Cheap AliExpress smoke machine teardown - with schematics
bigclivedotcom 20:32
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A look inside one of the cheapest smoke machines from AliExpress. Although these are commonly referred to as smoke machines, they actually create a dense fog of tiny glycol droplets.
The most common faults with these units are the pump gumming up in storage or the thin capillary tube in the heater block getting clogged by particulate residue from the fog fluid. Using good quality fog fluid will reduce the risk of that due to its composition being pure glycols and distilled water, but the cost difference may mean it's cheaper in the long run to use lower quality fluids and accept that you'll need to replace the machine more often.
The professional event industry routinely replaces heater blocks or machines as it's just the nature of the equipment.
Some users flush their machines through with water and vinegar to "descale" the heater tube, but I'm not sure how effective that actually is. If you do that, then it's important to flush it through with fog/smoke fluid afterwards before storage.
If experimenting with making your own fluid, I recommend using distilled water.
The cheapest and easiest fluid is just glycerin/glycerine/glycerol (they're all the same thing) with distilled water. You can vary the ratio to suit your needs, but typically 20% glycerin to 80% water for many machines. Glycerin creates a very dense long lasting fog, with the downside of being a bit messier than the lighter glycols like propylene glycol and triethylene glycol.
Most smoke machines operate at between 240 to 300 degrees Celcius. The risk of burning glycols tends to happen above 370 degrees Celcius.
Do NOT use oil in this type of machine. A common thing in the entertainment industry is people mixing up water and oil based haze liquids. Aside from the unpredictable results in the heater block, the oil can damage the seals in the pump by making them swell up and jam the piston.
The pumps can usually be opened for servicing, but they have lots of springs and seals in them that have a tendency to self-disassemble suddenly when opened. I have a video showing how to service them.
The construction and circuitry in these units is very standard and hasn't changed for decades. These basic units have one major quirk in that they won't pump fluid while the heater is active. This is to prevent the risk of liquid being pumped through the heater block while it's cold and spraying out as liquid.
If fog timing is critical then you can modify the unit to power the pump directly once the unit is up to temperature.
The use of an XLR connector on these units for the mains powered remote is a huge safety issue. There is a risk of shock, equipment damage (never plug a DMX network into that port!) and in some instances potential bypassing of the thermal control if a remote cable shorts to ground.
The principle of fog generation is fairly simple. A mixture of glycol and water is pumped slowly into a very hot heater block. As it enters, the water boils forcibly atomising the glycol into a fog of tiny droplets that are forced out by the steam pressure.
Some hazers combine air with the fog fluid to create bubbles of fluid that result in a more controlled drizzle of haze versus a jet of fog.
If you want a cheap smoke machine to play with, then here's a starter affiliate link to this unit, noting that this particular one was shipped from a UK warehouse.
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3VkvtKD
For local voltage machines try a search for:-
500w rgb smoke machine
if you substitute 400W for 500W it may show a different range.
Be aware that cost variation is massive for the same machines, so shop around for the best price. This type should cost less than £20.
You can also find similar machines on eBay and amazon. But do NOT buy second hand machines as they are usually wrecked.
If you enjoy my videos, you can treat me to coffee, cookies and gadgets by supporting the channel on Patreon. You also get early access to videos without adverts, bonus footage and regular quiet Patreon live streams.
https://www.patreon.com/bigclive
Alternatively, for a single coffee contribution you can use PayPal:-
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/bigclive
#ElectronicsCreators
The most common faults with these units are the pump gumming up in storage or the thin capillary tube in the heater block getting clogged by particulate residue from the fog fluid. Using good quality fog fluid will reduce the risk of that due to its composition being pure glycols and distilled water, but the cost difference may mean it's cheaper in the long run to use lower quality fluids and accept that you'll need to replace the machine more often.
The professional event industry routinely replaces heater blocks or machines as it's just the nature of the equipment.
Some users flush their machines through with water and vinegar to "descale" the heater tube, but I'm not sure how effective that actually is. If you do that, then it's important to flush it through with fog/smoke fluid afterwards before storage.
If experimenting with making your own fluid, I recommend using distilled water.
The cheapest and easiest fluid is just glycerin/glycerine/glycerol (they're all the same thing) with distilled water. You can vary the ratio to suit your needs, but typically 20% glycerin to 80% water for many machines. Glycerin creates a very dense long lasting fog, with the downside of being a bit messier than the lighter glycols like propylene glycol and triethylene glycol.
Most smoke machines operate at between 240 to 300 degrees Celcius. The risk of burning glycols tends to happen above 370 degrees Celcius.
Do NOT use oil in this type of machine. A common thing in the entertainment industry is people mixing up water and oil based haze liquids. Aside from the unpredictable results in the heater block, the oil can damage the seals in the pump by making them swell up and jam the piston.
The pumps can usually be opened for servicing, but they have lots of springs and seals in them that have a tendency to self-disassemble suddenly when opened. I have a video showing how to service them.
The construction and circuitry in these units is very standard and hasn't changed for decades. These basic units have one major quirk in that they won't pump fluid while the heater is active. This is to prevent the risk of liquid being pumped through the heater block while it's cold and spraying out as liquid.
If fog timing is critical then you can modify the unit to power the pump directly once the unit is up to temperature.
The use of an XLR connector on these units for the mains powered remote is a huge safety issue. There is a risk of shock, equipment damage (never plug a DMX network into that port!) and in some instances potential bypassing of the thermal control if a remote cable shorts to ground.
The principle of fog generation is fairly simple. A mixture of glycol and water is pumped slowly into a very hot heater block. As it enters, the water boils forcibly atomising the glycol into a fog of tiny droplets that are forced out by the steam pressure.
Some hazers combine air with the fog fluid to create bubbles of fluid that result in a more controlled drizzle of haze versus a jet of fog.
If you want a cheap smoke machine to play with, then here's a starter affiliate link to this unit, noting that this particular one was shipped from a UK warehouse.
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3VkvtKD
For local voltage machines try a search for:-
500w rgb smoke machine
if you substitute 400W for 500W it may show a different range.
Be aware that cost variation is massive for the same machines, so shop around for the best price. This type should cost less than £20.
You can also find similar machines on eBay and amazon. But do NOT buy second hand machines as they are usually wrecked.
If you enjoy my videos, you can treat me to coffee, cookies and gadgets by supporting the channel on Patreon. You also get early access to videos without adverts, bonus footage and regular quiet Patreon live streams.
https://www.patreon.com/bigclive
Alternatively, for a single coffee contribution you can use PayPal:-
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/bigclive
#ElectronicsCreators
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