Poorboy PCC - How To (Component List)

[nash076]

You'll forgive the lack of pictures in this post; my digital camera fritzed on me. However, the flexibility of this mod will hopefully allow you to do this from step by step instructions.

Edit: Got the pics working, see post below.

All right . . . I own a DSE-901, have for a long time, and I'm not in a financial position where I can easily switch to a new model. At present, there's no personal charger case for my unit. It's very frustrating, because it makes travel somewhat difficult. While there's a couple people said to be working on one, and while it's relatively simple to modify the 510 PCC to accept 901 batteries . . . again, it's a cost issue. The 510 PCC tends to fall in the area of $35 shipped . . . and as nifty as it is, I thought I might be able to do a bit better. Though I designed mine for the 901, you can literally make one of these for any model that has a USB screw-type charger.

For this mod, you'll need the following:

1) A USB charger for your particular e-cig, in particular the "screw on" type charger. Here's the model I'm referring to:

The reason I chose this one is I've heard the "push in" types will pop the battery out if it's jostled about; also, the push-in type is somewhat larger. If you want to go with the other type, feel free; this is just the one I recommend.

2) A battery holder for 4 AA batteries, preferably the "2+2" longways configuration, like so:

Battery holder: 4 x AA Battery Holder With 6" 26AWG Wire Leads - RoHS Complaint - BL4AA

Unfortunately, that unit comes out to around $8.00 shipped, and we want to do this on the cheap. A good alternative comes from Radio Shack:

8 “AA” Battery Holder - RadioShack.com

At $2, this one's both cheaper and more easily obtainable. Simply cut the plastic off of one side, solder on new leads and you have a 2+2 battery holder for very little money.

3) A small slide SPST switch. While innovative folks could probably use other types, I prefer the slides because they're relatively difficult to accidentally turn on and take up much less room. This model is from Radio Shack as well:

SPST Submini Slide Switch - RadioShack.com

4) 4 AA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries and charger. At around 2500 maH's, these have a really good capacity. They're pricey if you buy them at a regular store, but not nearly as expensive if you purchase them at BatterySpace.com. Name brands aren't nearly as important as you think; read some battery reviews. In fact, getting the batteries, charger and battery holder from Battery Space allows you to combine the shipping costs of those items, bringing the total cost down.

The good thing about using the Ni-MH is that many people already have these batteries for other purposes, which again helps to keep the cost down.

5) A case. I've found the ideal size for this is a small hinge box approximately 4.5" long, 3" wide and 1" deep. You can of course choose something that works better for you, but I find this is a decent "pocket size" unit, not much larger than a standard cigarette case.

I personally scrounged an old jewelry box for my build, and while it's made of cardboard, a quick covering of spare Tolex I had on hand helped strengthen the overall unit and also gave it a better look. Yes, it'll smash if you sit on it, but so will a lot of plastic and metal containers.

If you're looking for boxes you can just up and purchase, I suggest checking dollar stores, thrift shops, and office stores. I also found the following two links to items that fit the approximate size for relatively little cost:

Stampington & Company - Miniature Suitcases

Darice Crafter's Tool Box Storage Neon 4.5x3 4pc Product Detail -- CreateForLess

This is the bit where you can get creative, or even build a small casing from scratch. So long as it has the approximate space indicated above, it'll fit all the components necessary for the build.

5) Optional: A female USB connector, like so:

http://www.coolgear.com/images/USBG-3FTE.jpg

The plug on the right in that image is a female. You'll find these on USB extension cords. Check your local dollar stores, as that's where I found one of these for this project. If you're a dab hand with a soldering iron and have any old, dead computer motherboards or similar components lying around, you might be able to salvage one of the USB ports for this build.

Now that we have all the components, let's talk about putting these together . . .

 

[nash076]

From here, we can actually build a portable charging kit for our individual e-cigs.

Let's go through step by step:

1) Plan your layout. What I mean by this is to take all the parts, approximate their sizes and plan how they'll be arranged in the case you've chosen. This will allow you to estimate the length you'll need to cut the various wires so there won't be loads of extra running wildly around your case. It also will allow you to plan the amount of space you'll have to work with. There are many different ways to put these together . . . the very first step is to decide what would be best and easiest for you.

Please note that the AA battery holder will be larger when it actually has batteries in it, even by a fraction of an inch. While it might not sound like much, it's enough to throw off a carefully planned build. When planning your layout, make sure your battery holder has batteries in it, even if they're just dead ones you're using for reference.

