Why you need a smoke stopper | HOW TO MAKE A SMOKE STOPPER

[@mokanin8894]

Joshua is one of the nicest guys in this hobby industry. I learn something from him everyday. So go ahead and support him. He deserves it!

[@keitharoo1962]

Cool, the polyfuse comes with an automatic "Destroy My Drone" feature.

[@mr-meek]

LOL

[@dartstartship4729]

I appreciate that you didn't edit out what happened with your solid state stopper. Thanks for keeping it real, JB!

[@droneee3478]

I plug all new quads into my 48v power supply just to weed out the weak ones in FIRE!!

[@trickn2819]

LOL FIRE!

[@Gibson99]

@@trickn2819 settle down Beavis...

[@trickn2819]

@@Gibson99 lol

[@jfh667]

Republican 101: Make healthcare expensive enough that people that dont make enough money self-weed out thru death. And if they suffer, let it be a lesson for everyone else: Get paid or get out !!!

[@ferdifant_fpv686]

Survival of the fittest

[@joshchristensen9887]

thanks to you and some others....my first build is pretty much done. made a smoke stopper. plugged in quad. no shorts, no light. I can't believe I did it. thank you

[@d3c0deFPV]

This episode of Joshua Bardwell: FPV Know-It-All has been sponsored in part by ElectroBOOM™

[@ibfisher]

yeah, only he needs to yell and then get bleeped!!!!

[@GhostRyderFPV]

I read this, then immediately scrolled up to look at JBs eyebrow(s).

[@KrotowX]

Read this and instantly scrolled up to check is JB did started to develop unibrow. Update: oh sh..., he definitely fried that polyfuse :D Mnementh will be proud.

[@KrotowX]

@@ibfisher JB definitely should learn from Mehdi how to act if something on table begin to spark, magic smoke come out etc. :)

[@goaway4702]

That one wins the comments section imo

[@LazerLord10]

I usually use a lab bench power supply with a current limit, but this is a good cheap way to do it. With the lab bench power supply, I can see the 'battery' voltage at which the high current is happening, which can help with diagnostics.

[@zet0korp]

That's the proper way when working on the bench. This way you are also making sure that you won't damage the battery due to excessive current drain

[@ChrisModjeska]

Thank you for this, never thought of it and I have lots of good bench power supplies and no smoke stopper haha

[@emgee44]

The best demonstrations are the ones that go wrong but you'e still able to carry on, and in this case you proved a most valuable point. Funny as hell too. 👍🤣 And I did learn something today.

[@BrassStacks]

😅 Good stuff! I built a lightbulb smoke stopper as my first test project when I started this all and got my new soldering iron. Just remember that that bulb gets HOT and it WILL melt carpet! 😁

[@johncitizen3361]

Nice, I was going to mention one of the best things about a car light bulb smoke stopper is you can leave your props on and power it up on the bench safely but you demonstrated it for us. In fact that’s the thing I use my smoke stopper for the most often.

[@justinhealey-htcohio3798]

Josh..... That was F#&+-*g HILARIOUS!!!! Thank you! I was kind of having a bad day today. But after warching this Blooper you literally made my day!!!

[@AlexKretzschmar]

Thank you Josh! Loved this.

[@TommyGFPV]

Agreed, this made my day!

[@trickn2819]

A: glad you didn't wet your kilt. B: glad a total pro like JB isn't afraid to use a Fisher-Price heat gun/hair dryer. On a serious note I tried a pre-made stopper and the bulb was a useless wattage for my micros and minis. I have a couple bulb sockets, I may build one myself with swappable bulbs if I can figure out the wattages I need. Thanks for the hours you put in JB, you're one of the few we can't really do without.

[@MrPsyfresh]

I have to thank you Joshua, i have like a month on this excelent World of Fpv, bought my Taranis and now practicing on DRL simulator waiting form my fat shark HD3 with rapid fire, Cross Fire Mini and all my Quad Parts to arrive this week. everything i learn i learn from you so far. Ones am able to make some more cash i will definitely suport you on patreon THATS A PROMISE!! Much Respect from Guatemala!!

[@mike1why]

I do love the irony with that poly fuse gizmo. Good ideas on the DIY version. I think I'll put a latching pushbutton switch on mine to simplify receiver binding.

