Help! Smoke Generator(Powder) for RC electric planes
- Thread starter cdfigueredo
- Start date
Since I was afraid the Twin Smoker wouldn't work, I was thinking of other ways to salvage the design, since it looks so nice.. 
So here is what I came up with.
Some of the older guys will know what Im talking about here.
Growing up we would always get these Siren Whistles toys as like stocking stuffers and party gifts and stuff.. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2121/1463/products/Sirenwhistle_grande.png?v=1593139527
It's just a plastic tube with 2 disks inside. One disk is stationary and full of holes, the other is a small turbine shaped disk.
When you blow in one end, the turbine spins and makes a super loud Air Raid Siren kind a sound.
So, with this in mind, I only modified 2 parts and was able to turn this into a massive Siren Whistle.
And this one actually works too.. LOL Its really loud just blowing in it.
Using an Anemometer, I measured the minimum wind needed is about 10mph.
Plus, the hollow body acts as a resonance chamber, making it even louder.
The faster the air going thru, the higher the pitch.
I needed the turbines to spin fast and freely, so I took the bearings out of a burned out brushless motor. They are 8mmX4mm with 3mm hole.
Tryin to make my designs Community accessible, so I want to use stuff we would all have laying around.
Assembly is easy: (all new parts print without supports.)
- Using 2 M3x10 screws, attach the bearings to the Siren Turbine Supports. Make sure the screw head is not too large, it needs to snug up into the turbine. See Cross section view to see what I mean.
- Using the Siren Support Instal Tool, press/glue the Siren Support into the Shaft hole of the Main Body.
- While using the Install tool for support, press fit the Siren Turbine onto the Bearing. Making sure they arent rubbing on anything.
- Insert Servo Plug to plug up the hole for the Servo (if its not installed).
Yes, I created a Servo Hole Plug, so you can also plug up the servo hole if using this just for Looks.
In the Attached Cross sectional view, the White parts are the new parts.
Hopefully this give you guys a better idea of how it all goes together.
So there it is, the Twin Howler!
Now you too can go out there and annoy everyone within 100yards of you!.. LOL..
So here is what I came up with.
Some of the older guys will know what Im talking about here.
Growing up we would always get these Siren Whistles toys as like stocking stuffers and party gifts and stuff.. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2121/1463/products/Sirenwhistle_grande.png?v=1593139527
It's just a plastic tube with 2 disks inside. One disk is stationary and full of holes, the other is a small turbine shaped disk.
When you blow in one end, the turbine spins and makes a super loud Air Raid Siren kind a sound.
So, with this in mind, I only modified 2 parts and was able to turn this into a massive Siren Whistle.
And this one actually works too.. LOL Its really loud just blowing in it.
Using an Anemometer, I measured the minimum wind needed is about 10mph.
Plus, the hollow body acts as a resonance chamber, making it even louder.
The faster the air going thru, the higher the pitch.
I needed the turbines to spin fast and freely, so I took the bearings out of a burned out brushless motor. They are 8mmX4mm with 3mm hole.
Tryin to make my designs Community accessible, so I want to use stuff we would all have laying around.
Assembly is easy: (all new parts print without supports.)
- Using 2 M3x10 screws, attach the bearings to the Siren Turbine Supports. Make sure the screw head is not too large, it needs to snug up into the turbine. See Cross section view to see what I mean.
- Using the Siren Support Instal Tool, press/glue the Siren Support into the Shaft hole of the Main Body.
- While using the Install tool for support, press fit the Siren Turbine onto the Bearing. Making sure they arent rubbing on anything.
- Insert Servo Plug to plug up the hole for the Servo (if its not installed).
Yes, I created a Servo Hole Plug, so you can also plug up the servo hole if using this just for Looks.
In the Attached Cross sectional view, the White parts are the new parts.
Hopefully this give you guys a better idea of how it all goes together.
So there it is, the Twin Howler!
Now you too can go out there and annoy everyone within 100yards of you!.. LOL..
