Author Topic: Vari Volt Booster Regulator w/ Digital Pot - Copper Mod (Read 120174 times)

Breaktru · « **Reply #50 on:** February 22, 2012, 01:21:52 PM »

Quote from: Dznutz on February 22, 2012, 10:54:30 AM

I was thinking of giving one of these a shot, my question is you made it a 1 button adjust for up and down right?can this be done with an up button and a down button? I was thinking of making a 4 button mod one being fire 2 being adjustments and the last one for VO display. Thanks in advance

One more thing is there a relay/delay like chip that I could use to power an led for say like 15 sec then fade or power out kinda like cell phone lights. I would like for it to come on when I press a button but fade out or shut off after 15 sec or so.

Read the datasheet for 2 button mode.

Not sure why you would want to have the LED on after letting go of the fire button but if you put the LED + resistor across an additional added capacitor it will stay on and dim as the cap is discharging. This may not work out because the load of the atty will quickly deplete the cap voltage. If you put a diode to prevent the atty load from drawing the LED/Cap circuit, it may be possible

Perhaps like this circuit attached below:

Dznutz · « **Reply #51 on:** February 23, 2012, 11:59:45 PM »

I was thinking when turning on device it would like "power" on pulse then fade out, when button is depressed turn on then 3-5 sec fade out. I first was thinking a 555 timer but I don't want to time anything just a simple on then fade out. Do you think this would drain battery to much?

inganeer · « **Reply #52 on:** September 16, 2012, 10:57:59 AM »

First off, Breaktru you are an asset to all of us DIY'ers. Thank you for your help and support. I am gathering my parts for my first VV mod now. Will share when I get started on it. Thanks again.

P.S. Congrats Blakd.

Breaktru · « **Reply #53 on:** September 16, 2012, 11:42:00 AM »

Quote from: inganeer on September 16, 2012, 10:57:59 AM

First off, Breaktru you are an asset to all of us DIY'ers. Thank you for your help and support. I am gathering my parts for my first VV mod now. Will share when I get started on it. Thanks again.

P.S. Congrats Blakd.

Thank you inganeer. I am thrilled to help. I am thankful to those who also contributed to this forum making it possible for others to build their first mod.

We would luv to see you post your mod here.
Other first timers have used this site for information but are reluctant to post their mods here. However I have seen their mods on other forums... oooohhh, that hurts.

ghoti · « **Reply #54 on:** September 17, 2012, 05:45:28 AM »

Hi Breaktru - I have been reading a lot about your work - Im a big fan, and a lot of the ideas I have had seem to already done by you so as Im new to this modding Im hoping to catch up

I have all the parts I need to build this mod - and this will be my first foray into VV mods. If you have a moment, can you recall what wattage resistor you used for the voltage divider? This is the part that mystifies me the most - and as I only have one 4050 Id like to not break it when I first power it up

Other than that, I have gotten myself a digital pot and a few other bits, but am thinking of breadboarding this with an analogue pot first to try it.

Please keep up the awesome work, and I will post pics of my mod here *first* when Im done.

Breaktru · « **Reply #55 on:** September 17, 2012, 09:19:56 AM »

Hey ghoti, thank you for following the modders section and the kind words. Glad it helped.

Smart choice to go w/ analog pot before attempting a Digital Pot for your first VV. Once you get it working you can replace the analog w/ the D.P.

1/8 Watt resistors (0.125) are fine for Voltage divider and adjust pin resistors (This is the LOW current portion of the circuit). You can also use higher wattage but they are physically larger.

Thanks for wanting to share your photos of your mod here.

ghoti · « **Reply #56 on:** September 17, 2012, 09:42:43 AM »

Ive been an avid modder in other fields before discovering the joys of vaping, and now I get to combine passtimes

Vaping was almost designed for me hehe.

I figured might as well start with an analog pot cos also they are easier to use, and I did think that 1/8w resistor would work, but looking at your pictures (hard to see the scale) I thought you might have used a 1w resistor in your tube mod. (Just to be sure its the one between pins 3&4 - the 15K one).

And surely its only polite to show on here what I manage to make from your instructions! Your help is much appreciated

I also hope I can make it well enough to not be embarressed (enclosures are *not* my strong point lol)

Breaktru · « **Reply #57 on:** September 17, 2012, 10:16:46 AM »

Quote from: ghoti on September 17, 2012, 09:42:43 AM

Ive been an avid modder in other fields before discovering the joys of vaping, and now I get to combine passtimes
Vaping was almost designed for me hehe.

