Chewy's projects with the YiHi Sx350

[Chewy-bot]

Hello,

I would like to use this thread to share what i've learned about the YiHi Sx350, tips and tricks, and some of my mods.

The boards I received are rev1.2 firmware, and come with the USB charger soldered. I understand there were some early units that required modder to solder the charger.

Pros: It does what it claims and does it well. at the 30 and 35 watt settings the board doesn't appear stressed. Based on what i've seen from yihi's videos i'm betting this unit's max is around 100watts, so even the 50 watt upgrade is well within its limits.

Cons: on some of the units the screen is slightly askew, or it looks that way even if they are not. I thought I was doing something wrong until I watched PBusardo's review on youtoube...

Other observations: Its picky on power. All of the cheap 18650 battery holders i've tried cause too much voltage drop and either give a false low battery reading or a bad battery warning. Maybe the keystone brand holders are better quality? I've just been soldering directly to the battery....


I started with box mods and realized a few things. 1: no convenient way to mount the Sx350. The screen is about the only flat surface on the thing, and its made of fragile glass. Not the ideal choice for supporting the whole mass of the board. 2: The switch... i like the tactile clicky nature, and its a somewhat standard form factor in industry... for mounting on a PCB.

i'll post some pictures of the stuff i'm working on later,

Cheers,
Chewy

 

[Dougiestyle]

Well, now. I came in here looking for some mod pr0n. I guess I will come back later.

Thanks for your observations thus far!

 

[Chewy-bot]

This is my solution to the mounting difficulties:



space for 1 18650 battery, the sx350 and the USB dongle. Still space left over to tackle the switch issue.

 

[TechDvice]

I am very interested in this thread...

I've recently purchased a device with this chip and love it and I now would like to build something of my own using this chip so keep the info coming for sure.

Thank you for your efforts here,

Mike

 

[CMD-Ky]

What is your source for this box. It looks quite simple and functional.

This is my solution to the mounting difficulties:

View attachment 358314 View attachment 358316 View attachment 358319

space for 1 18650 battery, the sx350 and the USB dongle. Still space left over to tackle the switch issue.

 

[CMD-Ky]

I, too, have been considering a direct soldering to the battery. That switch is small and I have had some questions. Do you you use it directly or is there a larger button that activates the switch?

Hello,

I would like to use this thread to share what i've learned about the YiHi Sx350, tips and tricks, and some of my mods.

The boards I received are rev1.2 firmware, and come with the USB charger soldered. I understand there were some early units that required modder to solder the charger.

Pros: It does what it claims and does it well. at the 30 and 35 watt settings the board doesn't appear stressed. Based on what i've seen from yihi's videos i'm betting this unit's max is around 100watts, so even the 50 watt upgrade is well within its limits.

Cons: on some of the units the screen is slightly askew, or it looks that way even if they are not. I thought I was doing something wrong until I watched PBusardo's review on youtoube...

Other observations: Its picky on power. All of the cheap 18650 battery holders i've tried cause too much voltage drop and either give a false low battery reading or a bad battery warning. Maybe the keystone brand holders are better quality? I've just been soldering directly to the battery....


I started with box mods and realized a few things. 1: no convenient way to mount the Sx350. The screen is about the only flat surface on the thing, and its made of fragile glass. Not the ideal choice for supporting the whole mass of the board. 2: The switch... i like the tactile clicky nature, and its a somewhat standard form factor in industry... for mounting on a PCB.

i'll post some pictures of the stuff i'm working on later,

Cheers,
Chewy

 

[Chewy-bot]

The clear plastic tray is something I make, its really intended for use with another box. But a one piece plastic box might be a good challenge to design and fabricate... Wonder why every mod is billet aluminum, plastic is lighter, less prone to dents, and most notably is non-conductive in case of a short. (I know anodized Al is non-conductive )

As for the button, like most people I just chop it off, and wire in a bigger panel mount switch. But I am trying to figure out how to make a "button cap" that would sit on top of this switch yet be captured by the Mod's case. I was thinking rectangle, so it wouldn't rotate.

 

[Chewy-bot]

So here's the next project: View attachment 358812
uses a smaller version of the clear plastic tray:
View attachment 358813

close fit, but its all in there:
View attachment 358814

now to take some measurements

 

[CMD-Ky]

The links were "invalid" when I clicked, my browser settings or e-cig decision? I found similar products on e-bay, are these your designs? one was a board holder only and one was a board holder with battery holder.

Also thanks for the comment above regarding the switch. I am switch shopping now.

Thanks

So here's the next project: View attachment 358812
uses a smaller version of the clear plastic tray:
View attachment 358813

close fit, but its all in there:
View attachment 358814

now to take some measurements

 

[Chewy-bot]

I think its my connection, too sketchy to upload reliably. I'll have to try again tomorrow, photos are on the work computer. And those are my holders on e-bay.

 

[CMD-Ky]

I got the last chip only tray. I am putting together a lexan box and want to use either a 26650 or two parallel 18650 batteries.

I think its my connection, too sketchy to upload reliably. I'll have to try again tomorrow, photos are on the work computer. And those are my holders on e-bay.

 

[Chewy-bot]

let me try those photos again:



a tight fit, but its just doable: