and now... The Puck... Cheap Parts and Easy

[ianhyphen]

Another Puck was born in Ohio today... Previously, I had tried the standard 510 and found it to be all too weak. The Puck is a kick in the pants (er... hit in the throat) compared to it! Kudos!

The 3.2 Ohm 901s I ordered from Vaperite came in this morning. So, I got right to it. I finished soldering at about 2pm today. I'm dripping exclusively and have had nothing but vapor and flavor all day. I've had a measly 5 cigarettes today (Marlboro reds) down from 20+!

Getting mod parts at radioshack is nothing short of genius. The tutorial was uber helpful. Thus, the build went off without a hitch! It was only my second time soldering.

I put the electrical components into the left two battery slots (switch inline with LED)... So, I'm hoping to somehow squeeze in a pump bottle to make this thing an all-in-one beast. Anyone done this in a AAA box? Anyone have detailed pics of this? It seams like most are in AA boxes.

Thank you, The Puck! I would have thanked you sooner but I had to find somewhere I could post in the new members section... sigh... ECF covers everything so well, I found it hard to come up with some unanswered questions.

Thanks again for sharing this with us. I think I will be able to quit now.
I'm going to build at least 3 more variations including two variations that will, if successful, be worth posting pictures of. This was the perfect mod to start with and I'll have you know that I combed over several tuts before choosing yours.

An aside for anyone making one: I read some mixed Amazon reviews of the battery charger that The Puck has recommended. Sometimes, Amazon reviewers aren't the sharpest crayons in the shed, but these seemed pretty consistent. So, I got a Titanium PowPower Nimh charger (4 @ 1 hr. smart charger). It was 15$ at batteryjunction.com. They were fast with shipping and they carried an assortment of brands. I will make a topic about this model if I have any issues!

 

[ThePuck]

Ahhhh.... another baby Puck just born. I feel so proud

I'm sure this will help you to totally rid yourself of the evil cigs. The Puck is what got me off of them and a few of my friends also. The regular 901s and 510s were not get'n it for me. Sometimes I needed lot's of vapor and sometimes not so much but it was the times when I needed tons (stressful day) that made me hit the designing table.

I wanted something I could run to radio shack and get the parts at a moments notice when I wanted to build one or a variation or one for a friend. I figured if I made it easy enough and cheap enough and easy to get parts, a lot of people would be able to quit smokin those stinkin cancer sticks like me. That's why I did up the tutorial like it did. To make it as easy as possible.

As far as the charger I reccomended, I've been using it for alomst two years now, 1 to 2 times a day without fail. Not sure what their beef with it is but it's been great for me. The fan is a little noisy when you first start it up but it quitens down within a minute of running. You can't beat a 15 minute charge! There is always a time where you forget that you don't have any charged batteries and to get some in 15 minutes is the best.

You can get a juice bottle in there. I've done it but you have to cut the back out of the component box which isn't too easy. Makes for long build times trying to work it into the Puck. I came up with the puck cruiser which has a pump bottle in it and is the best thing ever for driving (cruiser ). It uses a project box and battery holder. All parts are still from radio shack though so they are easy to get quickly. It is on this page if you want to try something like it.

 

[kboyts]

For anyone else interested in a aa/aaa charger I whole heartedly recommend lacrosse. I have used a lac rosse bc-900 for years its the best charger ive ever used. A quick search on amazon didnt show it up anymore but this one is very similar- http://www.amazon.com/Crosse-Techno...AA5Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298251141&sr=8-1 .
only about $40 and comes with 4 AAA and 4 AA batteries with it plus some other accessories. It has more options then youll ever use lol. One nice feature is if you have some dead cells that havent been charged in a long time and wont seem to hold a charge anymore, you can "cycle" them with this charger and many times it will revive them back into a usable condition.

 

[ianhyphen]

First and foremost... I haven't touched a cigarette in over 24 hours! **confetti explosion**

The issue I saw was some of the energizer 15 minute chargers were giving people false positives for faulty batteries right out of the box. They even went as far as charging them in another unit, with the same faulty battery detection technology, without a problem. I'm sure you're not just plugging energizer! LOL!
I always avoid products when I see 50/50 reviews split between 5 stars and one star... it says to me "Hey our quality assurance team is underpaid and overworked". I chose the Titanium charger because Battery Junction had a good deal on Sanyo Eneloop batteries and they recommended it... I'm crossing my fingers on that one . It is also supposed to have battery reviving capabilities. Again, we'll see and I'll be sure to give feedback if it's a dud.

Gah! I knew you were going to say I needed to remove the back... I might try it still but that seems like a hassle at this point. Especially when you take into account that my plastic cutting tool for the project was a steel nail file heated on the stove. It comes to a point at a slow angle, so it actually worked fairly well for those in need of a reamer replacement.

The batteries lasted to 31 hours of heavy vaping (I slept though) and died.

I let my dad check out the puck today... he's had a Blu (yuck!), tried a 510, considered an ego and was considering getting the Tornado Tank from Totally Wicked (re-branded ego-T). He got all Pucked up on my PV today, though, and he'll be hitting Radio Shack and ECF this week... haha.

I've heard nothing but good things about the lacrosse chargers, as kboyts mentioned. They are a little pricey, though.

Oh, I saw the cruiser, man. That is very nice! I simply wanted to stick with your tut parts list for my first mod build... Honestly, I was surprised something that I crafted worked so well!

Update: I felt a slight flavor drop off (vapor was still kickin') after 30 hours of battery life and adding a drip didn't help... hmmm. I put the batteries in the charger and they discharged to 1V in about 4 seconds! So, those rumors about Nimh batts not lasting until the end... it's malarky. Just stay away from the Tenergy brand, is what I've heard.

 

[ThePuck]

Yes, the myths about NiMHs are totally false. I've been using them in my Puck mods and other things for alomst 2 years now. They last,... period. Right near the end of their end of charge, they will drop off really fast but during the charge life, they only lose a very very small amount, less than most of my regular e-cig batteries. Also, NiMHs have a better life span than my regular e-cig batteries I had when I was using them. I was going through regular e-cig batteries about every 3 months. I have sets of NiMHs I've been using for years and they are still going strong. They were engineered and designed for high drain use. You can't beat them for e-cig use.

 

[ianhyphen]

I like the bottom pump because it is easy to fill and the tube is stationary.
Weight added to help it stand.
There is a 4aaa box glued to the back of a AA box.
I found the stem of the pump is a rough 1/8" hole. That helped me attach a spacer.
The chainsaw fuel line (lowes) fits snug in a clean 3/16ths hole.
I'm straight dripping with it, no mess. Flooded once because I flubbed up.

 

[TomCatt]

The ideas are cool but let's try and concentrate on using NiMHs since that is what this thread is mainly about. There are a lot of other places on the forum where these types of devices are mentioned. We want to try and come up with a small but elegant mod for the ladies (or men), designed around readily available parts and maybe make it a bit more fashionable.

The Puck is great for me to use anywhere but some of the women seem to want a smaller version for out in public. I'd still like to keep this built around NiMHs if we can.

I made my Puck using two 3 AAA batt boxes from MadVapes. I actually wired two of the battery slots in the control box into the 'battery' box and used 1 battery slot for a 510 connector and switch (no LED in this one). I made a dummy battery for 1 slot since using 5 batts is a little hot for me. This gives a smaller mod that may be more appealing to the ladies .

I picked up parts at RS (4 AAA boxes, etc) and a variable voltage kit from MadVapes and am working on a VV Puck.

I also picked up a couple of the 4AAA 'cube' battery holders and want to make a 'tube' style Puck.

Thanks for this amazing idea Puck, you ROCK!!

 

[TomCatt]

...


Update: I felt a slight flavor drop off (vapor was still kickin') after 30 hours of battery life and adding a drip didn't help... hmmm. I put the batteries in the charger and they discharged to 1V in about 4 seconds! So, those rumors about Nimh batts not lasting until the end... it's malarky. Just stay away from the Tenergy brand, is what I've heard.

Oooo just got a 10 pk of Tenergys and a Tenergy charger LOL. Only had them a few days; but seem to be doing great. I take batts off charger in the morning, put 'old' set in the charger and vape until the next morning. Two sets of Tenergys and some CVS batts that I had before the Tenergys; so I think I set. If not, hello CVS, KMark, Wal-Mart or anywhere with NiMH batts!!!

 

[Lab]

i have this basically made out of a cold heat soldering gun.. with some rechargeable aa's they last 2 days easy.. have been using the same set of energizer nimh bats since before october..

 

[standard]

The Puck is great. Anyone who has built one can verify its quality, efficiency, and utility. That said, the Puck Cruiser is appealing as well.

