In the PWM HOOPLA post, I mentioned…
When I review devices that have PWM output and put these devices on the scope, I do show you and chart in average voltage, but I also try to explain to you why it doesn’t “feel” like the voltage I’m showing. I’ve mentioned things like “too much power”, “doesn’t feel like the setting”, “hits the coil with a large voltage”, “needs better tuning”, “duty cycles”, “vmax”, etc. So I think I’ve always known what’s going on, I think I’ve tried to explain what’s going on, but didn’t have the knowledge to express it in a real voltage number. It now sounds like we’ll have a device that will do just that.
So what is the “device that will do just that”? It’s called the ECD Meter! It’s the brain child of a gentleman who goes by the name of Stoney on the AussieVapers forum. You know how I always say “far smarter people than me”… he’s one of them! 🙂 All the information and photos appear here with his permission.
So far this is looking like a vaping “Swiss Army Knife” for information on the things you use to make vapor!
You can find additional information on the meter’s home page: THE ECD METER
And here:
The ECDMeter was invented by a fella named Stoney on the AussieVapers.com forum
The curse of vapers these days , is never really knowing what your device is really doing . A lot of vaping devices these days use PWM ( Pulse Width Modulation ) as a way of controlling the volts that are being fed into your atomiser , and the average user up until now has had no accurate way of determining if the voltage you think you are getting is really being applied .
Why does one setting on one device taste fantastic , and on the next its nothing but a mouthful of burning juice? They BOTH say its XX volts , but why does one taste so different to the other .
A lot of it comes down to HOW that power is applied. In the “Good Old Days “ we didn’t have regulated batteries or variable voltage devices , it was a simple DC feed that could be measured with a simple multimeter . But by giving us choices the manufacturers have complicated things a little and your everyday multimeter just doesn’t cut it anymore .
Stoney , as an electronic designer of many years, thought there must be a way that a vaper can have all the information at his fingertips without the need for oscilloscopes and other costly measuring equipment …. Thus the ECDMeter was born .
In one compact but powerful unit , he has managed to program a device which can measure and instantly display
bat .. the output voltage, ( V )
cur .. the output current (In Amps)
res .. resistance of the atty or carto (in Ohms)
por .. output power of the device (in Watts )
When connected to a PWM device it also displays
rms .. the equivalent DC voltage
duty .. the ‘throttle position’, percentage of full power
fre .. the device PWM frequency
In fact the only thing this meter doesn’t do is nag at you or make you coffee in the mornings !
Already the great debate ( Or PWM-Gate ) is beginning to be discussed on forums, on YouTube, in fact all throughout the Vaping community .
And with good cause.
Up until now , manufacturers have simply stated that XXXX device is adjustable from X volts to XX Volts , this is true if you look at the AVERAGE volts being applied , but in actuality we SHOULD be looking at voltage delivered in terms of the Vrms , or the Volts Root Mean Squared , which is the CORRECT way of measuring output of a PWM device .
The Vrms shows the actual real time voltage DC equivalent being output by a PWM device , not the average voltage . Think of it in these terms , if a PWM device outputs 8V for ½ the time it is on , the V average is 4V , but in reality the Voltage being applied is much higher .
For Stoney’s explanation of this see: Explanation
Here is what one of the first users of the ECDMeter has to say
Aussievapers forum .. “Fatman”
“Although I have only had the ECD for a week or so , it’s had more use than any other of my vaping gear .
Vaping is a world full of variables, and up until now you have had to have bought a high end vaporiser ( like a Provari ) etc , or muck around with a multimeter and calculator , to figure just what is going on each time you change your set-up .
The ECD gives definitive readings of every aspect of what your device is doing in a simple and safe to use package .
Screw it on , fire it up , and the readings are literally at your fingertips .
Perfect for checking resistances of Atomisers, cartos, etc. … great for confirming voltages on VV units, you can see in real time if a battery is sagging under load … even tells you how a PWM is supplying the electrons to your juice 🙂
Already I have isolated a VV unit I have , that was over voltage and kept burning juice and blowing attys … I was convinced the atties were over-rated and had to be LR ( Unmarked by supplier). As the power unit was PWM a std meter could not read it accurately … the ECD cleared it up in seconds !
I can see myself testing every new battery and atomiserswith this before putting them into service .
Heck you can even see when an atty needs cleaning by the resistance change .
Best value for money in Vaping … step out of the dark ages of voodoo and magic , and arm yourself with the facts “
Here are some additional photos for you.
Coming soon to a review near you!
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