adjustable voltage?

[schu]

I'm wondering if this 3A Adjustable step down switching voltage regulatorvoltage regulator could be used to make a variable voltage vaper? It has a small potentionometer built in. It seems that you could use it to fine tune your voltage. It seems to have a pretty high dropout voltage so it might not be applicable. If you used 3 or 4 cells in series to up the input voltage would it help?

Could one use a TI UCC283-ADJ Linear Regulators - Single Channel LDO - UCC283-ADJ - TI.com voltage regulator with an adjustable pin? If so how would you connect it to a pot for control? I'm just starting to think about modding and my understanding of electronics quite lacking.

 

[SCOTTYBALLS]

Good idea... adjustable PV would be the shiznik

 

[schu]

Found this adjustable power supply kitAdjustable Breadboard Supply It features a switch to go between 3.3v and 5v, an onboard potentiometer for adjusting voltage from 1.25V up to within 0.5V of the input voltage and a low dropout. From the picture it looks fairly small.

 

[Charged]

No matter how you do it there will be issues. Switching regulators are nice but they take up space, the easiest to use is a step down switching regulator, but you have to put the batteries in series, so no chance for built in charger. Step up switching regulators work well but again there is the size issue and only readily available pre-built design with enough output power is the Texas Intruments PTN4050C and the adjustable voltage starts at 5V and goes up from there, I would guess there is a way to fool it to step down below 5V but not sure.

Linear regulators like the LM317 will offer limited adjustability due to the amount of power loss when dropping the voltage. If you want a wide range in the voltages we need you would need a heat sink (maybe for short bursts you could get away with it.)

The ultimate method for voltage/power/temperature control would be to use Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). Atomizers do not require a continuous DC voltage to heat. They are a resistive element and will respond in a similar manner with pulsed DC across them, or AC for that matter. The idea of PWM would be to adjust the width of the voltage pulses across the atomizer based on a predetermined set point or threshold. Granted you would need a higher voltage to start with, similar to the step down switching regulator. But this could be accomplished easily with a very small microprocessor and subsequent power FET as the switching device and do away with all the switching inductor and capacitors required for the step down switching regulator. If the switching frequency was low enough you could have time to measure the voltage and current being switched and have the best of all worlds. Power control.

I really want to implement PWM but have been swamped at work and not much free time lately. Will be getting at it shortly though.

 

[SurvivorMcGyver]

I'm wondering if this 3A Adjustable step down switching voltage regulatorvoltage regulator could be used to make a variable voltage vaper? It has a small potentionometer built in. It seems that you could use it to fine tune your voltage. It seems to have a pretty high dropout voltage so it might not be applicable. If you used 3 or 4 cells in series to up the input voltage would it help?

Could one use a TI UCC283-ADJ Linear Regulators - Single Channel LDO - UCC283-ADJ - TI.com voltage regulator with an adjustable pin? If so how would you connect it to a pot for control? I'm just starting to think about modding and my understanding of electronics quite lacking.

I've been toying with both of these (on 5 seperate breadboards but I have the UCC383- ADJ along with the PTN4050C ) and am looking at PWM as well. They all will work - whether it is with a dip switch with multiple resistors or a high quality trimmer. Nice at selecting "your voltage" depending on atti and juice -- Tune to taste .

To get it in the package you want is the challange as stated above

Next step, for sure, is controling wattage -- Temp being a whole seperate ball game - or is it?

I also have one of these Watt Meters for RC Cars, Planes & Helicopters to help "evaluate" things

BTW the Adjustable Breadboard Supply linked above will be hard pressed to get the performance from that one may need. You need to find something that will hold up beyond 2A I've pulled as much as 14 watts testing (yuck BTW) so it needs to be durable -- 3A is a fair target to design - IMO

 

[SurvivorMcGyver]

BTW the 3A Adjustable step down switching voltage regulator will fit (every so snuggly) in a AA box - you just need to remove the wrap and aluminum case -- EVER to carefully...... and file a bit off the edges

 

[schu]

I found this OKR Series 12V 3, 6 & 10 Amp SIP PoLsOkami DC/DC Point-of-Load Converters @ Murata Power Solutions the specs say 94% efficiency with an output range of .6v to 6v and input range of 4.5v to 14v
or maybe this TI module
.Plug-in Power Modules - Non-Isolated POL - PTR08060W - TI.com

 

[SurvivorMcGyver]

I found this OKR Series 12V 3, 6 & 10 Amp SIP PoLsOkami DC/DC Point-of-Load Converters @ Murata Power Solutions the specs say 94% efficiency with an output range of .6v to 6v and input range of 4.5v to 14v
or maybe this TI module
.Plug-in Power Modules - Non-Isolated POL - PTR08060W - TI.com

Nice find -- the Okami T/3 series (OKR-T/3-W12-C) looks promising with it's wide input range -- disappointed with the output tho (need a bit higher output to lower the amp draw {therory behind HV atty's}) Still looking at the TI unit.

I like plug and play... whatever batteries you have and whatever output you need -- go for it add a pot and a couple of caps on the "mother board" and you're there

 

[Ez Duzit]

Or you can build a switchless variable voltage mod using the 5v regulator w/control pin, from MadVapes. You gotta love this regulator. Anything over 5.5v gets regulated down to 5v, but anything between 3.0v and 5.5v goes through as is. So, if you're using one 14500, you're vaping at about 3.7. But if you use 2 batteries in series, (like two 14250's), you get a solid 5v output.
(Credit goes to boondongle for discovering this.)