CLDMKR Whiteout Update Thread

[blitz206]

Hey guys,

A few weeks back, I posted a survey on Reddit, Facebook and ECF asking for all of your opinions on various vaping questions for the creation of our new product, the CLDMKR Whiteout. We took nearly 1,000 responses, read every single one, and went straight to the drawing board.

What you see below are the first ROUGH mock-ups of the electronic and mechanical design, based on your feedback. Keep in mind that every aspect is modular, so if you hate the lime green, switch it out for something else.

Normally, I wouldn't show something this rough. Since we are trying to use the voice of the vaping community to create the perfect device, however, I wanted to bring you all along for the ride.

Our engineer sent this over late last night after a brainstorm session, and it's shaping up well. Both faceplates have the ability to be either transparent (Gorilla Glass) or solid (Aluminum), and the sideplates have several modular features as well. It's sporting a 22MM 510 pad, which we may bump up in size. I have beat our engineer to death to make sure that this is extremely future-proof, so all of the electronics are swappable to whatever chipset is desired. It will, of course, come with the CLDMKR chipset by default.

Don't mind the metal battery clips; those were put in for size. The LED strip inside optionally lights to indicate current voltage when the fire button is held. The iPhone is put in for size comparison purposes. I'll be periodically posting updates as we progress and get the prototype made, but I wanted to thank every single person who took the time to give well-thought feedback for the purpose of making the ultimate vape device. It will be worth it, trust me.

It's a long road to Vape Summit (launch day for us), and there will be a lot of sleepless nights. Keep hitting us with your feedback, so we make the journey worth it!

 

[2ndInCommand]

That is an extremely cool look. It also looks slightly huge, hard to tell. Looking forward to seeing how it come's together.

 

[blitz206]

That is an extremely cool look. It also looks slightly huge, hard to tell. Looking forward to seeing how it come's together.

Thanks for the feedback. The current model is a bit smaller than the IPV3, so you can use that as a reference. We really tried to keep the form factor as compact as possible, but there is a fine line between a small device and a modular device. Hopefully we strike the perfect balance!

 

[blitz206]

Just a brief update:

We are wrapping up the mechanical designs right now. This gives an idea of how everything is interconnected. More details to come in the next couple of days; in the meantime, feel free to ask me anything!

 

[Rhyno636]

I would like to hear about the chip.

 

[returnity]

I would like to hear about the chip.

Hey, the chip is an in-house design, a 150W DC-DC regulated design with buck capabilities. It's USB firmware upgradeable and will be, like the rest of the mod, modular and upgradeable in the future, both hardware and firmware. What else would you like to know?

 

[Whiskey]

Moving to sales and promotions area

 

[freemind]

This actually looks like a GREAT box. I like the idea of Gorilla glass.

What price point do you think these will emerge at?

 

[Panther1911]

That is a cool looking mod

 

[Lighty269]

I like the looks, what are the specs?

 

[returnity]

Thanks for the interest and questions, guys! The Ares chip we'll be shipping with the box is 150W (USB firmware upgradeable) and the target price point for the device is $120-$130, and accessories/mods $5-$15. It will be modular so new chip kits will be available for swap, we have plans to do optional upgrade modules including colors/faceplate customization kits, a single 18650 bottom-feeder kit, a LiPo battery kit, an SX350J temperature control kit, and MANY other ideas in the works, directed by customer feedback and driven by initial sales of course.

We'll be working to develop a thriving community of users, customizers and modders who will be supported by the company (via 3D printer schematics, supported upgrades, and more) and a subreddit/subforum we'll be creating starting with alpha users and myself to create a repository of tutorials, guides and how-to's.

Our vision is to bring about a paradigm shift in vaping: we're all tinkerers here by nature, so why not give you the tools and opportunity to make your box your own, and make it truly future proof and able to be upgraded with the latest technology? We want to help vapers become makers, not consumers, hence our name Cloudmaker Tech. If you're truly interested in getting involved seriously in this project and contributing to that development of this community, feel free to contact me here or on reddit!

Here is more information on the device itself from the reddit threads (I answered a LOT of questions here): http://www.reddit.com/r/electronic_...cldmkr_whiteout_update_3_born_on_an_airplane/

 

[Panther1911]

Thanks for the interest and questions, guys! The Ares chip we'll be shipping with the box is 150W (USB firmware upgradeable) and the target price point for the device is $120-$130, and accessories/mods $5-$15. It will be modular so new chip kits will be available for swap, we have plans to do optional upgrade modules including colors/faceplate customization kits, a single 18650 bottom-feeder kit, a LiPo battery kit, an SX350J temperature control kit, and MANY other ideas in the works, directed by customer feedback and driven by initial sales of course.

