Electric Hookah

[Guinea_Pig]

2.6A/.272A = 9.55 hours of battery life

ok cool i can see how that works... but .272A* 12V = 3.2W.... i just dont see how that can generate enough heat... but by all means if it works then thats awesome

i too want to see some piccies... im looking at building my own hookah and electric may very well be an option

[WesleyPipes]

We will see. It's quite thing wire, it should be able to heat up solid.

[paiintballa182]

PICS NAO

[*HOT&SMOKING*]

2.6A/.272A = 9.55 hours of battery life

ok cool i can see how that works... but .272A* 12V = 3.2W.... i just dont see how that can generate enough heat... but by all means if it works then thats awesome

i too want to see some piccies... im looking at building my own hookah and electric may very well be an option

This has made me wonder now also if it will generate enough heat....once pics are up maybe ill try it and see from there...

-H&S

[WesleyPipes]

I'm pretty sure it will work, but of course that nichrome still isn't here...

Low voltage doesn't mean it won't heat up the wire. Put 1V on a 1 ohm resistor. It will get way too hot to touch...she will work.

[WesleyPipes]

http://www.wiretron.com/nicrdat.html

The chart with all of nichrome's important information.

[tyson]

I definitely would like to see a write-up of this for DIY purposes. If it really works, I'd be willing to buy a starter kit from you to customize myself.

[Ninjalex]

People always talk about using those coil heaters from walgreens for $10 to light natural coals. Could you not flip a coil like that upside down and use the control knob to control the temperature? I know that could would be huge, but maybe someone makes a smaller coil?

[Cerritus]

What about the heater element from a toaster? They stay around 350-400F and you can reshape the thin walls they're wound on already. I've been debating making one. I'm buying a spare toaster to mutilate this weekend

[Plain Old Me]

What about the heater element from a toaster? They stay around 350-400F and you can reshape the thin walls they're wound on already. I've been debating making one. I'm buying a spare toaster to mutilate this weekend

The problem is not really with the heating element, or even how you mount it. The real issues I have been having are with making the system adjustible in temperature. With a low voltage system, a simple pot can easily adjust the temperature, but working with 120 V its impossible to use a common pot to adjust the temperature, and the light dimmers I have tried to use don't do much but turn the element on and off. I have been wondering about using a universal potentiometer (which can be found fairly cheaply on ebay) but I have no clue if they could handle the 1600 watts I would be putting through em. Short of that, I have been thinking about possibly getting some sort of rheostat (which is really just a high-rated pot).

[Cerritus]

Does it really need to be adjusted though? If you can get it to be the same temp as a coal normally is you wouldn't lose too much by leaving it there. The coal heats up for maybe a second or 2 while you pull. I doubt that will make a huge difference, but I could be wrong.

[Steemax]

I demand pics!
If I like the way this looks to be working, I'll be considering.

[Seanij]

until you havr a pinkshirt of it in progredd, me drinl more green farty and eat more crakcers.

[mj_b90]

until you havr a pinkshirt of it in progredd, me drinl more green farty and eat more crakcers.

... wtf?!


But for real, where are the pictures?

[teq]

While this seems like a nice experiment, I've come to terms with the practicality of using anything that needs constant power as a heat source. Coal is simply more cost effective than electricity or gas.

However, for the sake of experimentation, the simplest way to make this work seems to be by using a 15W soldering iron.

Glycerin boils at 550F/290C and a 15W soldering iron from Radio Shack can output up to 600F/320C, which happens to be the highpoint temperature of both natural and quicklight coals. The heat can be transferred by attaching a conductive material to the tip or by convection. Edited March 27, 2008 by teq

[J-thehookaholic]

Screw it... I've been checking this thread repeatedly. Where are the pictures of this thing? based on what I've read this thing is like a yeti, theres claims but no proof.


PS. Sorry if I sound like an Asshole, just overly interested to see this thing in action.

[teq]

Screw it... I've been checking this thread repeatedly. Where are the pictures of this thing? based on what I've read this thing is like a yeti, theres claims but no proof.

