Just For LM2596 Users

[BJ43]

Well i scratch the box a little in doing things no big deal for me, put it loosely together, i soldered all the wires but left the reg board loose and tested .
It fired up and the meter worked as well.
Then the ground came off the 510 connector , i did not use flux when originally soldered as i have no more and got lazy and in a haste got the wire to stick just to test . Fired it back up with cover off cause of the loose reg board and then the ground came loose from the 510 connector and must have made real good contact with the positive wire in the 510 connector.
Right before my eyes a few wires turned red and melted the insulation off as i was scrambling to do something like shut it off. This happened in a matter of seconds.
Right after i shut it down i then went to pull the batteries and they were real hot as i could see the outer plastic wrap started to distort at the top part.
I tossed both batteries.

So now back to square one - i'll start all over again as i have 1 regulator board left along with a few spare parts as well.

One thing i did notice when i was testing it was that the potentiometer screw when i try to adjust only went from 5.8 to 6.1 no matter how much of turning it . It seemed like it would turn to infinity in counter or the clockwise position.
Any thought on that ?

Sorry for all your problems, I usually buy the prewired 510 from madvapes for just that reason and I fill the bottom with high temp potting epoxy. The potentiometers are a little tricky until you get used to them, I turn them half a turn at a time, stop than half a turn, until they start changing the voltage. At 6 v your wires will melt fast with a short.

With 7.4 volts fully charged to 8v in you won't get more than 6.1 out no mater how high you turn the pot. Remember you lose 2v in the buck regulator, that is why I use 12v+ in.

 

[Dieseler]

Well here it is and it ain't pretty but its working with another spare Lm2596 i had .
Meter works as well.
I only vape up to 4.0 volts so this setup works good for me .
The potentiometer works well also and is nice and responsive unlike the other one.

Next one i put together will have to be in a larger box because that LM2596 has the meter already attached and is larger in size.
Perhaps i can make it neater and take more time with it.
Its fun for personal use.!

Here are the pictures for a good laugh.

 

[BJ43]

Well here it is and it ain't pretty but its working with another spare Lm2596 i had .
Meter works as well.
I only vape up to 4.0 volts so this setup works good for me .
The potentiometer works well also and is nice and responsive unlike the other one.

Next one i put together will have to be in a larger box because that LM2596 has the meter already attached and is larger in size.
Perhaps i can make it neater and take more time with it.
Its fun for personal use.!

Here are the pictures for a good laugh.
View attachment 90453View attachment 90454

Congrats and enjoy...

 

[Dieseler]

Thanks and thanks to you BJ43 and the others here who helped me with the diagrams and for patiently putting up with my questions.

 

[TomCatt]

Dieseler! It looks fine! I've been using the 4"x2"x1" project box from Radio Shack. Not sure if that will work with the module with the meter attached.

 

[lynch]

Well here it is and it ain't pretty but its working with another spare Lm2596 i had .
Meter works as well.
I only vape up to 4.0 volts so this setup works good for me .
The potentiometer works well also and is nice and responsive unlike the other one.

Next one i put together will have to be in a larger box because that LM2596 has the meter already attached and is larger in size.
Perhaps i can make it neater and take more time with it.
Its fun for personal use.!

Here are the pictures for a good laugh.
View attachment 90453View attachment 90454

Nothing to laugh about Dieseler, nice looking mod. better looking than most of mine
Heck better looking than all of mine

 

[Dieseler]

Hi TomCatt
To give you and idea of how big
the module with the meter already attached measures according to the description 48x32x18mm .
I have a plain empty box with outside measurements of 3 3/4 by 2 1/4 x 1 .
According to the module measurements and pair of 18350 batteries which i been wanting to use they will fit in my box .

Input has to be 2 volts higher than the output according to its specs and may not be for everyone perhaps ?
Input voltage range :4.5-24V
Output voltage range: 0.93V-20V (step-down mode, the input must be greater than the output 2V or more) which is the same as the module i just used in the above setup minus the meter attached directly to it.

For me personally sweet spot is under 4 volts.

