long on the initial charge I gave before installing them that they have yet to run out. I only use it a few times a week. I found the included charger when cleaning out my surplus boxes and packing material in the garage.

:rofl:
 
Edgedamage

Edgedamage

Well-Known Member
MO738Np.jpg
BALGYjB.jpg
rwqDk
I went the mech mod route, direct connection via a heavy duty switch. I used a old wooden box it runs off a 2.0 amp 12v external drive power supply for around the house. Taking it outside it runs off three LG HG2 18650s. In fact the batteries see the IH as a vacation from running @20.5 amps in my ecig mod. From cold the M heats up in 5sec.
rwqDk
The box will be painted black, i just have to stop using it for a day.
 
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Pipes

Pipes

Addicted DIY Enthusiast
Accessory Maker
Very cool.
Not sure if you have a BMS mounted on the rear of your battery pack, but if not, I'd highly recommend you add a circuit breaker or at minimum, an in line 10-15 amp fuse. A good quality inline automotive type will suffice. Those are not super quality heaters and can fail which usually ends with a FET being shorted out. If no protection, the power will flow until something gives. If the circuity doesn't sizzle open, then the wires and connectors will heat and batteries will end up off gassing, or worse. Can get scary, very fast.
Please play safe.:D
But keep on playing. :science:

Oh yeah, are you sure about your power supply specs?
Can't be a 2 amp unit. :hmm:
 
Edgedamage

Edgedamage

Well-Known Member
Pipes said:
Very cool.
Not sure if you have a BMS mounted on the rear of your battery pack, but if not, I'd highly recommend you add a circuit breaker or at minimum, an in line 10-15 amp fuse. A good quality inline automotive type will suffice. Those are not super quality heaters and can fail which usually ends with a FET being shorted out. If no protection, the power will flow until something gives. If the circuity doesn't sizzle open, then the wires and connectors will heat and batteries will end up off gassing, or worse. Can get scary, very fast.
Please play safe.:D
But keep on playing. :science:

Oh yeah, are you sure about your power supply specs?
Can't be a 2 amp unit. :hmm:
Click to expand...
Its a LaCie HDD external power supply, if I push the M past the fins the power supply cuts power. As for protection the switch is a 10 amp automotive momentary switch with a heavy spring, no way that thing is shorting closed. As for balancing the cells that job is up to my nitecore charger.
 
J

jds

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the help about the M. I found my sweet spot for it was right around 5-6 seconds after the click. It gives me the same kind of high I got when heating as low on the cap as I could with a torch. I still can't believe how convenient this thing is, and since charging it 3 days ago, I haven't had to even plug it in yet, battery still has some juice.
 
PPN

PPN

Volute of Vapor
In my experience 4s is already very hot, when I want to taste my flowers I heat the M for 4s for the first cycle but after I only heat for 3s, if I want to cash my load I continue to heat for some 4s heating cycles... even with concentrates I rarely pass the 4s mark (after the clic).

The M+Pipes induction heater handles perfectly the dense rosin chips, I cut them with scissors and pack the M tightly, very long and cloudy session, even tasty for the 2-4 fist hits .

Please @Pipes , is it an issue to let it plugged for months? in fact it was never unplugged from the wall plug since I got it (even while unusued for week)...
 
C

Cyfcyf

New Member
Hey there!
I am new here, but have been lurking a bit and am totally amazed by the work done here!

I tried myself on building one of these but failed miserably...

I got a batterypack which is 12V 20c rated and a sufficiently rated powerswitch.
When i hooked it all up and switched it on the the resistor next to the the LED (labled R5) just went poof and i quickly turned it off... :( There a no visible signs of damage at the resistor, but it is definitely broken...

Is it due to a faulty heater or did i miss something? Polarity was correct and also nothing was inserted in the coil...
 
Cyfcyf,
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Pipes

Pipes

Addicted DIY Enthusiast
Accessory Maker
PPN said:
Please @Pipes , is it an issue to let it plugged for months? in fact it was never unplugged from the wall plug since I got it (even while unusued for week)...
Click to expand...
Hate to say it, but this is not great battery maintenance for sure. You will lose mAhs as the batteries were/are continually cycling at the top volt or so. Think of it like a laptop computer, many leave plugged all the time, but when they go to be stand alone, the battery dies quick.

@Cyfcyf, love seeing people DYIing it themselves. Hard to say what could have gone bad or if you just had a bad one from the start. The driver FETs are likely shorted if you had all hooked up right. I've had my share as well. Sometimes the soldering is to blame or even a bad tank cap can cause this. Also, ensure you never apply power without the work coil attached. Avoid using those stupid screw down connectors if possible too. Or at least triple check them before powering up. Don't give up, very satisfying once you get it going. :science:
 
PPN

PPN

Volute of Vapor
Maybe I posted in the wrong thread but I have the PortHead which don't need any battery, just a wall plug.
 
PPN,
wileycoyote1103

wileycoyote1103

Well-Known Member
@Pipes, Interested in building my own, Do you have an updated parts list with links other than the FAQ?
I noticed a few are discontinued. or bad page.
 
wileycoyote1103,
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