Attypops,
I do like the way you think, and yes that is also a complement. You are correct; you would need a few farads to make this work.
As soon as you hit the fire button the voltage from the cap would start dropping, you would need even a bigger cap to make up for that.
How about this… Think of using a clock pendulum… when it swings left it charges a cap to the output voltage you desire ie 4.5 volts. When it swings right it dumps that voltage to the atty (or load). And it does it at 300 kHz (300,000 times a second). The “dump” time is very short so a small farad cap would work.
Since the frequency of charge is so large you could also use an inductor coil….voltage across the coil would induce a “field” around the coil and when you removed the voltage the “field” would induce a current back into the coil.
The above idea is the basics for how the chip (PTR08060W) in my Evercool mod works.
This is also why it is much more efficient that a regulator chip and runs so much cooler. It does not burn off the excess voltage.
Well... now ya did it. That is similar to the idea I had, but my idea was actually this (cat's really out of the bag now.....):
Yes, an inductance coil. The idea is to charge the cig for 1 or 2 "hits" at a time. The coil would replace the ash tray of traditional analog smoking. I call it the "perpetual" since you never have to charge a battery. Made for desktop/tabletop use (although not limited to that...l could see a car adapter version). Better than a usb passthrough since there is NO WIRE.
Features:
1) a mini led that shows "ready", or maybe off/1 hit/2 hits... of charge available.
2) waterproof/resistant cap with resistor combo that prevents "instant" discharge. Safety feature. If someone drops it in their coffee, I don't want them to get blown across the room picking it up.
3) High quality capacitors, that can take the constant use.
4) RFID or similar proximity sensor in the "charge tray" that knows when the PV is near, so it is only "full-on" then.
5) possible port on the end for a usb type cable and (optionally/possibly) a RS232 or other comm link. This would require an embedded microprocessor (like a small 8 pin PIC).
The thing is an electromagnetic "power leach" that charges a cap as it is passed through a magnetic field. I'm not sure you couldn't charge it by passing it behind a traditional CRT tv set or other electronics.
I don't even have a breadboard prototype yet. I have some spare parts, but not what I need. I'm not sure it is practical since the charge time may be prohibitive. If it takes 60 seconds to charge, it won't be practical.
Also have to worry about safety of strong electromagnetic fields (pacemakers..... whatever). The idea is to make it workable by having a minimal charge. Not the type of thing that would sit long and charge... might as well use a battery for that.
Ideally, I would like the device to charge for 2 or 3 hits in just a couple of seconds. Will settle for 1 hit. That's A LOT to expect. Trickle charge is one thing, storing 30 watt-seconds (joules?) of charge per hit is another. I say 30 since the power curve of a cap diminishes (as we all mentioned above) so really 7 watts @ 3 seconds is 21 watts. Also, the form factor would have to be like a cig, so maybe a mega-battery sized thing or smaller.
The processor would monitor charge, stop charging when full, count hits.... Could even turn it into a self-monitoring "quit plan" that would allow so many hits per hour... gradually reducing them.
There could even be a "smart" charge-tray that communicated with it (again, this can be done with RF). Hell, you could have a smart device that connected to your computer and monitored usage. The "cig" could get a time sync from the tray.
Ideas, Ideas. But practicality matters. It all boils down to... can you electromagnetically induce a charge in a capacitor within a few seconds and store enough charge for a 510 atty "hit" without requiring a magnetic field so large that it would float the space shuttle?