Attachments
cdfigueredo
Elite member
Wow, that's awesome!!! I love the idea.Since I was afraid the Twin Smoker wouldn't work, I was thinking of other ways to salvage the design, since it looks so nice..
So here is what I came up with.
Some of the older guys will know what Im talking about here.
Growing up we would always get these Siren Whistles toys as like stocking stuffers and party gifts and stuff.. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2121/1463/products/Sirenwhistle_grande.png?v=1593139527
It's just a plastic tube with 2 disks inside. One disk is stationary and full of holes, the other is a small turbine shaped disk.
When you blow in one end, the turbine spins and makes a super loud Air Raid Siren kind a sound.
So, with this in mind, I only modified 2 parts and was able to turn this into a massive Siren Whistle.
And this one actually works too.. LOL Its really loud just blowing in it.
Using an Anemometer, I measured the minimum wind needed is about 10mph.
Plus, the hollow body acts as a resonance chamber, making it even louder.
The faster the air going thru, the higher the pitch.
I needed the turbines to spin fast and freely, so I took the bearings out of a burned out brushless motor. They are 8mmX4mm with 3mm hole.
Tryin to make my designs Community accessible, so I want to use stuff we would all have laying around.
Assembly is easy: (all new parts print without supports.)
- Using 2 M3x10 screws, attach the bearings to the Siren Turbine Supports. Make sure the screw head is not too large, it needs to snug up into the turbine. See Cross section view to see what I mean.
- Using the Siren Support Instal Tool, press/glue the Siren Support into the Shaft hole of the Main Body.
- While using the Install tool for support, press fit the Siren Turbine onto the Bearing. Making sure they arent rubbing on anything.
- Insert Servo Plug to plug up the hole for the Servo (if its not installed).
Yes, I created a Servo Hole Plug, so you can also plug up the servo hole if using this just for Looks.
In the Attached Cross sectional view, the White parts are the new parts.
Hopefully this give you guys a better idea of how it all goes together.
So there it is, the Twin Howler!
Now you too can go out there and annoy everyone within 100yards of you!.. LOL..
Just a suggestion, you can use the servo to control when to allow the mechanism to rotate freely, this way you can turn on/off the whistle.
cdfigueredo
Elite member
The main issue with the smoke generator is realted to the incoming airflow. Increasing the size shoould work!
chickenhawk
Active member
What seems to be the main problem? Does the powder pack down and you get no flow? So we need some way to get some vibrations to loosen the powder?
Absolutely.. I was playing around with it this morning, and was thinking it would be nice to be able to turn it on/off.
A COOOOLL way to do it would be to have a Mechanical Iris that closes both intakes.. Like a Camera shutter. Or like Johnny5's Eyes..
Maybe some kind of Print-in-place mechanism thats all part of the Intake piece..
Hmmm.. Ill have to play with that idea.
I gave this a go a while back but had issues with my printer/filament which made it totally unusable. I have been contemplating going down a different route for several years by using the guts from a vape pen and some other liquid that does not necissarily need to be humanly consumeable. (vegetable oil or kerosene maybe)
LB
LB
Ok, thanks to cdfigueredo's suggestion; I present to you: the Twin Howler - Iris Edition...
I cant believe it actually works. LOL.. Its a pain to assemble tho, lots-o small parts...
And tolerances are really tight too. There wasn't a lota room to fit the mechanism into the intake, but somehow it fits.
I also managed to only modify the Intake part. So all the other STLs remain the same.
Just print and assemble the Iris Intake and clip it on in place of the normal intake.
Ill put together the files and a write up when I get a chance.
There is a specific Order of Operations for assembly, so I want to make it as easy as I can for you guys.
These designs are quite dependent on tight tolerances for pivots, clips, and other pieces that press-fit together, etc...
Im always worried about that when I release files to the public.. I try to keep the tolerances around 0.25mm.. I figure thats a good middle ground.
Everyone's printers will have different tolerances tho, so some pieces may not fit together like they should, or at all in some cases.
