510 passthrough

[gatsby]

I'm hoping that the 500ma battery will give the PC a little boost. I can't use the PC very long without it going soft on me. I am a little dissappointed in the operation so far. I had assumed that I could vape all I wanted at full tilt. But, mine only lasts about the 30 to 45 minutes then performance drops.

As soon as I get a battery to experiment with I may build my on USB passthrough.

Kevin

You might want to trouble shoot a little bit, because I don't think something is working right for you. I took my pass through completely off line last night and vaped it dry and got a little over twice the amount of time off it that I do on a regular 510 battery. There was a drop off of vapor after a while but that was with no power going to it at all. I haven't noticed any drop while plugged in with a fully charged batt. Of course the nature of this usb doesn't give you the extra 'super charge' that a real pass through does, but then again you don't need to use it on the 1000ma output adaptors either. I think thats the real purpose of the battery. It regulates the V and allows you to use it on lower output adaptors.

 

[a2dcovert]

I had hoped to get full performance all the time with a USB pass-through. What I meant by a performance drop is just that, it didn't put out at a level I expected. I am sure that it is putting out at it's designed level. I will try the 500ma battery before doing any real experimenting. I want a solution that will let me vape at full tilt all the time. If I can't buy one I will make one.

Kevin

 

[Sar]

I am having problems with my passthrough. It is always connected to the computer, but often when I press the button the atomizer doesn't start, as if no power was getting to it. Does the 510 passthrough have some type of overheating mechanism built in that stops the current flow when the atomizer gets hot?

This is really annoying because it happens very often. I am now actually doing primer puffs with 510 just to see if the thing works before I take a regular puff.

 

[gatsby]

I am having problems with my passthrough. It is always connected to the computer, but often when I press the button the atomizer doesn't start, as if no power was getting to it. Does the 510 passthrough have some type of overheating mechanism built in that stops the current flow when the atomizer gets hot?

This is really annoying because it happens very often. I am now actually doing primer puffs with 510 just to see if the thing works before I take a regular puff.

I believe a lot of computers especially laptops will stop sending power to usb ports that aren't drawing power. I would find a good cheap ac power source and plug into that. There are a number of powered usb hubs that are handy for this and give you more charging slots as well.

 

[Sar]

I believe a lot of computers especially laptops will stop sending power to usb ports that aren't drawing power. I would find a good cheap ac power source and plug into that. There are a number of powered usb hubs that are handy for this and give you more charging slots as well.

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately I don't have powered hub around, but I've tried Kensington Power pack and it does the same thing. I've also tried the plug/adapter from the Power pack which Kensington designed to allow to draw power to USB directly from the electrical outlet -- same result. I'll see if I can find powered hub at work, but I am not having high hopes.

 

[gatsby]

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately I don't have powered hub around, but I've tried Kensington Power pack and it does the same thing. I've also tried the plug/adapter from the Power pack which Kensington designed to allow to draw power to USB directly from the electrical outlet -- same result. I'll see if I can find powered hub at work, but I am not having high hopes.

If the plug from the kensington or even the kensington doesn't do the trick the problem might be above my pay grade and I don't think a powered hub will help much. Bummer. The only thing I can think of is leaving it plugged into the adaptor long enough to ensure that the inline battery is charged up. I can actually take my usb 'off line' with decent results for a couple of hours if the battery is fully charged.

 

[a2dcovert]

Ok, what I have noticed so far is that the PT will work well until the internal battery goes down. This seems to be about the same length of time the normal battery works. It will still work after this point but there is a definate drop in performance. it's time to break out the tools.

Kevin

 

[Shadowdr]

Ok, what I have noticed so far is that the PT will work well until the internal battery goes down. This seems to be about the same length of time the normal battery works. It will still work after this point but there is a definate drop in performance. it's time to break out the tools.

Kevin

Ditto on that. It works well in my truck or via the wall plug but on my computer it goes down fast. I think that perhaps folks with a lot of trouble may just have battery issues. I have been thinking about bypassing the battery for 5 volts but I don't know if it will kill my attys.

 

[Sar]

Ditto on that. It works well in my truck or via the wall plug but on my computer it goes down fast. I think that perhaps folks with a lot of trouble may just have battery issues. I have been thinking about bypassing the battery for 5 volts but I don't know if it will kill my attys.

How would you bypass the battery? (Sorry, I have never done any type of mod before so don't have any practical knowledge in this area.)

5 volts was tested with 510 atomizers and it seems fine.

