VapCap Induction Heater for Desktop and in Car Use

[jimt0r]

*sigh* still waiting on a slow ass boat

in the mean time I'm building a lab power supply out of an ATX power supply to pair with the pre-assembled kit

 

[xlr8shun]

shit.. just looked.. my skelly is out for delivery.. hell yeah!

now the jarhead will have some competition.. er company

 

[Zecrono]

Just got my skelly yesterday, this thing is awesome! It's very easy to use, you can feel the click much better, and you don't feel compelled to sesh the thing just to save some butane (that might be just me though). Currently on the hunt for a nice case for it. It's currently sitting in my old video camera bag, so at least it's protected and inconspicuous.

This is easily one of the best vape-related purchase I've made (along with a Dynavap). Great work @Pipes !

This could be you after experiencing the wonders of a Dynavap with an IH:

 

[cybrguy]

My Jarhead arrived today!
Only 7 more hours at work before I can try it.
Edit - @fcmember - did your jarhead have a picture of Donald Trump inside because mine has and its freaking me out!

Posted this over in DV thread. Really shoulda been here, so...
Lots of ready made options out there, or be creative and make your own...
https://www.pinterest.com/lekkanjanee26/how-to-make-a-head-in-a-jar/
http://www.instructables.com/id/head-in-a-jar-prank/

I'm sure @Pipes has no investment in whose head you put in his jar...

 

[xlr8shun]

just dont forget to fill your jar with H2OGfat, else the heads will spoil!

https://theinfosphere.org/H2OGfat

 

[BigSkySmoke]

JH showed up this afternoon and I gonna need a return authorization #.

I haven't gotten a thing done so far today. The wife isn't gonna let this fly every time I work from home...

Well done @Pipes thanks for smacking around my mailbox. Love this thing!

 

[Smokey McVape]

I have to give respect where it is due - @Pipes your Jarhead is a gamechanger!
Tried it out for the first time yesterday and it is awesome. So awesome that 4 bowls were consumed (in 10 minutes) before I remembered that I have work today! Soooo wasted.

 

[xlr8shun]

the skelly arrived yesterday, thanks again @Pipes ... once i got home, and took out the dog, i promptly headed to the mailbox to see what kind of goodies i received.

i had batteries already charged and double checked them before inserting them into the battery holder, all read 4.17v. 2 positive side up, 1 positive side down... check the battery gauge.. nothing

verify the batteries are installed correctly i remove them and reinsert them.. still nothing, flip on the switch nothing, switch off and still nothing..

try different batteries.. nothing, switch on, off, doesnt matter.. no battery gauge either.

it wasnt until i plugged it into the charger for about 2 seconds, then unplugged it.. checked battery gauge.. viola!!! now it works.. ok cool, i thought to myself, its all working fine now. so i headed to get some snacks and unload dishwasher, and get a beer..

i come back to the skeletor about 30 min later and it wont work again, i had to "jump start it" by plugging it into the battery charger quickly then unplugging it.

i woke up this morning though, and had no issues what so ever with it, as soon as i put the vapcap in, it worked first time, no need to jump start it.. it has also been flawless all day here at work, a couple people jaw hit the floor in awe.

But.. @Pipes do you have any idea what may have happened initially, why i couldnt get any response from the unit until i plugged it in for a couple seconds?

 

[Pipes]

I have received similar reports. I think whats happening is when inserting and depending on insertion order, the BMS balance protection is tripping. Seems the charger resets this protection state. The only concerning information you have given is the failure 1/2 hour after the reset. This is new and please report back to me if repeated resets are required. Maybe a battery contact was just not 100% but worked in.

Something else which has been reported is the charger buzzes when charging batteries which are very low. The buzzing fades as the charge come up and doesn't seem to effect the charger performance. Good to note that this is normal behavior though.

Enjoy!

 

[xlr8shun]

damn, it did it again..

i woke up, did the whole "getting ready for work" thing. grabbed my drink, 'supplies', and the skeletor, pressed battery check button.. read 4 out of 5 dots. drove to work, broke out the 'supplies' and the skeletor.. skeletor doesnt work stupid me forgot the charger at home.

i did bring the torch though, so... we're not totally SOL

just took the batteries out, going to charge them up back to full again and see if that helps..

 

[duff]

Have you tried leaving them in and charging through the on-board charger @xlr8shun?

 

[xlr8shun]

i have not charged these through the skeletor no.

i have a nitecore d2 at the house, and a LiitoKala single bay charger (one that came with milaana) at work..

