VapCap Induction Heater for Desktop and in Car Use

[Pipes]

You should preferably keep it from touching. The enamel by itself will wear exposing the copper and create a short to the enclosure. All will still be fine as long as nothing else in the enclosure touches it but not the safest way to run it. Most folks want to go the other way and add a spacer. Why do you want to lower deeper? Is your load too toasty at the tip?
Yes, doubling the frequency does make the FETs run hotter for sure but I have run like this with no problems in the past. This is also why I never mentioned before as does shorten the overheat time if the device is left in the "on" state for more than normal use. Using normally with it on for only 10 seconds at a time with time in-between hits gives it sufficient time to cool down. And I also agree that this is wasting some efficiency as extra heat where you don't want it is wasted energy as far as I see it.

 

[TommyDee]

Thanks for the confirmation @Pipes - Keep up the excellent worx!

Good thing is HalfPint's FETs stay cool with the 50uh center-tapped inductor.
That tells me that the LC circuit can be scaled to 50% without stressing the FETs but an imbalance in the scaling favoring the inductor side is less efficient, basically because the FET is sinking the power from the inductor that the cap cannot store.

I need to put HalfPint on a scope.

 

[thunderstealer1337]

I am raising the coils trying to mimic centralizing the heat as much to the bottom base of the cap as possible like a torch aiming at the bottom AV of the cap.

 

[Pipes]

To focus the heat lower towards the cap end, you would need to lower the coil or raise the cap. Easier to add a spacer on the switch.

 

[TommyDee]

@thunderstealer1337 - I might suggest adjusting the center of the tip's bowl to where the center of the coil is as a baseline?
At some point you just start storing heat in the cooling fins. That makes for a very crusty bore just past the CCD.
The switch shim vs. the coil position; mix and match at will.

 

[thunderstealer1337]

If I add a spacer won't it just bring the lowest heating point towards the middle of the cap - raising the coil is literally placing them further back/higher against the cap no?

It's hard to adjust and lineup, I almost want to build my own ih and only have like 2-3 windings aimed at the bottom of the cap when engaged, not interested in heating entire cap up evenly, more interested in mimiccing a torch heating 1 ring spot (like spinning) and letting the heat transferring/bleeding up

 

[TommyDee]

I tried that The max magnetic field is dead-center of the coil and that is where I want my bowl. The click is surprisingly proportionate to all coil configurations to make this a good baseline. Its a visual reference. When the clicker is actuated by the VC, where is it relative to the coil? Use the fins for reference. Pull the cap and position the tip in front of the coil and see where the bowl is truly sitting. Now, from that point, do you want more click-delay or less.

Problem with small coils is they make small heat. Like all good things. The heat just doesn't penetrate enough mass.

I keep getting confused though I blame George. Did you want a hot scorching full on piss and vinegar vape at the click or a tasty terpy flavor hit followed by several cloudy light airy draws?

 

[LabPong]

I keep getting confused though I blame George. Did you want a hot scorching full on piss and vinegar vape at the click or a tasty terpy flavor hit followed by several cloudy light airy draws?

I would opt for the medium there.......as your only going to get so much taste from an "all metal bowl/oven" extraction.

 

[shopdognyc]

Just got the Caldron. The photos made it look so large, and really appreciate how compact and small it is. Solid, solid build. Thank you @Pipes

 

[firmretention]

Super happy with my Caldron after having it for a while now. Glad to be rid of the torch. My silicone pad is holding up well. I've accidentally combusted a couple times, and heated my vapcap once with the cap off for a few seconds. No damage to it. If there's one thing I wish would be improved it's to make the magnet a bit bigger and recess it inside the case a bit so the vapcap doesn't tip over so easily.

 

[volksie]

Hi Everyone

I made an account just to come here and say that I've read most of this thread and managed to build my own IH thanks to the work and efforts that have been done in this thread and elsewhere on the net. I'll try to post some pictures in a later post.

1stly, a big thanks to all of you here. Of course, the biggest of thanks goes to @Pipes for his efforts. Legendary

I would order a PSM in a heartbeat but unfortunately no shipping to South Africa

So far i am able to achieve a +/- 10 second click, but the vapor is very lacking.

After reading of the various guides, this thread as well as patrolling reddit, my suspicion is that the 12v 5a Power supply is the problem.
My reason for beleiving this is

- i noticed the LED on the PSU dims when inserting the VC into the coil
- the same with the LED on the induction heater board.

Based on whats locally available, I could go 12v 6a, 12v 7a or 12v 10a. I'm not sure which to get

Would appreciate some help here

NB! Please note that my circuit does NOT have a mosfet in it. My main switch is rated 12v 20a and my momentary switch is rated 5a.

Appreciate the assistance and advice.
Thanks

 

[TommyDee]

Don't limit the current with the power supply @volksie . You should let the IH draw what it may. 12V/8A is not unheard of with the standard module and the right tip and cap.