 

[a2dcovert]

The battery in the passthrough is wired in parallel with the USB circuit. In order to bypass the battery you would have to eleminate the battery circuit completely. I don't recommend doing this if you plan on connecting the device to a PC USB port. The 5 volts on the atty is OK. Pulling too much current through the USB port could damage the motherboard on the PC. If you want to do this you will really need to find a stronger power source. Most wall plug adapters and car adapters I have seen are rated only at 1 amp. The passthrough wiring is too small to carry very much current and this is by design. You would have to make up your own device using larger guage wiring. The 3.6 to 4.0 volts are more than enough to do the job. You just need more current.

I caution you again not to attempt this using a PC for the power source.

Kevin

 

[Sar]

The battery in the passthrough is wired in parallel with the USB circuit. In order to bypass the battery you would have to eleminate the battery circuit completely. I don't recommend doing this if you plan on connecting the device to a PC USB port. The 5 volts on the atty is OK. Pulling too much current through the USB port could damage the motherboard on the PC. If you want to do this you will really need to find a stronger power source. Most wall plug adapters and car adapters I have seen are rated only at 1 amp. The passthrough wiring is too small to carry very much current and this is by design. You would have to make up your own device using larger guage wiring. The 3.6 to 4.0 volts are more than enough to do the job. You just need more current.

I caution you again not to attempt this using a PC for the power source.

Kevin

I think the best will be to wait for the 510 version of Prodigy. That will have native 5 volts and if the battery on that one holds up for at least 3 hours I'll dump the USB passthrough completely.

One other question -- I also have a passthrough for 901 (or maybe 801) but that one doesn't have any battery. Does that mean that when conncected to the PC it gets 5v?

 

[a2dcovert]

One other question -- I also have a passthrough for 901 (or maybe 801) but that one doesn't have any battery. Does that mean that when conncected to the PC it gets 5v?

I imagine that you probably have something like a housing resembling a battery case? Maybe that contains a battery or at least a voltage regulator. I doubt that the attys are seeing USB voltage directly but I've never seen the device you mentioned. I really don't know.

Kevin

 

[a2dcovert]

Just bought a couple of the 10440 500ma batteries on eBay. I thought I would try this to see if the 140ma extra power will make a difference.

Kevin

 

[Shadowdr]

A mobo only allows 150ma at any given port unless there is a software request by the device for more. As the pass through has no data wires it can only receive 150ma because it is not a device that can be recognized. I have already changed out the USB wire for a larger gage USB that powered an old HP printer. I am more afraid of damaging my atty then my computer because I built it, but because I also use it via the wall socket and lighter port on my truck I think it might be possible to fry an atty quickly. I have also ordered some 500mah replacement batteries from dealtime but I believe that they will only last longer and not actually supply more voltage. The strange thing is that I can use the same battery in my Nicostick and it works much better then the passthrough, which makes no sense at all. I guess I will just wait on my 14500 batteries for my Nicosticks and chuck the passthrough when they get here.

 

[Sar]

I imagine that you probably have something like a housing resembling a battery case? Maybe that contains a battery or at least a voltage regulator. I doubt that the attys are seeing USB voltage directly but I've never seen the device you mentioned. I really don't know.

Kevin

Only the 510 passthrough has a battery and that is the only PT that is giving me problems. The other passthrough is without a battery, just USB connector on one end and on the other end is what looks like a battery connector for 901 or 801 where you screw in the atomizer.

The 510 passthrough is the first I've ever seen that has additional battery and housing between the two.

 

[Shadowdr]

I went ahead and wired my Nicostick straight to USB but only had a spare USB mouse cord, wires were even smaller then the original USB wires on the passthrough only having about 4-5 strands. It did work, but no better then the passthrough. It also would only work off of the computer and not the wall/lighter adapter. I nust be missing something, but I don't guess that 5 volts will fry anything. Tiny wires could still be the limiting factor.

 

[a2dcovert]

It also would only work off of the computer and not the wall/lighter adapter. I nust be missing something, but I don't guess that 5 volts will fry anything. Tiny wires could still be the limiting factor.

That is probably right that the small wires are the limiting factor. I have tried some normal USB cables to charge my Blackberry and have received the message that there wasn't enough power available to charge the device. Most of the USB device cables that will charge the device battery are much larger cables and ususally shorter than a regular USB cable.

 

[newbutt]

Aside from all the tech jargon I was thinking about getting a bypass to use in my truck with my 510 for long trips. Will they work for that or should I just get the car charger cord & swap batteries on my trips?
Cheers,
NB

 

[Shadowdr]

Aside from all the tech jargon I was thinking about getting a bypass to use in my truck with my 510 for long trips. Will they work for that or should I just get the car charger cord & swap batteries on my trips?
Cheers,
NB

I use mine in my truck, it is great on long trips. I also carry manuals and charger as it it tough refilling while driving.

 

[newbutt]

I use mine in my truck, it is great on long trips. I also carry manuals and charger as it it tough refilling while driving.

Thanks Shadow, that's what I needed to know.
Cheers,
NB