OK, I finally got sick & tired of limmitations of the wimpy little automatic switch/regulator/limiter circuit inside of my cylindrical VX2 passthrough adapter, so I PEELED IT LIKE AN ONION! I do suspect that this may have possibly voided my warranty on this VX2 passthrough unit....LOL
Don't get me wrong, the VX2 itself is a VERY GOOD device...but the available USB passthrough has an annoying limiter circuit. I have been getting SPOILED with the MASSIVE VAPOR PRODUCTION of my epipes and I've found a way to make my VX2's far more.....formidable in terms of vapor production AND power longevity combined. Those tiny little VX2 batteries just don't last very long at all. Great for a few puffs here & there, but for anything more, you simply need to carry a bunch of them. Personally, I'd rather just bring one bigger battery pack that is the equivalent of 12 or more VX2 batteries and be done with it!
As it turns out, the regulator circuit inside the cylindrical VX2 passthrough adapter consists of a small, round double-sided SMT circuit board with some tiny low power surface mount components; to include an 8 pin IC (Integrated Circuit chip), 2 transistors, 1 LED and a few other discreet components (resistors & capacitors). I did not bother checking out or referencing any of the semiconductor numbers, because I simply don't like the circuit to begin with. It gives a few "pretty good" hits then immediately goes weak until WAITING a few moments for a few more "pretty good" hits again.........not very impressive when I need a killer nic fix.
As earlier suspected, I have also re-checked the VX2 battery/atty polarity with my Wavetek 27XT DMM (Digital Multi Meter) and I have CONFIRMED beyond all reasonable doubt that the polarity of VX2 batteries & attys is NEGATIVE TIP and POSITIVE BARREL...there is NO MISTAKE about this.
I was very happy to get my hands on the little threaded brass female connector, which I gutted from the cylindrical VX2 passthrough adapter. I removed the air switch/sensor, which was glued to the back of the threaded brass female connector...bye-bye!
I used the rear casing of a late model INK PEN (UNI-BALL VISION ELITE) as my new passthrough body. The rear casing of this particular pen just unscrews/unthreads from the sealed ink cartridge, so there was no fuss involved at all. The threaded female brass connector will press very firmly into this pen casing quite nicely and NO GLUE OR EPOXY IS NEEDED. I did eventually use a small amount of 6 minute hobby store epoxy, just for long term durability. I also had to drill out the rear hole of the pen casing a bit larger to accomodate the small DC power cord that would need to be inserted into the rear end of the pen casing, then soldered to the threaded brass female connector + and - rear contacts. The DC power cord I used is very commonly found at Radio Shack. IF you have ever seen the universal jacks & plugs sold at Radio Shack, you would recognize this immediately. For many years now, Radio Shack has been using this "adapt-a-plug" sytem, whereas you can buy many various tips to plug into the end of any of their wall adapter cords. Well Radio Shack ALSO SEPERATELY SELLS packaged lengths of this 2 conductor DC power cord, with male & female 2 pin plugs & jacks at both ends of the DC cords. These are an indispensable supply to have on hand if you like to charge, discharge and/or test various batteries and various DC powered devices. IF you have a few of these and a good variable voltage power supply with accurate V/A meters, you can test or charge just about anything. I used one of the cords with a 2 pin male plug at the rear end of my new "pen casing" passthrough. I also set up 2 plastic battery holders with the same type connectors (female jack). The battery holders each hold 4 standard AA cells. I use 2560mA NiMH rechargeables in these square battery holders. The unique thing about these battery holders is that you just use your thumb to push/pull one AA cell to compress THE NEGATIVE SPRING....and it will break contact with the positive contact, thus opening the DC power supply ciruit to whatever device is connected (manual battery switch). I ultimately ended up installing a small tact switch on the battery holder, but I did not neccessarily NEED to, because of the convenient nature of the battery holder. The AA cells I used were an eBay find. They are Avectoi 2650mA cells (2.65 Amp rated)....... inexpensive, but known for having a track record for reliability, with PLENTY of current storage capacity to spare. One of the big eBay battery dealers in Jersey or Michigan has loads of these, as well as some nice 1000mA AAA cells. A quick eBay search will always find you the best of NiMH battery bargains in bulk.
The testing:
For those who don't know, the average ALKALINE AA cell is nominally rated at 1.5VDC per cell (although good ones will measure 1.6VDC under NO-LOAD when fresh). RECHARGEABLE AA CELLS such as NiMH or Nicad types are nominally rated for 1.2VDC per cell. BE CAREFUL when swapping out cell types in devices that utilize MANY AA cells...you can COOK your toys with excessive voltage...I've DONE THIS! That is exactly why Radio Shack used to make "dummy cells" that took the place/filled the space of one missing AA cell, with no electrical energy produced. OK, moving along with the testing.... I grabbed 2 of my VX2 attys and made sure they both had well topped of carts. I started with 4 NiMH cells (4.8VDC). This gets the atty hot very rapidly! If you expect to get ANY flavor at all, you need to start drawing through the atty BEFORE appying DC power. You also need to DISCONNECT DC POWER IMMEDIATELY at the end of your draw/drag/hit...but the vapor is MASSIVE! IF you were to ALWAYS apply this methodolody when using 4 NiMH cells (4.8VDC), you might get away with it for awhile...but I suspect it would shorten atty life considerably. JUST ONE SCREW-UP (like leaving the voltage connected after your draw/hit/drag) at this power level (4.8 volts x 2.65 Amps = 12.72 Watts) would probably COOK an atty very incredibly fast!