In addition, I recommend the use of heatshrink tubing if you have any on hand. If not, use electrical tape, but make sure you cover any solder points to prevent shorting.

2) On the bottom of the USB screw-type charger are two screws. Unscrew these and set these aside (don't lose them). Carefully pry the unit open; there's a small plastic snap in the back that is all that's holding the unit together once the two screws are out.

You'll find one further screw inside, holding the charging circuit in place. Remove this, and then remove the circuit from the plastic housing. at this point, cut the USB plug off the cable. Then, gently pull the skin off the cable, until you have the white and red leads that run to the circuit exposed.

Now, screw the circuit back into the housing the same way you removed it. Be careful to allow the white and red wires to run from the hole in the back of the housing. Set the charger aside.

3) On the 4 AA battery housing, take the red lead and solder it to one leg of your SPST switch. Be sure to trim your lead to the length you've decided on during your layout planning. Leave the black lead alone for now.

4) Take the red lead from the USB charger and attach it to the other leg of your SPST switch; again, trim your lead accoring to your layout. Also, be very gentle when stripping the wires from this lead, as the USB wires tend not to be as tough as others. In some cases, I've been able to skin the plastic from the thin internal USB wires with my bare fingernails, so be gentle and don't use too much force.

4A) Optional: Take the USB extension cable, and approximately three inches from the female USB connector, cut the cable. Then, using either a pair of wire cutters or (preferably, if you have them available) wire skinners, skin the plastic off the USB cable from the very base of the female USB connector. Again, be very gentle with the internal USB wires as they're very thin and fragile.

You should find four internal cables: white, green, red, and black. We won't be using the white or green wires, so cut them off as close to the female USB connector as possible.

Now, I'm going to pause and explain why the USB connector is even in this build: it's not required, but it can optionally give you a USB power port that you can carry anywhere. Not only can you use this unit to charge your e-cig battery, you will also be able to use it to charge any device that can plug into a USB port. What's more, this build will provide enough power (approximately 5 volts) to run a USB passthrough. That's right . . . you can be using your passthrough at the same time you're charging your batteries.

With that in mind, plan where you want the USB connector to go in your layout. The red lead from the USB connector will be going to the same leg of the power switch as the red lead from the USB e-cig battery charger. Trim your lead accordingly and solder the wire into place. Leave the black lead for the moment.

5) Take the white lead from the USB battery charger and the black lead from the AA battery holder and connect the two together. If you chose to add the female USB connector, take the black lead and connect it as well. Solder these wires together.

Once you've done this, and making certain your solder connections have been insulated with either electrical tape or another method, add your 4 AA Ni-MH batteries, and then flip your SPST switch to the "ON" position. If you've wired everything together correctly, the green light on the charger should come on. If not, go back and check your wires for shorts, breaks, or other problems. Repeat until the green LED on the charger lights up.

6) Attach your components to the casing. You can do this any number of ways, but the cheapest and simplest would be either super glue or hot glue (if you have a hot glue gun available). Make sure your wires are guided in such a way so that they're either against an inside wall of the case or at least in a configuration so they won't become tangled, bent, or caught on anything. Secure these with glue as well.

Once your parts are secured, turn the switch on again to verify the LED on the charger is lighting up. At this point, you're done.

6a) Optional: From here, you can decorate or make little changes as you see fit. I myself managed to find several pen clips from a mini dry erase board at the dollar store; by taking them off the boards and mounting them in the "top" half of my case, I was able to add storage for additional batteries, atomizers and carts without bumping into the charging components in the bottom. I also chose to cover my case in Tolex; you might want to use faux Leather, velvet, silk, or some other kind of fabric. Alternately, you can paint it, laquer it, whatever suits you.

And that's it! You're done.

Just for the number crunching, the unit runs on four 1.2 volt Ni-MH "AA" size batteries, which provides roughtly 4.8 volts. Batteries charging batteries tend to run about half as efficiently; a rough guestimate says that given a DSE-901's batteries are 180maH's, four Ni-MH rechargeables with 2600maH capacity will charge an e-cig battery about seven to nine times on a full charge.