I figured might as well start with an analog pot cos also they are easier to use, and I did think that 1/8w resistor would work, but looking at your pictures (hard to see the scale) I thought you might have used a 1w resistor in your tube mod. (Just to be sure its the one between pins 3&4 - the 15K one).

And surely its only polite to show on here what I manage to make from your instructions! Your help is much appreciated
I also hope I can make it well enough to not be embarrassed (enclosures are *not* my strong point lol)

In the photos for this mod, I actually used 1/4 Watt (0.250) because that's what I had at the time. Also you will see a Diode which I no longer use (not necessary). Yes the 15k between pins 3 and 4 can be 1/8 watt (0.125)

No matter how a mod turns out, it's something that you should be proud of. No one here is judgmental, I promise you.

jonas44 · « **Reply #58 on:** March 27, 2013, 08:57:38 AM »

Quote from: ghoti on September 17, 2012, 09:42:43 AM

And surely its only polite to show on here what I manage to make from your instructions! Your help is much appreciated
I also hope I can make it well enough to not be embarrassed (enclosures are *not* my strong point lol)

How did your mod turn out ghoti?

ghoti · « **Reply #59 on:** March 27, 2013, 09:01:26 AM »

Quote from: jonas44 on March 27, 2013, 08:57:38 AM

How did your mod turn out ghoti?

I had problems getting the voltage stable - not sure if its the dodgy cheap solderless breadboard I was using.... then I got sidetracked by another few projects... but I promised to post up here once I had completed it, so I will... hopefully Ill get a chance to catch up with this in the next week, as I really need a few new mods - and this would do nicely for what I have in mind!

Mimms · « **Reply #60 on:** March 27, 2013, 02:36:39 PM »

Quote from: ghoti on March 27, 2013, 09:01:26 AM

I had problems getting the voltage stable - not sure if its the dodgy cheap solderless breadboard I was using.... then I got sidetracked by another few projects... but I promised to post up here once I had completed it, so I will... hopefully Ill get a chance to catch up with this in the next week, as I really need a few new mods - and this would do nicely for what I have in mind!

Breadboards are notorious for intermittent problems. But they are useful as well. Good luck with your mod ghoti

shandy27 · « **Reply #61 on:** July 04, 2013, 02:44:26 PM »

hi folks how are you all doing, the site is great have been following it for ages. I am building PTN04050C mod and was wondering if a resettable fuse was enough protection for overcurrent and shorts.

CraigHB · « **Reply #62 on:** July 04, 2013, 04:41:58 PM »

Yes, it is. Though the down side with a PTC fuse is you give up a little power for it. You want to select one with as low of a steady state resistance as possible. You have to be a bit picky about it. You can also parallel them up to reduce the insertion loss.

One consideration is if you're using a round cell with built-in PTC. It's in the form of a ring sandwiched between the positive nipple plate and the base. You can sometimes see it as a thin black ring through the vent holes. Not all round cells have them, but if you are using a round cell that does, it makes adding a PTC fuse a bit redundant.

shandy27 · « **Reply #63 on:** July 04, 2013, 05:32:13 PM »

thanks for the reply I was thinking of using an unprotected 18650 cell with ptc fuse because at the minute I am using a booster mod with the imr cells its great but with my protected cells its not so great.

jumper · « **Reply #64 on:** July 11, 2013, 03:51:06 PM »

What an awesome mod! And like someone else said, can't believe you got all that stuff in that tube. I want to try something like that one day, but it's baby steps for me now.

Really great job. I AM impressed my friend!

shandy27 · « **Reply #65 on:** October 05, 2013, 12:15:27 PM »

Should i add a 5amp ptc fuse on the output and input of the 4050 module
Thanks

Breaktru · « **Reply #66 on:** October 05, 2013, 01:40:03 PM »

The PTC fuse goes between the battery and input. No fuse for output.

shandy27 · « **Reply #67 on:** October 05, 2013, 06:11:40 PM »

Thanks for the info, the website and the mods you are doimg are amazing.

ghoti · « **Reply #68 on:** November 17, 2013, 03:58:35 PM »

Hi Breaktru!

As promised, here is my first pic upload of my progress:

The voltage is noceand stable with a lightbuld attached, but with a 1.2ohm coil in a genisis atty, it seems to vary a lot....

On the left is a dual 18650 battery pack, then my DIY charge circuit and to the right, the infamous PTN04050CAD module, with voltmeter and atomiser attached.

One thing I have noticed is that you are using ceramic caps? Should I switch to those, or are the eletrolytic ones Im using good enough?