**** OK, next I tested with 3 NiMH AA cells, by removing one AA cell from the 4 AA holder and replacing that cell with an AA "dummy cell".
Let's check out the power capability of this arrangement (3.6 Volts x 2.65 Amps = 9.64 Watts). Bear in mind that this type of power computation just gives us an IDEA as to what our MAX available power might be.....I'm SURE this is not what is being consumed on the average draw/hit/drag....again, It's just a number for laymen's comparison and nothing more....for all the electronics guru's & engineers out there.....I HAVE NO NEED for your lessons in electrical design theory......this is just a basic laymen's "ball park" method of comparison...nothing more...so you can keep all the brilliant design engineering formulas & theory lessons to yourself LOL....very few people apply them in real world "nickel & dime fabrications" anyway.
Using the VX2 atomizer while powered on 3 freshly charged NiMH AA cells...this produced results very similar to what an original VX2 battery (auto OR manual) would provide...with ONE VERY BEAUTIFUL EXCEPTION......A MASSIVE INCREASE of current storage......rather than 180-250mA (0.180 to 0.250 Amps) of battery curent storage, I NOW HAVE 2,650mA (or 2.65 AMPS) of STORED ELECTRICAL CURRENT!!! NOT ONLY is the vapor more consistent, but look at the MANY HOURS this will last...rest assured it's NOT GONNA BE WHIMPY IN ANY WAY...LOL!!!!
THIS IS OFFICIALLY MY NEW VX2 PASSTHROUGH. I just press a tiny button on my battery pack and VAPE QUITE HEAVILY. It will last for at least 2 days on a charge and will work anywhere.....even in a power outtage...I love it!
Best part is I can fully charge at least 8 (of my many) NiMH AA cells within ONE HOUR if I need to. Looks like I'll be buying LOTS MORE VX2 ATTYs from Shawn. My VX2's are now a far more formidable & powerful PV device, which I will be using far more often when at home....almost right on par with my epipes.
Don't get me wrong, the VX2 itself is a VERY GOOD device...but the available USB passthrough has an annoying limiter circuit. I have been getting SPOILED with the MASSIVE VAPOR PRODUCTION of my epipes and I've found a way to make my VX2's far more.....formidable in terms of vapor production AND power longevity combined. Those tiny little VX2 batteries just don't last very long at all. Great for a few puffs here & there, but for anything more, you simply need to carry a bunch of them. Personally, I'd rather just bring one bigger battery pack that is the equivalent of 12 or more VX2 batteries and be done with it!
As it turns out, the regulator circuit inside the cylindrical VX2 passthrough adapter consists of a small, round double-sided SMT circuit board with some tiny low power surface mount components; to include an 8 pin IC (Integrated Circuit chip), 2 transistors, 1 LED and a few other discreet components (resistors & capacitors). I did not bother checking out or referencing any of the semiconductor numbers, because I simply don't like the circuit to begin with. It gives a few "pretty good" hits then immediately goes weak until WAITING a few moments for a few more "pretty good" hits again.........not very impressive when I need a killer nic fix.
As earlier suspected, I have also re-checked the VX2 battery/atty polarity with my Wavetek 27XT DMM (Digital Multi Meter) and I have CONFIRMED beyond all reasonable doubt that the polarity of VX2 batteries & attys is NEGATIVE TIP and POSITIVE BARREL...there is NO MISTAKE about this.
I was very happy to get my hands on the little threaded brass female connector, which I gutted from the cylindrical VX2 passthrough adapter. I removed the air switch/sensor, which was glued to the back of the threaded brass female connector...bye-bye!
