Smoke machine for puppet theater?

[cadcoke5]

I don't smoke, and had not heard about e-cigs until this evening. I came across e-cigs after searching for a small smoke generator to be used on a puppet stage. With schools frowning on flash cotton or other pyrotechnic effects, e-cigs look like a good alternative.

As I envision the device, the puppeteer would step on an air-filled bulb, which would be connected to the e-cig by a hose. The hose would be adapted to blow into the intake holes on the e-cig, thus generating the smoke.

Generally, it is good to add special lighting to the smoke. So, a flashing super-bright LED would be useful. Perhaps I can power (or at least trigger) it from the LED that comes on when you inhale.

Some questions;

-Does this sound viable to you experts?

-Are some atomizer better at producing visible vapor than another?

-Has any one else done something like this? I imagine the model train folks have considered it. Perhaps they have a way to add the air puffs automatically?

Thank You,
Joe Dunfee

 

[Kewtsquirrel]

Joe,

This wouldn't be too terribly hard to make, however it would be a completely custom job from the ground up, I would expect to pay between $50 and $150 to have it made, the modders forum may be a good spot to find someone who can.

The setup:

801 atomizer with an unsealed connector (very important), and a small low CFM fan that is ducted into a metal tube the connector is mounted in. A bank of momentary switches would each activate (1) the atomizer (2) the fan (3) a different color LED for each switch. I would aim for a small computer fan, they are designed to run on 5 volts DC so it can be wired in parallel to the atomizer without any complicated electronics aside from a single voltage regulator.

For the liquid, run a 50/50 to 70/30 glycerin/propylene glycol solution, the glycerin will produce more visible vapor than the PG, but you want it thin enough so that it wicks properly onto the atomizer and you're not constantly topping it off.


On the cheap(ish) alternative, buy a starter kit and put the ecig in a hose, step on bulb, it'll activate and blow out vapor, the LED will more than likely not produce much if any light. Figure about $45 on the cheap end for a starter kit. If you pay someone to make it, make sure they know what they are doing. Improperly built mods will fail in a few months, usually due to using improperly rated switches.