 

[marduk]

just took the batteries out, going to charge them up back to full again and see if that helps..

What brand of batteries are you using? Are all three about the same age?

 

[xlr8shun]

all 3 bought same time, lg hg2's purchased from IMR around the end of june this year.. i doubt they have had 10 cycles each yet.

 

[Pipes]

Could you take a couple pictures of the rear of the BMS and post them to me via a PM?
I'm looking for cracked solder connections from battery holder posts to the board.

 

[LabPong]

I had the problem of my skeletor not working at first as well. I checked all my connections and made sure there were no bad solder joints or frayed connections.

Problem fixed itself when I reinserted the batteries to make sure they were all making good contact. No problems since then....have not tried the wall charger yet with it.....I have a nitecore fast charger for my 18650's....so not sure when I will use the wall charger...maybe I will leave it in another location for emergency needs.




Now after enough testing.......I really can not believe how well the vapcap works with the skeletor. I am just amazed at how perfect the control I have for every hit. I can make my ABV look anyway I want.....except combusted now! I did combust a few times using torches because I miss heard or didnt hear the click. I dreaded cleaning vapcap out after combusting....grossness maximus.

I will never do that now because of how great you can make the heating process work, plus it is super fast.

 

[DirtyD]

The SS "M" tip on the skelly... Didn't get it until now... A bowl lasts forever.

 

[Summer]

@LabPong, make sure the Skelly charger works now rather than finding out at a later date it's not working. I would put it through a charge cycle w/the charge. My charger was either DOA or blew shortly after I started my 1st charger cycle.

 

[LabPong]

@LabPong, make sure the Skelly charger works now rather than finding out at a later date it's not working. I would put it through a charge cycle w/the charge. My charger was either DOA or blew shortly after I started my 1st charger cycle.

Summer...thanks, that is a good idea. I will try the wall charger as soon as i can drop the level down some....just went from 5 to 4 lights yesterday. Could take months.....lol

Actually I will try charging it up this weekend.

I can't believe how much I am addicted to my glass vapcap/water unit and the Pipes heater.... it really is incredible to heat so perfect and fast. ooooops....i think i over med'ed...... silly me...

 

[Carl Hempel]

Hey all! been following this thread for a loooong time, and finally ordered a Jarhead that I received this morning. Alas it worked great for a couple cycles but now the heating tube doesn't glow when I press my cap down. Seems the LED on the circuit board (and the one on the mains transformer) flashes when I connect my cap but not steady glow, and no heat

I've messaged Pipes but in the meantime does anyone know what might have happened here or how I can fix it? I will add that the 2 chambers I did manage were both fantastic, and I can already tell this is a game changer!

 

[LabPong]

Carl...sorry to hear that....I can only imagine how it feels to get a taste of it then have it not work shortly there after. Check to make sure there are no visible shorts or blown pieces on the board...and check for all connections and solder joints.

 

[Carl Hempel]

Thanks @LabPong - It was disappointing, but also a glimpse of the future that's made me even more excited for the potential of introducing induction heating to my Vapcap world! A small bump in the road.

I'm not very good with electronics or solder unfortunately, the board all seemed normal at first glance but the wire soldered near where it says "J1" seems a bit unusual, not sure if this is contacting properly or has burnt out at all - but looks like there is some sort of residue possibly. Here's a photo:

 

[LabPong]

It is hard for me to see that J1 area solder joint. Might be ok, but some of the casing got burnt and caused slight black area?

Try using a flash when you take the pic if you can.

 

[Carl Hempel]

It is hard for me to see that J1 area solder joint. Might be ok, but some of the casing got burnt and caused slight black area?

Try using a flash when you take the pic if you can.

@Pipes has confirmed it's likely the driver that has shorted @LabPong, replacement parts on the way - and I can't wait to get my Jarhead back up and running! Might have to consider getting a PS next

I hope the fact that I'm still totally stoked about this device despite the fail after just 2 chambers informs readers sitting on the fence just how amazing those hits were! I've been using the VC a good while now, and I had thought the experience couldn't possibly get any better.... until those 2 chambers

 

[LabPong]

Carl....Good to hear Pipes is getting parts out to you quickly. Having the heater be mobile....is like .....unreal. I highly suggest a skeletor or portside.

@LabPong, make sure the Skelly charger works now rather than finding out at a later date it's not working.

"Dispatch to Summer......Dispatch to Summer"........ said unit is charging and no malfunctions are reported. That is all for now.........