We'll be working to develop a thriving community of users, customizers and modders who will be supported by the company (via 3D printer schematics, supported upgrades, and more) and a subreddit/subforum we'll be creating starting with alpha users and myself to create a repository of tutorials, guides and how-to's.

Our vision is to bring about a paradigm shift in vaping: we're all tinkerers here by nature, so why not give you the tools and opportunity to make your box your own, and make it truly future proof and able to be upgraded with the latest technology? We want to help vapers become makers, not consumers, hence our name Cloudmaker Tech. If you're truly interested in getting involved seriously in this project and contributing to that development of this community, feel free to contact me here or on reddit!

Here is more information on the device itself from the reddit threads (I answered a LOT of questions here): http://www.reddit.com/r/electronic_...cldmkr_whiteout_update_3_born_on_an_airplane/

really cool idea!

the SX350J would be cool in a mod like this, especially at a much lower price point than the sx mini m-class.

also a bottom feeder would be awesome!

 

[Heather]

Great idea. I hate that once something new comes out the old goes on stanby for awhile then either to another vapor or in the garbage. This definitely sounds like it could solve the problem. I love the concept. I like how it sounds like even novices can do this and learn as they go.

 

[Zamazam]

I like the modular concept and the target price point. If you could, please post the QA results of the board and chipset under various loads. I'm interested in the DC-DC output at higher wattage's, that's where most mods fail - not being able to achieve the claimed power at higher wattage's.

 

[dave/jayce]

I love it, I'm not sure if it's because the iPhone is in the pic for size reference but I first think of the otter box case for the iPhone when see this mod. I love every aspect of this idea. If it's a durable as the otter box then this mod should be one tough cookie to break. I think the price range is reasonable also. Finally something that isn't metal or wood, consider me a customer as of now.....

 

[returnity]

I like the modular concept and the target price point. If you could, please post the QA results of the board and chipset under various loads. I'm interested in the DC-DC output at higher wattage's, that's where most mods fail - not being able to achieve the claimed power at higher wattage's.

Are you referring to how, for example, the Sigelei 150W & IPV3 can only truly supply 150 & 165W (respectively) at very low resistance builds because of their buck-only circuitry?

If so, I can reassure you that our chip is buck-boost capable, and will be able to push 150W without requiring you to build down to the bare-minimum resistance of the device. We'll also be publishing oscilloscope testing to prove the functionality of the chip is what we say it is, not leaving you guessing and waiting for PBusardo to get around to a review 2 months after you've bought it. Let me double-check the maximum voltage output of the device so I can give you a more specific answer @Zamazam.

 

[Zamazam]

Specifically I'm looking for a spread of resistances from .2Ohm to 2Ohm and how the board and mod will perform (yes-voltage) under those varied loads. I understand Buck-Boost, what I am looking for is if the board can push the current needed to achieve the stated maximum wattage through a set of commonly used resistances from re-builders of RDA's, to Fill and Vape clearomizers. I am really interested in your concept, I do have some background in both DC-DC and AC-DC electronics since I used to build stereo amps

 

[returnity]

Specifically I'm looking for a spread of resistances from .2Ohm to 2Ohm and how the board and mod will perform (yes-voltage) under those varied loads. I understand Buck-Boost, what I am looking for is if the board can push the current needed to achieve the stated maximum wattage through a set of commonly used resistances from re-builders of RDA's, to Fill and Vape clearomizers. I am really interested in your concept, I do have some background in both DC-DC and AC-DC electronics since I used to build stereo amps

I absolutely understood your request, and I'd like to think most vapers have a basic grasp of things like stepdown and boost circuitry. I merely asked to clarify if your question was based on the common complaint about popular high-wattage devices like the 2 I mentioned, or if you were specifically looking for oscilloscope output ranges. As I said before, we plan to release oscilloscope readings at several power settings at several different resistance ranges to give you guys an idea of the accuracy and power delivery of the board. The prototype boards are in production now, and we hope to have them in hand for assembly into the first pre-production testing units mid-March. We'll be posting an update here with more specific information on the specs, and the oscilloscope output graphs, as this information becomes available. Rest assured that we're dedicated to transparently producing a truly top-level device that lives up to its specs as well as our ideals, and we won't back away from our claims and promises. Thanks for your interest and questions, and please stay tuned for the information you've requested in the near future. You're far from the only one of us who thinks that kind of data is crucial to a purchase of a device of this caliber.