Fog/smoke machine

[moody07747]

How is it these things work?

I want to get one but I dont want to spend $50 for it....I'm like that :lol:

Anyways I was hoping someone here knew the basics of how one worked and the temp. needed with it.

I'll start searching the web again as well.
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seems its just a heating coil and the fluid pumps onto it...i guess an iron and small pump with regulator will work

but it wont look as good as the store bought units

im going to try to find a $30 or less machine...

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

We've recently had a 'Smoke Cloak' fitted in the shop at work (after two robberies where Plasma and LCD TV's were stolen).

It's essentially a smoke machine on steroids :lol:

Do you know how 'night store' electric heaters work?, they store heat in bricks from cheap overnight electricity - the 'smoke cloak' works in the same way, it's full of hot bricks kept at a fairly constant temperature.

When it's triggered the 'smoke' fluid is pumped through the bricks where the heat vapourises it, producing a thick stream of dense smoke. It fills the shop completely in 20-30 seconds, and you can't see your hand in front of your face :lol:

The fluid is similer to that used in disco smoke machines, some kind of vegetable oil, it just produces far greater quatities of smoke :lol:

As a disco smoke machine only has to produce small quantities of smoke, presumably it can do just just with a hot element, no need for all the bricks?. I imagine it needs to be at a specific temperature though?.

 

[moody07747]

We've recently had a 'Smoke Cloak' fitted in the shop at work (after two robberies where Plasma and LCD TV's were stolen).

It's essentially a smoke machine on steroids :lol:

they installed one of those tiny units on that it takes a thief show...just hit the button and run like hell as the room fills with smoke and nobody can see anything lol

 

[moody07747]

ill find out the temp when i get my new mini fogger i ordered yesterday

only $35 total

nice little unit on amazon...also ordered some lock picks as i want to learn the basics of that too

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0006M59M6/ref=pd_kar_gw_1/103-8795707-5247826
https://www.lockpicks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=20&HS=1

 

[moody07747]

OK guy s i got the fog machine in today and fired it up....great little unit and really puts out allot of smoke for its tiny size.......gotta do something about the smell of this cheap fog though...

anyways after i used it i noticed these get quite hot...after about 5minutes of cooling i took the non contact thermometer out and it got a reading of about 130 deg. F

ill take a full temp reading tomorrow when i fire it up again

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

OK guy s i got the fog machine in today and fired it up....great little unit and really puts out allot of smoke for its tiny size.......gotta do something about the smell of this cheap fog though...

It's some kind of vegetable oil I think, and as you say it has a strange smell. A quick google finds plenty of info, how about here? https://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa010603c.htm

anyways after i used it i noticed these get quite hot...after about 5minutes of cooling i took the non contact thermometer out and it got a reading of about 130 deg. F

ill take a full temp reading tomorrow when i fire it up again

They work by heating the liquid till it evaporates, so they run very hot, and keep hot for quite a long time as they need reasonable heat storage capacity.

 

[Dr.EM]

I heard the vapour emitted is actually good for you, it has something similar to olbas oil in it, but mabye that was a particular type. I always think that I need to cough when I go into a room full of that stuff, but it doesn't actually make you at all :lol:

 

[moody07747]

OK 356 degrees F.

that's from inside the nozzle

I've read some sits that make fluid and they say the main stuff used in the liquid is glycerin

**broken link removed**

anyways I think this one burns some type of oil as I found it feels like it when it got on my hands.

I'm going to try to get some scented fog as this stuff really stinks

I'll ask at the the bowling ally near my house what they use because they have one and the smoke smells really good...kinda like vanilla

 

[moody07747]

I heard the vapour emitted is actually good for you, it has something similar to olbas oil in it, but mabye that was a particular type. I always think that I need to cough when I go into a room full of that stuff, but it doesn't actually make you at all :lol:

I'm not bothered by it at all unless its really thick

anyways my dad once told me an actor on stage inhaled a tiny amount of smoke from a fog machine once and they had some reaction to it...really bad....they are on oxygen tanks for the rest of their lives...or so im told


edit:
Just ordered some vanilla scent so that should be nice to try when it gets here

 

[moody07747]

heres a pic i just took of 3 seconds of fog...

**broken link removed**

 

[moody07747]

ok i took one side of the fogger off last night and will do the other side right now for a pic....the main components are a plastic chamber...heat coil like a coffee machine with attached thermal cutut sensor...a mini lound 110V pump and the tank


going to look into it again now



pics soon to come

 

[moody07747]

Ok it took me a few hours to do but O opened it up and took lots of pics and made a wiring sheet for it...

**broken link removed**

There are no pics of the nozzle where the heating coil is as i could not get that part open...ill try again some time

anywas it looks like that small brass pipe goes next to that heating coil heating it up

im 80% sure theres no holes in that small pipe but im 100% sure that it goes from the output of the pump to the end of the machine where the fog comes out

 

[moody07747]

OK so something just came up with the foot switch....

i was using an old sustain pedal for it and it worked for 2 runs but after the third the small contact board burned up....

I'm not sure how much power is going to this switch in the remote but ill take some amp/volt readings later

Chances are its the 120V 4A from the supply

in fact looking at the wiring it is

so i'm looking to make a foot switch with a project box from radioshack

anyways i looked at the switches at allelectronics.com and there were not too many

i need something strong that i can use with my foot and is normally open momentary....meaning that when i push and hold the button with my foot the contacts will close setting off the fogger until i let off the switch

Any ideas on switches?

 

[Someone Electro]

You could just make the switch your self.

Make the top of the box go down.Put an spring in it and two contacts that toch togeter.

 

[audioguru]

i was using an old sustain pedal for it and it worked for 2 runs but after the third the small contact board burned up....

I'm not sure how much power is going to this switch in the remote but ill take some amp/volt readings later

Chances are its the 120V 4A from the supply
Any ideas on switches?

Your lack of basic electrical knowledge will cause a fire. Keep away from the electrical mains until you learn about Volts, Amps, Resistance and Power.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Your lack of basic electrical knowledge will cause a fire. Keep away from the electrical mains until you learn about Volts, Amps, Resistance and Power.

Look on the bright side! - we're not in the same country :lol:

Although YOU are on the same continent! 8)

 

[audioguru]

The bright side is that the person who makes things smoke is/was an electrician. Maybe the same electrician who wired my home with such poor joints that the wires started smoking.

 

[moody07747]

The bright side is that the person who makes things smoke is/was an electrician. Maybe the same electrician who wired my home with such poor joints that the wires started smoking.

Electronics and Electricity are 2 different things to me

I know everything there is to residential and commercial wiring now but when it comes to these little resistors and chips they are like magic to me because i have never gone to any classes to learn about them

the switch that burned up was nothing and i fixed it really quick...ill stop by home depot to pick up a box/switch later