 

[volksie]

Don't limit the current with the power supply @volksie . You should let the IH draw what it may. 12V/8A is not unheard of with the standard module and the right tip and cap.

Thanks! @TommyDee

To be clear, I'm asking if going over 5A has the potential to cause a fire or electrocution given that I dont have the Mosfet in my circuit and that the momentary switch is rated at 5A.

From your response it seems that its safe to do so. Unless I understood incorrectly... if so, please let me know.

Last thing i want is the wife yelling at me while the house burns down that would totally ruin my high

Insertion depth is your only control. Having the tip close to the end windings is the longest click but also can be too hot if inserted too far and may combust before the click. If the depth is not deep enough, a long count after the click is needed and heat distribution will not be as even with the tip been hotter. I found about 2-3 mil shy of the last winding is good.

Hi @Pipes can you provide a picture or diagram ? Thanks

 

[TommyDee]

I actually meant the opposite so let me explain @volksie . The concept is that devices pull current. They demand a certain amount power based on their configuration. These modules will 'demand' as much as 90 watts. The power demand is slightly different for every tip and cap combination.

Knowing that the device -can- draw/demand as much as 90 watts, that is what in current? We know the voltage to divide that into the known wattage requirement and you get 90/12=7.5 amps. In this case, neither the switch or the power supply is rated for the potential load.

What happens when the power supply is insufficient is that it has a choice. It can say "no way buddy" and just shut down. This is preferable. Most cheap power supplies will struggle to provide power until something inside burns out. This is rarely catastrophic due to all those agency markings on the units but it can go sideways on rare occasions. You will note that @Pipes too has upped the output range of the PS units.

This is there the Beasthoss diagrams really needs a bit of updating. 5 amps is easy to achieve but the module wants more power in most cases unless you specifically de-tune the coil to only use say 6 turns of the full length of the coil wire. This will slow heating and reduce the power requirements. I have not done any measurements along this alternative but it stands to reason you could reduce the module's power draw to 5 amps in this way.

We do have a couple of other DIY threads on the IH. StarDustSailer's original thread and branch when the NFC was formed.

VapCap DIY Induction Heating : Bits 'n' pieces

Well,although @Pipes has made an awesome thread about IH , I thought ,oh well ,multiple brains are better than a single one when it comes to the evolution of an idea . So here we are ! At this thread all sorts of trivia about IH can be posted . Helpful information ,tips'n' tricks ,mods...

fuckcombustion.com

DIY Induction Heater Builds and References

I'd like to start this thread off with inviting all the DIY IH efforts. I invite developments as well as builds to participate here to share knowledge and understanding. Myself, I am in 4 for 4 on home-built Mini ZVS 120W modules. Now that I have some magnet wire, efforts are under way to...

fuckcombustion.com

 

[Pipes]

Hi @Pipes can you provide a picture or diagram? Thanks

I place the provided spacer such that it ends up about 1.5 mm past the start of the coil. This is about as low as you should go without heating too high up and heating the cooling fins. The pictures near the end of this post will give you the idea.

VapCap Induction Heater for Desktop and in Car Use

WOW he making anymore? I will ask him when you interested. Will Send you an PM when I have more information on that.

fuckcombustion.com

BTW, Photobucket is preventing me from posting new pictures as they changed their plans and want away more money. They are crooks and should be avoided.

 

[volksie]

Thanks @Pipes and @TommyDee for the responses.

I'll definitley check out those threads

I'm going to exchange the 5A supply for something with more oomph To be safe, I'll go for a 10A supply to leave no room for error.

Its about 4 times the price of the 5A supply but I hope it will be worth it.

Thanks again.

 

[TommyDee]

You could settle for 8 amps. That will be a hard one to over-tax. That's 96 watts which is a very hot heater.

 

[volksie]

You could settle for 8 amps. That will be a hard one to over-tax. That's 96 watts which is a very hot heater.

Progress update from my side. Exchanged the 5A for a 10A supply and it works like a charm.
7 seconds for a cold click. 5 Seconds on reheats. Spent the weekend testing various heating techniques.

Side note, I've only used my 2020 M in the 1/2 bowl position. So, I've never hit a "full" bowl on a dynavap since getting it. That being said, 1/2 bowl does the trick for me.

I found that I get better extraction from the IH when going "beyond the click" and heating and hitting untill you feel that you are close to combustion (without the safety of a cool down click). It takes a bit of gut feel but the AVB is dark and evenly toasted and the high is really nice and clean feeling and builds up before it hits you towards the end of the session.

Troy does it in this video from minute 11.

I havent counted, but i think i get about 5 to 6 heats using this method on a bowl with the screen in th 1/2 position on my 2020 M

A big thanks to you all and for this thread My torch is on a sabatical from now on.