[@psychwardfpv4353]

That is a freaking great idea!!!

[@KrotowX]

By the way some online shops still sell those polyfuse ripoffs which will smoke themselves and your model circuitry with it.

[@sunshynff]

That is so weird that I just saw your post, I just got finished making one, it's not a smoke stopper though. Had old tactical light for my .223 I don't use anymore, and took the button circuit board out of the rubber piece and de-soldered the wire. Took two xt60's with some wire still attached (I always save connectors) 1male 1female, soldered the two red wires from xt60s together, then soldered each black wire to opposite ends of the button. Hot glued a little short screw to the actual button to make it easier to push, some heat shrink and bam, no more needing three hands to bind my quads..lol.

[@MatsGF]

Your laugh and giggle on this was worth it alone. Keep up the good work I learn so much . Thanks!

[@aenochfpv9863]

Well done sir! So funny! Thoroughly enjoyable and informative and precisely why I contribute on patreon. You’re a real service to the community and we’d all be a lot less knowledgeable without you. Thanks for taking us all along on your journey..it’s a great ride! 👍

[@FPVisioning]

I smoked something on my first build I couldn't tell what, it was actually my ESC touching the carbon fiber! Nothing was damaged. Thanks for the tips!

[@invisibleaznDJ]

I smoked something too on my first buid ... It was green. JKJK

[@borg1874]

I smoked my first FC on my Wizard X220. Now I always have one by me.

[@Averell64]

@@borg1874 I smoked my fc in my first build as well, best thing was that everything was wired properly except for the xt60, which I gloriously soldered on the wrong way.... No idea how that slipped past me but the good thing is - im never gonna solder an xt60 on the wrong way ever again -_-

[@dvmdoc]

Your genuine cracking up is making me crack up Joshua....!!!

[@fpvwing]

Throw a switch into the wire too, makes live so much easier

[@HDgodfrey]

(To other viewers: click his vendor links and then bookmark that page. Then user that bookmark to start all your shopping at said vendor. Super easy way to help him out) To JB: Ive never seen you so tickled. I'm going to get fired for laughing. You made me look crazy (at least I'm going to blame you) love your content! Keep killing it!

[@hondablack1]

Hi Joshua, brilliant, hilarious video, just started watching your echine build series. Big thumbs up from UK here. Just a nitpick really but the bulb you are using is not a headlamp bulb (with high and low beam) but an American spec stop/tail light bulb. Hence 27 and 7 watts respectively. In the UK we have 21/5 watt equivalent. It looks to me that you have put the two in parallel, so you using 34 watt total. 4s batt about 15v. P=IV, so yeah 2.26 Amps, allowing for inaccuracies of a clip on ammeter. Just ordered my Tyro kit off Bangood and really looking forward to the build. Crack on buddy.

[@starsstripesjacket]

I used to be an auto tech so i have a ton of those bulbs sitting in my toolbox, now i can put them to use :)

[@jackd6134]

Needed a smoke-stopper for the smoke-stopper... This video alone is a reason to support Joshua. Will check my Patreon account.

[@Faith_Family_Firearms_Freedom]

Although after about a dozen builds, I've never had a problem, I think I'm convinced to build a smoke stopper. Thx 🤘😁👍

[@djsolstice8964]

So, I have a VERY limited budget for quads, maybe $200 a year gets to go into this hobby. So things move slow. I have one quad, a second hand GepRC Cygnet3 (Early 2019 model). I've spent the last 9 month saving up to upgrade it to a new FC & ESC stack + GPS. If I were to loose these components, I would be out of the game for over a year. I remembered I saw this video scroll past me years ago. I thought, 'I realy need to be safe here, better make a smoke stopper...'. So I did. I continuity checked everything twice then thrice. So plugged it in with the smoke stopper...The thing lit up as soon as I plugged it in! Bardwell, you saved me a literal year of saving and pain today. Thankyou from October 2024... still need to find the issue 🤔

[@AlexReschka]

One of my favorite videos you have done lol

[@ChinaHobbyLine]

I tried using one but unfortunately I still smoke. Going to try the patches next! Great content 👍

[@EagleFPV43]

Oh hello cnhl

[@seandolan]

Ha LOL I love how real your vids are 😁😊 Thanks for the update 👍 You provide a great service Joshua ✌️💕😎

[@JohnFSmitheugene]

Now that was truly a great video. Damn, you do work hard at thinking things through, or even all the way through. I did not know about using one as a battery protector on the bench. I did not know that you could "safe" your drone on the bench with props because it won't let enough current to flow to make the motors run fast enough to hurt you. Sort of like it converts the Whirling Blades of Death into the Spinning Polypropylenes of Ouch. So, yes, I learned a lot somethings today. Awesome stuff! Thank you very much.

