My newest mod... OR My take on 'the Puck'...

[BobTheKlown]

Ok, so I thought whilst waiting on the slow boat from China to bring my 18650 charger and 10440 batts, and waiting on inspiration to hit on housings for my 18650s, I would go ahead and build a Puck mod to run on NiMH batts, of which I have a couple of sets of 4, and keep around as a backup that can also run on alkalines in an emergency. Now, after getting over 80 hours on one set of 4 aa NiMH batts, I'm thinking my 18650s and 10440s may just go into specialty and stealth mods, and I may build another one of these to keep around as a backup. 5.43V unloaded, and 3.32V under load, puts out more vape then my 3.7V PT with inline 10440, and about as much as my 5V straight wired PT. Great, easy-to-build, cheap and >80hrs of batt life!

I used a 4aa box for batts and a 2aaa box for my batt connector, led and switch, fit's perfect in my (large) hands. I used an underrated switch (.5A instead of 3A), just for size, but I left the box so I could open it to repair/replace if necessary. LED is a slow then fast color changing LED from a novelty lighter...

I recessed the switch so it was less likely to trigger in my pocket. If I make another I'll probably switch the batt connector and the led positions to center the atty more and make the led easier to see while using...

operating switch with finger on top

operating switch with thumb on bottom

 

[Switched]

Nice mod but don't you think that a 2.2 volt drop under load is stressing the batteries?

 

[BobTheKlown]

I honestly don't know, I know they're not getting hot, and they were still going after well over 80 hours of super heavy vaping, I charged them last night and they all took a charge. If I am shortening their overall life, then I would consider it worth the sacrifice to replace them every couple of months, to get that kind of time between charges... My stock 510 batteries got MAYBE 2 hours between charges, and died within 6 months, at a cost $12-15 ea.... As long as these don't 'blow up' on me, I'm willing to stress them....

 

[ThePuck]

I use 4 AAA in the Puck with a 901 atty and the batteries only drop to 4.6v under load and stay pretty consistant until near the end of life (they may drop down to 4.2 then die off after 24 hours). Are you sure that is what your actual reading is, 3.3v accross the atomizer?

If it is, then the only thing I can think of is the current is going up higher to compensate. Mine is about 1.5 amps with a 901 atty. Maybe your's is more. With AA NiMhs, they can push more current than the AAA. Really strange. None of mine act that way with a 901 atty though.

 

[BobTheKlown]

I re-tested with fresh batteries and get 4.06 under load... I don't remember if the other reading was just before I charged my good set, or if it was with the 'backup' set that's been sitting in a drawer for about 5 years. I only got about 3-4 hrs on the backups, vs. well over 80 hrs on the fresh set I've had less then 6 months. Time to replace the old ones, I guess...

BTW Puck: Thank You for the tutorial on The Puck. Great stuff, so easy, soo cheap... I'm still working on 18650 and 10440 mods, but so far it looks like this will be my mainstay!

 

[WillyB]

Nice job. But you put your atty connector on the wrong end of the box. The other end (the non split side) will give you much better support (completely encircling the connector). There is a lot of leverage at that point with the atty installed. Can't tell you how many times I've dropped my mods, only to find the atty now at an odd angle, you need all the support you can get. Puck's recessed method (as did the NicoStick and the Janty Stick) takes much of the pressure off of the connector point. Running at a higher voltage the connector can also get hot. That ABS plastic can start to deform. Don't be afraid to load up on some epoxy.

 

[BobTheKlown]

Yeah, my epoxy's on the bottom of my atty connector, and I probably do need to add some more. When I make another one, I will use the other side of the box... I considered recessing my connector, but I wanted my button closer to the top then the middle. So, my next version, led and atty connector will switch places, and be on the solid end, and my connector may be recessed...

 

[WillyB]

Well although I like recessed connectors for their strength and smaller footprint They do need a bit of attention as e-liquid will eventually find itself inside the box.

My inlet hole was also very close fitting. I found I needed a hole to improve the tough draw and cool the vape down a tad.

Food for thought.

 

[mw6492]

I made 2 of these puck models one aa and one aaa both have only an atty conector wired directly to the on/off switch and the positive post for the battery. no led, no push button runs off of the on/off switch. one box for each and they're a lot less bulky than the original puck. (which will always have a place with me being my first mod!) Battery life is amazing, and I vape a lot......I mean ALOT!!!!

 

[ThePuck]

Well although I like recessed connectors for their strength and smaller footprint They do need a bit of attention as e-liquid will eventually find itself inside the box.

My inlet hole was also very close fitting. I found I needed a hole to improve the tough draw and cool the vape down a tad.

Food for thought.

A fix for the leaky 901 is to put a small folded paper towel inside over the atty. It collects any "loose juice" and has worked like a champ for me for a long time. I just change the paper towel about once a month.

 

[ThePuck]

Great job. Minimalist is always nice .

You can however fit a pushbutton switch and an led in one box and still use Radio shack parts. I show how on my site...
Half Size Puck? It Can be Done. – - The PUCK e-Cig Mod

Keep up the good work

 

[ThePuck]

I re-tested with fresh batteries and get 4.06 under load... I don't remember if the other reading was just before I charged my good set, or if it was with the 'backup' set that's been sitting in a drawer for about 5 years. I only got about 3-4 hrs on the backups, vs. well over 80 hrs on the fresh set I've had less then 6 months. Time to replace the old ones, I guess...

BTW Puck: Thank You for the tutorial on The Puck. Great stuff, so easy, soo cheap... I'm still working on 18650 and 10440 mods, but so far it looks like this will be my mainstay!

You're Welcome
I have not used anything else since I came up with the Puck. To me, the conveience of just jumping out and grabbing a new set of batteries whenever you need to is the best feature. Along with able to use alkalines in an emergency which has saved me quite a few times when I forgot to charge a set. Using the alkalines while a set is charging is priceless .

 

[ThePuck]

Ok, 5.43V unloaded, and 3.32V under load, puts out more vape then my 3.7V PT with inline 10440, and about as much as my 5V straight wired PT. Great, easy-to-build, cheap and >80hrs of batt life!

Are you sure that voltage measurement is correct under load. Are you using a LR Atty? You should be getting 4.6 at the least for a freshly charged set of NiMHs under load. Mine are 4.8 under load on a fresh set. At 3.32v, I cant see how you are getting good vapor unless you are using an LR atty but if it's working for you, I'll leave it be

 

[Quigsworth]

Well although I like recessed connectors for their strength and smaller footprint They do need a bit of attention as e-liquid will eventually find itself inside the box....My inlet hole was also very close fitting. I found I needed a hole to improve the tough draw and cool the vape down a tad...Food for thought.

May be just my imagination running wild but I also like a breather hole close to the atty con in case the batts are off-gassing