3xAA box - 4050c mod

[XombyCraft]

Finally got around to sorting through snapshots of this prototype build.
Well, I probably won't build another one this way, because this one works just fine!
I had gotten a freebie cell phone holster from somewhere with some order, and I found that a 3xAA battery holder fit it perfectly.
So...

• Ti 4050C booster board
• Mosfet fire switch
• holds one or two 14500s
• 3.02V low voltage cutoff for individual cells

note* the last image why it's always a very good idea to double check your datasheets!

[Visus]

Did it sound like a firecracker

Thats is beautiful aa 04050 build

I just linked some 13A 14500's in parts section
they really wake up the 4050c and may run substantially longer than flames
even tho they are lower mah than the flames they run longer because of sag,  flames have horrible sag and actually run under ~3.4v after a few vapes hitting your 3.02v limit quicker.  If your running them >~1A never mind they win  lol
http://budgetlightforum.com/node/14976



I must clone that build lol   

[XombyCraft]

Did it sound like a firecracker

Thats is beautiful aa 04050 build

I just linked some 13A 14500's in parts section
they really wake up the 4050c and may run substantially longer than flames
even tho they are lower mah than the flames they run longer because of sag,  flames have horrible sag and actually run under ~3.4v after a few vapes hitting your 3.02v limit quicker.  If your running them >~1A never mind they win  lol
http://budgetlightforum.com/node/14976

I must clone that build lol   

Thanks for the positive feedback!  As for the lightshow... If i had to describe it, I'd say it was akin to a dollhouse sized flashbang grenade coupled with a 4th of july mortar.  I went blind, briefly, because I was looking right at the board when it happened (probing for voltage), but I definitely saw some nice fireworks, about a foot and a half off the desk.  Needless to say I was a little apprehensive about re-attaching new parts to the board... lol.  Just glad I didn't lose an eye, or worse, my beard. 

The original setup for this cell phone holder was an Ego regulator board with 3 14500's in parallel.  I could actually run 1, 2, or 3 at the same time.  Buttttt... it just lacked the oomph.

I used 1oz double-sided copper clad and used both sides for all the boards...  I made vias using the thickest diode leads I had (which were pretty darn big).
Traces were cut with a dremel, freehand.

The back of the battery minders contacts the +post of the batteries directly.  They actually cut out at about 3.04v, but these chips don't turn back on until voltage rises above about 3.22v, which is a nice chunk of hysteresis IMHO.  By my calculations, the positive traces that come after the P-chans should tolerate up to about 8.5 amps without getting very warm (it would be more with 2oz copper clad, but I didn't have any of that).

Back of the switch+adjuster contacts battery negative.  If I re-built this I would probably have used softer springs.  All I had laying around, though, were some springs I picked up at madvapes a while ago.

I used the back of the add-on board for the 4050 for the negative ground plane, so I didn't have to put MORE wires everywhere.  510 connector is just one of the sealed silver press-fits... but one of the bonuses of soldering the ground wire after you press it in is some of the ABS melts into the grooves, making for a very solid fit.

Hookup wire was salvaged from an old laser printer (lets just say Canon uses some PRIMO stuff).  Power button is a tact switch+mosfet, and the plasti-chromed button is salvaged from an old LCD monitor.  Works pretty good, and you need to push reasonably firmly for it to fire, which is nice.  Main switch came with the case, and I just moved it to the side (where the lower side cutout in the cell phone holder is).  I'm actually pretty surprised I got all that crammed in there. 

As for the cell phone holder... I got it as a freebie with something completely unrelated to it a long time ago.  Just happened to fit a 3xAA box perfectly (very snugly, but perfectly).  The strap fits nicely between fire and tank, and the adjuster knob is under the strap to prevent inadvertent adjustment. 

[Visus]

Awesome

I am gonna use a reset fuse between each cell instead of fets and wont use a minder.
The 4050 has done a great job of that,  cuts out at 2.9ish every time but starts to hiccup at ~3.1ish if I can hear it
The flames are uber long so with  most imr cells and your springs,  should/may be easier to remove and insert

I  had in my cart three evod capacitive touch units at fasttech was gonna build in a clear 2aa box for the lightshow
 took a 4050 vape and thought whoa thats way to much underpowered
but for the price its a sweet beginners build mod @ 3 for $4
wanted maybe to try and sell but no 4050c mods if I do that
now you post a sweet 4050 build,  ya I did good putting it back on shelf lol
they are sweet ego mods tho

http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10010021/1875505-evod-3-7v-e-cigarette-battery-touch-control

[CraigHB]

note* the last image why it's always a very good idea to double check your datasheets!

