Desk-top Mains-powered Vape-Station!

[jonoclouds]

I'm usually at my desk for much of the day. After months going round the constant cycle of charging batteries, I decided to eliminate them.
This is my second desk-vaper. Both of them work from the mains and I use them at 10 watts.

Hang on, I hear you say, you're going to electrocute yourself with one of those things. Well, I use 5V 2A switched-mode power supplies, like the sort supplied with Sony games consoles. These provide complete isolation from mains voltages, a claim which I have been careful to verify myself by testing each one.

The one in the pic is made from plumbing spares, a microswitch, a bi-colour LED and a resistor. There is a 510 connector at the top, constructed from the insides of an old cheap clearo. The threaded centre column in these clearos is the same as 510 threads. On top is my Kayfun Lite clone. There's a very small overhang with this RBA as it it maybe one mm wider than the mount. I coil it at 2.5 ohms to get 10W at 5V, this works very well. It's half a dozen turns of kanthal ribbon on a conventional doubled-up 2mm silica wick.

So the result is a safe, reasonably powerful, battery-free system. The only thing I had to buy was the Kayfun clone!

Footnote to cover my butt: Mains voltages are dangerous. Please don't try to construct a mains-powered device unless you have the skills and knowledge to keep you safe from shocks, fire and any other hazards.

[smarties]

That's just awsome

[loggo]

I want one

[jonoclouds]

Well, I've been using the mains vaper for a month now. I've re-coiled the Kayfun Lite a couple of times, once because it wasn't wicking fast enough to keep up.
It's working well, with very consistent performance. The vapour is quite hot so I've been trying a few different drip tips (delrin, alu and steel) of various lengths.
I use the desk vaper all day. When I'm out and about I take a smaller clearo on a Spinner.

[Deleted]

What's wrong with a passthrough? Or are those extinct?

[VapingBad]

Dec 21, 2014 16:56:47 GMT @johanino said:

What's wrong with a passthrough? Or are those extinct?

USB doesn't have enough power for most people.

[Deleted]

I 'aint most people though VapingBad. Remember I'm the VTR Queen and I sit on the crazy couch with Pepperty ready and waiting for froot loops/dafties

[VapingBad]

Dec 21, 2014 17:04:33 GMT @johanino said:

I 'aint most people though VapingBad. Remember I'm the VTR Queen and I sit on the crazy couch with Pepperty ready and waiting for froot loops/dafties

And vape at or below 2.5 watts, cause that's all USB provides.

[Deleted]

Yeah I like these

www.ecigwizard.com/bargain-basement/dual-coil-xl-cartomiser-ego-510.html (at 1.5ohm)

(not what I posted the link for - but what I posted the link for is very very good)

[jonoclouds]

Yep, it's what VapingBad said, really.
Pass-throughs are either limited to the USB power limit, which can be very low (even a 1.5A 5v USB charger would max out at 7.5W, the cheaper chargers are around 1/3 of this), or they are simply charging your battery all the time and you are drawing on battery power each time you fire up. The mains vaper thingy always has 10W on tap, no battery or USB required. Oh, and it was free, which is important for me as I have very limited income :-(

[Deleted]

Thanks for explaining that to me chaps

I had like no idea

[rich100]

That's awesome jonoclouds do think you could post a more detailed breakdown of the build I'd like to have a go at building one myself as like you I am fed up of charging batteries all the time and I spend a lot of time in my office so this would be ideal ????.

[jonoclouds]

rich100
Late response from me - sorry!

It's a Sony PSP 5v 2A mains adaptor, which provides good, safe isolation from the mains and 10W continuous power.
The desktop part is made from various scrap plumbing parts with a standard ecig thread adaptor in the middle.
I extracted the ecig part from the top of an old Chinese battery.
On the side I fastened a 2A microswitch, positioned for comfortable operation.
There's an LED and 200 ohm resistor in the circuit too, wired across the switch contacts so that it lights up when the Kayfun is screwed on. The LED goes off whilst the switch is activated. It's not essential but it's useful and of course it looks nice.
I use a Kayfun 3.1 and a Kayfun Lite clone on top, similar diameter with steel finish to match the other parts.
The desk vaper is made from the parts I happened to have to hand, so endless interpretations of the basic design are possible.

Cheers - JonoClouds

EDIT
Forgot to mention coil should be 2.5 ohms!

[davetherayon]

Add a big old rheostat, so you can change the wattage. Something like this :



with a honking retro control :

[jonoclouds]

Hey @davetherayon

That's a brilliant idea!

I did add a 0.22 ohm resistor in series which I can switch in and out. This just gives two power levels, I needed the slightly lower one to keep flavours like Kent from burning all the time.
Of course it doesn't give the smooth control that your rheostat would.

Cheers - Jono