Develop fog reservoir system

[swizzlevixen]

The best way I can imagine to make the fog burst from the volcano on cue is to have the fog ready in a reservoir, and push it out with a fan. I would imagine these requirements:

• Fog machine
• Rubber or rigid duct to reservoir
• Possible fan assistance (positive airflow) to get fog to flow into reservoir
• Reservoir large enough to last a single animation cycle without recharge.
• Reservoir has three openings:
  • Input from fog machine.
  • Input for cue fan.
  • Output for volcano.
• All three openings are contained by a one-way valve, solenoid valve, or a rotating cap stepper motor mechanism, similar to that seen in the Binairy Talk video
• Muffin fan with sufficient CFM rating for pumping fog on cue. (See also Binairy Talk's use of a large woofer to pump smoke rings.)
• Output duct (rubber or rigid) from reservoir to volcano mug
• Custom during piece to get from end of such over the lip of mug without it being obvious to the unsuspecting eye. Proposed: a 3D printed piece to maintain rigid ducting, but with a custom, somewhat flat shape as it crests the lip of the mug. Could either be: an ‘S’ shape that dips into the mug and directs the fog straight back out (from the center of the mug, inside a ring of LEDs), or a ‘U’ shape that directs fog into the bottom of the mug, using the shape of the mug itself to redirect the fog upward.

I would imagine the ducts would provide better airflow if it were a rubber hose of some sort. A rigid (PVC?) duct system might be easier to hide behind bamboo trim, but 90º angles may restrict airflow unnecessarily.

Perhaps a one-way valve could be developed with thin flaps of rubber on the positive side of the inputs to the reservoir — much like the one-way valves for exhaling from a particulate mask. Perhaps those mask valves could even be repurposed for this.

[swizzlevixen]

Perhaps I could use space inside or below the bar cart to act as the reservoir.

What would be the best shape for the reservoir? Long tube (like a poster shipping tube) with the fan at one end?

[swizzlevixen]

Superseded by the small Seuthe smoke generator re-design.