Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2002 01:34:19 -0400
Subject: PUPT: Small smoke source


  Here is a report on an interesting device I came across.

===================http://www.robotstore.com/catalog/display.asp?pid=380
Zero Blaster Fog Ring Maker
#3-898 $24.95   

  The gun is pretty lame as far as Vortex-Cannon's go.  10 or 20 years ago,
there was a toy for kids which would knock down a styrofoam cup from 10'
away!  (apparently some kid put it to his ear and ruined it for the rest of
us!)  This "Zero Blaster" one can't produce anything that you can feel, even
right up next to the opening.  However, it does do the slow-moving smoke
rings if you have a room with absolutely no air flow.  The smoke itself is
the best part, and the real reason I wanted to check it out.

  It produces a supprising amount of smoke for its size.  There is a special
liquid (I assume like standard theatrical foggers use, but there is no list
of ingredients, so I can't say for sure).  There is a trigger which squeezes
a small bulb (like on an medicine dropper) which puts a little air into the
fluid chamber.  The business end is a small metal tube, about 1 1/2" long,
and 1/16 in diameter.  At the bottom and top of this metal tube is where the
wires connect, apparently to a narrow wire that runs inside the tube
(presumably a nichrome wire).  This nicrhome wire heats up and any time the
fog fluid contacts it, will generate the smoke.  When a little air is pumped
into the fluid chamber from that squeeze bulb, a little of the fog fluid
flows up into this little metal tube, where it vaporizes.

  The fog chamber itself is easily removed from the gun itself. That will
result in a device which would fit into an area less than 3" square. (not
including batteries).  It should be kept mostly upright, but contains so
little fog fluid that any surplus drops can easily be absorbed by a cloth.
It uses 6 AA batteries (9 volts).  I would expect the batteries to drain
fast, but they have already lasted longer than I expected.

  Definitely a possible substitute to the only other cordless mini-fogger
which sells for well over $1000.   For my fellow puppeteers, it would do for
a dragon's incidental smoking, but not nearly enough output to breath out a
large poof (unless it were somehow accumulated in some sort of chamber.)  It
is probably too small to be very useful for a meat actor stage, unless the
desired effect only needs a tiny amount of smoke.  

  As for making the device remote-control.  It might be possible to adapt a
R/C type servo motor so that at one extreme of travel, the fogger is off.
Then, as the servo arm moves from there, a contact closes and turns on the
heat with the nichrome wire.  As the servo arm continues its motion, it
presses against the little squeeze bulb to generate the smoke.

  One other idea for my fellow hackers... I would think the idea is
scalable.  It should be possible to increase smoke volume by using multiple
heating elements. But, the way the Zero Blaster is made, that is not too
viable. Although,you might just buy multiples of the gun.  Still, it should
be possible to home-make the device.  Please report to us if you try it.  I
recently purchased a battery operated cigarette lighter (sold as a "wind
proof" lighter).  I was going to try to just drop some fog fluid on the
heater to see if that did the trick, but haven't done the homework yet.

Joe Dunfee  joe-AT-dunfee.com
Strasburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.



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