Blue Smoke

[Dan M]

While I'm trying to get parts together for my big genny, I was playing around with a small geared-up (25:1)pm motor with a very course prop.

While I was loading it up my motor sprung a leak and blue smoke came out everywhere.

I am told that electrical components cannot run without the blue smoke inside.

I took the motor apart and cannot find any sort of reservoir.  A suitable quantity of this must have been installed at the factory but I still can't find where they would have put it.

You would think they would add some sort of site glass so you can monitor a generator's blue smoke level and know when you're going to run out.

I have searched the internet and cannot find after-market blue smoke.

Will the blue smoke from my weed-eater make a passable substitute?

HELP!

-Dan M

[baggo]

I have a similar problem with about 75 faulty power inverters. It appears that in these the blue smoke is contained in the little plastic boxes with 3 legs bolted to the side of the case. If I replace these with new ones which have been refilled, the inverters suddenly work again. It would be cheaper and easier though if you could buy the blue smoke in a can and refill the little boxes yourself! Perhaps there's money to be made here?

John

[JeroenH]

It seems R/C plane electric motor and speed controllers are filled with the same kind of blue smoke (the guys at the model shop call it 'magic smoke'). Once it escapes, the device in question stops working. You'd think the companies who make these kind of devices would contain it better, or make it easier to refill. Once it escapes, you have to spend a lot of money to replace the motor/controller.

By the way: I have also seen this blue smoke escaping from computer power supllies. Again, these had to be replaced as there was no refill-option.

I smell a conspiracy.

[nack]

Any blue smoke will work if you can inject it into the depleted component.  This is where it starts to get tricky.  I have been playing with the idea of using a semi-permeable membrane to allow diffusion of blue smoke back into the device, but have had only limited success with this process.  I think if I could fine-tune the membrane material I could achieve OU transfer ratios.  Right now I am using a membrane made from litmus paper soaked in bile, but I have heard that saran-wrap dusted with carbon powder might be more efficient, as the carbon absorbs the smoke and holds it close to the saran wrap, and the saran wrap then acts as a sort of electro-static pump to push the smoke molecules into the component.  I am still working out the details of how to polarize the saran wrap to make sure it pumps in the right direction.

[MichelL]

I have heard that you can obtain adequate amounts of the 'Magic Smoke' from freshly rolled Cuban cigars. And if you place the cigar inside the case before lighting it will self-inject into the deficeint component. Unfortunatly living in the U.S. I will not be able to test this due to lack of availability of the correct quality cigars -)

ML

[nack]

I tried that early on, but it made the cigar taste funny.

[iFred]

Yea, but that blue smoke had a very distinct smell to it didn't it.... I don't think it is a replicatable smoke. I hear tell how ever that a component called -mary jane smoke- might work, but don't quote me on this! The smell is distinctly more sweet.  But back to the problem at hand...Once the smoke was gone and the odor disappeared the things just stop working, no replacement smoke available...Seems the entire electronic infrastructure is based on the smoke that can't be replaced...I too smell the funny odor of conspiracy...

[jsatan]

Blue smoke, or a joke?

jsatan