New design and prototype for vaping one week without refilling

[kinabaloo]

Here is my new design for a vaporiser that aims to run for one week without user intervention (a few days at least). The design involves a new shape that allows a much larger capacity battery pack (my prototype will be 2400 mAH but could be higher). The clever part though regards the fluid - no topping up, refilling or dripping for those 3 - 7 days. A simple push button will deliver 1 - 2 drops to the atomiser when required from an internal bottle of juice (say 10ml or so).

To achieve this, a new non-cig shape is required, but it is not too big and fits comfortably in the hand as can be seen in the accompanying video that shows all the parts and a casing that can comfortably contain them. It will also sit nicely on a table top without rolling off

This is made possible by utilising a push-activated mini pump as found on scent sprays and liquid soap dispensers. A small flexible tube (2 to 3mm internal diameter) will take the dispensed drops of liquid into the atomiser (for the prototype i will do this from the side). The extent of button push (pump plunger movement) and 'reservoir' size in the pump can be adjusted to provide the correct volume of liquid. Tubing, such as an old, empty battery casing, minus end-caps, will lead up and out of the case to form a mouthpiece with an empty cartridge (in the prototype). So the atomiser is inside the case, a few centimeters from the mothpiece.

The video is here : http://www.beijingguide2008.com/1weekvaporizer.wmv

The design will not be compromised by being upside down; it will still work. Also, it much better separates the fluid from the mouthpiece and cuts down considerably user intercation with the fluid.

Naturally, a commercial type version would require the batteries, atomiser and fluid bottle to be easily accesible and this would require more careful designing. A detatchable 'sink' at the bottom of the atomiser can be employed to catch any unvaporised liquid that drains out the bottom.

 

[kinabaloo]

Schematic for the new design : http://www.beijingguide2008.com/design1.png

The picture is a little big so I couldn't embed it here.

Yes, that is literally the back of an envelope - all I could find

 

[ChainSmkr]

Here is my new design for a vaporiser that aims to run for one week without user intervention

Very cool. Now that's a personal vaporizer! I think this does have potential and look foward to seeing your next video. I'm guessing the most difficult challenge will be the precision delivery of e-liquid so as not to flood the atomizer.

As a newer e-cig user, I can honestly say that I am already weary of the amount of fuss required to keep a cartridge moist. (I vape a lot.) The delivery of e-liquid to the atomizer needs vast improvement to allow more vaping time and less liquid in the mouth - your design addressess those issues. About a week of maintenance free vaping far exceeds my hopes for an e-cig that runs 24 hours without having to add e-liquid or re-charge batteries.

If you could also squeeze a battery bypass switch into your vitamin cup for a USB plug in that would be incredible. Much success kinabaloo!

 

[kinabaloo]

Thanks for the encouragement With an id like yours, I can see your interest

Yes, a power input socket / charger connection would be very handy, and is small. It is most suited to home use but would ft in a pocket quite easily.

I see no problem with getting it to work, but making it user friendly would need some more work. The diameter of that vitamin pot is about 4.5 cm and the height 6.5 to 7 cm, and being round it is nice to hold.

 

[EDO]

Hi...I love the idea....if you can make something that can be vaped heavily for a day without having to refill or change batteries etc... you will exceed everyone's expectation. Good luck.

BTW the video seems to have gone mute in the middle for me...I don't know if any one else had that problem.

 

[breakfastchef]

The big problem with an e-liquid delivery system is the accidental discharge of the liquid when it is not intended. For now, the basic design of the e-cig prevents this problem, though the use of cartridges, keeping the atomizer saturated (at least for a period of time) with e-liquid, but not flooding the atomizer. Your design looks very interesting, but one would need to test it in a completed and functional form.

Another consideration is the life expectancy of the atomizer. As it stands now, most manufacturers do not recommend dripping. Your device concept is all about dripping. I like dripping and am aware that it may decease the life expectancy of my atomizer.

