trying to get a feel for modding

[For.The.Win.Bob]

ok so havent put anything together yet, as i'm still in sourcing mode other than what ive had around the house from my raspberry pi projects and various arduino experiments. that being said i have enough parts and such to make a decent (by my standards) little 4AA vv box mod. that is until i came across this page Vamo PCB V3 and now my idea either got a whole lot cooler, or about 30$ more expensive.

plan was cut out 2 of the 4 battery slots and place an evercool type vv pcb with a 510 connector ~flush mounted in the top with a 510/ego adapter on that . add in a volt meter/ohm meter and a pair of 14500's all i was lacking was the ego adapter volt meter and the 200ohm pot that the schematic called for.

now i'm thinking keep the 510-510/ego setup but drop the volt meter and the evercool all together center the vamo board in the middle of the box and possibly parallel the buttons to a more aesthetically pleasing arrangement with a batt on either side. though ive read of a few different people having trouble with the v3 vamos heavenly somethings and a few other places so i am a bit skeptical even though i would be retaining the main power disconnect switch on the battery box, i know what i want my mod to look like and do, but my soldering skills are a little lacking.

 

[DrMA]

Whatever you decide, make sure you have fun with it. In the mean time, here's a little light reading that'll help you brush up your soldering skills:
How to solder correctly (a not so brief lesson) Plus tips and more... - HeliFreak

 

[For.The.Win.Bob]

well as it turns out my source for the 200ohm pot has a 4 week lead time, and i'm still trying to figure out if i want to go the vamo pcb route.... which got me thinking what about just a multi-position switch (similar to an electric guitar's pickup selector) with different resistances on each selection... and just doing away with the trimmer pot for now.

only thing is finding such a switch that isn't too large, and what resistor values would correspond for which voltages? any ideas?

oh thanks a ton for the link, reminded me i was out of heatshrink tubing!

 

[Innocuous]

I dumped heatshrink for Liquid Tape, and it sounds like you want a digital-pot ;-)

 

[For.The.Win.Bob]

hmm liquid tape... added to cart... any idea if something like this $1.89 SC-0179 0.8A DIY Single USB Mobile Power Supply PCB Module - DC 5V at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping would charge 2 protected 14500's reliably? thinking while i'm waiting on parts might as well figure in extra tinkering.

 

[dr g]

I ordered one of those. I wish there were more documentation but I think it should be capable. That said, unless you are looking for USB output as well, you might be better off getting a dedicated charger.

 

[For.The.Win.Bob]

was thinking that, and did end up ordering an external charger, but was looking to see if there was a way to keep from having to pull the batteries so often, and usb seemed like an easier route lol.

 

[dr g]

i meant a dedicated charging board. though to be fair the only micro usb charging board i know of other than this one is the evolv, which costs a lot more.

 

[For.The.Win.Bob]

gotcha, at least i can charge back up my phone if i get into a real pinch right?

 

[dr g]

yup! just have to cut another hole in the case, and it takes up a bit more vertical room.