.44 mini Booster Box Mod

[breaktru]

The parts are mounted on the 04050c

Don't know if you can make out the parts layout from the photos
at: http://breaktru.com/smf/index.php/topic,215.0.html

 

[the.vapyre]

I can kind-of make it out. I understand the connections from the diagram. So you soldered 4 specific connections to the regulator pins and everything else is wired together free of a pcb.

The parts are mounted on the 04050c

Don't know if you can make out the parts layout from the photos
at: .44 mini Booster Box Mod Variable Voltage

 

[Bocephus]

I am making one of these as we speak. I am not using the aa box or the trademark .44 casing as I am gonna custom make a box either out of aluminum or some black composite(micarta) stock I have in the shop. I am also using a 18650 so it will be a little larger as well as a built in charger. Trying my best to take my time as I really want to get it as compact as possible with that bigger battery.

I just want to give a big thanks to Breaktru for not only putting this info on the site but also helping me with a few question I had in a couple PM's. I truly could not have made anything this good on my own. Ill post some pics when I get the casing done as I have everything else sitting here waiting.

 

[breaktru]

I am making one of these as we speak. I am not using the aa box or the trademark .44 casing as I am gonna custom make a box either out of aluminum or some black composite(micarta) stock I have in the shop. I am also using a 18650 so it will be a little larger as well as a built in charger. Trying my best to take my time as I really want to get it as compact as possible with that bigger battery.

I just want to give a big thanks to Breaktru for not only putting this info on the site but also helping me with a few question I had in a couple PM's. I truly could not have made anything this good on my own. Ill post some pics when I get the casing done as I have everything else sitting here waiting.

Why thank YOU Bocephus, my pleasure to help out. I am passing to you what I have learned from other brainiac ECF members plus what I have developed/re-invented on my own.
I too would like to thank all the fantastic Modders here at ECF who inspired me. You guys know who you are.. I'd mention them by name but don't want to offend anyone I left out.

 

[the.vapyre]

What else did you solder directly to the 04050c besides the wires going to the 4 pins?

The parts are mounted on the 04050c

Don't know if you can make out the parts layout from the photos
at: .44 mini Booster Box Mod Variable Voltage

 

[Dalton63841]

CAP's between 1-2 and 1-4, resistor between 3-4, resistor and POT between 3-1.

 

[BuzzKilla]

thank you for this info. will make my life a hell of a lot easier. now if only i could manage to figure out a safe USB type charger to integrate with your layout i would be set.

going to be making an outdoorsman type case. rubber grips, belt clip and all.... just need ALL the components so i can do a proper layout.

A man can dream!

 

[VpnDrgn]

thank you for this info. will make my life a hell of a lot easier. now if only i could manage to figure out a safe USB type charger to integrate with your layout i would be set.

going to be making an outdoorsman type case. rubber grips, belt clip and all.... just need ALL the components so i can do a proper layout.

A man can dream!

As long as you are not trying to use as a PT this is easy. Just cannibalize the charging board from an Ego usb charger.
Wire into the pos & neg contacts on battery and the input jack of your choice.

 

[BuzzKilla]

As long as you are not trying to use as a PT this is easy. Just cannibalize the charging board from an Ego usb charger.
Wire into the pos & neg contacts on battery and the input jack of your choice.

wicked, it just seemed to easy to work that way. i guess i was wrong.

 

[the.vapyre]

As you probably already know, just use a switch that will mechanically cut off the charging circuit when you push the button and switch over to the atomizer circuit. STDP momentary-on I think.

wicked, it just seemed to easy to work that way. i guess i was wrong.

 

[Bocephus]

Correct me if I am wrong but with the proper ego type usb charger guts(I have a 4.2v 420 mah one) you really dont even need the switch do ya? I was pretty sure the board from those chargers had all the built in cutoff, etc to make the switch a none factor.

I could be wrong as I said but thought several people had already done it without a switch by just wiring it in as VpnDrgn said for single cell apps. Any info on this would be great as I was about to make one with the charger incorporated. I just really like the idea of having the charger plug in while sitting at the desk/comp and letting it charge inbetween puffs.

 

[breaktru]

Correct me if I am wrong but with the proper ego type usb charger guts(I have a 4.2v 420 mah one) you really dont even need the switch do ya? I was pretty sure the board from those chargers had all the built in cutoff, etc to make the switch a none factor.

I could be wrong as I said but thought several people had already done it without a switch by just wiring it in as VpnDrgn said for single cell apps. Any info on this would be great as I was about to make one with the charger incorporated. I just really like the idea of having the charger plug in while sitting at the desk/comp and letting it charge inbetween puffs.

I never used a USB charger in any of my mods. I really don't see a need for it. I like just popping in a new fresh batt without having to wait for it to charge before I could use it.

Perhaps some one can chime in here to help you out.

 

[Green Mtn Vpr]

Hey guys...wait, make that 'Hey All' (as I know there are lady pros here too)...looking for some help on circuit design/component selection with the ptn04050 board: I am trying to figure out what resistor and Pot rating for this to run 3.8-5.5 (with single cell input). It was recc to me to not use a diode so I am now down to what pot and what resistor?

I really did read and try to figure this out instead of just asking...
I think I need a range of 240-368ohm?

So to start I need a 240 ohm resistor...because w/ the pot @ 0 a 240ohm in line resistance would=5.5v?

and therefore I would need a pot w/ a resistance of 128ohm? (which I know there isn't) as 368ohm resistance would=3.8v?
This is where I hit a wall...I know (think) I need resistors combined w/ a pot but am stuck...presuming my thinking up to this point is even close! Or am I way out in left field here?

Sorry to kinda hijack the thread, but it seemed the best place for 04050c board expertise!

Any and all help would be much appreciated!!! Gotta fig this out so I can order components asap! Too much time spent thinking and no time spent building yet!!

 

[Dalton63841]

Why were you suggested to not use the diode? You will be hard pressed to get the voltage down to 3.8v without using one. You need to read http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/ptn04050c.pdf Look for the table labled Output Voltage Set-Point Resistor Values. It only shows as low as 5v, but with a tiny bit of math and pattern recognition, it makes sense.

The ptn04050C is not designed to put out less than 5v. Both the diode and the resistor between Vadj and Vout are outside of spec for this part, but help us get the voltage down to where we need it.

Hey guys...wait, make that 'Hey All' (as I know there are lady pros here too)...looking for some help on circuit design/component selection with the ptn04050 board: I am trying to figure out what resistor and Pot rating for this to run 3.8-5.5 (with single cell input). It was recc to me to not use a diode so I am now down to what pot and what resistor?

I really did read and try to figure this out instead of just asking...
I think I need a range of 240-368ohm?

So to start I need a 240 ohm resistor...because w/ the pot @ 0 a 240ohm in line resistance would=5.5v?

and therefore I would need a pot w/ a resistance of 128ohm? (which I know there isn't) as 368ohm resistance would=3.8v?
This is where I hit a wall...I know (think) I need resistors combined w/ a pot but am stuck...presuming my thinking up to this point is even close! Or am I way out in left field here?

Sorry to kinda hijack the thread, but it seemed the best place for 04050c board expertise!

Any and all help would be much appreciated!!! Gotta fig this out so I can order components asap! Too much time spent thinking and no time spent building yet!!

 

[Green Mtn Vpr]

Not sure why no diode was recommended...was def someone more knowledgeable than I but I cant say as to the reason. I will do whatever I need to... I have read TOO much now and am on overload and confusion has set in! (sleep deprivation doesnt help! Should be a sticky on the Mod forum of that danger!)

