You know how we're drowning in disposable tech? Well, some New York-based makers just found a surprisingly musical solution to one of our fastest-growing e-waste problems. Kari Love and David Rios from New York University, working alongside Shuang Cai from Cornell University, have created something called the "Vape Synth"—taking dead Elf Bar vapes and converting them into breath-controlled synthesizers (according to The Cool Down).
Here's the scale of what we're dealing with: more than 11 million disposable vapes sold every month in the US alone (as reported by Hackster.io)—that's 132 million annually, each containing functional rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and electronics that could serve useful purposes long after their nicotine reservoirs run dry (Wired notes). This project demonstrates that with basic electronics knowledge, anyone can intercept this waste stream and create functional instruments—no advanced engineering degree required.
Why disposable vapes are an e-waste disaster
Let's talk about the problem these makers are trying to address. Disposable vapes represent e-waste at its most frustrating because they're packed with perfectly good hardware marketed as single-use garbage. Disposal infrastructure for disposable vapes is limited in the U.S., and many end up thrown away rather than reclaimed; landfill methane is a climate concern (methane ≈28× CO₂ GWP100 (The Cool Down reports), where they contribute to climate change through gas emissions 28 times more harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide (according to the same source). That's a climate double-whammy—manufacturing emissions to create the device, then methane emissions when it's discarded—that we really don't need.
What makes this particularly maddening is that these "disposable" devices contain rechargeable batteries and sophisticated electronics that work just fine. We're talking microcontrollers, LEDs, and in premium models, even full-color displays (Hackster.io explains)—the same components you'd find in devices meant to last years, not days. The entire vape industry essentially convinced millions of people to throw away functional rechargeable devices every few days. As Kari Love put it, "You see them everywhere. They have the lithium-ion batteries, which makes them particularly insidious in the disposable tech world" (quoted in The Cool Down).
The scale alone makes vapes a prime target for creative salvage projects. With millions using identical components, makers can develop standardized techniques that work across brands—creating replicable solutions rather than one-off hacks.
How the Vape Synth actually works
Now here's where it gets interesting from a technical standpoint. The genius of this project lies in maximizing component reuse from the original vape hardware—avoiding the common pitfall of salvage projects that require so many new parts they negate the environmental benefit. The team preserves the existing battery, charging circuit with LED indicator, and even the original case (Hackster.io details).
The key component they're repurposing is the low-pressure sensor—originally designed to detect when someone draws breath through the mouthpiece to fire up the heating coil. In the Vape Synth, that same sensor triggers the synthesizer circuit instead (The Cool Down explains). "We started from a very silly place," Love acknowledged with characteristic humor. "We have to use the low-pressure sensor. Which means to play it, you must suck" (as quoted in The Cool Down). It's an inherently funny interaction, but it works—and it's what makes this instrument feel like an ocarina, that egg-shaped wind instrument where breath control determines both volume and articulation.
To transform the vape into an actual musical instrument, the makers add a 555 timer chip, six photoresistors, and a small speaker to create the sound-generating circuit (according to Hackster.io). Players control pitch by covering the photoresistors with their fingers, which changes the circuit's resistance and alters the tone produced (Hackster.io notes). This approach is clever because photoresistors respond to ambient light changes—fast, reliable, and requiring no additional power beyond what's already flowing through the circuit.
PRO TIP: When handling lithium-ion batteries during disassembly, never puncture the battery casing or expose it to extreme temperatures. Work in a well-ventilated area and have a fire-safe container nearby. These batteries are safe when handled correctly, but respect their potential energy—it's what makes them valuable for reuse in the first place.
Unlike the original vape, there's now a USB Type-C port for recharging once the battery depletes (Hackster.io adds). Adding that port back in feels like a small act of rebellion against planned obsolescence—and it's technically necessary because unlike vaping (which depletes batteries in days), playing a synthesizer can provide months of use from a single charge.
Building your own: what you need to know
The Paper Bag team has made this project remarkably accessible. You don't need prior electronics experience to build a Vape Synth, and workshop participants receive all necessary components including the vapes themselves (NYC Resistor confirms). That's important because it lowers specific barriers that stop people from trying salvage electronics—no need to source obscure components, no guessing about battery safety, and no wondering if your random vape model will work.
The project draws inspiration from Forrest Mims' classic "Timers Op-Amp's and Optoelectronic Circuit" designs—foundational work in DIY electronics that's taught generations of makers how analog circuits create sound. Participants first build breadboard prototypes to understand the underlying circuitry before moving to the final assembly (according to Eventbrite). This approach teaches both the "how" and the "why" behind the design, so you're not just following instructions but actually understanding what makes the circuit tick.