[@speedophile5]

Best Bardwell video ever!

[@jeremiedupont8696]

Thanks for the tip! Building 2 right now! And I just love that T-Shirt!!!!!!

[@donaldwaddel4600]

I haven't laughed out loud today until I saw you short the poly fuse!!! 🤣

[@Jamesn-js1zp]

Great video and a good laugh. Though, I once borrowed 2 brand new 25-watt smoke stoppers to a friend and it still beets me how he managed to smoke two new top-range 4-1 ECS, one straight after the other...the smoke stoppers didn't prevent the smoke from happening. Therefore, from experience 3 amps is still plenty enough to create smoke and my lesson learnt from the experience is that I triple check my solder work and inspect everything under a scope before plugging anything in.

[@du4-fpv777]

I needed a smoke stopper a few days ago. I'm making one now.... And knew about them 2 years ago when you came out with the first video about them... I'm learning... Sometimes the hard way.

[@WilkieaSt]

Thanks just made one it pulls 2 amps at 4S! Have previously smoked 2 FCs and an ESC so am glad to have come across this video. Cheers

[@hcarltonadams]

Built one after watching and it already saved me.

[@Gibson99]

by twisting the leads together on the bulb, you made it a 32W bulb: 25W for the bright filament + 7w for the dim filament. doesn't change the 3A current draw, but felt like it needed pointing out. you could instead use a 3156 single-filament bulb and that really will be ~25W. I recommend a little peanut-sized 168 bulb for tiny whoops - they only use about 5w.

[@williamwellisch960]

Thanks Josh, finally made one right before testing my new build!! Fingers crossed...

[@betterdog]

Oh my God - I have a cenewhoop the vine ape 35 It’s my Darwin .. Love the drone crashed ripped my camera mipi Cable . Lost three solder connections And needed to replace a bunch of screws Thanks to you JB … I fixed everything… Did my multimeter check the way you taught me plugged in my vifly smoke stopper…. Green light .. success. Here’s the cat. I also installed the same brand name vifly beeper. Sing the green light I thought this is perfect so I found my receiver and to test it to make sure the beeper was working. I hit the beeper switch and by fly, turned, red and shut the power off… I repeated this a few times. Took the drone completely apart get all my continuity checks on my close contacts and everything else and after about 45 minutes to an hour… I had a realization that the smoke stopper took that beep are going on as more current and treated it like a short. So with it spread out all over the table, I plugged in my battery, armed it again hit my switch the paperwork great put it all back together and did a little test here on the floor and it lifted off the floor and it tilted the way it was supposed to tilt. Can’t wait to fly it hopefully tomorrow. Thank you, JB … I was unaware that you cannot turn on Accessories or arm your quad copter when the smoke detectors in the loop .. I figured I’d share that because I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anybody mention that it will shut off if you try to arm it.. so I laugh at myself and once again thank you for your videos. They are incredible.

[@bytewelder]

Great video! I followed the steps and made my own smoke stopper 👍

[@MCsCreations]

Hey, Joshua, a tip: cut the black wire and solder a switch in the between. 😊 It helps a LOT to bind and so on. 😃 I made one this way, but I used a light bulb holder. Easier to change in case of any accident. 😊

[@frankbarajas]

Great tip!

[@MCsCreations]

@@frankbarajas I even recorded the step by step process, speaking in Portuguese and English... But I couldn't finish the video yet. 😕

[@frankbarajas]

@@MCsCreations Finish her off bro, it doesn't count until the deed is done...But then I again, I'm famous for not finishing stuff...lol

[@MCsCreations]

@@frankbarajas The problem is that I can't speak straight right now... Long history, but because of the robbery that entered my home and attacked me in late 2017 I ended losing a few of my front tooth... I'm having to put implants and so on. 😕 So, until I finish it I can't do much. 😕

[@frankbarajas]

MC's Creations - Oh wow, I am so sorry to hear that happened to you. From my own personal experience I can say it can take a very long time to fully recover, if ever, from things like that. Hope it goes well for you my friend.