However, the link posted on 2/20 @ 7:08 called "It is on this page if you want to try something like it." may take users to the wrong page. I believe the Puck Cruiser is detailed on Page 21 of this thread. Just trying to help effectively spread the word.

Thanks!

 

[440BB]

OK, so I'm almost one month in to vaping, and found this killer thread while looking for tube mods as my wife and I are killing our original four 510 batteries. This is exactly what I want - no dependency on batteries that are hard to replace. I'm wondering if anybody has followed up on the 3.6v flashlight variation, so I can learn how to make one? I don't have a soldering iron yet, but I just know the first chance to build a NiMH tube will get me on the road to joining the fun!

 

[TomCatt]

OK, so I'm almost one month in to vaping, and found this killer thread while looking for tube mods as my wife and I are killing our original four 510 batteries. This is exactly what I want - no dependency on batteries that are hard to replace. I'm wondering if anybody has followed up on the 3.6v flashlight variation, so I can learn how to make one? I don't have a soldering iron yet, but I just know the first chance to build a NiMH tube will get me on the road to joining the fun!

I didn't have a soldering gun either. After reading through this thread, I hopped over to Madvapes, ordered a few 510 connectors and a soldering iron (cheaper than HD), and a couple of 3 AAA boxes. I've been using my 2 x 3AAA Puck (wired a battery in the control box) for about 3 weeks now with no complaint.

 

[Lab]

if you want the easiest way to make one look online for a cold heat soldering gun.. they suck for soldering with so rip the thing apart.. pull out the soldering tip and replace it with a connector seal it in place and you are good to go.. if you want it simple.. tear out most of the wiring in it.. so there is no lights and put in a better button.. and if you want lower voltage just put in a dummy battery.. i got mine as a pif the original switch blew out so rewired it all.. but you can buy the iron for around 20$ then walmart has the recharge kits for around 11$ for 4 aa's.. have been using the same set for 7 months now when i was having to buy the 3.7 volts every month..

 

[ancient puffer]

Drat! I haven't soldered anything in 40 years. But this looked SO easy, and the idea of picking up batteries at Walmart, Target, 7-11, what have you, was irresistible. So, after about 4 hours work (took over a week to scrounge all the pieces, since Ratshack was out of stock), I caved in and built one! The only change I made to the original specs was the use of a 7 color change LED. The wife says it looks like a Christmas tree

And, let me say, I took all the "raves" about how good it was with a grain of salt...but they were spot on. Its a way better vape than my Go-Go, ego-T, or mini. Nice warm vapor, huge plumes of it, and the flavor is incredible. I'm thinking real hard about the cruiser now, but I'm not sure I want to give up changing flavors every 10 minutes....decisions, decisions

Thanks HEAPS, Mr. Puck, Sir, you really are a genius.

 

[TomCatt]

Another Puckster has been converted! hahahaha! . Welcome Puffer.

 

[ancient puffer]

Thanks, and let me add, the "cautions" about taking it easy are true too. I thought I was immune to overvaping...NOT

Oh and, BTW, there's a serious down side to this little jewel. My wife is eyeing it hungrily and I may have to make another one before I can get started on my cruiser (yeesh! I hope she doesn't snatch the cruiser too)

Seriously, I have noticed something about this (probably due to the higher voltage), but I've been vaping almost a week on the same atty and it shows no signs of wussing out on me. I generally kill a 901 in about 4 days at 3.7(3.4) volts. Sounds reasonable at least. Amazing mod.

Also, that 7 color LED came from Radioshack as well, so all parts were locally obtained (except the atty).

 

[Para]

Seriously, I have noticed something about this (probably due to the higher voltage), but I've been vaping almost a week on the same atty and it shows no signs of wussing out on me. I generally kill a 901 in about 4 days at 3.7(3.4) volts. Sounds reasonable at least.

If you are using the same ohm atomizer, how can going UP in voltage extend atomizer life?

 

[TomCatt]

Going up in voltage (wattage) could be keeping the coil cleaner; hence extending the 'life' of the atty.

 

[TomCatt]

...ask long as you are not going too high in voltage.

 

[Lab]

if you saved your dead attys try them out on your puck.. i had 6 attys that would not fire at all at 3.7 when i tested them on mine they worked great.. my 4 AA one should only put out 4.8 v.. when i test the thing its at 5.7 start of the day and 5.4 after hours of use..