At the end of the day, a laser is basically just light. It requires a massive amount of power to get the laser to get hot enough to heat something, which is why an etching/cutting laser is thousands of dollars while a laser pointer is $15.
Probably the best "cheap" source of a hot laser I can think of would be a laser printer.
Current e-cig atomizers consume at least 2 watts when heating. Most of that energy is released as heat and some as magnetic field. Some of that heat goes to waste. 200mW laser costs about $120 at dx. So laser would have to be 10 times more effective at generating vapor than regular coil to even make that work. Sure you could probably make it generate vapor by focusing but it wont generate enough vapor to be useful. Coils are so effective at heating so seems sort of pointless trying to find other ways of heating. So that leaves vibration as the only potential way of making vapor as far as I can see.
You're right. Just because something might could be done doesn't make it practical or financially feasible. We have a working, inexpensive way of creating exactly the right amount of vapor. Who knows what future technology holds, but at this moment the vibrating atomizer rules.
It's not a vibrating atomizer. it's nichrome wire coil. heats up through means of resistance vs voltage vs current. It would be possible to use a micro ultrasonic transducer but i haven't found one small enough and that is water proof.
The current standard issue atomizer is a piezoelectric conductor. I'll edit in the link after some searching of another thread that discusses this. It is in essence a vibrator, like TB stated.
pi·e·zo·e·lec·tric·i·ty (pī-ē'zō-ĭ-lěk-trĭs'ĭ-tē, -ē'lěk-, pē-ā'zō-) Pronunciation Key
n. The generation of electricity or of electric polarity in dielectric crystals subjected to mechanical stress, or the generation of stress in such crystals subjected to an applied voltage. source: piezoelectric definition | Dictionary.com
The vaporizer we use works very similarly to the heating element of a hair straightener. Electricity passes through a ceramic medium creating mechanical "wave energy." This "wave energy" passes through the filament causing it to vibrate rapidly and generate heat. This heat is then absorbed within and projected through the ceramic element and the wire wool surrounding it, thereby heating the contents of the wire wool and the liquid around it, causing vapor to be produced.
It sounds complex, but in essence it's pretty simple and comes out to be the atomizer that we know of. This method of heating is quite energy efficient and allows for a more accurate control of heat with minimized burning.
Last edited by edisme518123; 10-31-2008 at 03:35 AM.
It is now known that Joule heating is caused by interactions between the moving particles that form the current (usually, but not always, electrons) and the atomicions that make up the body of the conductor. Charged particles in an electric circuit are accelerated by an electric field but give up some of their kinetic energy each time they collide with an ion. The increase in the kinetic or vibrational energy of the ions manifests itself as heat and a rise in the temperature of the conductor. Hence energy is transferred from the electrical power supply to the conductor and any materials with which it is in thermal contact.
Joule heating is also referred to as ohmic heating or resistive heating because of its relationship to Ohm's Law. It forms the basis for the myriad of practical applications involving electric heating.
Megasonic cleaning uses the piezoelectric effect to enable removal of submicrometre particles from substrates. A ceramic piezoelectric crystal is excited by high-frequency AC voltage, causing it to vibrate. This vibration generates an acoustic wave that is transmitted through a cleaning fluid, producing controlled cavitation. As the wave passes across the surface of an object, it causes particles to be removed from the materials being cleaned. The technology was originally developed by the U.S. Navy as an element in anti-submarine warfare[2].
Ultrasonic Humidifier — A metal diaphragm vibrating at an ultrasonic frequency creates water droplets that silently exit the humidifier in the form of a cool fog. Ultrasonic Humidifiers should be cleaned regularly to avoid bacterial contamination which may be projected into the air.
Piezo electric effect converts electricity to mechanical motion, or mechanical motion to electricity. Nichrome wire converts electrical energy into heat energy. it's a big difference. with piezoelectricity you can atomize the liquid with little residual heat.
Should of said: "So that leaves vibration as the only other potential way of making vapor as far as I can see."
PIEZO CERAMIC TRANSDUCER 2.8MHz15RRA MIST GEN - eBay (item 7534010958 end time Nov-07-08 07:21:10 PST)
Shipping that to EU safely costs too much so wont be trying that one myself.
That should vaporize about 0.5ml/min while 3*15/60*0.1 = 0.075000ml/min seems enough for e-cigs. 3 seconds per puff, 15 puffs per cig and 0.1 ml per cig. So it potentially could generate 0.5/0.075000=6.6667 times the vapor actually needed. Half that and round to 3 since it obviously will not work as well as it did in the lab. Supply voltage was +- 24V so 24/3=+-8 should be about right in theory.
A DVD burning laser is very cheap. There are videos on YouTube of people using one from an old DVD to burn stuff. Might be worth reconsidering this as a long-lasting alternative to nichrome wire as an atomiser heating element.
Originally Posted by m1sterlurk
At the end of the day, a laser is basically just light. It requires a massive amount of power to get the laser to get hot enough to heat something, which is why an etching/cutting laser is thousands of dollars while a laser pointer is $15.
Probably the best "cheap" source of a hot laser I can think of would be a laser printer.
Originally Posted by edisme518123
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