A further improvement using a timer to switch the element on and off as I mentioned it my last post. Experimenting with times to get the balance right. This timer is- on 8 secs off 5. Now have it on 10 secs, off 5 which is better. Battery drops .25v when on, but recovers mostly when off.

JB

8 secs on 5 off
10secs on 5 off
showing drop and recovery

Hi One & All
Thank you Doug for the links, I am using one from Component shop to power the LED's on one of my boats.
The item in the photo's is a unit that works on 3.7 - 12 volts, in photo 2 are my attempts to bypass the jack plug and the on/off switch, some how I have burnt out a few,
Product Introduction:
1.Diameter:20mm
2.Operating Voltage:3.7-12V
3.Frequency:113+/-3KHz
4.Quiescent Capacitor:3000+/-15%PF
5.Rated Voltage:70V (max)
6.Rated Power:2.5W (normal use 1.5W)
if any one can see just were I have gone wrong, could you please point me in the right direction.
Thank you
Fred

Doug,

Sorry for interrupting, I'm sure the component you referenced is a great product.

But ...
Your comment "But if you want good solid reliable British engineering" made me chuckle.

I have been an auto enthusiast for many years, and this quote pretty much reflects my gut reaction to British electronics ... "Lucas - earned a reputation as the “Prince of Darkness” in not only Jaguars but in all manner of vehicles produced in Great Britain. Rovers, MG’s, Triumphs… anything that had Lucas in them.. Austin’s you name it if it had Lucas Electrics in it.. you would be most fortunate if the switch you flicked on - actually worked.."

I am aware that times change, and you were making reference to entirely different components. It just struck me as funny, and I thought I'd share my reaction.

Now, "Back to regular programming".

Dave B

PS I very much appreciate the info shared here. I appreciate the experience and expertise of the members on this site, and have learned a lot!

Fred,
Here's a couple of links to some of the cheaper (Asian) alternative BECs.
and what's on Ebay UK. The Hobbywing job for 2,81 looks good.
Other members will no doubt also have their favourites and Go-To's.
Happy hunting🤞
Cheers, Doug😎

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=5V+BEC

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?campid=5338192028&kw=5V%20BEC&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&toolid=20004

Hi Fred,
Thanks for the info👍
So, all you need is a simple 5V regulator; Input 7.4V upwards, Output 5.0V.
Minimum current capability 500mA.
Available all over the Weird Wobbly Web for p-nuts.
Many cheap Ch... options available.
But if you want good solid reliable British engineering this one from Action Electronics, sold through Component Shop. See link below.
Simple to make (I just use an L7805 regulator, same 3 legged form as the L7806 in pdf description, but 5V output) but if your not too happy with a soldering iron ...🤔
This little job for 9 quid provides 5V at up to 1A (1000mA).
Out of stock at the moment so they've gotta cook up a new batch😉
Many similar items from other suppliers around.
Just look for Voltage Regulator or BEC. (Battery Eliminator Circuit).
The ESC you are using may already have a BEC built in. Check the ESC specs.
Cheers, Doug😎

https://www.componentshop.co.uk/p19-bec-1a-battery-eliminator-2264.html.html

Hi Doug
I have taken this from the details that are on eBay, I hope that it is of some help.
Circuit board product voltage: DV 5V
Current: 300mA
Power: 2W
Frequency 108KHz, fixed frequency single-chip microcomputer
Driver board size: 352017mm (LWH) (there will be slight errors)
Strong versatility, large amount of fog, stable performance, the chip has an automatic timing shutdown function (4 hours of continuous work will automatically shut down protection, if you need to turn on again, press the power on again). 5V USB power supply mode, can be powered by MICRO charging cable.
Atomizing film parameters:
The net diameter of the atomized steel sheet is 16mm, the outer diameter of the silicone ring is 20mm, and the wire length is 8cm.
Product voltage DV 5V, current 300mA, power 2W, frequency 108KHz, hole number 740, hole diameter 5um
The microporous atomized sheet produced by us is coated with a special glaze protective layer on the surface of the ceramic sheet, which is resistant to acid and alkali and prevents the silver layer from being corroded and oxidized by the liquid.