Also, after testing the unit on a flat e-cig battery, it charged it to full power in approximately 1 hour, four minutes. The amount of space inside the case should give you room to store other batteries, or even a small 3 ml bottle of fluid such as this one:

Micro Dropper Bottle - 3 ml (3 pack) - Ultralight Designs

Feel free to play around, have fun with it, and see what you can add to this overall idea.

 

[Carlos49]

Sounds great you think you might beble to post a pic or two... I would love to see it

 

[nash076]

Got the camera phone to finally put the pics on my computer . . . here we go:

 

[framitz]

Cool
Seems like you could add an atty connector wired to the batteries through a switch for a 4.8v vape boost.

 

[warp1900]

Nice work nash076,

Although it escapes me why didn't you just build a nicostick with those same batteries and you would go around without worrying for power for many hours.
4 X AA box with switch and sliding cover $1.59 at the same place you got your elongated 4 x AA. or same at radio sharks for $1.99. A switch for 2.99 and you are done.
That is all you need to spend to vape when out and about.

 

[nash076]

True, I could have gone with the nicostick . . . but:

1) I like the stock batteries. They're smaller, lighter, easier to deal with and they look good. I like the LED, and I like that the full cig is about the size of a ballpoint pen. Also, when one of my automatics burn out, I plan to replace it with the new 901 manual batteries, which will work with my PCC without any modification.

2) This'll not only hold spare batteries, but also spare atomizers, carts and fluid in one relatively small case.

3) This unit can also charge my phone.

 

[warp1900]

Now that makes perfect sense, and you did it for a fraction of the cost.
Again great job!
Thanx for sharing

 

[nash076]

Cool
Seems like you could add an atty connector wired to the batteries through a switch for a 4.8v vape boost.

Yeah, but it'd look awful weird holding it up to your face.

I've got a home-built passthrough I made from an ancient car phone charger that I use when I'm at my desk . . . right as it stands, I can just plug that into this through the USB connector I added. It's like using a Kensington power pack, except because the charger and the USB connectors are wired in parallel, I can use the passthrough and charge my e-cig batteries at the same time without cables flopping all over the place.

So yeah, different method, same result.

 

[nash076]

Now that makes perfect sense, and you did it for a fraction of the cost.
Again great job!
Thanx for sharing

Considering I had a lot of this stuff on hand already, it was considerably cheaper. I already had the Ni-MH batteries I used with an old wireless mouse that died a while back, I scavenged the battery holder from an older project, I had the spare switch, the jewelry gift box was gathering dust in a closet and the Tolex was lying around from an amp I built a long time ago. When I made my last liquid order, I just tacked on a $7.00 USB charger with the whole deal (flat rate postage), so my total cost on this was . . . $7.00.

It's just showing that there's lots of stuff lying around you can make this kind of thing out of. And even if folks don't want to build one of these to charge their e-cig batteries, it's a cheaper alternative to a Kensington power pack . . .

 

[mnealtx]

Nice work!!

 

[Kewtsquirrel]

it's a cheaper alternative to a Kensington power pack . . .

For those who don't want to drop the coin for a Kensington power pack, or actually do any real work, these work pretty well if you're on a budget:

For only $4.69 each when QTY 50+ purchased - USB Battery Case - 4 X AAA | Car Charger Accessories


4 AAA nimhs and you're looking at 4.8v, it'll run your usb charger and requires zero actual modding

 

[nash076]

For those who don't want to drop the coin for a Kensington power pack, or actually do any real work, these work pretty well if you're on a budget:

For only $4.69 each when QTY 50+ purchased - USB Battery Case - 4 X AAA | Car Charger Accessories


4 AAA nimhs and you're looking at 4.8v, it'll run your usb charger and requires zero actual modding

That's not a bad unit at all, considering . . . I just went with my build because I had most of the stuff to build it laying about. If I'd had AAA Ni-MH's instead of AA's, I'd have probably gone with something like that.

Only about 900 maH's on the AAA's . . . that's a good four times the capacity of an e-cig battery, and it would last you a good while . . . but using the passthrough in public just looks odd, really.

Still, it's a viable alternative for the folks who prefer it. Ni-MH chargers running on AC recharge a lot faster than a USB power pack, that's for sure. Keep a spare set on the charger and you're good to go at all times.

Actually, glancing at BatterySpace, they've got a AA power pack that's similar to the one you linked to, and it's got a built-in charger to boot. It's also pretty cheap (but shipping costs from them are just murder).

 

[Carlos49]

Great Job Nash!!!