So, I apologize in advance if these things dont fit once you print em. (assuming anyone out there is actually printing these things..)
I cant believe it actually works.
LOL.. Its a pain to assemble tho, lots-o small parts... And tolerances are really tight too. There wasn't a lota room to fit the mechanism into the intake, but somehow it fits.
I also managed to only modify the Intake part. So all the other STLs remain the same.
Just print and assemble the Iris Intake and clip it on in place of the normal intake.
Ill put together the files and a write up when I get a chance.
There is a specific Order of Operations for assembly, so I want to make it as easy as I can for you guys.
These designs are quite dependent on tight tolerances for pivots, clips, and other pieces that press-fit together, etc...
Im always worried about that when I release files to the public.. I try to keep the tolerances around 0.25mm.. I figure thats a good middle ground.
Everyone's printers will have different tolerances tho, so some pieces may not fit together like they should, or at all in some cases.
So, I apologize in advance if these things dont fit once you print em. (assuming anyone out there is actually printing these things..
)Ok, If you want em, come and get em!.
Zip file with STLs and Assembly instructions.
Its a really fiddly assembly. All the moving parts for this mechanism total only 3mm thick. 12 moving parts, 2 stacked layers.
But hey, at least all you need is 2 M2x4mm screws (or equivalent), thats it.
This project has grown out of scope of this Thread pretty quickly, and I think it should probably continue in its own Thread.
I should make a dedicated Build log of the whole Twin Howler. We'll see.
Anyway, if anyone prints it, let us know.
Zip file with STLs and Assembly instructions.
Its a really fiddly assembly. All the moving parts for this mechanism total only 3mm thick. 12 moving parts, 2 stacked layers.
But hey, at least all you need is 2 M2x4mm screws (or equivalent), thats it.
This project has grown out of scope of this Thread pretty quickly, and I think it should probably continue in its own Thread.
I should make a dedicated Build log of the whole Twin Howler. We'll see.
Anyway, if anyone prints it, let us know.
ThatsALotOfPlanes
Active member
Wow, those irises are incredible @AlLarabie !
Kinda skimmed thru some of this thread so apologies if my idea has been mentioned already. I wonder if something that works like an airbrush resovoir would work. A container holds some powder like flour or talcum. A tube protrudes from the bottom of the container, with the open end in a place with high speed airflow, some sort of funneled inlet maybe. The low pressure of the high speed air moving over the open end of the tube creates suction and sucks powder from the container, through the tube, and into the airsteam. Stick a butterfly valve or something similar on the tube for controlled release.
No clue how fast the air moving over the tube would have to be, and if it's feasible to achieve that at RC speeds.
Kinda skimmed thru some of this thread so apologies if my idea has been mentioned already. I wonder if something that works like an airbrush resovoir would work. A container holds some powder like flour or talcum. A tube protrudes from the bottom of the container, with the open end in a place with high speed airflow, some sort of funneled inlet maybe. The low pressure of the high speed air moving over the open end of the tube creates suction and sucks powder from the container, through the tube, and into the airsteam. Stick a butterfly valve or something similar on the tube for controlled release.
No clue how fast the air moving over the tube would have to be, and if it's feasible to achieve that at RC speeds.
Tench745
Master member
This is ridiculous. I love it.Ok, thanks to cdfigueredo's suggestion; I present to you: the Twin Howler - Iris Edition...
I cant believe it actually works.
And tolerances are really tight too. There wasn't a lota room to fit the mechanism into the intake, but somehow it fits.
I also managed to only modify the Intake part. So all the other STLs remain the same.
Just print and assemble the Iris Intake and clip it on in place of the normal intake.
View attachment 224636
Ill put together the files and a write up when I get a chance.
There is a specific Order of Operations for assembly, so I want to make it as easy as I can for you guys.
These designs are quite dependent on tight tolerances for pivots, clips, and other pieces that press-fit together, etc...
Im always worried about that when I release files to the public.. I try to keep the tolerances around 0.25mm.. I figure thats a good middle ground.