Basically, I want to have a range of batt voltage to 5.5ish

I see from the chart copied below that my closest would be with a diode and 22k resistor...I was just hoping to get a little higher and to be sure of the right Pot to use. (would love a Dig pot w/ 2 buttons but not sure I have the room and wanted to fig out the basics first)

WITH DIODE
Resistor - Low Voltage - High Voltage
15k 3.67v 4.74v
22k 3.77v 5.18v
47k 4.24v 5.95v
56k 4.34v 6.1v
100k 4.56v 6.45v

WITHOUT DIODE
Resistor - Low Voltage - High Voltage
15k 4.27v 5.34v
22k 4.37v 5.78v
47k 4.84v 6.55v

I would have used the 8100 board but the device (Revo V2.1) I am modding has 2 batts in parallel so minV of 4.5 kills the deal, and I dont want to rewire to series as I want to be able to use the built in charging and passthru circuitry. So the 04050c was recommended...

I had thought about putting in a switch to alternate series>paralell for the batts and sticking with the 8100...which should be do-able?...set to Paralell to charge and Series for Vaping, but then the Passthru use is gone (not super important, but was trying to retain all original functions)

Given my circumstances...batt setup, desired range, and limited space...what would y'all recommend for setup (ie board, resistors/caps, and pot)?

 

[breaktru]

Hey G.M.V.,
The table resistor / voltage output that I created is a guide for the resistor across Pin 3 & 4 of the 04050c reg.
These were the resistors I had tried. So tweaking using different values can get you a lower "low" voltage. You can go lower than the 15k w/ no diode, But be aware that your high end will also be lower.

Note: I've have REMOVED the diode and used a lower resistor in my .44 mini mod. Did it make a difference? None that I can notice. Battery life seems to be the same and vape performance seems to be the same. Been using this setup for about two weeks.

 

[CraigHB]

You're giving up around 10% efficiency with a Schottky diode in there, ~20% if it's a standard diode. Putting a standard diode in series with the output yields overall efficiency no better than a linear regulator with dual cells, ~70%. For example, if you're running your 2.5 Ohm atomizer at 5V, that's 2 Amps. 2A over the 1V drop of a standard diode is 2 Watts, 20% of the 10W you're putting into the atomizer.

I had a situation where I gained about 10% efficiency in going from an ansychronous boost converter (uses a Schottky rectifier) to a synchronous boost converter (uses a MOSFET rectifier). I used the same battery in the new device. I did in fact notice the increase in run time and it was proportional.

If you time it and use the same output voltage for both cases (measured under load), I would be surprised if you don't see any difference at all.

 

[Dalton63841]

Okay I was just looking at the data sheet for the booster. It appears that the resistor in line with the POT roughly defines the high end of the voltage range. To put it plainly, the 10k resistor makes it so the default range is roughly 5v-7v. The resistor between Vadj and Vout and if you use one the diode is what brings it down to the range you need. Perhaps using ~8k resistor instead of 10k in line with the POT would raise the higher end of the voltage range enough to get you what you need?

Thoughts on this breaktru?

 

[breaktru]

Had a little time on my hands so I decided to setup a test board again and this is what I got:

No load an no caps:
100k pot - 4.7k on Adj pin - 22k on pin 3&4 = 4.05v to 6.79v

Ran the 22k res on Pin 3&4 as I did in my table but this time got a different result.
100k pot - 10k on Adj pin - 22k on pin 3&4 = 4.04v to 5.48v
Could have been the resistance tolerances.

Actual resistance measured on:
10k was 10k
4.7k was 4.67k
22k was 22.2k
100k was 100.2k
forgot to measure the pot.

If you got the time, set your self up a test board and tweak to as close as you can get.

Note:
I had poor voltage variation with this setup, half of the pot dial was useless:
100k pot - 4.7k on Adj pin - 4.7k on pin 3&4 = 3.87v to 4.43v

 

[Green Mtn Vpr]

Had a little time on my hands so I decided to setup a test board again and this is what I got:.....

Breaktru: You rock! That gives me a perfect starting point to tweak from...very much appreciated!! THANK YOU!! I'm going to try going w/ a Dig Pot (DS-18689-100)...doesnt look too big...may as well do it right!

Then if I can find a voltage monitor that will work and fit I think I have my perfect mod!

TY to everyone that has offered their expertise!