Hehe, can't say I've never done that before.  Those tantalums really blow when you hook them up backwards.  Something to be said for non-polarized caps.  Can lose an eye over something like that.  Anyway, nice looking build.

[Breaktru]

Very nice XombyCraft. Well done. I use to carry my .44 mod in a small cell phone case too.

Maybe Craig can verify this. Is it NOT necessary to add a cut-off for each cell. Wouldn't one suffice being the batts are in parallel and would equalize being wired in parallel.

[XombyCraft]

Awesome

I am gonna use a reset fuse between each cell instead of fets and wont use a minder.
The 4050 has done a great job of that,  cuts out at 2.9ish every time but starts to hiccup at ~3.1ish if I can hear it
The flames are uber long so with  most imr cells and your springs,  should/may be easier to remove and insert

I  had in my cart three evod capacitive touch units at fasttech was gonna build in a clear 2aa box for the lightshow
 took a 4050 vape and thought whoa thats way to much underpowered
but for the price its a sweet beginners build mod @ 3 for $4
wanted maybe to try and sell but no 4050c mods if I do that
now you post a sweet 4050 build,  ya I did good putting it back on shelf lol
they are sweet ego mods tho

http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10010021/1875505-evod-3-7v-e-cigarette-battery-touch-control

The only thing "sweet" about this build is the cell phone case, lol.  I'm actually surprised it worked.  Of course, it probably wouldn't have worked without Craig's infinite patience.

I used a minder (I call it a minder, as a whole, but the actual component is something Craig turned me on to, a 3.0v voltage governor) to avoid the PWM rattle.  I know it doesn't bother something like a joule thief, but I'm more concerned with long term effects of under-powering the 4050 board than I am with using a fuse with protected batteries.  That said, engineering rule #1 is: there's a thousand and one ways to make something work, and someone else will come  up with a thousand and one more. 

As for that evod board, looks exactly the same as the ego board I got from... uh... goodprophets for $1.99, only instead of a regulated 3.3v its "rated" as a regulated 3.7v... I wouldn't trust it to be true though... full 3.7v even when voltage is below 3.7v? on a board that size with not even an inductor?  I doubt it! 

BESIDES -- It's REALLY nice getting that freshly charged battery hit every time with the 4050.

Hehe, can't say I've never done that before.  Those tantalums really blow when you hook them up backwards.  Something to be said for non-polarized caps.  Can lose an eye over something like that.  Anyway, nice looking build.

Thanks again for all of your help on the other threads Craig.  I think I'm finally able to wrap my head around the mosfets now. 
As for losing an eye, I really thought I had, because the flash blinded me for a few moments.  Luckily i jumped backwards, my probe leads caught in the mod's case and pulled it with me, it hit the floor and popped the battery out... so basically it was just an explosive disconnect, no harm done!  other than the tantalum.

Very nice XombyCraft. Well done. I use to carry my .44 mod in a small cell phone case too.

Maybe Craig can verify this. Is it NOT necessary to add a cut-off for each cell. Wouldn't one suffice being the batts are in parallel and would equalize being wired in parallel.

Thanks BT!  This one was really custom done just to fit the holder.  It doesn't come out unless i need to switch the batteries.  I like the clip, and the now thicker grip, and the "leather" on the bottom is flat enough that it still stands upright on a desk.

I made a 4050 before this, but it was literally just a barebones with a horn switch.  I think I mentioned it in a previous post on anoter thread.  2xAA box for that one, and one 14500.  Works great, but I wanted more mahs, and an excuse to try out those voltage governors.

Speaking of which, having just one governor for two cells should probably work just as well...  but my theory was that the governors with the mosfets for individual cells might cut down on cross-charging if I accidentally put a non-mated pair of 14500's in.  That said, I also wanted the exercise in laying out smds, as I'm coming from a strictly through-hole design upbringing... well, through hole or through spring...  I only needed two takes to cut the "minder" board  to get the traces right for those itty bitty governors...  and I looked up the amp-ratings for the traces after the fact and was pleasantly surprised I didn't have to redesign the whole thing!

