Can you recommend a cheep smoke machine

[ImagineerTom]

Got a show where I need a single, 20 second smoke cue that's gotta hit every time. Previously I've modified "budget" smoke machines to disable the pump lock-out-whilst-reheating so that there's the certainty that when the button is pressed it will fire at least some smoke but I've got a machine going in to something with a longer run with less clued up staff so I'm on the look out for a budget machine that DOESN'T have a pump disable whilst it's reheating. I could wack a martin magnum in but it would be far too powerful and over-spec'd for something that is little more than a gag - can anyone recommend a budget/Chinese/no-name machine that would suit?

[ladyjayne]

Do you need a 20 second burst or a burst every 20 seconds? Also DMX needed or not?

[ImagineerTom]

a 20 second burst.

 

DMX not needed

[dbuckley]

OP looking for a "cheep smoke machine".

 

Presumably that will be purchased on higher perches...

 

(Perhaps I better get my coat)

[jonathanhill]

OP looking for a "cheep smoke machine".

 

Presumably that will be purchased on higher perches...

 

(Perhaps I better get my coat)

I have called you a cab...

[MarkPAman]

OP looking for a "cheep smoke machine".

Probably should have asked on Twitter!

[alistermorton]

OP looking for a "cheep smoke machine".

Probably should have asked on Twitter!

 

Maybe a barbecue could generate cheep smoke.

[gyro_gearloose]

The pump lock-out is there for a reason. By disabling it you run the risk of squirting out fluid instead of smoke/haze. This wouldn't be much of a problem except that smoke fluid is quite slippery. This does present a hazard if the floor gets covered in it by your modified machine.

 

If you want a simple machine for this 20-second gag, how about a Le Maitre Mini-mist? They are about as simple as you can get, and can run for at least 20 seconds before they get too cold to vaporise the fluid. They have a 'volume' control as well, if you find the full output to be too much.

[ImagineerTom]

I'm waaaaaay more than aware of how smoke machines work than you're assuming. Like I said I've done it that way in the past for one-off's but this job needs a longer term "proper" solution. I could build a machine from scratch that does what I want to do but I'm guessing there's a budget machine out there that's going to be cheaper (and better built) than the 10-12 hours of my time it would take to build something custom.

 

ANY machine that has a heat/reheat cycle is out of the question precisely because there's no accurate way of predicting when the cycle's will hit - there's "budget" Chinese machines that will give 20 seconds of smoke but which still have the shutdown/reheat cycle. I'm trying to find the cheapest manufactured machine that has true continuous operation.....

[gyro_gearloose]

I know you know how smoke machines work. Its just that anyone else reading this post might be tempted to modify a smoke machine in the way you've described, and they could, if they aren't paying attention, turn their stage into a skating rink :)

 

If you need a reliable jet of 'smoke', and don't want a machine with a heat/reheat cycle, would a CO2 jet fit the bill? Might be a little way out of your budget though. Or what about a dry ice machine? I know from experience that if the basket on a pea souper falls apart due to being rusty, and the CO2 pellets all go into the hot water in one go, you get nice solid jet of CO2 smoke.

[bigclive]

I can't immediately think of a cheap machine that has the full electronic control of the pump to allow it to operate on demand without cutting out for the heating cycle. You're probably stuck with a modestly "pro" machine or the cheapo with the wiring hack so the pump circuit isn't across the thermostat.

[adamharman]

Why do you need anything more than you've done before?

 

Because somebody might press the button before it's initially up to temperature? In which case how about a latching relay which only disables the pump lock-out once the "ready" light has been on.

 

Or because somebody might try to use it for more than the 20 secs so the temperature drops too far? Never seen a cheap machine with a heater anywhere near powerful enough to keep up with the pump....

[ImagineerTom]

Because the heaters, the block engineering and almost every other element of a cheap, cut-out machine is designed to only-just-work with the cut-out option. Cracking them to make them run regardless of the heat cycle produces a machine that works whenever you press the button but which has a dramatically reduced lifespan (we're talking hours) - and because it's a corrupted set of electronics (that are already low budget) I'm not happy leaving such an only-just-safe and completely non-standard and un-supported machine in the hands of general crew for a prolonged run.

 

Just to clarify, I'm not looking for some clever custom unit or innovative use of parallel technologies; I'm trying to find the cheapest "off the shelf" ordinary bog-standard smoke machine that DOESN'T cut-out for a heating cycle, think of it as a reverse auction...

 

For starters I know the Magnum 1200 is a continuous machine - does anyone know of a cheaper continuous smoke machine?

[Neil Hampson]

The Jem Magnum 850 will produce continuous output, at a slightly reduced level, so I imagine a 20 sec burst is not going to be an issue, I know it's not 'Cheap' at about £230 but it is getting towards a small professional product, I have one of it's distant ancestors a Jem TechnoFog. I'm pretty sure the heater is about the same power and I can get a 1 min burst at full power with the TechnoFog, once heated in general use I have never had to wait for it to be ready. Jem do a smaller 650 but I'm not sure that it is capable of on-demand smoke.

[timsabre]

The Jem/martin 650 will not do continuous smoke, it's just a rehash of a simple thermally switched machine. The 850 is software controlled and will run continuously once heated.