Hi Luke, thanks for the answer.
The thing is I have been experimenting for years with smoke machines with mixed results. I think I have tested every thing I have read in forums, including the thread you already linked me. Those wirewound resistors, normal resistors, a piece of a hairdryer... Last thing I tested last week was almost what is showed in this video:
But instead a 0.5W I tried with 0.25 and with 1W and with both cases after a while I got heaps of smoke, but the plastic enclosure was horrible hot, almost untoucheable, that even melts the hoses. Also with the bluetooth Elmod app I could see a voltage drop of about 2 volts when the smoke generator was running. Definitelly this does not sound like the way to go. I seriously even wonder if all those threads are from people that tested the smoke machines for 30 seconds instead of running them for longer times.
As mentioned above, I blew the RX18 several times, but when I managed to have a working machine, it blew the smoke output in my ASP board. The smoke machine never worked fine with that board, not even the stock one, so I guess it was more of a board issue. Repairing it was a pain by the way (attached pics)
After the ASP experience last thing I want to is to damage any of the other boards, so I decided to ask everybody. The answers I got so far are:
the one you wrote us. (thanks again, by the way!)
Kevin from RC tanks australia does not recommend any resistor but nichrome wire, about 20cm long, but with unknown thickness. (not knowing the thickness is critic, the thicker it is, the shorter it will be!)
Ian, distributor of IBU said that the TARR Smokers they sell use a small wound metal element which is about 15ohms resistance, and the IBU smoke port is capable of 1Amp.
I will ask also Elmod and Clark. Great think the niche of this hobby is so small that everybody is reacheable, lol.
Anyway I really wonder if there is a definitive answer. It is like the TARR smokers, some people says they produce heaps of smoke and some other say they produce almost nothing or none at all. I really do wonder why so many mixed answers everywhere, besides using different smoke fluids.
By my side, I dont nead a smoke curtain, just something that is visible and does not burn itself or damages the board. Sometimes is hard to know if the smoke machine is working or burning, lol.
Anyway, I will update the thread with all the experiments. I guess somebody can find this useful.