[Visus]

The 4050 doesn't have PWM rattle until the well welcomed 3.2v hiccup condition -- you definitely are using to low amp batts.   It definitely acts funny with wrong batts.
I tell ya good advice, change your batts;  if vaping below 2.4ish ohms and those flame batts yeah it PWM's.. Belieeve you me it will wake up tremendously, the 4050 is actually hitting the batts for almost double amps when ya firing it.  Dont get me started on its performance with lipo's,  it becomes a monster and fires all the way down to 2.65-2.75v strong @ 39watts easy , absolutely no PWM at all, it just goes flat all of a sudden and there is where your minder would be awesome for me but I am not using the lipo's anymore because of the new 14500's and ease of swapping out..

While a few year ago those flames were really good for our use,  now they are good for flashlights..  Look at their curve they drop immediately  below 3.4v anything over 1amp.  Yes ragging on your batts, Break used to use those but changed out to AW and noticed it right away but  if @1a or below they are awesome but only run ~4mins longer than a quality imr 600mah there..

Yeah Craig taught us how to protect a parallel build by  just fusing it,  you can fet it  but theres really no need in our use other than building fun which your build is awesome fun to build and I am cloning it with a few changes.. 

I love this board it remains my favorite.  noone in the vape shop is ready for it when they assume since cute and lil  it will not hit a subohm coil harder than a mech..  I am extreme with mine but so long as the batt stays cool I abuse the crap out of it.   Battery hog tho lol...

[XombyCraft]

The 4050 doesn't have PWM rattle until the well welcomed 3.2v hiccup condition -- you definitely are using to low amp batts.   It definitely acts funny with wrong batts.
I tell ya good advice, change your batts;  if vaping below 2.4ish ohms and those flame batts yeah it PWM's.. Belieeve you me it will wake up tremendously, the 4050 is actually hitting the batts for almost double amps when ya firing it.  Dont get me started on its performance with lipo's,  it becomes a monster and fires all the way down to 2.65-2.75v strong @ 39watts easy , absolutely no PWM at all, it just goes flat all of a sudden and there is where your minder would be awesome for me but I am not using the lipo's anymore because of the new 14500's and ease of swapping out..

While a few year ago those flames were really good for our use,  now they are good for flashlights..  Look at their curve they drop immediately  below 3.4v anything over 1amp.  Yes ragging on your batts, Break used to use those but changed out to AW and noticed it right away but  if @1a or below they are awesome but only run ~4mins longer than a quality imr 600mah there..

Yeah Craig taught us how to protect a parallel build by  just fusing it,  you can fet it  but theres really no need in our use other than building fun which your build is awesome fun to build and I am cloning it with a few changes.. 

I love this board it remains my favorite.  noone in the vape shop is ready for it when they assume since cute and lil  it will not hit a subohm coil harder than a mech..  I am extreme with mine but so long as the batt stays cool I abuse the crap out of it.   Battery hog tho lol...

yea yea yea... you know, I built my first bpx mod out of prescription bottles.  single 18650 and a horn-style button.  built like like a sidewinder/side-by-side.
second was a straight 14500 with a button.

Before that i was using 510 stick batteries and cartos.  so progress is made! i'm still catching up... but there's just something about clapton coils that makes me want to go buy an RDA..........

Looking forward to seeing your build.  If you have any questions about mine, let me know!

[Visus]

 

lol I am  not a pro but have tested the 4050 and 08100 extensively as best without a scope. lol

You will love a rda and fasttech just dropped a cool coiler making it an easy task to get perfect coiling every time..
They have 3 different models this is the cheapest but they all are the same basically..
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1/10010025/1878301-vaping-coil-winding-jig-tool-for-rebuildable

If I could recommend ya a rda
http://www.fasttech.com/product/1785902

or the magma no branded name clone
http://www.fasttech.com/product/1743800

and if you love building absolutely nothing will beat this rda for a single coil
its an uber tiny builder and looks good on aa mods,  flavor and vapor production are top notch
comes in many colors, mine is over a year old and still looks new its aluminum and you can open the airhole with a pointed knife its awesome but has very small juice reservoir 8 drops but whoa huge everything
https://www.fasttech.com/p/1395701


Great minds  do it when they do that,  my 1st mechanical 
If you've seen the cloupor t5,  I want it,  this mod feels absolutely awesome in the hand..  Just  feels right not big or little.

[CraigHB]

Thanks again for all of your help on the other threads Craig.  As for losing an eye, I really thought I had, because the flash blinded me for a few moments.  Luckily i jumped backwards, my probe leads caught in the mod's case and pulled it with me, it hit the floor and popped the battery out... so basically it was just an explosive disconnect, no harm done!  other than the tantalum.

