eGo with 10440 battery mod

[asnider123]

I know there are probably many of you who already know this, but the battery inside the tube is it's weak point. It quits taking a charge and you throw it away and buy another.

Well ... don't throw them away anymore, give them to me to mod LOL

I have discovered a way to remove the old, soldered-in battery, and replace it with a readily-available 10440. And, even better, it charges the battery right in the eGo, you don't need to remove the battery when it goes low, just hook it to the eGo charger. The protection circuitry still works, so I suspect that you could even use unprotected 10440's, but I would drill a vent-hole just to play it safe.

Anyway, check out my pics....






The question is: will you mod my old eGo's and Riva's and send back to me? Well, the answer is no, I am not a repair service (yet), still learning. However, I will be modding a couple of eGo's (possibly more if you send me your old ones instead of trashing them) and I will be offering them to other in the Pay-It-Forward section on ECF.

Anyway, hope you like it

Alan

 

[36tinybells]

I just knew that classy ad would lead to good things!

 

[kelleymcm]

+1 on that thought ...me too
I just knew he'd figure out a thing or two that the manufacturer's would "CRINGE" over !

Now if you could just explain "what you did" to get to the point of batt replacement....

 

[JW50]

Maybe a repeat. What is it you want? Riva's and eGo's that would otherwise be trashed? And then what? You use the circuit boards?

 

[asnider123]

I had a feeling some of you would like to see how this is done, so here it is in picture and song ....

Step 1: take a worn-out eGo or Riva


Step 2: Disassemble it. Easier said than done. There are instructions on the internet, but basically you clamp the control head (I used my vise, not very tite, just enough to hold it) and wiggle the crap out of the battery tube, a little at a time. Takes about a minute of wiggling to gat the tube off


Step 3: Now, here's where you decide whether it's the battery or the circuit board that's gone south. In order to determine that, the easiest way is to unsolder the two leads from the battery, touch the 2 leads to a good 10440 or 14500 battery and see what the light does. If it lights, the board is good. If it blinks like 4 times then 5 times (if I reember right), then it's working and your battery needs charging. No light at all, I would say the circuit board is bad

Step 4: Anyway, assuming the circuit board is still good here's what you do. Notice the long wire (picture #2) going clear to the bottom of the battery? Completely redundant, the metal case of the tube will give you a fine ground, we will not be using a wire to the neg side. Instead, you take a neg battery contact from an old mod, or from your junk box, or whatever. This pic shows the extra battery contact left over from making a 10440 boxmod.


Step 5: Well, you need to trim the base of the neg battery contact (the one with the spring) so it comfortably falls into the battery tube. Take your soldering iron and build a good glob of solder on the back side of this connector, drop it into your tube (making sure the spring is centered in the spring) and heat the heck out of the silver metal base of the tube (from the outside, holding the tube upright), remelting the solder and anchoring it in the tube. The tube gets a little hot, hold it with gloves.

After it cools, drop your 10440 battery in. The spring should keep the the + end of the battery almost clear to the top of the tube.


Boy, you're doing good so far.

Step 6: Now let's look at the circuit board itself. It's located inside the chrome switch unit. eGo's have it suspended in a plastic ring, Riva's just epoxy it in. In either case, look at the red + and the long - leads. If the long lead is still connected to the board, you are lucky. They usually break off of the board when you gut the unit. No problem.

If your long wire is still there, cut it long enough to wrap around to the outside of the switch unit, so it will touch the inside of the battery tube, giving you a ground for the circuit board. Now tin the wire, being careful not to use too much heat or it will unsolder itself from the board.

If it has broken off of the board, solder a lead from a resistor to the negative terminal on the circuit board (the opposite side from the + wire), wrap it around so it will touch the inside of the tube.

Here's a pic of my negative lead, wrapped around so it will touch the inside of the battery tube. You have to look closely


Step 7: Now, for the positive battery term, I just soldered a small chunk of something to the red wire. I put the foam rubber insulator back in, pulling the red wire thru the insulator, and center this connector in the insulator. Not pretty, next time I will figure out a more attractive pos term.