 

[kinabaloo]

thanks for your feedback.

edo - i will check the sound - it was ok on the original in camera.

breakfastchef -

I guess the problem re atomiser life and dripping is that often too much juice is dripped; this method will give a fixed amount.

A slight change in design would allow the drop to added to the cart rather than as a drip.

The juice will be in a sealed container; the 'add drop' button will not be too easy to push.

 

[kender]

Good start on that.
It is hard to find a good small pump.
Another idea would be to use a small rubber tube with a small roller on it. as you push the roller down it will push liquid out one end while sucking liquid into the other side of it. The medical industry uses that type of pump because it can be very small and deliver a controlled amount of fluid.
Hope that helps

 

[kinabaloo]

Kender - yes, that's more or less how the prototype pump works.

I did get the pump to deliver 1-2 drops and had gone as far as feeding the juice into the atomiser. I made a video but it is hard to see the drops and i thought that it adds little to the explanation of the approach so i didn't post it. I could have progressed further but in the meantime I had a new idea about how to do it. I had to learn by experiment 2 things about the way the atomiser works along the way, but in the end succeeded; see post below.

 

[kinabaloo]

Progress report

After some experiments I decided to take a different approach to achieving the same goal.

I now have a working prototype of a juice delivery system that can last one week. I am testing it with a 901 atomiser and a custom power supply. This design can only be used in new / custom designs of vaporiser; it is not something that can be plugged into an existing 901; although the new design is all about the cartridge part of the vaporiser, the design involves a reservoir of fluid - the prototype is 10ml (20-25 drops per day; about 1.5ml per day). For heavy vaporers, a 20ml reservoir could be used.

There is no longer a pump involved. The fluid is supplied to the atomiser automatically for the duration of the fluid lifespan without any need for user involvement. And the supply is stable and consistent; with a vape quality equivalent to operation at the peak performance time when dripping. The space required is only a little more than the liquid container's size.

There is further design work required to convert the working prototype into a user-friendly model. This includes allowing easy change of the fluid. It includes one part that is a little special; I'd like to keep that a secret for now while i ask if anyone might be interested in developing this idea.

I am also confident that the special part can be used to create a new cartridge to fit existing vaporisers that though longer than the current 901 cartridge size would last a whole day - and with better performance; it could also be refilled many more times than the existing carts before deteriorating. However, this would require a mould for a new plastic shell - not a small matter.

 

[kender]

A cartridge that lasts a day would be great much less a week!
That would be nice. Different adapters to fit any e-cig. Keep up the good work

 

[kinabaloo]

kender - thanks for your feedback.

I will try to prototype a one-day cartridge. I am hoping it will only need to be marginally larger than the present cart size for 901.

 

[ChainSmkr]

Progress report

I now have a working prototype ...
There is no longer a pump involved. The fluid is supplied to the atomiser automatically for the duration of the fluid lifespan without any need for user involvement. And the supply is stable and consistent; with a vape quality equivalent to operation at the peak performance time when dripping. The space required is only a little more than the liquid container's size.

However, this would require a mould for a new plastic shell - not a small matter.

That sounds really exciting kinabaloo! You've obviously made substantial progress.

A few random thoughts:
I was thinking more about the atomizer too and realized that mine have a steel wick. If I keep that moist, there is no need to drip into the atomizer.

I just read another post about polymorph and the first thing that came to mind was whether I could mold my own longer cartridge with an inner cylinder that would hold 1.5ml of liquid lol. (I'll probably never do it.) Anyway, maybe this product would be helpful with your prototype.

Since most of us would be thrilled with a 24-hr ecig, reducing the number of batteries could be an option in the user friendly design. It would also be a significant way to reduce the weight.