Plain Old Me posted pictures of a trial using nichrome and dimmer switches here: http://www.hookahforum.com/index.php?showtopic=17022

The problem with his setup was the nichrome needed a way to regulate the current.

New dimmer switches don't work based on resistance, but rather by setting wait states in the voltage, which is why the dimmer didn't vary the temperature of the nichrome.

[J-thehookaholic]

Screw it... I've been checking this thread repeatedly. Where are the pictures of this thing? based on what I've read this thing is like a yeti, theres claims but no proof.

Plain Old Me posted pictures of a trial using nichrome and dimmer switches here: http://www.hookahforum.com/index.php?showtopic=17022

The problem with his setup was the nichrome needed a way to regulate the current.

New dimmer switches don't work based on resistance, but rather by setting wait states in the voltage, which is why the dimmer didn't vary the temperature of the nichrome.

interesting... this might sound dumb, but in that case the solution might be to find the optimal distance between coil and shisha to regualte the temp. since the farther away the less the heat will impact the shisha.

[teq]

The wire melted before even reaching the shisha.

[J-thehookaholic]

The wire melted before even reaching the shisha.

That, could be a problem.... I though this shit was functional and a done deal. anyone everthink think of using one the G4 or G5 processors from an apple powerbook? heard that shit could fry an egg. J//K

[teq]

Or a Prescott Pentium IV? lol


I'm still vouching for a soldering iron or a heat gun with the fan cut off.

[Plain Old Me]

The wire melted before even reaching the shisha.

It did not exactly melt in the sense that it was liquid metal, but it got sufficiently hot that the force of gravity was plenty to make the wire kinda fall off the crimps. I think this could easily be delt with if I surrounded the wire with something like clay though, but even so I am worried about the temperature. Because I would rather have 3 separate coils controlled by separate dials, I may go with pots+triacs to regulate voltage rather than pay for expensive rheostats (which run about $20 for one that can handle all 120V at 15A).

[WesleyPipes]

If these damn people would send me my nichrome I would have pics up.

But I can promise you guys the nichrome will work. When your shit melted, I'm sure you had the current from hell running through it.

If you have any nichrome left, check out that chart I posted on the last page about nichrome's needed current to maintain a temperature.

If you attached the nichrome straight to the wall, that's definitely the problem.

Find the guage of your wire on that chart, then as the currents seem linear, do 120V/Some resistance = the current needed.

She will serve those death shots.

And since I havn't been able to test this thing yet because of canadians and their shipping, if the coil keeps heating up past the temperature you want, you can stick a little 555 timer in there and have that run a relay that turns the power supply on and off at the best intervals.

[teq]

I think this could easily be delt with if I surrounded the wire with something like clay though, but even so I am worried about the temperature. Because I would rather have 3 separate coils controlled by separate dials, I may go with pots+triacs to regulate voltage rather than pay for expensive rheostats (which run about $20 for one that can handle all 120V at 15A).

Introducing another material between the nichrome and the bowl will just reduce the efficiency of conduction. If you must, however, the best way to do it would probably be by sandwiching it between two plates of clay or steel. Remember to use thermal paste or thermal glue.

Instead of feeding it 120V, what about using a power supply? It'll regulate the current, so you won't need a pot.

[Plain Old Me]

I have already done all the calculations and such and have tested using different gauges of nichrome wire and ribbon- I use less than 600 watts per coil (x3 coils). It should not be getting hot enough to melt, as nichrome has a melting point of 1400 degrees and I should not be getting over 1200 degrees with the highest gauge stuff. As for efficiency, I am thinking that if I use a thin enough layer of clay or whatever it should be plenty hot. I wouldn't use plates sandwiched because that would not allow for much airflow, but perhaps a perforated plate may work. I did another test with a straight wire of nichrome and it did not melt off until I really jerked around the crimps, and I think that a structure to support the nichrome would probably be the safest and best solution. As for the sandwiching material, I was thinking clay. I dunno if steel would be suitable, is its resistance more than nichrome?