 

[matador]

I've had a few of these lm2596's for a while and finally got around to making something with it. They're a little big to put into a battery mod, so I made a PT of sorts.. I modified a 12v to USB adapter, glued a lm2596 module on top and used a 2xAA box to house a switch and atty connector. Works great, but everytime I take a hit off it theres a high pitch noise that comes through the stereo .. but hell, it works!

 

[BJ43]

My LM2596 PT's in 3AA and 2AA box. I covered the 2AA with SS mesh and CA. The 2596 fit fine in these small boxes. Have never had any interference with the stereo or tv.

 

[BJ43]

The 2AA after a few coats of CA.

 

[matador]

Have never had any interference with the stereo or tv.

Im only getting interference because its plugged into my 12v cigarette lighter socket and I have a crappy stereo in my work truck. My Ipod was hooked up with a fm transmitter as well, maybe that made it more susceptible to electrical interference.

What do you use for a power source for those mods?

 

[BJ43]

Im only getting interference because its plugged into my 12v cigarette lighter socket and I have a crappy stereo in my work truck. My Ipod was hooked up with a fm transmitter as well, maybe that made it more susceptible to electrical interference.



What do you use for a power source for those mods?

12v 5amp at home and direct off the cig lighter in my truck..

 

[Dieseler]

Here is one i will be trying out
1pc DC-DC power module + voltage meter 4.5-24V LM2596 -4 | eBay

I got this in the mail today .

here is the description from the listing
Input voltage range :4.5-24V

Output voltage range: 0.93V-20V (step-down mode, the input must be greater than the output 2V or more)

Output Current: 2A continuous output
Output power: Max 20W
Voltage indication: Input 4.5-24V, output 0.9-20V
Weight: 18 g / only
Size: 48mm * 32mm * 18mm

Switch: Switch digital voltage display for
Indicator: lit when the digital display input voltage, output voltage off when the display

Question with more to come in near future as i will need some help to wire this please.

I see a white switch to the right of the the potentiometer in above picture, is that the switch being talked about in the above description you think as i can push it up and down when i tried.

 

[Quigsworth]

Hmm, cool looking, maybe that's the switch that toggles the meter between IN V and OUT V???...only guessing

 

[notsmoking]

Yes quigs.... you guessed that one right

 

[BJ43]

Curious if the switch will also turn off the display. Don't like the display on all the time

 

[BJ43]

On this one I replaced the green jumper with a on off on slide switch and that way I have Vin, Vout, and off.

 

[Dieseler]

Its mentioned in the listing description and i think this is meant for the volt meter
"Indicator: lit when the digital display input voltage, output voltage off when the display"
the above quote seems to be cut short after the word display.

Correct me if im wrong but im thinking when showing input the meter will stay lit all the time , when little white button is pushed to show the output voltage it will flash it then turn dark again instead of staying lit ?

Im just taking a wild guess if meter not hooked with a on/off/on switch and just useing a on/off switch to shut down box from fireing in ones pocket.

Any suggestions please.

 

[BJ43]

Its mentioned in the listing description and i think this is meant for the volt meter
"Indicator: lit when the digital display input voltage, output voltage off when the display"
the above quote seems to be cut short after the word display.

Correct me if im wrong but im thinking when showing input the meter will stay lit all the time , when little white button is pushed to show the output voltage it will flash it then turn dark again instead of staying lit ?

Im just taking a wild guess if meter not hooked with a on/off/on switch and just useing a on/off switch to shut down box from fireing in ones pocket.

Any suggestions please.

Guess we will only know when you test it, the description they give is confusing. Putting a on off as a master switch should not be a problem so it won't go off in your pocket, just wire it in between the batt (-) and the 2596 (-)in.

 

[Foxman]

Well I'm gonna bite the bullet and try this. After reading this thread (twice, lol), I found some scrap Cedar planks and I'm gonna make my own box mod. It might be UGLY but If it works, then I'll find a nice peice of wood and move everything over, lol. You guys ( and gals ) are awsome sharing you knowledge with all of us.