A Bit of Jiggery Pokery (with photos)

This is a bit nerdy but may appeal to some. I have for the last few years been using electronic cigarettes as a healthy alternative to satisfying my nicotine addiction. For me, they work very well and I regard them as one of the greatest inventions of our time. I'm quite a heavy user and I am practically attached to my e-cig at all times. Indeed I panic if my e-cig is out of sight, or worse, I lose it.
The parts to an e-cig are quite simple. The main components are the battery and the atomiser. The battery heats the atomiser which in turn causes the liquid nicotine to form a vapour. This looks very similar to smoke, but it is simply steam. This is inhaled in the same way a smoker would and the effect is very similar. The e-cig can be filled with liquid nicotine, enough for many hours and the battery typically lasts 2-3 hours of constant use.
Being a heavy computer user, I normally vape as I type. The batteries will eventually run flat and so require recharging. I normally try to keep one recharging at all times. As an alternative to batteries, I have been using a USB powered device that allows the e-cig to run off the 5v USB power supply. This does require being connected to the computer or laptop, but does enable me to vape without affecting battery usage. It's actually a very good idea. A 3.7v battery inside the device gets charged between vapes and provides 'backup' should I move from the computer.

I have found that the power being supplied to the e-cig has become less and less over time, and the battery has failed to hold a full charge, running down very quickly. I decided to open up the device to find out how it all worked. The e-cig part itself was very difficult to disassemble being of a solid moulded design. I decided therefore to get rid of this and detached it from the device. I noticed that the battery box could be opened. This contained a small amount of circuitry which controls the recharging and power supply from the USB input to the e-cig. I could see that it could be possible to jumper the circuitry and in effect bypass it allowing the full 5v supply to be fed directly to the e-cig's atomiser. Using a multimeter I tested this theory and it showed to be the case. So I set about bypassing the circuitry with two short lengths of wire, soldered to the positive and negative in and out terminals. It's all a bit Heath Robinson, but it does work very well indeed.

I do need to tidy up the device to make it more consumer friendly and I also want to add an on/off switch mid way along the wire to the e-cig. At the moment, I have to operate it by pushing the positive wire into the base of the atomiser, the negative wire being soldered in place. It's a bit fiddly, but it does work providing a strong satisfying vape every time. My only concern is that the slightly higher unregulated voltage will reduce the life of the atomiser, but time will tell.

A Marriage of Technologies

I stumbled upon this in the Daily Mail Sunday magazine. It's a USB typewriter and essentially allows you to use a normal typewriter to interact with a computer. I actually think it's a very clever idea, particularly as the functionality is there for the typewriter to be used normally if needed.

I've probably written before about my love for typewriters. As a child, I had several typewriters and pretty much taught myself how to spell and write by copying large amounts from books. I would look up words if I didn't know their meaning and soon became very adept at writing letters.
Whilst reading the article, my son glanced at the picture and asked me what it was. I explained it was a typewriter and that it printed letters onto paper by pressing the keys. I could tell he was instantly fascinated and enquired of my parents as to whether they still had the old Underwood typewriter I remember using as a child. It turns out they have and it is safe somewhere in their garage. I will one day let my son see it. He's a bit too young at the moment, as it is an original and quite delicate. I would though very much like for him to have his own typewriter. I am convinced the experience helped me with my use of words and I'm sure it would do the same for him.