Dual Voltage? Regulator? Switches? How?

[Ridewithme38]

I'm lost i've got some idiotic idea stuck in my head and usually until i can find a way for it to work it will stay their and drive me crazy...

i'm trying to build a 3.7V & 5V box in one...I'm going to pickup a 3AA Box at Radio shack a couple switches, i've got a 2 14500 batteries and I ordered a Regulator that was recommended on here
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/modders-forum/30412-suggestions-5v-batteries-cases.html


I know how to throw it together to make it either a 3.7v box(Battery to switch to adapter) or to throw it together to be a 5v box, (2 batteries in Series to switch to Regulator to adapter)

But for some reason i can't wrap my brain around how i'd put both of these in one box....It seems to me i need a switch to turn off one battery AND the Regulator, But i believe it was stated the Regulator needs to be kept after the main switch...

Any ideas? I'm lost and am feeling dumber by the minute!

 

[jeffakamax]

Wouldn't 2 switches do it? One switch runnig off 1 batt, and the other off both with the regulator?

Or a small A/B selector switch, but you will still wind up with 2 switches.

 

[Ridewithme38]

I was thinking a simple SPDT Switch(Works just like an A-B Switch) but the problem is i can't figure out where in the line to put this...

My first Nicostick was a USB Passthrough/3.7v battery box...using a SPDT switch but that was simply a matter of battery or USB...I'm not sure how the Regulator would work in this situation....When running in single battery mode i would need to completely isolate the one battery from the other(Which is fairly easy) But then the Regulator i believe has to be much further "Upstream" then the batteries...

 

[tannerk]

If I was an expert I would use a converter. But I'm not an expert.

CONVERTERS (only if you expert)

 

[jeffakamax]

I would have suggested a SPDT, but they are usually huge. If you find a small one, wire it like this.

 

[motorcity57]

usb port, all the voltage you need
Mini Size High Capacity Power Station -PS6600

 

[motorcity57]

maybe?
USB Battery Box -Convert 4 AA Batteries to USB Port Power

 

[Ridewithme38]

Thank you Jeff! Great Diagram! I've got it 90% together, just basicly mocked it up...just haven't wired in the Regulator yet...7.82v is too high to vape btw....I still need to pick up a soldering iron and learn how to use it to connect the Regulator and clean up all the other connections...

I'm a little worried about the Regulator running Hot if its before the main switch(After the spdt switch) but that's something that seem unavoidable...

Thanks again for all the help guys

 

[HockerMagnum]

Thank you Jeff! Great Diagram! I've got it 90% together, just basicly mocked it up...just haven't wired in the Regulator yet...7.82v is too high to vape btw....I still need to pick up a soldering iron and learn how to use it to connect the Regulator and clean up all the other connections...

I'm a little worried about the Regulator running Hot if its before the main switch(After the spdt switch) but that's something that seem unavoidable...

Thanks again for all the help guys

Why worried? It only operates when you push the mementary button to vape.

 

[joedirt]

If you have two batteries in there... Why not use them in parallel for the 3.7V mode. That way they both drain evenly and you have 2x the battery life. Then hook them in serial for the (5V?) 7.4V into a 5V regulator?

I believe (?) you *might* (stress might) be able to short across the Vin and Vo of the regulator and it just will go into short circuit current mode which is almost nothing compare to the atty. At least that is for the LM317.

It requires like 6 SPST switches, but I think it can be reduced to one DPDT.. (maybe a 6-pole changeover switch)

 

[joedirt]

I'm a little worried about the Regulator running Hot

yes, the regulator is going to get hot. Assuming its a 7805... Though why you would use that instead of an adjustable LM317.. I have no idea.
(even a 5V regulator w/ current control would be more useful if you have your heart set on 5V.. You can also use a L200C and just set the current)

So 3ohm atty at 5V is 1.67A, so the regulator is going to be using (7.4V-5V)*1.67A = 4W

So it is only on at most 20% of the time, so it's really under a Watt average heat..

 

[mnealtx]

It can be done with just 2 switches - one momentary contact switch and a SPDT switch.

Take a 4AA box. Attach a wire to the pad under the positive of battery 1. You want, at the end, to have the negative wire from the on/off switch, a wire from the positive from battery 1, and a wire from the positive from battery 2. This will probably involve stripping the crossover bars from battery 2/3 and battery 3/4, then put the single pad with the red wire under the positive end of battery 2.

Connect the "Common" lead of the regulator to the wire from the on/off switch and also to the outside of the atomizer.

Connect the Vin of the regulator to the positive of battery 2. Connect the Vout to one side of the SPDT switch. Connect the wire attached to the positive side of battery 1 to the OTHER side of the SPDT switch.

NOTE - make sure you mark the outside of your box so you know which position is 3.7v and which is 5v.

Connect the center terminal of the SPDT switch to the momentary switch. Connect the other side of the momentary switch to the center of the atomizer.

