Modding noob could use some advice (MadVapes equivalent in Europe? + circuit design?)

[waitstate]

I've got most of the kit needed to start modding; but am still short of a variable-voltage circuit - MV wants a credit card AND it's $20 postage AND I may get hit for VAT in customs (who would also want a credit card). So. Is there anywhere in Europe that someone who hasn't the faintest idea about circuit design to get the bits for a variable-voltage circuit? Ideally with idiot-proof instructions...and you're talking to someone who has to look up what all those squiggly bits on circuit diagrams mean and has soldered themselves to their own keyboard before now.

And then getting to the circuit itself...

I've got some 3600MaH batteries on the way. Is there any reason I shouldn't put two of them in parallel to give myself 7200MaH? Given that; would it be possible to add a mini-USB socket into the circuit somewhere so I can use the excess charge to power up other toys?

Also, in my search, I found this super-capacitor thing that made me go "Hmmm":
The Forever Rechargeable VARIABLE Super Capacitor Battery !!!
Daft? Good idea?

Apologies for the daft questions but I prefer to admit that I don't know what I'm doing and get it right first time. Thanks for any help you can give me...

 

[eyebrook]

Sounds like you are in the UK, are you?

 

[waitstate]

From the UK, but living in Spain.

EDIT: Ah! Same as you!

 

[eyebrook]

DC-DC Step Down Adjustable Power Supply Module 3 amper on eBay (end time 27-May-11 19:41:18 BST) will get you a dc/dc variable voltage controller, if you decide to buy them let me know, and where in Spain are you?
Tony

 

[waitstate]

I'm in Almuñecar (due south-ish of Granada). The vv regulator is a good price, but I've got one question/reservation: I bought some displays
Mini DC 3.2-30V Digital Voltage Panel Meter Voltmeter on eBay (end time 17-May-11 12:55:51 BST)
...which I rather want to incorporate into my mod and the Madvapes site says that their similar display sometimes gets broken by stepping regulators. Whether your circuit would break the display or not...I just don't know enough about these things to be sure or to know what I'm looking at. Maybe something with a potentiometer. At $5 a go, I ordered one of your circuits anyway, just to see what happens.

I'm doing things sort of the opposite way round to most mods here; which seem to be find a case and then build an e-cig into it. I have a laser engraver, so once I get all the internal bits working; I can design a body around it.

Found some good bits:
Battery:
2 x PROTECTED 18650 ULTRAFIRE 3600mAh 3.7V BATTERIES UK | eBay UK
Tank:
7ml Glass Laboratory Bijou Bottles with Cap Pk10 NEW on eBay (end time 24-May-11 18:29:39 BST)
or
Russian 2x 5ml Medical Hypodermic Glass Syringe USSR on eBay (end time 19-Apr-11 23:28:23 BST)
Buttons:
5x Momentary Push Button OFF (ON) N/O Switch Black S1 on eBay (end time 18-May-11 20:36:20 BST)

The aim is to get a more or less maintenance-free and super-performance vaper...this'll obviously be more desktop model than travel-sized. The weak point is the attys and I've got some 400 mesh and kanthol wire as sending all those $10s to China is really annoying (eGo-T). So. A super-dooper platform so I can experiment with atty design which is the next stage.

 

[eyebrook]

Hi im near Guadamar a little village near a small place called Formentera Costa Blanca.
Those Si switches need a 16mm hole to be drilled for them if I remember the Mi switches the same rating i think only need a 12 mm hole, just a thought.I cant help you with the voltmeter, i dont know enough about them., there is a thread on here where one of the dc dc boards was incorporated into an ecig mod, the ladies name was Mamu or something like it, worth a search on the forums

 

[waitstate]

Thanks. Will look that up. Si? Mi?

I have a shedload of test cables
10 Crocodile Clip Test Leads 50cm , 5 colours on eBay (end time 31-May-11 12:23:59 BST)
...so can test stuff relatively easily by just clipping things together. This is both for convenience and due to the fact that soldering usually ends up in some sort of personal injury so I save that for the final stage.

 

[eyebrook]

Si type is the switch you listed in your post
5x Momentary Push Button OFF (ON) N/O Switch Red M1,this is the one im talking about and its a 9mm hole that it needs, all sorts of colours, your choice lol

5x Momentary Push Button OFF (ON) N/O DIY Round Switch Black M1

 

[waitstate]

Oh that bit! Well that's no problem, I'll just tell the laser to cut the hole. Doesn't really matter what size it is.

 

[eyebrook]

laser??? better make me one as well then lol

 

[waitstate]

Sure. Once I have all the bits and get them working...I'll see what needs to be packed in and laser up a case to go round it. I'm pretty much limited to wood or acrylic as serious building materials; but -once any heat dispersal problems have been accounted for- they'll do the job. I thought wood.

 

[waitstate]

Sure, no problem. Once I've got all the internal gubbins sorted out and working; then I'll know what I have to account for and just laser up a case to go round it all. And having done the design work, doing loads of cases is as easy as one...just feed in the materials and hit the 'go' button, so extras are no problem. It's limited as to what materials it can do...acrylic and wood are the main contenders. I thought I'd go with wood. Obviously any heat problems have to be resolved first too.

EDIT: ....! Duplicate...it went to page II without me noticing and I thought I'd forgotten to press the submit button and typed it again. *sigh*

 

[eyebrook]

No probs, let me know how you get on, would be very interested in a vv, if you do it we can talk costs through pms, always pay my way

 

[waitstate]

The base bit is trivial really; once I get past the 'clueless with circuitry' part. The real challenge is the atomiser. I've got the bits to make a genesis style one up; but really that's just a variation on the same-old-same-old; albeit a clever and quite elegant one. I did see something about making a dripper with an inkjet squirter. Now THAT looks interesting. A little pricey at first glance; but has to be cheaper in the long run.