Built my new smoke unit

[Se7eN]

I finally got round to constructing my new smoke unit for my tiger tank yesterday, and for a first attempt it went quite well.



Unfortunately, I made a critical design flaw and made the fan aperture too big and I'm getting smoke bleed everywhere I'm gonna try and make this hole smaller by gluing a piece of plastic to the underside of the project box. Hope fully that will increase pressure and direct the smoke better.

This is what I used to make it:

Project Box
Fire wire (The stuff used to create a seal on ovens! Its glass fibre and easier to obtain and cheaper then kevlar wick) ~(Ebay)
16cm of Nichrome Wire (Old Hairdryer) Use the spring and cut to size (rated for 7.2 volts)
2x Terminal Lugs cut to size and crimped onto wires coming from the Nichrome strand
Small fan. I used a old Northbridge Chipset cooler fan.
Super Glue
Black party straws must have bend in them
Heat shrink tubing
Modelling and engraving Kit (Sold at lidl - £16.99)
Propylene glycol Pharma grade Mixed with a bit of filtered tap water (smoker fluid)
Plumbers tape (PTFE) To airseal the project box (You can use silicon, but I didn;t have any)
3 packets of sweet chilli crisps
6 cups of tea
5 hours and a numb bum

I have a few modifications and fine tuning left to do on the smoker, but I will post back again when Its all completed so you can see it running.

-x se7en x-

[tisaksen]

Awesome

[streetfighterjeff]

looks good se7en, is that from the design on the rc 4x4 site? cant wait to see it running. should be quieter than a heng long one too.
jeff

[Tankbear]

Brilliant job Se7en.

If you play around with air hole from fan to fine tune the effect then your sorted. Also if you put some cotton wool in the tank it stops the smoke oil running out when you turn it upside done like to turn your tank on.

[Se7eN]

I've closed most of the gap where the fan sits and the smoke output has increased ten fold. Is there a way of making this smoker proportional now? I know it has to do with controlling the fan speed via the motor throttle but where to I connect the fans positive wire?

-x se7en x-

[Se7eN]

looks good se7en, is that from the design on the rc 4x4 site? cant wait to see it running. should be quieter than a heng long one too.
jeff

Yes it is, and is much quieter then the original heng long smoker, that horrible whinning motor noise of the piston used to drive my missus up the wall

-x se7en x-

[Tankbear]

I've closed most of the gap where the fan sits and the smoke output has increased ten fold. Is there a way of making this smoker proportional now? I know it has to do with controlling the fan speed via the motor throttle but where to I connect the fans positive wire?

-x se7en x-

Way I did it was got a 5v voltage regulator and wired that in with the regular smoker supply, the heater element stays at the full 7.2v voltage. Then got 4 diodes and connected to each motor supply, join all the diodes (silver end I think) together then this point to fan.

This will give a slower fan speed at idle and then fast when ever the motors run in any direction.

Ian.

[Storky]

Hi Se7en

I see that you have used a plastic box and drinking straw exhausts with a nichrome wire heater. Have you done long term testing with this smoker?
I have a feeling that the plastic components will melt, especially if it runs out of smoke oil/fluid anytime.
I made one exactly the same as that a few years ago, and my box melted. I was using 12V though!!

Phil

[Se7eN]

I've closed most of the gap where the fan sits and the smoke output has increased ten fold. Is there a way of making this smoker proportional now? I know it has to do with controlling the fan speed via the motor throttle but where to I connect the fans positive wire?

-x se7en x-

Way I did it was got a 5v voltage regulator and wired that in with the regular smoker supply, the heater element stays at the full 7.2v voltage. Then got 4 diodes and connected to each motor supply, join all the diodes (silver end I think) together then this point to fan.

This will give a slower fan speed at idle and then fast when ever the motors run in any direction.

Ian.

Well It just so happens Im going to maplins again to night as I damaged my main power rocker switch that I was gonna use So I've gotta get a new one.
Could you tell me what/which type of diode you used, and regulator you used so I can ask the guy in maplins and I get exactly what I want

http://www.maplin.co.uk/search?criteria ... +regulator
Thanks Ian

Hi Se7en

I see that you have used a plastic box and drinking straw exhausts with a nichrome wire heater. Have you done long term testing with this smoker?
I have a feeling that the plastic components will melt, especially if it runs out of smoke oil/fluid anytime.
I made one exactly the same as that a few years ago, and my box melted. I was using 12V though!!

Phil

I haven't had a full test in the sense of the word, There is a lot of air been pushed into the box via the fan, so Unless my fan fails I think the risk of a melt down is low. but only time will tell.

-x se7en x-

[Tankbear]

I bought them last year from what I read on another forum. So can’t remember what part numbers I got. I’ll see if I can find the other forum which had a bit of a diagram and shopping list of parts.