Set your battery switch to the desired voltage, hit the momentary switch and vape away!

 

[Ridewithme38]

I would have suggested a SPDT, but they are usually huge. If you find a small one, wire it like this.

Thank you for the diagram!! This is exactly how i wired it(With a Momentary switch before the atty but after the Toggle switch)...i used this SPDT Micromini Toggle Switch - RadioShack.com SPDT Switch and it ended up working perfectly...What i'm finding interesting now is i'm getting a sort of Phantom -2.82v when the box is shut off...I'm not too worried about it though...


Now i need to figure out LED's! I'd like a Green light for sub 4.3v vaping(Single battery Full charge) and a Red Light for Above 4.3V(Dual Battery with Regulator) So i can quickly tell what voltage i'm vaping....I figure this is basicly what stock PV's Chargers do..Just the opposite...but i'm looking up LED's as we speak

 

[jeffakamax]

Thank you for the diagram!! This is exactly how i wired it(With a Momentary switch before the atty but after the Toggle switch)...i used this SPDT Micromini Toggle Switch - RadioShack.com SPDT Switch and it ended up working perfectly...What i'm finding interesting now is i'm getting a sort of Phantom -2.82v when the box is shut off...I'm not too worried about it though...


Now i need to figure out LED's! I'd like a Green light for sub 4.3v vaping(Single battery Full charge) and a Red Light for Above 4.3V(Dual Battery with Regulator) So i can quickly tell what voltage i'm vaping....I figure this is basicly what stock PV's Chargers do..Just the opposite...but i'm looking up LED's as we speak

Excellent!!! I only pretend to be stupid, people expect less of you then - LOL!

Glad to hear you got it together!

 

[joedirt]

Now i need to figure out LED's! I'd like a Green light for sub 4.3v vaping(Single battery Full charge) and a Red Light for Above 4.3V(Dual Battery with Regulator) So i can quickly tell what voltage i'm vaping....I figure this is basicly what stock PV's Chargers do..Just the opposite...but i'm looking up LED's as we speak

You can use a dual color LED to save space/ make it easier. Do you need two LEDs? I mean if the LED is on, it is higher voltage, if it is off and vapor is coming out, its the single battery. Is there an on/off switch, or just push to puff.

 

[Ridewithme38]

You can use a dual color LED to save space/ make it easier. Do you need two LEDs? I mean if the LED is on, it is higher voltage, if it is off and vapor is coming out, its the single battery. Is there an on/off switch, or just push to puff.

I was hoping to use something like a Dual Color LED but its hard to find specs for what i'm looking for...Right now...it Has a MAIN powe on/off Switch a SPDT Toggle switch for switching between 3.7v and 5v and a Momentary switch(Push to Puff) to supply current to the Atomizer...

What i need is an LED that with show Green at sub 4.3volts and red above 4.3v but i haven't been able to find something like that...i'm not really sure how else i would set it up

Thats a good suggestion with the simpler LED setup....if i can't figure out how to wire this with a two color LED that is definately the way i'm gonig

 

[Cisco]

I was hoping to use something like a Dual Color LED but its hard to find specs for what i'm looking for...Right now...it Has a MAIN powe on/off Switch a SPDT Toggle switch for switching between 3.7v and 5v and a Momentary switch(Push to Puff) to supply current to the Atomizer...

What i need is an LED that with show Green at sub 4.3volts and red above 4.3v but i haven't been able to find something like that...i'm not really sure how else i would set it up

Thats a good suggestion with the simpler LED setup....if i can't figure out how to wire this with a two color LED that is definately the way i'm gonig

red/green LED shared ground, separate anodes 3mm, 1 anode for the low voltage side, the other anode for the high voltage side.

Digi-Key - 67-1327-ND (Lumex Opto/Components Inc - SSL-LX3059IGW)


Cisco...

 

[joedirt]

You just stack diodes in series with the LEDs until you get the desired turn-on voltage, then slap a resistor in there to set the current. The resistor is chosen by R=I_led_optimal/(Vbatt-Vled-Vdiodes)

I don't understand why you need leds always on showing you what you can assess by touching the SPDT switch... They will draw 10mA at least.. so in one day that is 480mAh or 20% of a 18650 battery charge. Are these only on when you are vaping? I guess if it used like the red auto battery light when you press the button.. if you need that. Without a comparator, I think the best you can do is red and red/green both. The other color turns on at a higher voltage so you just need to set it and have two resistors and have it on the other side of the switch (ie. the wire going to the atty)

 

[Ridewithme38]

You know i could just write 5V above the SPDT switch and 3.7V below the switch...But what fun would that be? My memory isn't as good as it once was(Don't remember if it was ever good) I'm pretty sure Up on the Switch is 5v and Down is 3.7V but it would be nice to have some kind of visual indicator...and i think an LED look sick and will give it a more finished look