Once upon a time I was a solder jocky, and an electronics tech. There are a few basic questions I have. First off, the 3.7v lithium batteries are equivelant in size to an AA battery? What model of protected battery is the battery of choice right now? How long do they last before needing recharged? I see the Bartleby and it has a USB passthrough charging function if I am not mistaken, I will probably go this route (just less time). The batteries seem to be out of stock, are they hard to come by? Do they use a standard AA charger? Are the batteries it uses the same as most 3.7V mods? Last question, to make a 5V mod, what is the battery of choice and what is their size equivelant? Any help is greatly appreciated! I am poor at the moment and will probably tear apart some old toys for battery boxes ;-)
Basic questions...
- Thread starter Winace
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Hi Winace,
Lithium cells come in many sizes and at least 2 voltages (3.0 and 3.7). You can get AA and AAA sized Li cells but you can't use a charger designed for NiMH or NiCad cells (wrong voltage for a start).
Personally, I'm very happy with my 4xAA NiMH mod. It gives a nominal 4.8V (many contributors here reckon that 5V is the 'sweet spot') and uses NiMH cells (which I had loads of before I started vaping). It's not exactly elegant - a 4-cell holder, a couple of switches and a 1/4" jack socket (for an 801 atty) stuffed into a small project box. But it works very nicely.
Lithium cells come in many sizes and at least 2 voltages (3.0 and 3.7). You can get AA and AAA sized Li cells but you can't use a charger designed for NiMH or NiCad cells (wrong voltage for a start).
Personally, I'm very happy with my 4xAA NiMH mod. It gives a nominal 4.8V (many contributors here reckon that 5V is the 'sweet spot') and uses NiMH cells (which I had loads of before I started vaping). It's not exactly elegant - a 4-cell holder, a couple of switches and a 1/4" jack socket (for an 801 atty) stuffed into a small project box. But it works very nicely.
The 14500 lithium ion's are (just about) the same size as AA batteries. Just a hair longer. These are the 3.7 volts (as much as 4.2 when freshly charged). Trustfire or Ultrafire seem to be the major brands I've seen.
You can get them on Batteryjunction.com or DealExtreme.com (abreviated here as DX). They do need a special charger, which you can get form the same site that sells the LI batteries.
To make a 5V mod, you need a 5v voltage regulator. It has 3 pins, one for the input, one for the ground and the last for output. I use 2 14500's in series for the power source.
Let us know if / when you have any more questions.
You can get them on Batteryjunction.com or DealExtreme.com (abreviated here as DX). They do need a special charger, which you can get form the same site that sells the LI batteries.
To make a 5V mod, you need a 5v voltage regulator. It has 3 pins, one for the input, one for the ground and the last for output. I use 2 14500's in series for the power source.
Let us know if / when you have any more questions.
Agree with SmokinScott about the batteries. He is also correct about the 5v using a regulator with 14500's in series. Here is the voltage regulator you can get free from TI..
Linear Regulators - Single Channel LDO - UCC383-5 - TI.com
You can also use a single 14500 or 2 14500's in parallel with a boost converter to achieve 5v. Here is the boost converter at TI you can get for free..
Plug-in Power Modules - Non-Isolated POL - PTN04050C - TI.com
Linear Regulators - Single Channel LDO - UCC383-5 - TI.com
You can also use a single 14500 or 2 14500's in parallel with a boost converter to achieve 5v. Here is the boost converter at TI you can get for free..
Plug-in Power Modules - Non-Isolated POL - PTN04050C - TI.com
Two 14500s can be a little large. You might want to consider smaller batteries like the 16340. These are a little larger in diameter - 16mm - and two of them are longer (68mm) than a single 14500 (50mm).
14500s do have the advantage of being able to fit into many AA batteries boxes, so they are convenient for modding.
Two 14500s or 16340s also produce 7.4 volts - a lot of energy to waste when you want 5 volts. The Prodigy takes two 3v RCR123As and the Super T takes two 3v CR2s. Rechargeable 3v RCR123As are LiFePo4, not Li-On. Rechargeable CR2s are not protected, and scarce as hell - I found them only on one site, probably DX.
Why don't more people use a pair of 3v RCR123As? It seems quite logical to me to use 6v reduced to 5v rather than using 7.4v reduced to 5v. Is my logic flawed?
14500s do have the advantage of being able to fit into many AA batteries boxes, so they are convenient for modding.
Two 14500s or 16340s also produce 7.4 volts - a lot of energy to waste when you want 5 volts. The Prodigy takes two 3v RCR123As and the Super T takes two 3v CR2s. Rechargeable 3v RCR123As are LiFePo4, not Li-On. Rechargeable CR2s are not protected, and scarce as hell - I found them only on one site, probably DX.
Why don't more people use a pair of 3v RCR123As? It seems quite logical to me to use 6v reduced to 5v rather than using 7.4v reduced to 5v. Is my logic flawed?
The cutoff for the TI regulators is about 5.5v - with the 3.7v batteries in series, you have a longer "use time" before they drop to the cutoff level, all else being equal.
Scottes - Can't really disagree with anything you said. I just happen to have a .... load of 14500's so everything I make is using them. I plan on making a flashlight mod with a 04050c booster using a single 14500. I found some great pvc type pipe that fits perfectly in the flashlight and the battery fits perfectly.
I'm still thinking that two 3-volt RCR123A batteries are the way to go, though I'm running by logic, not experience. The RCR123As get 3.2v freshly-charged, and LiFePo4s (My Tenergy RCR123As are LiFePO4) are said to keep a steady voltage longer than Li-On. So they'd have to get below 2.75 volts each (average?) before reaching the cut-off. I think that the RCR123A's cut-off is 2.7 volts, which would again mean that they make more sense for 5v mods, since the regulator will cut off very shortly before the battery would. Logic tells me that they're just more efficient for 5v. My Tenergy LiFePO4 RCR123As are 750 mAh, and 14500s are 900 mAh, but less of that is wasted heating up the regulator, which means more power for the atomizer. Theoretically, a pair of RCR123As should last longer (though not by much) with less waste heat (quite a bit).
Again, this is logic and shaky knowledge thinking, not experience knowing, so if anyone who knows better please correct me and explain.
Great! I'm not crazy.
Or we both are...
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i just made a mod using a cell phone, one of nerfs 901 connector, a radiosluts mini switch and 6" of wire..
works good, better than any stock ecig, but not up there w/ my 5v passthru. but the cell phone has a Li Ion batt w/ built in charger. very easy first mod if you find an older flip phinne w/ a round antenna that unscrews.
works good, better than any stock ecig, but not up there w/ my 5v passthru. but the cell phone has a Li Ion batt w/ built in charger. very easy first mod if you find an older flip phinne w/ a round antenna that unscrews.
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