Building a Homemade Atomizer

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Wouldn't combining aluminum oxide and copper make a rather volatile combination? Just add a little salt and you've got the makings of a battery. I'd think copper oxide on copper would be safer. Dunno; I'm still new to all this. For the aluminum oxide, I'd guess you melt the alumina and dip aluminum "plate" into it. One place to start looking for information on designing atomizers like these might be to search for "how to make your own vaporizers". The principles are similar even though the...substances...inhaled are worlds apart.

I'm, frankly, quite interested in the idea of building my own atomizer, with an eye toward designing and building my own e-cig from scratch. Specifically, I'm thinking about something like the kissbox, but different. A double switch, one to activate the atomizer (no chip or excess electronics that way for a reliable, possibly longer lasting design) and another to activate a liquid squirt bulb. If the atomizer core were sturdy enough, you could essentially design an e-cig that was intended to be dry smoked and wouldn't burn itself out.

I'm looking too; lemme know if you find anything

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I got to thinking about this again and remembered that patented materials must be public information (otherwise, how do you know when you haven't infringed).

http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=EP1618803

The European patent office has some pretty good info on the subject. Nothing on construction, specifically, but there is a little more info about the parts. Check the "Original Document for a PDF of the patent.

Feel free to call me on this if I'm wrong, but it looks like current e-cigs are following the FIG. 9 fourth "simplified" electronic cigarette for atomizer construction and in-tube design.

[bishybob]

Talk about making your own atomizer got me thinking...
Anyone seen those ultrasonic misters in the zen fountains they sell? I wonder how well that technology would work... Here are some links: http://www.tranquilityalley.com/wate...in_mister.html and http://www.mainlandmart.com/foggers.html. It seems like they have a pretty large power supply, but then these might be heavy duty versions. Ultrasonic atomization would be really clean.

I've also seen vaporizers used for vaporizing "tobacco" that have oil attachments so you can vaporize natural oils...

Just a thought.

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figure 7 (p12) and page 4's description of the device sound like the closest thing to the current market designs we are buying for electronic cigarrettes. I quote (badly):

"Fig. 7 is a structural diagram of the simplified device in accordance of the present invention, in which the ultrasonic atomization high frequency generator and the piezoelectric cermaic element 20 are omitted. To achieve a desirable atomization effect, tiny heating wires are used in combination with teh niozzle (see Fig. 3), so that the maximum diameters of one or more vaporization cavities formed between the theating wire and the inner wall of the nozzle range from 0.02mm to 0.6mm. The function of the airflow sensor 18 omited is replaced by the manner that the inital signal of the resistenceor capacitance sensor 119 is delayed a certain time via the control circuit and acts as the ending signal" and continues on.

So what we have here is a very tiny hotplate with an easily flash heated element (metal/alloy mesh). A small cavity to allow liquid to pool at the end of our cartridges keeps the element wet and seperates heater from combustable fibers (usually). The sensor/regulator is a capacitor and the with a small circuit controlling everything, including draw time and on/off signals between capacitor and heating element.

My guess, is that the manual KISSboxes omit the capacitor in favor of the switch now. I'd need to see the internals to be certain. Keep in mind, that is a guess, and I'm a layman at this sort of thing. Instead of a capacitor, the switch acts (in current models) as a simple circuit break open/close between the battery and the heating element. This would be the easiest to construct and most robust version of atomizer/mini-hot plate at present, I believe, as it has no need for extra circuits to function. It is also the easiest to burn out, a problem that can be solved with an improved element material (ie ceramic wire simular to what you find in a normal electric stove heating contact point).

The devices that really impress me are the ones that do not omit the ultrasonic atomization high frequency generator and the piezoelectric cermaic element. I'd expect they could be best geared toward(and look to be designed to) what we currently refer to as dry smoking with the least risk to the atomizer and inner components (I suspect they'd get hotter quicker and stay hotter longer, however, a possible reason why they were not implemented for these initial models). These would be a Porsche compared to the Pintos we are currently sucking on.

Back to the OP: a home built atomizer and components to vape could consist of nothing more than:

1 a switch (ciruit opn/close)
2 a battery or electrical access
3 wires
4 any heating element connected through the switch to the power source (by said wire)
5 liquid
6 a housing of some sort to contain the vapor (and working equipment, prefferably, but that can hang loose and still function)
7 an exit point from which to draw vapor
8 insulation to contain heat or separate the heating element from parts touched

al la extremely crude e-cig. But it puts me in mind of something TB once mentioned, the idea of one of those old timey hasish pipes that folks would sit around and share. I wouldn't mind trying to build one...looks like interest in the subject is lacking until I do

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These might serve our purposes quite well, if you live in the states. They have a 40-300C temperature range, well above what would be required to heat our liquid to vapor.

I'm envisioning a clear glass bowl with a small opening at the top to allow a for a drip feed from an eyedropper and a vacuum sensitive roint to allow easy dragging (tactfully done). a ball switch supplies power to the heating element; drop liquid on the disc and it fills the bowl with vaporized gas. a small tube and mouth piece and...home made pipe

[jarvis]

I know this may sound outlandish, but I've been seeing a lot of do-it-yourself "high powered" laser tutorials popping up, replacing the lens in standard laser pointers with those from dvd burners, which produces lasers that can burn stuff. How about dropping the heating coil all together in atomizers and use a laser to vaporize the liquid?

[TropicalBob]

Not outlandish at all. But, whoa, homemade weapon, huh? If someone disses you, "laser point" out his mistake!

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Only 1 question Jarvis: how long would it take to reach vaporization point with one of those?

Okay, two questions: how long would a battery last with a laser like that pulling current?

EDIT for spelling...I hate my backspace key...

[RatInDaHat]

I think the PTC's look nice, but i worry about the voltage and current requirements.

[jarvis]

Yeah, that's the thing that makes this idea not likely for now.
Here is the tutorial that gave me the idea that it might be applicable to e-cigs. http://lifehacker.com/software/diy/t...ser-287252.php it runs on two AAs but for only around 5 minutes. And yeah TropicalBob, you would have to contain the beam so that people wouldn't burn their own or their neighbor's retina out.