Step 8: Now push the switch unit back into the tube with the battery inside, being careful not to twist it. Just press it in hand-tight, you may want to take it apart again sometime. Push the button and


Step 9: Put on your atty or carto and give it a try


So ends the lesson for today

 

[kelleymcm]

Yay!!! ...easy peasy ...
or at least it sounds fairly straight forward ...

thanks for taking the time to 'splain it !!!

oh 1? tho ...was that a 650 or a 900 ?? looks longer than 650...

 

[asnider123]

Yay!!! ...easy peasy ...
or at least it sounds fairly straight forward ...

thanks for taking the time to 'splain it !!!

oh 1? tho ...was that a 650 or a 900 ?? looks longer than 650...

I don't know The battery say 2.41 Wh Joye xx450 (I believe it is 45mm long), does that help? A little fatter than a 10440 and about the same length. I am guessing it's a 650

 

[Switched]

Ummmmm, going from 650mAh+ to 320mAh???

 

[wizard10000]

Ummmmm, going from 650mAh+ to 320mAh???

You can get 600mAh 10440 batteries.

Still good to know if your last charger dies on a weekend and there's a Radio Shack close by - I wish I'd read this before I pitched a dead 900mAh Smoktech battery

Hmm. Next dead eGo battery + 18650 + cheap flashlight. I figure it'd only take about a week to charge an 18650 on a USB port, though

 

[asnider123]

Yer right, Wiz, there are 600ma 10440's and they're cheap too!! I used a 360mh because that's what I had on hand, I have some TR10440/600 batts on order, they're only 1.66 each. True, they're not protected, but the eGo batt isn't protected either, there is the protection circuit built into the eGo circuit board. Besides, I think I will drill a tiny vent hole in the bottom, just for safety sake.

Switched, I guess you don't get the point, you can bring back the dead instead of trashing it, and FOR FREE!! Good deal, I'm thinking

 

[wizard10000]

...Syou can bring back the dead instead of trashing it, and FOR FREE!! Good deal, I'm thinking

Yeah, but now you've got me thinking about an 18650 flashlight mod with an eGo switch on top of it, dammit.

 

[asnider123]

Me too, it will only take a little re-engineering LOL

 

[Switched]

or ...

better yet ...

IMO the 10440 batt is useless for vaping and I believe the 600mAh rating is over rated. You simply cannot pack that much power in a batt that size, chemistry does not permit it AFAIK for now. Google the original eGo internal batt, I have been told they are out there, that would be a step in the right direction for folks who wish to revive the dead. In most cases (short batt life = PCB mosfet is kaput). A battery with a year + = depleated battery chemistry in most cases.

 

[JW50]

I don't know The battery say 2.41 Wh Joye xx450 (I believe it is 45mm long), does that help? A little fatter than a 10440 and about the same length. I am guessing it's a 650

Took a Riva apart sometime ago. Labeling on it says "13450 2.41Wh" then second line "+ C11010065".

 

[wizard10000]

Me too, it will only take a little re-engineering LOL

I do think the button might be a little awkward to reach, though - that's about the only thing stopping me

 

[TxParamedic]

OK, So there is no reason why the company could not build a epower type 650 mah ego that you just replace the battery when it dies and you can use the usb charger just like you do now......Oh yeah! no repeat sales theres the problem!

Once again you come up with the coolest things! my wife is gonna be so ...... when I set something on fire trying to follow in your footsteps!

 

[mianker]

You AMAZE me, keep up the modding.

 

[keyzygirl]

You do amazing stuff!!and your such an asset to this community!Keep up the good work!

 

[classwife]

Yay Alan !!!!

 

[JW50]

Ummmmm, going from 650mAh+ to 320mAh???

Don't understand why 320 mAh is so useless - particularly at a buck or so a piece. Two get 640 at the cost of some wrist movement. Not bad - so it seems.