E-cig News

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This type of electronic cigarette is often called the pen-style. It is probably the post common model electronic cigarette on the market and comes apart in three pieces: The battery compartment, the atomizer and the cartridge.

The battery compartment usually comprises an LED, a ~3.7V battery, a micro-chip and a sensor. The sensor detects when a user draws on the device and controls the current. More recent electronic cigarette models come with a manual switch which allow the user to control the current by pressing a button. The microchip activates a cleaning cycle after a set amount of puffs. More recent models have done away with this feature as it often had the opposite affect and did not take into account whether a user might have changed the atomizer.

It most models an LED will light up when a user is inhaling and will also flash if the user has taken too long of a drag in order to signify that the current is being automatically switched off. It will also flash if the battery needs recharging in most models.

The cartridge contains a type of polyester filling which is saturated with a solution most commonly made up of propylene glycol and nicotine and various flavourings. Some liquid contains glycerine as a substitute for propylene glycol as some users have found that they are allergic. PEG400 or polypropylene glycol is also used in some liquids. Propylene glycol is the same substance that is used in fog machines.

This liquid is wicked to a piece of non-flamable material within the atomizer by way of a kind of sintered steel bridge from the cartridge. This material is surrounded by a heating element which cooks the liquid as the the user inhales and the current is activated. This transforms the liquid into a vapour. The vapour then travels back along a groove in the cartridge to the user.

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