[@8B1tbreaks]

I can’t count how many times I’ve watched this dude lol I’m f*n rolling over here 🤣love your laugh, man, you sound so tickled hahaha

[@nathaniel7238]

3:26 "You're really fillin' me with a lot of confidence, Doc."

[@PowerScissor]

Who knew a short circuit could bring Joshua so much joy. I know what I'm getting him for his birthday...

[@DOOMRiderfpv]

Dude I love your laugh 🤣

[@allengerhard9513]

I just want to say thank you cuz that's the greatest video I have ever learned. I've got your bored and you're 4 in 1 and I love it. Although I did Smash one ESC so I had to replace the 4 in 1. Keep up the great work I enjoy it

[@allengerhard9513]

May have worded that wrong either way this video definitely helped me

[@tekeraq]

This is a fire extinguisher that puts outs fires.... haaa kind of :) Now the DYI smoke stopper great idea, learned something new today

[@mathieuf.2788]

Made one right after my first build... I had to cross my fingers with that one but not any more. I used a 3 amp circuit breaker after reading an article on Propwashed.com. Two worthy notes from the recent past, 1- I smoked an FC with the smoke stopper on (the FC must have had some damage and shorted using less than 3 amps since it didn't trip), 2- I was puzzled after checking motor directions with the smoke stopper on, not anymore since I now have learned that operating one motor at a time at the low speeds I used wouldn't draw more than 3 amps. Thanks a bunch and I had a really good laugh with you.

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

Oh, man, you were having WAY too much fun with the defective polyfuse smoke stopper. :D

[@DanRogers1985]

Multimeter + smoke stopper is what I use to test every new build. Along with testing as I build to make sure each component works.

[@nyvinchenz9430]

I'm sure someone said this those are blinker bulbs but thank you for the tip and if you burn out one side just switch the wires to the other pole of the bulb

[@subzero674]

Awesome, thanks! I LMAO when the polyfuse thing smoked. I imagine the light bulb would have saved a quad I smoked with a stray screw two weeks ago.

[@edrone_]

Or if you wire up the power out on unify pro hv with power out on your fc on mistake like I did on your tbs unify pro instead of the power in multimeter wont detect it. I had a smoke stopper that uses a fuse hooked up but still fried my vtx. Great information

[@zanpekosak2383]

A computer PSU has intergrated short circuit protection and can output 3.3V 5V and 12V. You can get 7V or 9V out with correct plug placement. Its an awesome tool for every drone maker.

[@jonnitheeagle1153]

How to get smoke... Buy a start smoker lol😂 It killed me...😎

[@throughtube8693]

4:17 annnnd subscribed! From my own experience, I chose too small a wattage bulb for a 10 inch build, that I really didn’t want to smoke, and the light was turning on just from the audible beeps the motor makes (for context, it was two 12v - 4 watt bulbs in series) Initially thought something was wrong so disconnected the battery really quick, but now know better the SS is an indicator, current limiter, AND a fuse so it's safe to leave connected. Probably put myself through a lot of extra work, but in the end better safe than sorry.

[@vampcaff]

I just plug the battery in and watch the fireworks!

[@A3Kr0n]

People used to use that technique with a light bulb to prevent them from dying while working on vacuum tube projects back in the old skool days.

[@jeroeniemans]

This is so hilirious, whenever im down imjust looking this episode to crack myself up!

[@elvedinzdionica9732]

Automotive glass fuse that comes in housing with spring inside is also a solution, it's mainly used for audio systems on cars but works on quads too.

[@MouwDown]

Joshua bardwell, I feel like you were thinking of a post I made on RDQ group on the facebook . Lots of opinions on there. I went ahead and purchased a light bulb version because of the advise you gave me on there.

[@slaggedfpv599]

That made my day that little blooper.. Still a great video, very informative..

