Circuit to 'REGULATE' 1- 14650 batt:

[proax9]

I am not an electronic wizard and really do not want to be... BUT

I have built a few simple mods with very basic wiring (510 connector + switch + battery)
What I would love to do is add a 'plug n play' circuit / board that will allow me to maintain (regulate) voltage somewhere around 4 volts, in a mod using 1- 14650 batt.
From my limited searching on ECF, I guess this could be a VV circuit that I keep at ~4v or a switching regulator.

1. Is the above something that can be done?
2. Can anyone point me in the direction to speak with, or PM a person who can build me whatever is needed, and I install in my mod?

Thanks....

 

[Quigsworth]

One thing anyone is going to need to know before they can help is how big and what form factor are your mods...if you have the space they're are a number of "Boost" modules that are ready made that can be soldered in, adjusted with the help of a meter and you're good to go...check out this thread http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/battery-mods/247184-list-mod-coverters-newbs.html

I hear ya on the 4v thing, seems all my vv mods are usually set to around there...

 

[WillyB]

if you have the space they're are a number of "Boost" modules that are ready made that can be soldered in, adjusted with the help of a meter and you're good to go..

Be best not to recomend things you haven't tried. For the most part those boost assemblies are quite pathetic for our uses.

And FWIW use caution with TomCat's recommendations and analysis.

To the OP your best bet would be the TI PTN04050C, asdaq and Gummy (among others) both use them as single voltage boosters. You only need a resistor and maybe a diode.

Spend some time on the forums, most of these basic questions have been asked and answered hundreds of times.

 

[Quigsworth]

I didn't recommend anything Willy, I only posted a link to another thread with some possible examples of what's being used by others on here, kinda help proax9 narrow his/her search a little is all...

 

[TomCatt]

Willy, FWIW, the name is TomCatt- 2 tees on the end

 

[jhonutz]

And FWIW use caution with TomCat's recommendations and analysis.

why? @tomcatt you put people in fog with your explanation? or what ?

Ontopic: Simple way is to use PTN04050c -booster or PTR8100 for 2 batts series connected.

 

[proax9]

Seems like PTN04050c is the way to go.
I can check with them, but will TI sell just a few...?

Thanks all for the info.....

 

[TomCatt]

You can actually get a few as free samples from TI.

 

[Quigsworth]

You can actually get a few as free samples from TI.

Ask fo a free sample?...I don't know TomCatt, I've heard about your dubious recommendations...

 

[TomCatt]

Ask fo a free sample?...I don't know TomCatt, I've heard about your dubious recommendations...

Drat! Foiled again!

 

[CraigHB]

One problem with boosters is the high drain rates they call for. You're going from lower voltage and higher current to higher voltage and lower current. It depends on the resistance of your atomizer and the voltage you run them, but you can hit the current limit on most protected 14500 cells.

You said you want to use a 14650 which should have a higher drain rate, but that's an odd size cell so I'm not sure on that. For a booster, you typically need to use an IMR cell that can handle the higher drain rate, but they're not protected so you need to handle them accordingly. They also have less charge capacity.

The popular solution around drain limits is to use a step-down or buck switching regulator that goes from higher voltage and lower current to lower voltage and higher current. The downside is you need series cells, but the there are tons of regulator modules available. Boosters are not nearly as common.

 

[proax9]

One problem with boosters is .......

Thanks for the heads up.
I did order some samples from TI- but I noticed on the data sheet the lowest output is 5v.
I was hoping to get something closer to 4v - 4.2v, but my main objective is just to have the voltage regulated, no drop off.

 

[asdaq]

Thanks for the heads up.
I did order some samples from TI- but I noticed on the data sheet the lowest output is 5v.
I was hoping to get something closer to 4v - 4.2v, but my main objective is just to have the voltage regulated, no drop off.

If that is all you really want then they are quite fine and it would be a challenge to make a smaller build without getting into PWM. If you go beyond spec and add a resistor between pins 3 + 4, they will output less than advertised 5v.

Do note they have a 12W limit.

 

[proax9]

I am new at this : what is PMW?
Can you tell me what resistor I need or is it in the datasheet?

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[CraigHB]

I understand what you're saying about battery fade. Personally, it bugs the hell out of me and that's one of the big reasons I prefer a regulated mod.

PWM is pulse width modulation. It has all kinds of applications. A common example is the fans in your computer that speed up when the computer gets hot. The switching regulators we're talking about here use PWM at high frequency in conjuction with an inductor (like half of a transfomer) to do the magic they do.

You can use a straight PWM output to control the power output of your atomizer. However, regulation is done with pulse width so peak power output is limited to input power. As an example, the eGo uses PWM to regulate to an equivalent DC output of about 3.5V. Even if it was adjustable, it would never be able to output more than battery voltage. To get around that limitation, you can use cells in series to get a full power range.

 

[asdaq]

I am new at this : what is PMW?
Can you tell me what resistor I need or is it in the datasheet?

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

Resistors (10k, 47k, 75k, 150k) - All resistors should be 1/8 watt or better.

Power Variable (4.35, 4.60, 4.75, 4.95v under load)

For those that want the slider to output between 4.0 and 4.5v there is a really easy trick that RjG shared with me. If you add a 100k resistor between the Adj pin and and vOut pin on the booster the 4 voltages will be changed to:

4.0v
4.15v
4.3v
4.5v

https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AXdaMZo4FKMVZGhqdnE4YnNfNDNjN2Q0cHBoZg&hl=en&pli=1

 

[proax9]

I really appreciate all the info... thanks again.