Getting rid of the touch switch and its electronics on the GUV Mk2 e-pipe simplified the design a lot.
But the problem was... what to replace it with? This seems to be a nagging issue with e-pipe designs - as the standard momentary switches just don't seem right on a pipe and make it awkward to hold and use naturally. This is especially the case when a switch is positioned on top of the bowl... but placing it anywhere else presents a lot of other space problems too.
My solution has been to develop a 'leaf switch' - built directly into the mouthpiece. When the top and bottom ends are slightly squeezed together (with lips or teeth), contact is made between terminals and the coil activates. There are no separate pieces to the switch - just a long slit cut along each side edge of the mouthpiece, allowing the flexibility of the plastic to spring the switch back to its open state when pressure is relieved. There is plenty room left around the terminals to allow vapour to pass as normal.
Of course, this whole set up would be pretty useless without finding a way to stop the air entering the side slots. To resolve this, the whole finished mouthpiece is sealed into a length of heat-shrink tubing. This leaves a perfect finish whilst allowing the leaf switch to function as intended... with the circuitry in the pipe now being ridiculously simple.
Here is a diagram. The 'hands-free' leaf switch would work very well on regular tube mods too - and a straight mouthpiece would be a lot easier to make...
But the problem was... what to replace it with? This seems to be a nagging issue with e-pipe designs - as the standard momentary switches just don't seem right on a pipe and make it awkward to hold and use naturally. This is especially the case when a switch is positioned on top of the bowl... but placing it anywhere else presents a lot of other space problems too.
My solution has been to develop a 'leaf switch' - built directly into the mouthpiece. When the top and bottom ends are slightly squeezed together (with lips or teeth), contact is made between terminals and the coil activates. There are no separate pieces to the switch - just a long slit cut along each side edge of the mouthpiece, allowing the flexibility of the plastic to spring the switch back to its open state when pressure is relieved. There is plenty room left around the terminals to allow vapour to pass as normal.
Of course, this whole set up would be pretty useless without finding a way to stop the air entering the side slots. To resolve this, the whole finished mouthpiece is sealed into a length of heat-shrink tubing. This leaves a perfect finish whilst allowing the leaf switch to function as intended... with the circuitry in the pipe now being ridiculously simple.
Here is a diagram. The 'hands-free' leaf switch would work very well on regular tube mods too - and a straight mouthpiece would be a lot easier to make...
Last edited:
