The "WeekEnder"

[bapgood]

I just went thru and replaced the springs in all four mechs....wow did it make a difference in all of them, but most of all the JM. The JM is now the tightest and smoothest out of all them!!! Mostly due to the thick piece of delrin in the switch. However because the JM doesn't have a metal plate in the switch all current transfer is done solely thru the spring, so a good conductive spring is needed as well as good contact against the housing.

The Origin lock can still be a pita if it gets over tightened, and even when its loose it takes 3 full turns to from full open to full lock!!! That's way too much IMO.

The vela clone is one full turn.

Both the Chi You and JM are a turn and half.

Shortening up the throws should decrease this somewhat.


Just incase anyone got a Origin and a Aqua without the hybrid contact, it a typical M3 pitch. I used a ss button head machine screw, the head was about perfect height but I ground it down a tad to give some adjustment....button top batteries could probably go without a screw.

 

[Schnarph]

To think I used a 300+ watt American Beauty without a rheostat, I had "graduated" according to the pros. I was working on stained/leaded glass panels, but still...

 

[Texaslimo]

I still want this.. So jealous! You did a great job here, Bap!

This is the switch in my kicked side by side.....it gets used all day everyday and has worked flawlessly.

 

[asdaq]

I really hadn't thought about it, but my ideal locks are three turns too. However, with how I hold it, a pinch between the thumb and index finger to get it started, and two flicks with the crook of the index finger to open. I also fire with the index finger and most of those I see with a 'detonator' style switch fire with the thumb. The pinching is to make sure it is tightly closed for pocket safety.

Sent from my 4.4'd Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4.4

 

[bapgood]

BJ I think we found the Tibs battery holder!!!

I think the keystone SMT battery holders pass the resistance test





No holder




Fasttech battery holder







Mamu wondered about the keystone battery contacts she used, so I got some and tested them. The same battery with the keystone C contact was 28mΩ and the D contact was 38mΩ. I was kind of surprised there was any difference between the two, but the springs are a little different.

I also got the thru hole version of the battery holders, and they have silver colored contacts and higher resistance, along with small thru hole pin protruding vertically from the back of the holder.








1042 Keystone Electronics | Mouser

1048 Keystone Electronics | Mouser

5241 Keystone Electronics | Mouser

5251 Keystone Electronics | Mouser

 

[Laoboi]

So what does this say about the FT battery holder?

 

[bapgood]

So what does this say about the FT battery holder?

That it has more resistance than the keystone....you want as little resistance in the circuit as possible. Does it mean not to use it if you have it, no not IMO. Mike seems to be having good luck with his.

 

[bender817]

I got vape mail today!

 

[Laoboi]

I got mine yesterday! Possibly the best feeling in the world.

 

[bender817]

I got mine yesterday! Possibly the best feeling in the world.

True dat... Its my first...

 

[bapgood]

TGT and Chi You clone in hybrid mode
(custom made hybrid plate)

 

[Laoboi]

Hey mike, did you use any fuses in your build with the battery holder?

 

[mikepetro]

No, the bat holder protects against everything except reverse polarity. You just need to be extra careful that you insert the bats correctly.

Sent from mobile, excuse brevity

 

[Laoboi]

Great, that's what I thought. Getting all of my parts in the mail in the next couple of weeks. I'm excited to start my build.

 

[bapgood]

Mamu found that a fuse does both reverse polarity protection and battery protection. The DNA handles battery cut off and etc.

 

[Schnarph]

In the spirit of experimentation, I hooked a Groove board up to a 3xAA (NiMH) box. I don't know how long that would last, but I took a few puffs and it does work. I've read about folks trying to do the same with a Z-max board and having less luck. I realize this is far from ideal, but it's interesting. Question: Two 3xAA boxes (3S2P?) on a groove board... could I use the on-board charger safely?

I'm not concerned with the weight or size, I'm just messing around with parts on-hand and safety is always paramount. Speaking of, I have a friend that refuses to use Li-ion batteries of any kind thanks to an exploding Ego-style battery. I thought this would would make a nice gift, not many folks have VV/VW Ni-MH mods. Apologies if this is out of the OP scope, but this is the battery mod sub-forum and there are some far smarter folks than myself in this thread. TIA.

 

[mikepetro]

Your topic is welcome, all related topics are welcome.

Just at first blush I would think that the charger wont work for NiMH.

To quote Battery University:

Nickel- and lithium-based batteries require different charge algorithms. Unless provisions are made, these two chemistries cannot share the same charger.

I doubt that the Groove went to the added expense of accommodating NiMH in their charger.

 

[Schnarph]

Your topic is welcome, all related topics are welcome.

Just at first blush I would think that the charger wont work for NiMH.

To quote Battery University:


I doubt that the Groove went to the added expense of accommodating NiMH in their charger.

Thanks! You're probably right. I do have a no-name single cell Li-ion charger that also does Ni-MH, it was ~$5. It's possible the Groove would work, but not worth finding out the hard way. I didn't have much else to "play" with, still waiting for single and double 18650 battery holders coming from China via the slowest boat.

I passed on the Li-PO pack for now, they'll still be around when the DNA co-op goes live. I have a pair of PF's waiting for that day already, Chi-you top caps on the way, at this point I just need the DNA20, better buttons, and a easy access box.

 

[mikepetro]

That it has more resistance than the keystone....you want as little resistance in the circuit as possible. Does it mean not to use it if you have it, no not IMO. Mike seems to be having good luck with his.

Help me put all of this resistance stuff in perspective. We had a similar conversation recently regarding the resistance of fuses, and Mamu's technique of paralleling the fuses to cut the resistance in half.

This is my understanding, am I on the right track?

• Resistance in the power supply circuit to the DNA would only really amount to a loss of "battery life".
• If the contacts, or the fuse, or the wire or whatever had a slightly higher resistance it would equate to a small voltage drop supplying the DNA. (And a corresponding current drop)
• The DNA would not really care, it regulates the output to whatever wattage you have it set on, all the way down to about 3.1vdc on the bat.
• So, a slightly higher resistance in the contacts would not affect the output going to your Atty at all, it would exhibit itself in the form of shortened battery life.

Assuming my understanding above is correct, how much difference would 77 milliohms actually make in the life of one these 6000mAh LiPo bats? Are we talking 5-7% or are we talking 30%? If I am calculating it right, it would seem that it would amount to a voltage drop of about .3vdc, so the DNA would cut off at 3.4v instead 3.1v.

I understand we want to make our Mods as efficient as possible, and I would certainly use the Keystone SMT battery holders if I ever built another cylinder bat mod. However, in terms of perspective, if I am using a 6000mAh 25C LiPo do I really care about that small of a v-drop? I could see caring in a mechanical Mod, and I could see being more particular if you had bats where you might max out the current, but do I really care about the bat life of 2.9 days versus 2.7 days?

Just trying to put all in perspective (in my own head) and how much I should really care.

This not to slight Mamu's or Bap's excellent work on Mod efficiency in any way, I am just trying to figure out how important it really is. As an analogy, in the audiophile world you can get decent stuff with a .01% THD for cheap, or you can spend a small fortune and get stuff with a .0001% THD. How many people can really hear the difference, and is it worth ten fold the cost?

In short, is there enough benefit to "justify" replacing the FT bat holder in an existing Mod, keeping in mind that I would then have to add a 16 milliohm fuse, thus saving 61 milliohms (or 1/10th of day)?

Or am I WAY the he!! off base?

 

[bapgood]

In short you are correct that it only effects the input vdrop.

I wouldn't change out the FT battery holder at this point.

What I do know is that you want to stay away from stacking resistance or series resistance as iirc it multiplies the resistance in the circuit.

To what extent XmΩ effects battery life I don't know and would love for someone to help shed light on it as well. I plan on doing further research and testing to help get a better understanding.

I believe the large portion of performance gain or loss is going to come from the battery, as the battery IR changes under load. Whereas the resistance from a battery holder or etc is static (I believe).

So....to be continued