Again, thanks for your continuing inspiration, and if I caqn crack this nut, Im off to do a MCU mod in the style of yours, but I just cant crack this blighter

Cheers again for sharing your work with us!

Breaktru · « **Reply #69 on:** November 17, 2013, 05:12:05 PM »

Congrats ghoti on your boost build. Nice work and thanks for sharing. I am glad that this forum has helped you.
I do not use ceramic caps. I use 100uF electrolytics as per datasheet.
Cool charging circuit that you built. What chip did you use and what is the charge rate?

ghoti · « **Reply #70 on:** November 17, 2013, 05:55:29 PM »

Hi Breaktru,

I thought you used ceramics, cos they look like it in the pic.... Im just trying to figure out why the voltage isnt very stable under load at the output.... although the vape from it is quite good and definatly variable. Im waiting on a few more components so I can increase the measurement capabilities and control of the circuit.

For the charge circuit, Im using MCP73831T-2ACI Li-ion/Li-poly charge chips, 0.5A, although they are quite small and a bugger to solder as they are rather small, but it makes for a nice compact charger when assembled with 2 caps, 4 resistors and 2 leds - certainly smaller than the prebuilt modules. If youre interested, Ill dig up the datasheet and post a link for you? Just after I took the pic though, I had some magic smoke escape from my charger, so looks like Ill have to resolder the breakout board for them... luckily, they are pretty cheap.

Im self-taught in the basic electronics that I know, and forums like this are a great help to me, if only due to the fact that you show us what is possible, without holding our hands all the way. Ill update with my progress as it happens, although as its looking ike my finished build will more closely resemble the MCU/Nokia mod, Ill post something there instead.... either way, your help and feedback are always appreciated, and Ill gladly give you credit for the initial ideas

EDIT: Wondering if my problems are due to me using the PTN04050CAD instead of the PTN04050CAH that you use?

Breaktru · « **Reply #71 on:** November 17, 2013, 07:18:26 PM »

If you looked at my first .44 mods, I used tantalum electrolytic caps that you may have mistaken for ceramic.

The MCP73831T is a good chip. It is used in the Sparkfun chargers that I once used but are rather long in size because of the PCB they used with the connector mounted.

You are doing quite well with your self taught electronics

The 4 variations of the PTN04050 are the same. The mounting pins differ. 2 are through hole and 2 are flush mount.

What is happening with "the voltage isn't very stable". Is it fluctuating or a voltage drop under load?
Are you using 100uF caps for input and output?
Bread boards are notorious for intermittent operation.
Are the connections to your 510 connector connected well?
What batteries are you using? I assume they are in parallel.

ghoti · « **Reply #72 on:** November 24, 2013, 05:21:55 PM »

Im using 100uf caps on input and output as per your diagram yes.

The voltage display I have seems to drop down to 2.8v when under a 2ohm load, but a 12v lightbulb as a load stays at stable voltage. With a 2ohm coil on an atomiser, it fluctuates between 2.8 and 3.8v - although it should be more like 6v at this stage.

I also get a whine from the PTN04050.

The connections are all pretty secure as far as I can tell, and yes the 18650s are in parallel - although they are from a laptop battery pack, I might try using some better batteries - as well as soldering the components up soon as I get time... my digital pots have arrived, so Im only waiting on a few more components before Im ready to prototype.

The PTN04050 is pretty pricey here... so Ive only bought one so far... but soon as I see some more stability, Ill get a few more - although I guess mine might be damaged/faulty - but it seems to work fine under a light load.

Thanks again for your help, and apologies for the delay in replying.

Breaktru · « **Reply #73 on:** November 24, 2013, 05:31:40 PM »

The whine is a good indication that the PTN04050 is starving for battery power hence the drastic drop in output voltage under a substantial load like an atty. A light bulb filament is a light load.
I would suspect poor batteries or high resistance wiring/solder connection.
Put a voltmeter across the battery and see if it drops while firing the atty. If it does the battery is the culprit or connections to the battery or battery to the PTN04050 (+) or (-). Also look at your battery clips.

ghoti · « **Reply #74 on:** November 24, 2013, 06:16:44 PM »

I know the lightbulb is a light load (and a great play on words too!) but what you say makes perfect sense.
The battery connection is pretty good, but your test suggestions are brilliant, I will try that out tomorrow evening and let you know. I'm feeling silly for not thinking of this myself now though lol

I really hope I can do you proud with this mod, after all your help

Breaktru · « **Reply #75 on:** November 24, 2013, 07:30:05 PM »

I just scrolled up to your photo w/ the breadboard. Forgot that you used one. Breadboards are notorious for poor or intermittent connections. I have a hell of a time myself with them. I now do not connect heavier amperage wires through the b.b. and wire directly for the heavier current.
For future testing pick up a battery holder so you can solder the battery leads right to the regulator board and solder the reg board output directly to a 510 connector.

I'm sure you will do fine on your mod. No matter how it turns out, you should be proud that you made it yourself.

gprestonmoto · « **Reply #76 on:** March 14, 2014, 03:32:33 PM »

This is a great design but I'm a little perplexed. Have you used something different recently as your digital potentiometer is considered obsolete and out of production unless I decide I want to spend 15k and buy 5000 of them. Any other recommendations? I'm modifying the circuit for a little more output. Already modified the Pot circuit for two button operation, but I'm looking for a very good potentiometer that is readily available.

Squance · « **Reply #77 on:** March 14, 2014, 03:42:47 PM »

Quote from: gprestonmoto on March 14, 2014, 03:32:33 PM

This is a great design but I'm a little perplexed. Have you used something different recently as your digital potentiometer is considered obsolete and out of production unless I decide I want to spend 15k and buy 5000 of them. Any other recommendations? I'm modifying the circuit for a little more output. Already modified the Pot circuit for two button operation, but I'm looking for a very good potentiometer that is readily available.

Sounds like you are building for profit. I don't think it would be appropriate for this forum.

gprestonmoto · « **Reply #78 on:** March 14, 2014, 03:57:32 PM »

Quote from: Squance on March 14, 2014, 03:42:47 PM

Sounds like you are building for profit. I don't think it would be appropriate for this forum.

I have no idea what I said to make it sound like that? I'm just looking for a digital pot to use instead of one that you can't buy anymore...

Squance · « **Reply #79 on:** March 14, 2014, 04:29:09 PM »

Didn't you say you were looking for 5000? Sorry if I was mistaken

Breaktru · « **Reply #80 on:** March 14, 2014, 04:34:09 PM »

If you're looking for a DP for the PTN04050c which requires a 100K pot, try the AD5220BNZ100

gprestonmoto · « **Reply #81 on:** March 14, 2014, 04:35:23 PM »

Quote from: Squance on March 14, 2014, 04:29:09 PM

Didn't you say you were looking for 5000? Sorry if I was mistaken

No. I said that the digital pots are considered "obsolete" by suppliers. The only way to get them is to order 5000, then digikey will resurrect them. LOL I sure as hell don't need 5000 of them. Just looking for an alternative digital pot, with somewhat similar function.

gprestonmoto · « **Reply #82 on:** March 14, 2014, 04:36:40 PM »

Quote from: Breaktru on March 14, 2014, 04:34:09 PM

If you're looking for a DP for the PTN04050c which requires a 100K pot, try the AD5220BNZ100

I have a PTN04050c sitting around so I'll give that a try. Will be looking at a different step-up in the future so the 100k pot will change, but this is pretty much the answer I was looking for, LOL thanks man.

gprestonmoto · « **Reply #83 on:** March 14, 2014, 05:05:27 PM »

The end goal is a hand friendly 26650 box mod with between 40-50 watts of power with Variable Voltage between 3.3 - 6.5 volts, and be able to work with 2.8? - 0.5? coils.

Edit - Apparently the forum doesn't like the Ohm symbol ?

Just a head's up it's nice being in a forum of educated people and tinkerers without the Sub-Adult attitude towards electronics. I went to a B&M the other day to pick up an impedance meter. I was literally treated like an idiot. I had a person there (not an employee) try to explain to me that impedance doesn't affect vaping, but rather ohms do.

Breaktru · « **Reply #84 on:** March 14, 2014, 05:35:11 PM »

Nice to have you as a member

Yes your right. The alt+234 is not working. It use to.

CraigHB · « **Reply #85 on:** March 14, 2014, 05:50:55 PM »

I noticed that about this forum some time ago, but I didn't want to bug you with fixing it. Though it is kind of a drag writing mOhms all the time.

Breaktru · « **Reply #86 on:** March 14, 2014, 05:55:40 PM »

It's the Language Character set. If I was using UTF-8 it would work but this forum is using ISO-8859-1
I had problems early on with the UTF-8 so that's why I'm using ISO

CraigHB · « **Reply #87 on:** March 14, 2014, 05:58:39 PM »

I figured something like that, but like I said, I wasn't going to bug you about it. I can live without the special characters.

gprestonmoto · « **Reply #88 on:** March 14, 2014, 06:01:40 PM »

I'm doing all work theoretically and working in software to keep physical presence small. I will start a build thread when the time comes, but at the moment, working with a friend to use an Arduino to handle heavy lifting and control.

zykal · « **Reply #89 on:** March 29, 2014, 12:18:11 AM »

Very nice mod , been lurking a while getting ready to dive in however thinking about bucking instead of boosting.