[@afrog2666]

One more use for a smoke stopper: discharging a pack down to nominal voltage, if you charged too many packs and suddenly you`re not using them for instance after a crash, bad weather, or uhhm, you fell and hurt your wrist or something :o Sure, many have that function on their charger(s), but many don`t. 12V halogen bulbs for desklamps etc. also work, but they can get REALLY hot, so keep that in mind ;) Also, use a multimeter or voltmeter so you know where the voltage is actually at, shouldn` t have to mention that, but here I am, mentioning it :p

[@bluzzpower]

Ok JB..what are you smokin! Stop already! bwhahahha, the polyfuse be trippin. hahah great vid!! Viva the smoke stopper!

[@MCsCreations]

I guess it's burning electronics fume what he's smoking. LOL It smells great, but feels bad. 😕

[@ByeJon]

I also use mine with the “Discharge +” setting on my Reaktor charger to boost its built in discharging ability. It’ll boost it from 1-2amp to about 5amps discharge, just by adding the one bulb. 💡

[@crazzydutchman]

Learnt something today. 10/10 will eat here again.

[@michaelwilkes0]

i learned a new hot glue and heat shrink trick :)

[@noobFPV]

I got one of those smoke sto.. starters as a gift from Aliexpress. I'm a gonna disassemble it for parts.

[@awaitingthetrumpetcall4529]

I just subscribed because you know how to repair quadcopter PCB's and I can always find something I want to know about. What just occurred to me while watching your video is that I should be able to compare a DIY ESC signal to a commercial ESC signal on my '2 channel' oscilloscope. I obviously can't see all three phases at once but I can copy, save and then overlay a composite trace which would allow me to see the third 120° phase. At that point I should be able to compare the behavior of the commercial ESC with my DIY circuit... But first, I have to make a 'smoke stopper!

[@sparrow082]

Oh I absolutely agree with you! I Cote every solder joint after they've cooled with conformal coding regardless of how good of a soldering jod I've think I've done. I had the tiniest blob of solder from a +5v pad which was right next to an positive ESC pad, they weren't touching but they were closed enough when I plugged in hey 16 volt battery they might as well have been one pad, and wouldn't you know it those kind of shorts don't show up with a multimeter. 🙃

[@KrotowX]

It happens more than you think :) Me once did a stunt with XT60 battery connector soldered in opposite polarity in middle of night. And quad didn't fried only because one of battery pads on flight controller board had cold soldering and fell of on battery connecting. Looking over boards with zooming lens after soldering tiny things should be a mandatory habit for every DIY-er.

[@DivisionRc]

Perfect timing. About to finish my. First 5” build and the scary part is coming up. I bought a smoke stopper but might go make one myself now

[@mrtrendizzle]

I found out heat expands metal and a short circuit is not visible while cold but once you apply power and that short is warmed up enough to expand the short is created and causes issues. Found this with my computers motherboard. Would work just fine when first powered up, but as soon as i tried to load say Chrome my PC would trip and shut down (PSU protection) Tested with a multimeter and everything was fine.... Only worked it out when my PSU failed to trip and a small section of my motherboard burnt out that connects a few capacitors together. The short was a small dent in the board itself and separated while the board was cold.

[@talksickFPV]

I’m a little late to this.. but just wanted to say wow! I bet that was quite an “ah-ha” moment… This is good information to have in my mental troubleshooting archive. And good job on actually figuring out what the culprit was there!

[@brookelevin324]

What bulb size do you suggest for xt30 connector?

[@Frosttyy12]

I need that shirt !

[@psychwardfpv4353]

Thanks JB I definitely learned something today! Using your link to order 2 from RDQ.

[@VistaPanoramicabyLello]

Talking about multimeters not working... I fryed my tekko32 4in1. It was almost touching the carbon and the multimeter didn't detect any short but as soon as I plugged the battery gess what...

[@ObsequiousV4]

I absolutely love the real time reaction of the smoke stopper mistake. Good old electricity

[@proptart7933]

How can I work out what wattage bulb I would need for a 3S 3" build? Should 20 be okay?

[@carrboro_chapelhillfpv2442]

Wow, the arm with smoke stopper is an idea I have never thought of.

[@sparkles9868]

Well i certainly learnt something and that is you have a great sence of humour which made me laugh as well Thanks for doing this video as never heard of a smoke stopper before and great idea and better then multimeter as it tells you about fault in advance

[@vhfgamer]

I made one JB. But I didn't use one of dem fancy modern bulbs, but the kind I use in my car. The 1157 bulb.