Everyone's printers will have different tolerances tho, so some pieces may not fit together like they should, or at all in some cases.
So, I apologize in advance if these things dont fit once you print em. (assuming anyone out there is actually printing these things..
Matthewdupreez
Legendary member
Hey guys what version of this works the best?? I want to make one.. But not sure which one 😂
Probably, but at the cost of complexity tho. One of my goals was to make the project easy to print, assemble and use.
Mind you, my Twin version never really worked as good as I had imagined. But I never got around to testing it on a plane.
The Twin Howler works pretty good tho.. On the bench anyway (also not flight tested, or Flite Tested
)..
cdfigueredo
Elite member
Hello people!
It's been a long time since we last posted something in this thread, however the idea hasn't left my mind. I have been rambling about some ideas without coming up with anything useful, but recently I found something that might work and I would like to get some of your very helpful opinions.
First I would like to list some assumptions that will serve as a basis for us to overcome this together and achieve this super fun for our electric airplanes.
That said I have been thinking about several solutions and I think I have arrived at what could be the final solution, however I still have my doubts about it.
Solution 1:
Use an Archimedean screw to push the talc out of the storage compartment and mix it with the airflow outside the aircraft. This mechanism goes against point 2 and 5. In addition, a servo would have to be modified to move continuously and the speed could empty the compartment in a few seconds.
Solution 2:
Use a closed compartment with an elliptical or conical shape so that the talc is pushed towards the outlet (red part) due to inertia. The red part would somehow dispense the talc and expel it into the air stream generated by the model's advance.
This variant involves a very simple operation that would only require a servo to open or close the (red) output. However I am not sure how the smoke output would be, I think it could be quite messy. It was then complemented by this other version that increases the air flow pressure directly at the smoke outlet.
This solution relies entirely on the dust always accumulating against the exit mechanism due to the inertia of flight, however this may not occur at low speeds or once the dust has reached model speed. So this forces me to think about version 3.
Solution 3:
Based on the previous solution the proposal is to add a small hole in the front of the powder container to allow air to enter and thus push the talc always towards the outlet. The main problem here is related to the diameter of the hole; if it is too big it would generate a lot of drag and also the powder would escape from the front due to turbulences, but if it is too small, it would not fulfill its function.
So what do you guys think? Does anyone have any fresh ideas? Is this thread worth revisiting?
Last time this deserved us an appearance in one of the Flite Test videos, I think if we manage to get something concrete we will surely show up again.
It's been a long time since we last posted something in this thread, however the idea hasn't left my mind. I have been rambling about some ideas without coming up with anything useful, but recently I found something that might work and I would like to get some of your very helpful opinions.
First I would like to list some assumptions that will serve as a basis for us to overcome this together and achieve this super fun for our electric airplanes.
- It has to be lightweight. The last prototype scaled to 150% printed in PLA weighed about 150 grams without the weight of the powder. that is unacceptable for most small airplanes.
- It should be able to be replicated without the use of a 3D printer. Of course the prototypes will be designed/printed in 3D but the main idea is to find a technical solution to the problem.
- There is a factor that at least I ignored until a few days ago, and that is that powder, as well as liquids, react to inertia and are therefore pushed backwards during flight (this can be very useful).
- The airflow we are using to power the device is very little and is affected at low velocities which is attenuated against the amount of smoke we can obtain.
- It has to be simple
That said I have been thinking about several solutions and I think I have arrived at what could be the final solution, however I still have my doubts about it.
Solution 1:
Use an Archimedean screw to push the talc out of the storage compartment and mix it with the airflow outside the aircraft. This mechanism goes against point 2 and 5. In addition, a servo would have to be modified to move continuously and the speed could empty the compartment in a few seconds.
Solution 2:
Use a closed compartment with an elliptical or conical shape so that the talc is pushed towards the outlet (red part) due to inertia. The red part would somehow dispense the talc and expel it into the air stream generated by the model's advance.