I used the rear casing of a late model INK PEN (UNI-BALL VISION ELITE) as my new passthrough body. The rear casing of this particular pen just unscrews/unthreads from the sealed ink cartridge, so there was no fuss involved at all. The threaded female brass connector will press very firmly into this pen casing quite nicely and NO GLUE OR EPOXY IS NEEDED. I did eventually use a small amount of 6 minute hobby store epoxy, just for long term durability. I also had to drill out the rear hole of the pen casing a bit larger to accomodate the small DC power cord that would need to be inserted into the rear end of the pen casing, then soldered to the threaded brass female connector + and - rear contacts. The DC power cord I used is very commonly found at Radio Shack. IF you have ever seen the universal jacks & plugs sold at Radio Shack, you would recognize this immediately. For many years now, Radio Shack has been using this "adapt-a-plug" sytem, whereas you can buy many various tips to plug into the end of any of their wall adapter cords. Well Radio Shack ALSO SEPERATELY SELLS packaged lengths of this 2 conductor DC power cord, with male & female 2 pin plugs & jacks at both ends of the DC cords. These are an indispensable supply to have on hand if you like to charge, discharge and/or test various batteries and various DC powered devices. IF you have a few of these and a good variable voltage power supply with accurate V/A meters, you can test or charge just about anything. I used one of the cords with a 2 pin male plug at the rear end of my new "pen casing" passthrough. I also set up 2 plastic battery holders with the same type connectors (female jack). The battery holders each hold 4 standard AA cells. I use 2560mA NiMH rechargeables in these square battery holders. The unique thing about these battery holders is that you just use your thumb to push/pull one AA cell to compress THE NEGATIVE SPRING....and it will break contact with the positive contact, thus opening the DC power supply ciruit to whatever device is connected (manual battery switch). I ultimately ended up installing a small tact switch on the battery holder, but I did not neccessarily NEED to, because of the convenient nature of the battery holder. The AA cells I used were an eBay find. They are Avectoi 2650mA cells (2.65 Amp rated)....... inexpensive, but known for having a track record for reliability, with PLENTY of current storage capacity to spare. One of the big eBay battery dealers in Jersey or Michigan has loads of these, as well as some nice 1000mA AAA cells. A quick eBay search will always find you the best of NiMH battery bargains in bulk.
The testing:
For those who don't know, the average ALKALINE AA cell is nominally rated at 1.5VDC per cell (although good ones will measure 1.6VDC under NO-LOAD when fresh). RECHARGEABLE AA CELLS such as NiMH or Nicad types are nominally rated for 1.2VDC per cell. BE CAREFUL when swapping out cell types in devices that utilize MANY AA cells...you can COOK your toys with excessive voltage...I've DONE THIS! That is exactly why Radio Shack used to make "dummy cells" that took the place/filled the space of one missing AA cell, with no electrical energy produced. OK, moving along with the testing.... I grabbed 2 of my VX2 attys and made sure they both had well topped of carts. I started with 4 NiMH cells (4.8VDC). This gets the atty hot very rapidly! If you expect to get ANY flavor at all, you need to start drawing through the atty BEFORE appying DC power. You also need to DISCONNECT DC POWER IMMEDIATELY at the end of your draw/drag/hit...but the vapor is MASSIVE! IF you were to ALWAYS apply this methodolody when using 4 NiMH cells (4.8VDC), you might get away with it for awhile...but I suspect it would shorten atty life considerably. JUST ONE SCREW-UP (like leaving the voltage connected after your draw/hit/drag) at this power level (4.8 volts x 2.65 Amps = 12.72 Watts) would probably COOK an atty very incredibly fast!
**** OK, next I tested with 3 NiMH AA cells, by removing one AA cell from the 4 AA holder and replacing that cell with an AA "dummy cell".
Let's check out the power capability of this arrangement (3.6 Volts x 2.65 Amps = 9.64 Watts). Bear in mind that this type of power computation just gives us an IDEA as to what our MAX available power might be.....I'm SURE this is not what is being consumed on the average draw/hit/drag....again, It's just a number for laymen's comparison and nothing more....for all the electronics guru's & engineers out there.....I HAVE NO NEED for your lessons in electrical design theory......this is just a basic laymen's "ball park" method of comparison...nothing more...so you can keep all the brilliant design engineering formulas & theory lessons to yourself LOL....very few people apply them in real world "nickel & dime fabrications" anyway.
Using the VX2 atomizer while powered on 3 freshly charged NiMH AA cells...this produced results very similar to what an original VX2 battery (auto OR manual) would provide...with ONE VERY BEAUTIFUL EXCEPTION......A MASSIVE INCREASE of current storage......rather than 180-250mA (0.180 to 0.250 Amps) of battery curent storage, I NOW HAVE 2,650mA (or 2.65 AMPS) of STORED ELECTRICAL CURRENT!!! NOT ONLY is the vapor more consistent, but look at the MANY HOURS this will last...rest assured it's NOT GONNA BE WHIMPY IN ANY WAY...LOL!!!!
THIS IS OFFICIALLY MY NEW VX2 PASSTHROUGH. I just press a tiny button on my battery pack and VAPE QUITE HEAVILY. It will last for at least 2 days on a charge and will work anywhere.....even in a power outtage...I love it!
Best part is I can fully charge at least 8 (of my many) NiMH AA cells within ONE HOUR if I need to. Looks like I'll be buying LOTS MORE VX2 ATTYs from Shawn. My VX2's are now a far more formidable & powerful PV device, which I will be using far more often when at home....almost right on par with my epipes.
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