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00:00This is a piezoelectric gas lighter. In this video, we'll take a close look at the clever mechanism inside to see how it works.
00:08Before we jump into the inner workings of a gas lighter, let's first look at the key external and internal components involved. Let's get started.
00:17A piezoelectric gas lighter is a portable tool used to create controlled flames for various purposes, such as lighting candles, gas stoves, or campfires.
00:26It operates on the principle of piezoelectricity, where an electric charge is generated by certain materials in response to mechanical deformation.
00:36This electric charge produces a spark that ignites the combustible gas released from the lighter.
00:43Before we dive in, can you guess how many springs are inside the gas lighter shown in this video?
00:48The number is probably higher than you are expecting.
00:51Drop your guesses in the comments below and watch until the end of this video to find out if you are right.
00:58This is the ignition switch.
01:00When pressed, it releases a small amount of flammable gas and simultaneously generates a spark to ignite it, resulting in a flame.
01:08As long as the ignition button is pressed, the flame remains lit.
01:12Releasing the pressure from the ignition switch extinguishes the flame by stopping the gas flow.
01:17The ignition switch is designed to be easy for adults to operate while incorporating a safety lock to prevent accidental use by children.
01:28This is the flame adjustment lever, which allows you to control the size of the flame by regulating the flow of gas.
01:35Moving the lever towards the plus mark will increase the flame height, while moving it towards the minus mark will lower it.
01:42This is the fuel refill valve, that allows you to refill the lighter with fuel.
01:50There is a fuel window on each side of the lighter to provide a view of the fuel level inside the reservoir.
01:58Now let's take a closer look inside the gas lighter.
02:03It contains two primary mechanisms, the gas release and the spark mechanism.
02:08Let's first look how the gas is released from the lighter.
02:14This is the fuel reservoir, typically filled with butane.
02:18Butane is stored under high pressure within the reservoir, which causes it to exist in its liquid form.
02:24This is the valve body, with a spring-loaded valve that controls the release of butane from the reservoir, which is activated by a lever.
02:32Upon opening the valve, as the liquid butane is released into the lower-pressure environment, it quickly vaporizes into gas.
02:41The gas then moves through a tube towards the nozzle, where it mixes with the surrounding air to create a necessary mixture for combustion.
02:51Inside the reservoir, there is a rod made of porous material that allows control delivery and vaporization of the liquid butane.
02:59Between the valve body and the rod, there is a disc that regulates the flow of butane before it enters the valve.
03:06The valve body is screwed into the reservoir, and attached to the valve body is the flame adjustment lever.
03:13When you adjust the lever, you are essentially tightening or loosening the valve body by a fraction of a turn.
03:20This compresses or releases the disc, altering the flow of butane entering the valve, which allows you to control the flame height.
03:29When the safety lock is pressed in, a spring-loaded pin aligns with the ignition switch, allowing the switch movement to be transmitted to the lever, which in turn opens the valve.
03:41Releasing the safety lock causes its spring to push the assembly upward, causing the pin to lose alignment with the ignition switch.
03:52Attempting to press the ignition switch without first pressing the safety lock will prevent any gas from being released to the nozzle, thereby rendering frame ignition impossible.
04:02Now let's look at how the spark to ignite the fuel is generated.
04:10This is the piezoelectric igniter.
04:12When you press the ignition switch, it compresses a small spring connected to a hammer inside the igniter.
04:21As you continue to press, the spring reaches a point where it releases its stored energy abruptly.
04:27The hammer hits a pin that compresses two piezoelectric ceramic elements with opposite polarization states.
04:33This sudden forceful deformation of the elements produces a high-voltage electric discharge.
04:40The voltage can be quite high, often several thousands of volts, but the current is very low.
04:48The electric discharge travels through wires to a small gap near the gas outlet of the lighter.
04:54The high voltage ionizes the air in the gap, creating the spark.
04:58This spark ignites the gas being released from the gas outlet, producing a flame.
05:05Piezoelectric igniters have a long lifespan.
05:08They usually stop sparking after several tens of thousands of strikes.
05:14To refill the lighter with butane, flip the lighter upside down.
05:18This ensures that liquid butane, rather than gas, flows from the refill canister into the lighter's reservoir,
05:25allowing for a proper and efficient refill.
05:28Next, the tip of the butane canister must be inserted into the refill valve and pressed firmly against it for about 5 seconds.
05:37This will transfer the pressurized butane from the canister to the lighter's reservoir.
05:44Finally, after refilling, the lighter should be allowed to rest for a few minutes to let any excess gas evaporate
05:50and to bring it back to room temperature.
05:53This is important because the butane gets extremely cold when transferred from the canister.
05:58And using the lighter immediately can result in an inconsistent flame.
06:02Now, as promised, it's time to reveal how many springs are inside the gas lighter.
06:10The right answer is 6 springs.
06:13Let us know in the comments if you guessed it correctly.
06:15As you can see, even something as small as a lighter involves many intricate parts and mechanisms.
06:23And creating videos like this one takes many long hours.
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