Just thinking aloud. Hoping for some feedback from experts on whether I am out there in left field.
Super caps are now available that are less than $5 for 10 farads @ 2.5 volts. 13x33.5mm for this one at sparkfun-
For a rough guestimate, supers have about 1/25th the energy density of batteries so, worse case, you should be able to get a puff off of a super cap that is the same size as a battery that can last for 100 puffs, assuming only half the super caps energy is available, and a 50% efficiency loss in the boost converter to get the volts up and maintained.
But let me venture out of my comfort zone and do the math.
Energy = (1/2)*Capacitance*(Voltage2)
Energy = .5*10*(1.252) = 7.8 joules, assuming that only 50% of the capacitor's energy is available.
Then, for a four second hit at 4 volts-
Energy = Voltage*Amperage*Time, or A = J/(V*T), and
Amps = 7.8/(4*4), or A = .49 amps
Errr, need maybe a little more current for a good vape. 20 farads should do, but the order of magnitude is right, and could use some experimenting.
What's the point? Why screw with a battery system that works fine and why complicate the electronics? Because we can. And because the voltage would be constant and consistent from hit to hit, with a reduced chance of burning up the atomizer, since total energy available to the coil is a fixed amount every time.
Other reasons are that the super cap cycle lifespan is virtually infinite; they have a huge power density (ability to output current) compared to batteries; recharge in a few seconds (thus, no downtime for battery charging/changing); and they are great to brag about in a cigar vapor filled room. At home they could be recharged by induction in an electric toothbrush style cradle, and on the road by a PCC carried in the same pocket.
PS edit: As a battery loses its charge, the vape gets poorer and poorer. Not that desirable. But the super cap will fade as its charge is depleted on every hit. That can be a good thing because near the end of the hit, as the coil dries out, you really don't want full current to overheat the coil to destruction, rather just enough to vape the residual juice. But, from the first hit to the thousandth, a super cap will always perform identically.
Super caps are now available that are less than $5 for 10 farads @ 2.5 volts. 13x33.5mm for this one at sparkfun-
For a rough guestimate, supers have about 1/25th the energy density of batteries so, worse case, you should be able to get a puff off of a super cap that is the same size as a battery that can last for 100 puffs, assuming only half the super caps energy is available, and a 50% efficiency loss in the boost converter to get the volts up and maintained.
But let me venture out of my comfort zone and do the math.
Energy = (1/2)*Capacitance*(Voltage2)
Energy = .5*10*(1.252) = 7.8 joules, assuming that only 50% of the capacitor's energy is available.
Then, for a four second hit at 4 volts-
Energy = Voltage*Amperage*Time, or A = J/(V*T), and
Amps = 7.8/(4*4), or A = .49 amps
Errr, need maybe a little more current for a good vape. 20 farads should do, but the order of magnitude is right, and could use some experimenting.
What's the point? Why screw with a battery system that works fine and why complicate the electronics? Because we can. And because the voltage would be constant and consistent from hit to hit, with a reduced chance of burning up the atomizer, since total energy available to the coil is a fixed amount every time.
Other reasons are that the super cap cycle lifespan is virtually infinite; they have a huge power density (ability to output current) compared to batteries; recharge in a few seconds (thus, no downtime for battery charging/changing); and they are great to brag about in a cigar vapor filled room. At home they could be recharged by induction in an electric toothbrush style cradle, and on the road by a PCC carried in the same pocket.
PS edit: As a battery loses its charge, the vape gets poorer and poorer. Not that desirable. But the super cap will fade as its charge is depleted on every hit. That can be a good thing because near the end of the hit, as the coil dries out, you really don't want full current to overheat the coil to destruction, rather just enough to vape the residual juice. But, from the first hit to the thousandth, a super cap will always perform identically.
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