Hi Fred,
What is the normal operating voltage and current consumption of the humidifier?
Cheers, Doug😎

Hi All,
When trying to open/run Fred's Media File (video) you may get the Error message shown in attached pic.🤔
Reason: The file is in .AVI format which our website doesn't seem to like!
Solution:-
Hit the 'Download' button (Tiny White arrow at top left of the media window) and run the file from your device drive; e.g. using Media Player on a Windows device.
Cheers, Doug😎

Hi One & All
If I may put my two penne's worth in, I have been using the tank smoke units in my boats for the last few years, the one in item 26 is the old style of smoke unit, the new ones are more compact, with care the fan unit can be removed and placed some were different in the boat, so far I have stayed away from the "E" cig this is only due to my lack of knowledge, I have tried to go down the route of the water Mini Ultrasonic Mist Maker Fogger Water Air Humidifier, but so far I must have burnt out some 10 control boards, I have tried the 5v doughnut Ultrasonic Mist Maker, this has work but take up a lot of room in the boat.
If any of you electronic wizards can work out how to get these humidifiers to work on say 7.4v could you please put up a list of parts and some form of drawing.
Fred

Hi Lew, looks like he might have picked a different one (that one uses a diaphragm air pump like most of my experiments) . I see the one you were talking about with the fan on the side, but the same thing applies (I've done that 3 yrs ago as you can see in the previous pic) The latest experiment also uses a diaphragm air pump, and we have found them to be better than a bulky fan, as they can be fitted anywhere in the boat.

The one you've shown could be a reasonable unit if the element was replaceable. The problem with the HengLong piston versions was that the element (wire wound in some, tiny resistor in others, was ) they were not easy to repair. They were cheap but worked on low voltage, (from memory about 7V max) which made them easy to burn out if you made a mistake. I bought 4 when they were cheap from Ali Exp, but I don't think any are still working.

I found the vape coils were much more robust (Graham 93 and Mike T use them) and easy to replace,- also have various wattages available. The latest experiment cost me around NZ $25, - the tank being the most expensive item, (they didn't have a smaller one in stock) but any small metal or aluminium tank would have done. Probably took me about 1 hr to make.

I'm going to see if I can find a constant on/off timer to pulse the element and test the battery/smoker run times.

JB

jbkiwi,

I was told that this was not a Heng Long unit. (I have several Heng Longs.) This is a two part unit made of metal so it can take the heat better. Also the blower is a rotary. style, not the piston pump like the Heng Long has.

However, this was at a tank meet in the park and the owner of the tank picked out this unit on my phone. Now that I at home I am not too sure he picked the right one. (He did not open his tank for a look.) The link shows the heating part as being a plastic material.

The issue I see is that most, if not all RC tank smoke generators don't vary with the speed of the tank. They are either on or off via the receiver and when on run at a constant level.

Its a shame because these units put out some decent (but white) smoke given the small amount of current they use.

Lew
Florida, USA

Hi Lew, the HengLong tank smoker has been round for quite a while. I started my smoker experiments with one of these 5 years ago, and posted one in original form on YT, which has had 8.5k views so far and seem popular for tanks.(original smoker with the HengLong RC tank) I then modified a few which were pretty much identical to what you see in your link. I am sure Chinese troll the websites looking for things they can copy and sell, as I have had another of my ideas from about 5 yrs ago (which I had never seen on any model site, Ebay, Ali Express etc ) copied almost exactly, and advertised on Ali Exp about a year ago.

If I can remember what it was, and find the item on Ali Exp again, I'll post it to show what I mean.

The original HengLong units worked ok, but were noisy and messy, and required just the right amount of fluid to work properly, and the elements were easy to burn out if the tank ran dry. Good for a vehicle but not a boat. The vids show the original working, and a mod I did (2019)by removing the pump and adding a fan to the tank (same idea as the 'new' HengLong version)
The new one is almost an exact copy of what I've one, they've just made a new tank and added an air pump like my other smoker tanks.