Understanding the circuit design helps when you're troubleshooting—if your synth doesn't make sound or the pitch control feels wonky, knowing which component does what lets you diagnose the issue. The team teaches participants to disassemble vapes safely to extract reusable components, then walks them through the synthesizer construction process step by step (NYC Resistor details). Complete assembly instructions are available through the project's guide on Instructables (Hackster.io reports), so you can build one at home if you're comfortable working with electronics.
The team has conducted hands-on workshops, including presentations at the 2025 Low Tech Electronics Faire where attendees assembled their own instruments (Wired notes). Their 2024 Open Hardware Summit presentation reached a different audience—established makers and researchers—demonstrating how salvage projects can inform mainstream hardware design rather than remaining fringe experiments (NYC Resistor confirms).
What's next for the project? The creators are developing a MIDI-capable variant that would allow the Vape Synth to interface with digital music production software (Hackster.io mentions). This evolution illustrates how salvage projects can grow beyond proof-of-concept into genuinely competitive tools—imagine using a salvaged vape to control thousands of dollars worth of software synthesizers in Ableton or Logic.
The bigger picture: repair culture and creative reuse
This project connects to something much larger than one synthesizer design. The workshops explicitly discuss global traditions of resourceful making—gambiarra from Brazil, jugaad from India, and Shanzhai and Lajilao from China (Eventbrite details). There's deep wisdom in these approaches that Western consumer culture has largely forgotten—specifically, the understanding that design constraints can spark innovation rather than limiting it, and that repair skills build self-reliance in ways consumption never can.
Similar initiatives are popping up around New York, creating a local ecosystem where different salvage approaches can cross-pollinate. The Disengineering Society runs a "Vape Mic" workshop that transforms disposable vapes into functional microphones—demonstrating how the same waste stream can serve multiple creative purposes depending on which components you prioritize. NYC Resistor hosts a "Grab the Guts" series focused on salvaging electronic components from discarded items (according to NYC Resistor). Where the Vape Synth focuses on the pressure sensor and power system, the Vape Mic harvests the microphone component vapers use for voice-activated features—each project teaches different disassembly and repurposing techniques.
The team's goal extends beyond individual projects—they aim to inspire others to take creative action against e-waste (The Cool Down reports). "Ideally, we would change that paradigm and make less waste," Love explained. "But while we're making that much waste, let's divert some of it. Let's use it" (quoted in The Cool Down). That's pragmatism at its finest—work toward systemic change while taking practical action right now.
The project demonstrates that extending the useful life of e-waste delivers far more environmental benefit than immediate disposal and recycling (The Cool Down notes). Even if you eventually recycle the components, every month you keep them in use is a month they're not creating methane in a landfill or requiring energy to process into raw materials—it's the difference between preventing emissions and merely managing them.
These workshops attract researchers exploring alternative design approaches, designers focused on sustainable practices, and artists working with electronics and sound (according to Eventbrite). That breadth reveals how salvage electronics bridges multiple disciplines—and why it needs to. Environmental activists provide the motivation, technical educators make it accessible, and artists demonstrate the creative possibilities. Remove any leg of that tripod and the movement loses momentum.
What this means for makers and the environment
The Vape Synth represents more than a quirky DIY project—it's a practical template for rethinking our relationship with "disposable" electronics. The Paper Bag team, working collaboratively as shuang cai, Kari Love, and David Rios, developed their approach at NYU ITP through a shared interest in making salvage parts more accessible while educating people about vape e-waste (NYC Resistor explains). They met in an academic setting but took their work into the wider maker community through workshops and open-source documentation—a deliberate choice that prioritizes impact over publication. In academia, this project might have remained a paper; in makerspaces, it became a movement.
According to Cai, inspiring others to take creative action is the ultimate goal (The Cool Down reports). That ripple effect matters more than any single project—one person building a Vape Synth is interesting, but a hundred people applying similar thinking to different waste streams creates systemic change.
Parallel innovations suggest different strategies for the same war on e-waste. Researchers have developed fully biodegradable printed circuit boards designed to decompose at end-of-life—addressing the problem at the design stage. Others convert old smartphones into data center components—finding industrial applications for consumer devices (The Cool Down reports). The Vape Synth takes a third path: transforming waste into something people actually want to use, making environmental action feel like discovery rather than sacrifice. Each approach has its place—we need better design standards, we need industrial-scale repurposing, and we need grassroots creativity that shows individuals their power to intervene.
Bottom line: this project proves that with creativity and technical knowledge, we can intercept harmful e-waste streams and transform them into functional, even delightful, new tools. More importantly, it provides a template that scales—as vape designs standardize across brands, salvage techniques become more reliable and accessible to non-experts. Whether you're a seasoned maker or just curious about electronics, the Vape Synth offers a hands-on way to push back against throwaway culture while learning skills that apply to countless other devices headed for landfills. Those "disposable" vapes aren't really disposable at all—they're just waiting for someone creative enough to imagine their second act. And in a world generating 132 million of these devices annually in the US alone, we need that kind of creative thinking more than ever.
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