Welcome.  Exploding batteries and capacitors can make you rethink all this mod building business, for about 2 seconds maybe

[XombyCraft]

lol I am  not a pro but have tested the 4050 and 08100 extensively as best without a scope. lol

You will love a rda and fasttech just dropped a cool coiler making it an easy task to get perfect coiling every time..
They have 3 different models this is the cheapest but they all are the same basically..
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1/10010025/1878301-vaping-coil-winding-jig-tool-for-rebuildable

If I could recommend ya a rda
http://www.fasttech.com/product/1785902

or the magma no branded name clone
http://www.fasttech.com/product/1743800

and if you love building absolutely nothing will beat this rda for a single coil
its an uber tiny builder and looks good on aa mods,  flavor and vapor production are top notch
comes in many colors, mine is over a year old and still looks new its aluminum and you can open the airhole with a pointed knife its awesome but has very small juice reservoir 8 drops but whoa huge everything
https://www.fasttech.com/p/1395701


Great minds  do it when they do that,  my 1st mechanical 
If you've seen the cloupor t5,  I want it,  this mod feels absolutely awesome in the hand..  Just  feels right not big or little.

Thanks, I'll check those out.  Love the pill bottle mod. They work good, cheap to build, surprisingly durable, and easy to make.  i'll put up a pic of the one I made when I can find it.

As for the cloudpor T5, that's a nice looking shampoo bottle!  Looks like it could hold 4 18650's or a couple of the larger batts easy!  You might want to take a look around for a similarly shaped/sized USB battery bank and gut it.  I've seen some that look pretty comfortable looking on Amazon.

I started modding because it was easy to get enthusiastic about building something that JUST WORKS (and doesn't, maybe, blow up in your face).
As for RDA's, I'm not a huge fan of the hassle of dripping... and I'm not a cloud chaser.  I'm one of those "vape to quit" guys.  Plus, I really prefer the ease of use/cleaning of a tank, so if I decide to getinto RDA's I'll probably be scoping out an RDTA instead.  There's at least two good ones out there now, and I've got a hunch that we'll see more in the coming months.

Welcome.  Exploding batteries and capacitors can make you rethink all this mod building business, for about 2 seconds maybe

I'll admit to rethinking it for 2 hours...  maybe next time around 2 seconds will all it will take. 

[Visus]

Tobh has just developed  a totally  new drop in system for the kayfuns.

Really cool idea in that you can swap out flavors and not your nic so you have a tank full filled  of only nic juice pg/vg and a drop in flavor cartridge and its adaptable to a kayfun..
You can swap out flavors all day long with zero crossover. 

I am a cloud chaser,  flavor fanatic,  but not a cloud chaser;  it just so happen that a cloudy vape is awesome.  lol

One vaped its almost impossible to not vape cloudy.. 

Wish shampoo bottles had bigger mouths to use but gave me an idea,  make a fibreglass enclosure woot woot
Meh' later,  many many mods to build my newest collection is waiting 4 me to hit buy button I have a rebate coupon and cannot figure what I want.   

[XombyCraft]

Tobh has just developed  a totally  new drop in system for the kayfuns.

Really cool idea in that you can swap out flavors and not your nic so you have a tank full filled  of only nic juice pg/vg and a drop in flavor cartridge and its adaptable to a kayfun..
You can swap out flavors all day long with zero crossover. 

I am a cloud chaser,  flavor fanatic,  but not a cloud chaser;  it just so happen that a cloudy vape is awesome.  lol

One vaped its almost impossible to not vape cloudy.. 

Wish shampoo bottles had bigger mouths to use but gave me an idea,  make a fibreglass enclosure woot woot
Meh' later,  many many mods to build my newest collection is waiting 4 me to hit buy button I have a rebate coupon and cannot figure what I want.   

Here's what my old PB mod looked like.  Note that at the time I was using 1.0ml Nano clearo's.

[Visus]

Awesome
really cool mod


its almost to never throw anything away there one day a be a use for everything lol..

[XombyCraft]

Awesome
really cool mod


its almost to never throw anything away there one day a be a use for everything lol..

Thanks.  It makes a great backup, and with the 18650 in it, it stands on it's own.  Grip is very comfortable.  inspired by this: http://www.madvapes.com/sidewinder-v2.html