[@kanenstuff]

Thanks for the vid i have a 3157 and will try this as my old smoke stopper wasnt up to the job cheers

[@zanpekosak2383]

I was really lucky at one point during calibration when I did the rookie mistake and was trying motors with my props on. The third motor, my mouse slipped and it shot full throttle at my hand. I had a lot of cleanup to do after and luckly BF's great protection shut the motor off when the quad tilted to much. I can see that if I had this it would save my hand that day.

[@rokiesinclair]

Thanks for the Lesson, i break my first Stack even i know theres something wrong with alot of mosfet and mostly people even the seller insisted that my Quad is Ok, and guess what, my ESC is gone now. My next purchase of FC stack shows the same pattern like previous accidents, something wrong beeping from Multimeter, finally the seller agreed for refund...looking for the good FC now. thanks for the video

[@AngryPepper1964]

Joshua, I’m new to fpv and want to say I love your videos and thank you for sharing your knowledge. If I want to start building my own, could you recommend any books or learning materials of how to start the building process. Thanks.

[@86mld]

Where did you get that shirt I want one

[@SimRacer101]

I HIGHLY recommend adding a switch on your Smoke Stopper. Maybe call it an Ultimate Smoke Stopper. :-) It makes it really handy for binding your receiver. It also makes the process of shutting down the power much faster in the event there is a problem.

[@johnbigboote7954]

Do you mean like this guy did ;-) kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKSxXqekbZ6bqKM I put xt30 connector is parallel to make it the Ultimate Smoke Stopper Plus

[@huckaberryfpv4986]

How have you been?,I have not seen a post fromya,hope all iz well:)

[@heroflying]

Great idea @droneracer101. That would also be handy for shutting down those pesky battery backed buzzers, too!

[@pippifpv]

Great video. Once reversed the battery leads on an 4i1 esc. The multimeter didn't notice, but a smoke stopper might have saved my esc

[@borg1874]

Hey Joshua, great video with comic relief. I actual made a deluxe model smoke stopper with a rocker switch for low and high voltage uses. You can find Bill Anderson's deluxe smoke stopper video on KZbin. Best regards...

[@robbinkoot2154]

Does that short in the video hurt your battery?

[@thesral96]

What about 3 amp glass fuses that are fast blow? Should act fast enough right?

[@JoshuaBardwell]

The problem with fuses is, once they blow you have to install a new fuse. The light bulb is infinitely reusable.

[@sxt9169]

Lab power supply is the way to go. Set up a current limit like 1A and you can even troubleshoot the short circuit by touching and feeling which component is hot.

[@mhsandifer]

Lol, awesome. A fuse that fries your stuff?

[@therustyfareye]

...the giggles, hilarious...🤘🤣

[@tazman6483]

Hey Joshua, I would like to build one for 4s and one for 5 and 6s, can you be specific on the bulb I would need to find for the 4s used in whoops, I get the larger build is a simple tail and signal light build used in most automotive applications, however you stated the watts are 25 on the one used on the break signal light build and you would need less watts on the 4s setup, first how much less would you need and next what kind of build would one use as the watts for automotive would most likely be the same at 25watts.

[@FLHTdriver]

This is really easy to make and it saves lots'O $$$. You can also use a 0.5 amp inline fuse, easy to change if you do have a short.

[@stevefox3763]

Powering up indoors with the props on, I can relate to that. Had a plane with an 800w motor swinging a sharp 12" prop come at me in my living room and put me in hospital. Arm received 22 lacerations in about 1/10th of a second, 18 of them very deep, scarred for life but I still haven't learnt my lesson and never remove props out of laziness lol. I am more careful about where I am in relation to the prop whenever power is involved though and ether secure things down or make sure I'm behind it (most of the time) but did recently take a huge chunk out a couple fingers with a 450 quad that I accidentally armed and had to choose face or hands, the hands lost ha ha.

[@simonsaucy]

Thanks for the video JB I was just wondering how to do it. BTW that laugh is so funny 😂.

[@TheoSomers]

for 6s can i use a 50W 12V bulb?

[@michaelwilkes0]

sheesh, way to sell it man. I have a full bench power supply, but now i want to build a smoke stopper also :)