The ever-increasing prevalence of lithium-based batteries in numerous shapes, sizes and capacities is making a so-called “virtuous circle”, resulting in decrease unit prices and better unit volumes which encourage rising utilization (each in model new purposes and current ones, the latter as a alternative for precursor battery applied sciences), translating into even decrease unit prices and better unit volumes that…spherical and spherical it goes. Conceptually equally, utilization of e-cigarettes, aka so-called “vape” gadgets, is quickly rising, each by new and current customers of cigarettes, cigars, pipes and chewing tobacco. The latter are sometimes striving to wean themselves off these standard “nicotine supply platforms” and away from their well-documented well being dangers however aren’t but in a position or able to fully “kick the behavior” resulting from nicotine’s potent addictive traits (“vaping” dangers aren’t essentially nonexistent, after all; being newer, nevertheless, they’re up to now much less totally studied and documented).
What’s this all obtained to do with electronics? “Vapes” are powered by batteries, predominantly lithium-based ones these days. Initially, the gadgets had been disposable, with discard-and-replacement tied to after they ran out of oft (however not all the time) nicotine-laced, oft-flavored “juice” (which is heated, changing it into an inhalable aerosol) and translating into a lot of completely good lithium batteries ending up in landfills (until, that’s, the {hardware} hacker group succeeds in intercepting and resurrecting them for reuse elsewhere first). Plus, the non-replaceable and inherently charge-“leaky” batteries had been a retail shelf life problem, too.
Newer higher-end “vape” gadgets’ batteries are able to being user-recharged, a minimum of. This attribute, together with larger capability “juice” tanks, permits every machine for use longer than was potential beforehand. However finally, particularly within the absence of a special type of {hardware} hacking which I’ll additional discover within the coming paragraphs, they’re destined for discard too…which is how I obtained in the present day’s teardown sufferer (a standard non-rechargeable “vape” machine can also be on my teardown pile, if I can determine methods to safely crack it open). Behold the Geek Bar Pulse, as regular accompanied by a 0.75″ (19.1 mm) diameter U.S. penny for dimension comparability functions:
One facet is bland:
The opposite can also be seemingly so:
a minimum of till you flip the “on” swap on the backside, at which era it turns into one thing harking back to an arcade online game (fortunately not accompanied by sounds):
The 2-digit quantity on the prime signifies that the battery continues to be a bit greater than midway charged. Its two-digit counterpart on the backside nevertheless, experiences that its “juice” tank is empty, subsequently explaining why it was discarded and the way it subsequently ended up in my arms (not precisely the results of “dumpster diving” on my half, however I did intercept it en path to the trash). To that latter level, and in a type of “looking back I shouldn’t have been stunned” moments, when researching the product previous to starting my dissection, I got here throughout quite a few internet pages, dialogue group threads and movies about each it and options:
with directions on methods to partially disassemble rechargeable “vape” gadgets, particularly to refill their “juice” tanks with comparatively cheap fluid and lengthen their usable life. Seems, in reality, that this machine’s producer has even carried out a software program “kill swap” to stop such shenanigans, which the group has found out methods to circumvent by activating a hidden {hardware} swap.
Anyhoo, let’s conclude our sequence of overview photographs with the highest, containing the mouthpiece nozzle from which the “vape” aerosol emits:
and the underside, encompassing the aforementioned energy swap, together with the USB-C recharging connector:
That swap, you might have already observed, is three-position. At one finish is “off”. Within the center is regular “on” mode, indicated partially by a briefly seen inexperienced ring across the show:
And on the different finish is “pulse” mode, which emits extra aerosol on the tradeoffs of extra shortly draining the battery and “juice” tank, and is differentiated by each a “rocket” image in the midst of the show and a briefly illuminated pink ring round it:
By the best way, the power-off show sequence is entertaining, too:
And now, let’s get inside this factor. No uncovered screws, after all, however that clear facet panel appears to be a probable entry candidate:
It wasn’t as simple as I assumed, however due to a suggestion throughout the first video proven earlier, to pop off the swap cowl in order that your complete inside meeting might then transfer ahead:
I lastly obtained it off, full with case scratches (and sure, a number of minor curses) alongside the best way:
Fast examine: yep, nonetheless works!
Now to get these insides out. Once more, my progress was initially stymied:
till I obtained the brilliant (?) thought of popping the mouthpiece off (once more, kudos to the creator of that first video proven earlier for the to-do steering):
That’s higher (the tank is beginning to come into sight)…
Success!
Entrance view of the insides, which you’ve principally already seen:
Left facet, with our first unobstructed view of the tank:
Again (and no, it wasn’t me who did that image scribble):
Proper facet:
High, displaying the aerosol exit port:
And backside, once more harking back to a previous perspective photograph:
Subsequent, let’s get that tank off:
A kind of contacts is clearly, from the colour, floor. I’m guessing that one of many others feeds the heating component (though it’s referred to on the producer’s web site as being a “twin mesh coil” design, I believe that “pulse” mode simply amps—pun meant—up the output versus really switching on a second component) and the third routes to a moisture or different sensor to evaluate how “full” the “tank” is.
To make clear (or perhaps not), let’s take the “tank” aside a bit extra:
Extra (left, then proper) facet views of the rest of the machine, absent the tank:
And now let’s take a more in-depth take a look at that rubber “foot”, full with a sponge just like the one earlier seen with the mouthpiece, that the tank previously mated with:
Partway by, one other examine…does it nonetheless work?
Yep! Now persevering with…
Subsequent, let’s once more use the steel “spudger”, this time to unclip the show cowl from the chassis:
Notice the ring of multicolor LEDs across the circumference of the show (which I’m guessing is OLED-fabricated: ideas, readers?):
And now let’s try to get the “guts” fully out of the chassis:
Nonetheless working?
Superb! Let’s subsequent take away the remainder of the plastic protecting for the three-position swap:
Bending again the little plastic tab on the backside of every facet was important for additional progress:
Mission completed!
Just a few views on the no-longer-captive standalone “guts”:
It couldn’t nonetheless be working, in any case this abuse, might it?
It might! Final, however not least, let’s get that taped-down battery out the best way and see if there’s something fascinating behind it:
That IC on the prime of the PCB that does double-duty because the again of the show is the Arm Cortex-M0+- and flash memory-based Puya F030K28. I discovered a nice writeup on the chip, which I commend to your consideration, with the next title and subtitle:
The most cost effective flash microcontroller you should purchase is definitely an Arm Cortex-M0+
Puya’s 10-cent PY32 sequence is complicating the RISC-V narrative and has me doubting I’ll ever attain for an 8-bit half once more.
“Clickbait” headlines are sometimes annoying. This one, conversely, is each spot-on and entertaining. And given the ~$20 retail worth level and finally disposable destiny for the machine that the SoC powers, $0.10 in quantity is a profitability necessity! That mentioned, one nitpick: I’m unsure the place Geek Bar got here up with the “twin core” declare on its web site (to not point out I’m amazed {that a} “vape” machine provider even promotes its product’s semiconductor attributes in any respect!).
And with that, one ultimate examine; does it nonetheless work?
That is one rugged design! Over to you on your ideas within the feedback!
—Brian Dipert is the Editor-in-Chief of the Edge AI and Imaginative and prescient Alliance, and a Senior Analyst at BDTI and Editor-in-Chief of InsideDSP, the corporate’s on-line publication.
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