HTML Ω

CraigHB · « **Reply #90 on:** March 29, 2014, 02:08:23 AM »

Trying it using the windows character map, see if it works; ?

Well, it shows up in the preview, but not in the post.

zykal · « **Reply #91 on:** March 30, 2014, 11:26:05 AM »

& #937; no space between & or #

Looks like i got it to work above however it takes time for it to process,

Ω

XombyCraft · « **Reply #92 on:** June 14, 2014, 06:59:05 PM »

Was looking for a replacement D.P. for the DS1869, and was taking a look at the AD5220BNZ100-ND
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/AD5220BNZ100/AD5220BNZ100-ND/936676

Has anyone successfully used one of these as a DS1869 replacement?
TBH, it looks like a PITA compared to the 1869... 256 steps compared to 64 steps, just for starters.

The DS1804 is a... 100 step 100k that would be appropriate for those that only want one tact switch (I think you could rig up increment/decrement swithing via the fire button)

I was also looking at the MCP4142, which uses a similar layout as the 1869 for dual up/down tact switches.
Looks like a 128 step 100k...

looking at what's "obviously" available, it's a shame they killed off the 1869... Talk about simple and straightforward. I guess manufactureres need higher resolution chips these days.

Any thoughts?

CraigHB · « **Reply #93 on:** June 14, 2014, 10:44:23 PM »

I doubt you'll find anyone here that has used that particular pot, but I can make some comments by looking at the part's data sheet.

That one has 128 taps. That's probably okay, but it's actually better to have 256 taps from a resolution standpoint. It's still better than the DS1869 which has 64 taps. It's a bit laborious to click through 256 taps, but chances are you will not be able to utilize the full swing anyway. It depends on the converter's resistance specs for voltage control. 128 taps is better for the amount of clicking required, but it's going to have less resolution.

In terms of wiring that one, it uses the typical pinout I've seen for digital pots that offer both a serial and up/down interface. For the up/down interface, you need two inputs, one on the U/D pin to set direction and one on the CLK pin to move the wiper. You can use a separate up and down button by tying the U/D pin to one of the switches.

One note about that one is if you look toward the bottom of the first page, there's a statement that debouncing is required on the CLK input. The DS1869 had debouncing built into the part. Not a big deal though, just a couple resisistors and a cap.

Pretty much all the POTs that offer an up/down interface also offer a serial interface so they're all wired like that one. Digital pots are mostly interfaced with an MCU serially so there's not a big demand for the up/down interface. They're going to multiplex those pins as much as possible with the serial inputs which precludes the use of dedicated pins for the buttons like the DS1869.

I'm not going to look at the data sheet for every part you mentioned, but they're probably similar to the first so the same comments will apply.

XombyCraft · « **Reply #94 on:** June 15, 2014, 10:20:50 AM »

You are correct sir. I couldn't find any mention of debouncing in the other spec sheets either.
I guess things change, and we adapt.
I'll post back with test results later this week.

Diasas · « **Reply #95 on:** July 19, 2014, 01:14:26 PM »

I have a couple of these coming in, I was wondering If I can use the first schematic without a digital pot, and just use it the way it is.

Breaktru · « **Reply #96 on:** July 19, 2014, 03:34:51 PM »

Quote from: Diasas on July 19, 2014, 01:14:26 PM

I have a couple of these coming in, I was wondering If I can use the first schematic without a digital pot, and just use it the way it is.

Yes. Just follow the 1st schematic in the O.P.

Diasas · « **Reply #97 on:** July 19, 2014, 04:07:54 PM »

Quote from: Breaktru on July 19, 2014, 03:34:51 PM

Yes. Just follow the 1st schematic in the O.P.

Thank you good sir

Unaru · « **Reply #98 on:** August 17, 2014, 09:19:55 AM »

I'm a noob to modding, but I saw these have a 2.4 amp limit. Does that limit the amps that can be run through the atty?

Breaktru · « **Reply #99 on:** August 17, 2014, 11:01:35 AM »

By hacking the circuit and using a capable hi-amp quality battery, the 04050c can be pushed above the 2.4A/12W limit.
See: HERE