I've just made a new experimental tank to try 3D printer elements, which works quite well. Element is 12-24V but will make smoke down to 10V at 2A (nothing for a LiPo) With a 4s at 15V 3.2A it's overkill. Still smokes for about 15secs after unplugging, so could be pulsed at 10sec intervals or switched on/off from TX to save battery power. Could even use a small brushless ESC to control it. Still playing with it. Diagram in pics

used the pump from one HengLong to give the pulse, and the fan forced tank from another.
yesterdays test, uses alloy electronics enclosure.

JB

I am currently at the Bay Area Blitzkrieg RC tak club meet. Today is a stunning day, absolutely great weather.

One of the RC tanks had a pretty good smoke generator. I talked to the owner and fond the link.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/355191763660?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=iy0fjjsos0y&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=vdjsnvEyQhy&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

The smoke in photo actually looks much better than you see here. Also consider that these tanks use one 7.2V battery to power everything.

Lew
Florida ⛱️, USA 🇺🇸

JB.


I see your thread on the design with many photos and words that explain it.


However, we ( I ) need a simple schematic showing the system pictorially as to your final working version.


I did it before showing wiring of motors and controllers ( see attached )

If you can, please see if you can make this visually.


Thank you


Isaac

Your thread here:
https://model-boats.com/forum/64529#64663

Isaac, look under this heading in the forum section under LATEST SMOKER EXPERIMENTS, REDUCING SIZE & NEW BITS and you will see how the blue one is constructed. Ended up not using the electronic regulator on the back of the original set-up (with red light) as I blew it up, just wired the element body directly to a voltage regulator. the cloth tube in the center is heatproof sleeving used as a wick.

JB

JB...


This setup makes better sense.


Please make a schematic or a sketch of the system for those of us that may consider building it.


Thanks

Isaac

Isaac, here's a quick vid of the last smoker I built using a modded vape tank running off a 2s LiPo and through a voltage regulator at about 3V. This is about 1/2 what it can put out with this 2A voltage reg as the reg gets a bit hot. With a 5A volt reg it would be possible to get more. Smoke is continuous as long as you don't over drive the element or let it dry out, You can fit more than one pipe/exhaust if needed. Cost is not bad, (you'd have to go to a vape shop and look for a suitable tank or element) I think the tank in this was about NZ$15 at the time, plus an air pump, (about $5/6), voltage (reg $5) and a few pipe fittings. With the voltage reg you can vary the amount of smoke required. Air pump and voltage regs available on Ali Express cheaply.

JB

JB..

In the open air and in daylight, there is no such thing as too much smoke especially for a steam ship. But I think you may be right about people vaping and a huge plume of smoke comes out of their machines.

I wonder the cost and how many plumes of smoke can you get from those?


Isaac

Hi Isaac, as I mentioned, the amount of 'smoke' you can produce with vape tanks/elements, depends on how hard you drive them, and how many watts the element is. You have no doubt seen people vaping with huge clouds being emitted,- they are using bigger elements. There are lots of smoke machines and vapour machines around, just depends on how much you want to spend on a ready made one, or experiment yourself. The smoke in my videos is turned down to almost a minimum to look more scale like, but can put out a lot more. The last one in the videos can fill a room in a few minutes if you turn it up, but would look stupid in a boat.

JB

Len and I Isaac - you are both correct! How many times have we seen proclaimations of my smoke generator makes thick, black smoke when it fact it is a white mist barely visible in sunlight that dissapates not long after it passes over the transom.

This is no fault of the builder. No one has struck the mother lode yet. I don't know if this will ever come to be.

Model steamers are doomed in a way to be ecologically correct.

Lew
Florida (the "sunshine state"), USA

Denser smoke and/or darker smoke is the holy grail of all smoke generating units.
lem

I am looking at all these videos, but in my opinion, the smoke should be much denser.