 

[Siebter]

All this pulsing and skipping a heat cycle or ignoring the click doesn't make sense to me. I don't want to spoil anyones party, but I still don't get it, because initially IHs became popular because they add a whole lot of convenience to the Dynaverse: no need to handle a flame thrower, no spinning and a faster click. And I think that worked for the majority of IHs out there until the Apollo came along and asks the user to jump through loops to get their hit. And then it became the norm somehow. I watch Troy in this video and ask myself: why the fuck don't you just use a torch? Would be so much easier... :-)

 

[thunderstealer1337]

All this pulsing and skipping a heat cycle or ignoring the click doesn't make sense to me. I don't want to spoil anyones party, but I still don't get it, because initially IHs became popular because they add a whole lot of convenience to the Dynaverse: no need to handle a flame thrower, no spinning and a faster click. And I think that worked for the majority of IHs out there until the Apollo came along and asks the user to jump through loops to get their hit. And then it became the norm somehow. I watch Troy in this video and ask myself: why the fuck don't you just use a torch? Would be so much easier... :-)

Safety, I have passed out spinning a dynavap with a torch locked on "on" mode before.

 

[Siebter]

Safety, I have passed out spinning a dynavap with a torch locked on "on" mode before.

Good point, but that doesn't make the IH need to be safe beyond being usable. The Portside Mini clicks when it's ready and it performs great.

 

[TommyDee]

IH need tuning for the user. And if the user has more devices, it becomes a compromise.

My C'19 efforts have been toward this end; the need for the ability to adjust the position of the cap within the IH coil.
It is not about power - it is about the position of the cap in the coil in relation to when the clicker clicks. And all that has to happened exactly when you're happy with the bake. Easy Peazy, no?

Fuck that's hard! Only one IH to date has taken this to heart in the design; Mag Heaters!
Although three others have recognized the fact; Fluxer, Toggengear, and Pipes.
Apollo 2 didn't have an option and therefore became an elaborate work-around.

The work-around isn't all bad. It is a recipe not unlike a cake. There is a lot to say about a small draw on the first click and reheating. It makes for a massive hit if you never done this. It actually makes sense as I do this naturally without the 'ritual clicks'; I heat to the click on a tuned IH and I get a decent first draw and as soon as I feel the heat wane, I go back for a full two-count and hit that for all its worth, or even dip again for two. Fuck the click after the first one. I can modulate the temp I am sensing.

So consider every IH a 'best guess' at the right position and heating rate. Even these little monsters require a bit of setting up to make them your own.

Edit; have you ever tested you ability to count seconds in your head? Stoned? The variation is endless! We need signals.

 

[BabyFacedFinster]

All this pulsing and skipping a heat cycle or ignoring the click doesn't make sense to me. I don't want to spoil anyones party, but I still don't get it, because initially IHs became popular because they add a whole lot of convenience to the Dynaverse: no need to handle a flame thrower, no spinning and a faster click. And I think that worked for the majority of IHs out there until the Apollo came along and asks the user to jump through loops to get their hit. And then it became the norm somehow. I watch Troy in this video and ask myself: why the fuck don't you just use a torch? Would be so much easier... :-)

Just like the dynavap caps, IH's can be slightly different from each other in heat up times, even within the same model. People get used to their IH's and know what they can and can't do. Also, some people prefer their sessions to be different. Some like a darker roast, some want extraction to be spread out among several hits, some want one large blast. So they come up with ways to make their experience personal for them.

I hated the torch with my dynavaps. I could never dial it well, plus some of those smaller torches would get so hot. To me, using a torch is like a manual transmission, an IH is like automatic transmission. I hated shifting gears. I've always wanted to put it in drive and cruise. I don't do all those different techniques. I just go to the click.

That being said, IH technology seems to be still in its infancy. I wouldn't mind an IH that has adjustable heat settings, like a mod battery. But I'll do just fine with my Caldron and PSM until @Pipes introduces the next gen.

 

[Siebter]

@BabyFacedFinster – I was specifically referring to the Apollos, as they kind of set the norm for how to work with an IH; it surprised me a bit that it basically asks the user to ignore the click and guess themselves. One or two secs past the click is very manageable and gives the user the option to finetune the outcome a bit, but 5 seconds or longer, pulsing etc. is just a different level. It seems to me like it tries to be too idiot proof.

I wouldn't mind an IH that has adjustable heat settings, like a mod battery.

It's already →here.

 

[volksie]

Just my opinion on the, diffrent strokes for different folks.

There is no "Best" or "Best way" there is only what works best for you and your use case.

The Dynavap is such a dynamic device with multiple applications and methods of use depending on the experience the user is trying to achieve.

IH, single flame, tripple flame, bic lighter, rubbing sticks together, etc. doesnt matter as long as you find what gets you the best experience.

In my short time using the VC, I've gone from bic lighter when i 1st got it, to a single flame torch and now on the IH.

In my opinion, AND FOR MY USE CASE, the IH gives me the better overall experience.

Part of the fun/adventure of the dynavap is exploring different methods and making use of the versatility that the device offers. More options is better for consumers.