Which regulator do I need?

[woundedphoenix]

So I'm new to modding. This will be my first mod. I'm making a 5v regulated mod. My question, is which regulator do I need? I'm buying from madvapes, and they have several 5v regulators, all with different amperages. Essentially, I'm going to have the following:;

USB Breakout board for charging and USB PT.
2 LEDs that will light when the mod is fired.
510 atty connector
standard horn button
5v regulator
dual 14500 ultrafire batteries.

So my question is, which amperage do I need. I see 5v-5amp, 5v-3a, 5v-1.5a. So... given that I will be running low-res cartos and low-res attys on the 5v as well as some higher res), which regulator do I need? If I'm correct, the theory is that if you run low-res, you need a higher amperage to keep the regulator from overheating, correct? Thusly, I would be safest with a 5v-5a? Or do I have that reversed?

Many thanks for the assistance.
-WP

 

[MickeyRat]

Many of the more popular mods (buzz, darwin, etc.) are limited to 3 amps. 3 amps at 5V give you 1.6 ohms on the carto. 1.5 ohms goes a little over 3 amps. I wouldn't advise it but, you might be able to get away with it. Given how fast things are coming out, I would probably go with the 5 amp unless the price or size is a problem. That would allow a 1 ohm carto which should be more than you'll ever need.

This Ohm's Law Calculator link will help for this kind of thing.

 

[mv2envy]

Buzz only goes to 2.5A not 3. And if you want to do a internal USB charging circuit with dual batteries in series, good luck. No such thing exists.

Just build a variable voltage mod using the Easy OKR-T instructions and a 6A OKR-T switching regulator.

 

[Dalton63841]

That having been said...IF onboard charging is your first priority with this mod, use a booster chip and put the batteries in parallel. There is no problem with onboard charging with batteries in parallel. The booster is however limited to 2.5A, and has a more limited voltage range.

Buzz only goes to 2.5A not 3. And if you want to do a internal USB charging circuit with dual batteries in series, good luck. No such thing exists.

Just build a variable voltage mod using the Easy OKR-T instructions and a 6A OKR-T switching regulator.

 

[MickeyRat]

Buzz only goes to 2.5A not 3. And if you want to do a internal USB charging circuit with dual batteries in series, good luck. No such thing exists.

Just build a variable voltage mod using the Easy OKR-T instructions and a 6A OKR-T switching regulator.

Sorry, I meant the buzz pro which I'm pretty sure is 3 amps.

 

[mv2envy]

Sorry, I meant the buzz pro which I'm pretty sure is 3 amps.

You would still be wrong. It only goes to 2.5A.

 

[woundedphoenix]

Where can I find a booster chip? AFIK madvapes does not sell them, and I do NOT know what I'm looking for when it comes to a booster chip, so as much info as you can provide would be _very_ helpful. Many thanks.
-wp

That having been said...IF onboard charging is your first priority with this mod, use a booster chip and put the batteries in parallel. There is no problem with onboard charging with batteries in parallel. The booster is however limited to 2.5A, and has a more limited voltage range.

 

[CraigHB]

The booster people are using is this one. You can order samples or buy from TI on that page or purchase them from places like Mouser and Digikey. Unfortunatley high output POL (point of load) boost regulators are not something that seem to be in high demand so pickings are slim. There are some "made in China" ones to be found on eBay but it's a crap shoot with those. Most of the ones I've seen are either too big or not enough power.

 

[breaktru]

Just build a variable voltage mod using the Easy OKR-T instructions and a 6A OKR-T switching regulator.

Have you put an amp meter on it and took measurements w/ different ohm attys and voltages?

 

[mv2envy]

Have you put an amp meter on it and took measurements w/ different ohm attys and voltages?

No I havent, but i have ran dual coil cartos on my dual 18650 mod at 6.5V and it ran with no problems.

 

[breaktru]

No I havent, but i have ran dual coil cartos on my dual 18650 mod at 6.5V and it ran with no problems.

I was just curious about the amperage. As you know the 04050c is handycapped in the amperage range. It's not so much the voltage but the amperage it's putting out.
I did some testing and found that the best way to adjust it is with an amp meter and not a volt meter. You would be surprised at the results.

 

[mv2envy]

Im a DC carto tank .....! Thats the reason Im still sitting on 2 04050C chips and refusing to build on them. I was going to make a single 18650 booster with them but I decided against it because of the 2.5A limit.

Now here is a interesting question. I have seen people use 2 linear regulators in parallel because the amperage wasnt enough when 1 was used, can that be done with the 04050c and a high drain 18650 to double the amperage? Would that even work?

 

[CraigHB]

It would work if you could figure out a way to closely match the output setting on them. If there's any mismatch, one regulator would take the brunt of the load putting both of them in an over-current condition after the first one hits over-current protection. Typically, converters use "hiccup mode over-current protection" which means they attempt a re-start after an over-current condition occurs. That takes an amount of time. Another complication is you probably would not be able to share one pot for both of them. That could possibly confuse the the controllers. Though I wouldn't be able to say for sure without actually trying it. For sure it would totally change the calibration on the pot. It would be tricky at best. Unlike a linear regulator, part of the feedback divider is built into the module which complicates things. Plus there's a much more complex and sensitive system responding to that feedback.

 

[breaktru]

I found a DC-DC Converter that may retire the 04050c:
It's V.V. - 10 amps / 50 watts - Input 3-13.8vdc and Output of 0.59-5.1v.
I have to run some tests to see if I can boost it up with one battery. I read a forum that it can be done.
And for now as to what it is.... it's a secret...

 

[CraigHB]

Hehe, a small 50W booster would be a secret. Be interested to hear about it. The 5.1V part doesn't sound too promising unless you can drive it up to 5.5V in practice. 5.5V is usually good, but I do use my 6V occasionally.

 

[Dalton63841]

I found a DC-DC Converter that may retire the 04050c:
It's V.V. - 10 amps / 50 watts - Input 3-13.8vdc and Output of 0.59-5.1v.
I have to run some tests to see if I can boost it up with one battery. I read a forum that it can be done.
And for now as to what it is.... it's a secret...

Hmmm...sounds interesting... 5.1v is still way too low for me though. I live at 5.7v. Then again, I don't use DCC, so the 04050C is pretty much perfect for me.

 

[breaktru]

It's half the size of the 04050c. Lighting guys use it and push it to 11.5 amps
I rarely go over 4.5v. in fact 4.2 is my ideal voltage. But like I said earlier, I use my amp meter to set the 04050c

 

[mash2]

That sounds awsome cant wait

 

[mv2envy]

Oh come on man! Secret? Spill the beans! PLEASE!!!!

 

[mv2envy]

I hope you arent talking about the LDO10C chip, because that is not a boost converter, its a buck converter only.