How can we simulate a steam powered smoke? I mean belching smoke.


Isaac

Hi Jbkiwi, thank you for the explanatory videos.
You are a master in this field but I have to try to archive this topic somehow because I don't want to lose the information.
I'm sure that if, in a few years, I need instructions on these systems I will no longer remember where to find them.

Don't get angry if other information has been included in your topic, since I joined this wonderful forum it has happened to me too. Even worse, some people enjoy making useless and non-constructive criticism.

I think that your skill and experience in this field are very evident and I thank you for sharing your precious knowledge with us.
I can repeat what I already wrote: " the water and smoke exhaust you made is incredibly realistic. Never seen something like this, very good. "

JB, thanks for the info with videos.
Len

Hi Len, with these small vape pens, run time depends on how hard you run them. running on a 50/50 mix of water and glycerin and at 2.5v, you can probably get around 20 mins continuous running, but at 3v with twice the smoke, maybe 10-15 mins,- more draw on the battery as well). The way Graham and I set these up makes them really quick to re-fill - (about 20secs if they are easily accessed). I have made an auto filling system from a larger tank for a test, which worked really well.(see vid)


Not sure if these particular pens are available (could be bought on Ali Exp for a few dollars now they don't sell any vape items,- new rules,) but any of the low wattage vape elements from vape stores can be adapted, you just need to make a holder and a tank. I've even used a whole vape tank with element (last vid)and modified it to fit into some plumbing fittings for large amounts of smoke but it needs a 3-5A adjustable voltage regulator as the smaller adjustable ones can get too hot.

It's very cheap to make your own if you have the tools (most of us do) Let me know if you need any info about any of these. Fun playing with them, and bits are cheap on Ali Express.

A few videos of experiments with smoke systems. The puffing one is using a Heng Long piston smoke pump designed for a tank, (cheap,-work ok but easy to burn the element if you run them dry)

JB

JB, my question about run time was directed for you and not Dainesh. I asked the question after reading your post and before I saw his.
Len

Seems like I commented on people advertising for free on this site not long ago. Don't know how that would work out tax-wise. Perhaps through a donation level🤑 where one can advertise in a certain area on this site.

I noticed that Dainesh did have a few likes so he has at least two fans. I also believe that no one should advertise in subject threads. At most they can create their own subject, in this case something like "Smoke Generator (unpaid advertisement)". This way people can ignore it, comment on it, etc. Otherwise drop the member. Has anyone tried this product?

I'm sure that others will continue to recommend (or not) products that they have tried, not having any financial ties to that product.

Lew
Florida 😎, USA

You are right about getting free advertising Doug, that was my thought. Perhaps commercial activities should have a paid space on the site. Different if someone is showing you how to make something, or finds something useful as you say.

JB

good evening
is there a possibility to throw him of this site?

HEAR HEAR JB. Absolutely right👍
This guy's been irritating me on and off for quite some time with his 'backdoor' advertising.
No doubt he has a nifty gadget there.
BUT, it's one thing if one of us finds a 'nifty gadget' and recommends it to us.
Quite another when a manufacturer / dealer pushes his ads into our threads and Build Blogs.
He gets free worldwide advertising but he doesn't even do us the courtesy of donating a few shekels to our site costs.
Cheers, Doug😎

Ok

Dainesh,

Perhaps you could start your own post on you smoke devices if you are advertising them for sale, rather than using my post. My post is orientated towards people being able to make their own systems cheaply ( as Graham and I originally intended ) and was demonstrating how it can be used in any position and include water for more realism.

JB

Hi Len,
was your question on run time directed at my post or Dainesh trying to sell you one ?😁

JB

Hi,

Please read the article. It was Ok for him longer than 1 hour.
For me: I switched it off after an 90 minutes.

https://www.denesdesign.co.uk/products/msu-mini-smoke-unit

Denes

very interesting and nicely done. How long does the smoke last?
Len

Just as an idea