What can be done with the electronics inside a discarded vape? One engineer has answered that question to the unthinkable.
Romanian engineer and maker Bogdan Ionescu has converted a discarded disposable vape into a fully functional web server, showcasing how everyday electronic waste can be repurposed for computing applications.
The project began when Ionescu, who had been collecting used vapes for their batteries, discovered that some newer models contained more capable electronics. After disassembling one device, he identified a PY32F002B microcontroller featuring a 24MHz Arm Cortex M0+ processor, 24KB of flash memory, and 3KB of RAM.
To turn the hardware into a web server, he used the chip’s support for Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) and integrated a lightweight TCP/IP stack. The setup allowed the device to host and serve web pages despite its highly constrained resources.
Initially, performance was poor, with page loads taking more than 20 seconds and network packet loss reaching 50 per cent. By optimising the networking code and implementing a ring buffer, Ionescu reduced ping latency to around 20ms and improved webpage loading times to approximately 160ms.
The project highlights the growing potential of reusing electronic components found in disposable consumer products. Devices such as vapes often contain microcontrollers, batteries, USB interfaces, and other reusable hardware that can support experimental electronics and embedded computing projects.
Reflecting on the modest hardware specifications, Ionescu wrote, “You may look at those specs and think that it’s not much to work with. I, on the other hand, see a blazingly fast web server.”