This variant involves a very simple operation that would only require a servo to open or close the (red) output. However I am not sure how the smoke output would be, I think it could be quite messy. It was then complemented by this other version that increases the air flow pressure directly at the smoke outlet.
This solution relies entirely on the dust always accumulating against the exit mechanism due to the inertia of flight, however this may not occur at low speeds or once the dust has reached model speed. So this forces me to think about version 3.
Solution 3:
Based on the previous solution the proposal is to add a small hole in the front of the powder container to allow air to enter and thus push the talc always towards the outlet. The main problem here is related to the diameter of the hole; if it is too big it would generate a lot of drag and also the powder would escape from the front due to turbulences, but if it is too small, it would not fulfill its function.
So what do you guys think? Does anyone have any fresh ideas? Is this thread worth revisiting?
Last time this deserved us an appearance in one of the Flite Test videos, I think if we manage to get something concrete we will surely show up again.
Matthewdupreez
Legendary member
i'll think about your idea, and see what i can think of too.Hello people!
It's been a long time since we last posted something in this thread, however the idea hasn't left my mind. I have been rambling about some ideas without coming up with anything useful, but recently I found something that might work and I would like to get some of your very helpful opinions.
First I would like to list some assumptions that will serve as a basis for us to overcome this together and achieve this super fun for our electric airplanes.
- It has to be lightweight. The last prototype scaled to 150% printed in PLA weighed about 150 grams without the weight of the powder. that is unacceptable for most small airplanes.
- It should be able to be replicated without the use of a 3D printer. Of course the prototypes will be designed/printed in 3D but the main idea is to find a technical solution to the problem.
- There is a factor that at least I ignored until a few days ago, and that is that powder, as well as liquids, react to inertia and are therefore pushed backwards during flight (this can be very useful).
- The airflow we are using to power the device is very little and is affected at low velocities which is attenuated against the amount of smoke we can obtain.
- It has to be simple
That said I have been thinking about several solutions and I think I have arrived at what could be the final solution, however I still have my doubts about it.
Solution 1:
Use an Archimedean screw to push the talc out of the storage compartment and mix it with the airflow outside the aircraft. This mechanism goes against point 2 and 5. In addition, a servo would have to be modified to move continuously and the speed could empty the compartment in a few seconds.
View attachment 232722
Solution 2:
Use a closed compartment with an elliptical or conical shape so that the talc is pushed towards the outlet (red part) due to inertia. The red part would somehow dispense the talc and expel it into the air stream generated by the model's advance. View attachment 232723
This variant involves a very simple operation that would only require a servo to open or close the (red) output. However I am not sure how the smoke output would be, I think it could be quite messy. It was then complemented by this other version that increases the air flow pressure directly at the smoke outlet.
View attachment 232724
This solution relies entirely on the dust always accumulating against the exit mechanism due to the inertia of flight, however this may not occur at low speeds or once the dust has reached model speed. So this forces me to think about version 3.
Solution 3:
Based on the previous solution the proposal is to add a small hole in the front of the powder container to allow air to enter and thus push the talc always towards the outlet. The main problem here is related to the diameter of the hole; if it is too big it would generate a lot of drag and also the powder would escape from the front due to turbulences, but if it is too small, it would not fulfill its function.
View attachment 232725
So what do you guys think? Does anyone have any fresh ideas? Is this thread worth revisiting?
Last time this deserved us an appearance in one of the Flite Test videos, I think if we manage to get something concrete we will surely show up again.
i have a couple ideas in mind.
cdfigueredo
Elite member
Nice!!! this is the spirit
cdfigueredo
Elite member
Matthewdupreez you were never able to get the videos or photos of this test, were you? I really would have liked to see it in action.
Tench745
Master member
Unless the hole is ridiculously large the turbulence will be almost nil. Air tends to pile up in front of an obstacle like that and sort-of forms its own fairing. It seems easy enough to start with a small-ish hole, fly a test flight, and then slowly drill bigger holes until it starts being a problem.