Keep on tinkering and don't be surprised if you need to file a patent real soon. As far as I'm concerned, the person who eliminates the constant need for cartridge refill/replacement is sitting on a bonanza

p.s. Yes, my name is revealing. I'm so bad I'd hug a prototype built in a 1-gallon paint can if I had to LOL...just at home of course.

 

[kinabaloo]

ChainSmkr - Happy to hear from you.

I am just using AA cells as that is what i have handy. It's not part of the design; any high capacity cells suitable for the casing will do. Battery technology is improving all the time. So I am focussing on the juice delivery.

The prototype has been going well all today, so I am sure it will keep going till the juice runs out, next weekend.

To make a cart requires fine details that I doubt could be achieved with that material you mention, but it sounds ideal for other purposes. I think i can get 1.5-2ml inside the existing cart size. The clever part is in getting it out That's why the internal 'cart in a cart' is so small in traditional 901s; just making it bigger would not work.

Tomorrow I'll try a rough prototype to check functionality, capacity and sizes - then maybe see if I can convince someone with tooling abilities and equipment to make a proper one for me In metal rather than plastic, because that's easier to do at this stage.

 

[Lithium1330]

Congrats kinabaloo!!! keep the good work!

 

[DaveyRoots]

your one clever bloke!

 

[kinabaloo]

After a night's sleep, the 1-week vaporizer is still going strong

DaveyRoots - I am just trying to address the deficiencies in what is basically a great product. I find the carts just don't last long enough. Then there's the problem that juice delivery can be quite erratic.

 

[kinabaloo]

Progress today :

Utilising the dimensions of the existing cart size for a 901 I can achieve a doubling of juice capacity. Am considering a longer cart to reach a volume sufficient for one day's use. This would require the cart/mouthpiece to be about twice as long.

The diameter of the vaporiser tube and the need to have an air path too makes it hard to get enough liquid volume in a short length. A plastic bottle containing 10ml (one week of juice) is no longer than the cartridge and only just over twice the width. I am considering whether there might be an aestetically pleasing way to design the casing so that it could 'work', in terms of look and feel, as an accessory to existing vaporisers.

 

[georgini]

have you tried just using a gravity fee system? I would think that if you could get a small tube into a bottle and the other end into the polyester - as it becomes dry it would draw liquid as needed and eliminate the need for the other button.


oops, re-read some of the other posts and i see you are moving in that direction - or a similar approach without user intervention.

Very happy to see your progress!

 

[kinabaloo]

hi georgini,

Your idea os a clever one. Thanks for that I 've been sitting here thinking why it cant work but didnt find anything yet. Only that the user will need to not mind possibly getting a taste of the fluid after setting up the liquid reservoir. These days I have my hands covered in the stuff and drink as much as i vape! Luckily i mixed up a 0% nic mix

i think the main reason that only half of the standard 901 cart case is used for the juice is that more liquid than that, because of it's weight, would leak out; as long as the case is small and narrow it will stay in place, more or less.

Although twice as much juice is in one way great, it is not so dramatic that someone would buy it i think - at least not until it is mass produced. I saw mention just now reading the forums of EastMall's EM901 having a larger juice capacity cartridge; if anyone has that, I'd be interested to hear how it is different. I am going to test my new cartridge in-situ shortly and see if the superior feedthrough i expect is noticeable in the vape.

For the larger version utilisation I am leaning to something aimed to work with a USB passthrough. Either itself, or pluggable. Still working out the best way to allow easy fluid change, and atomiser connection or its own atomiser.

Although my prototype doesn't noticeably leak if turned upside down for a minute, it might leak over some hours, so it is ideally suited to a desk/table sitting design.

The tricky part of the goal was getting the fluid to the atomiser fast enough - especially important with USB or power pack (as opposed to 901 battery). I think i have a good solution for this now but finishing the design (product design aspect) is proving tricky; still, early days ...

ps : georgini - flow would depend on the level of the fluid in the reservoir even if it is connected at the bottom. Assuming you mean the way you can drain a container by tube from the top.