Modding w an eGo pcb...

[jasl90]

I'm new to the forums so I had to start this in the new members forum...
[h=2]Modding w an eGo pcb...[/h]so sorry for the double post...

Just completed my first mod...


Pretty simple design really.
It's an eGo pcb from Smoking' Vapors, a AA flashlight from madvapes and a 14650 protected battery.
The tricky part was cramming everything into the tube... Considering that an 14650 1.5 cm longer than a standard AA battery.

For the most part it works fine... As long as I use a 2.8 ohm atty or higher.
The problem is when I try to use a 2.2 ohm (or lower) atty.
When I try using the lower res attys it simply blinks 4 time and goes dead.
I did figure out how to "trick it" into working w/ a lower res atty by unscrewing the the atty, just enough the break the positive connection... Hold down the power button, and screw the atty back down to complete the circuit.

Is there anyone out the who has any experience modding w/ the eGo pcb who knows what I might be missing?
I have a few eGo style batteries and none of them have a problem w/ the low res attys so I'm 99% sure that that there isn't minimum ohm specification.
Thought maybe it was the fact that the 14650 has a peak voltage of 4.2V and was causing an over amp, but it's doing the same thing at the 3.7 nominal voltage too...

Maybe got something too hot while soldering???

Anyway, I'm open to any and all suggestions.

Thanks,

Jason

 

[jhonutz]

This it`s common problem. Simply not compatible batt with some ego electronics or did`t like protected batt

 

[jasl90]

Actually it appears that it's an intermittent issue. I was playing w/ it a little more today and it was working perfectly... For awhile anyway. Then it started acting funky again.

You may be onto something w/ the battery/pcb combo just not working. Got me thinking... Maybe it's trying to draw more current than the protection circuit will allow... Time to test!

Here are some results...





(not allowing the last screen shot to upload...)

The battery is a protected Trusfire w/ 1300 mAh. At 1.49 amps, that's just over 1C. I wouldn't think that would give the battery's pcb any issues. If Trustfires really can't handle a drain over 1C then I'll be more than happy to jump on the "Trustfires a ....ty" bandwagon! Just to know for sure, I went ahead and placed an order for am IMR Li-MN battery which should be here later this week.

 

[meatsneakers]

I had 2 out of 3 Trustfire 18650's start tripping at under 1.5 amps after a few weeks of use so I wouldn't be surprised. I've used these IMR 14650's with no issue: COV IMR 14650 High Drain

My OKR converter would trip it's 6 amp limit on shorts so I'm confidant they can handle the load.

 

[jasl90]

That appears to be the exact battery that I ordered. Just from a different vendor.
http://www.rtdvapor.com/IMR-14650-IMR-14650.htm
The fact that you've had good success w/ them is giving me a little bit of hope.
Thank you!

 

[slimest]

You can remove the protection board from the battery. It positioned on the bottom. eGo board itself has enough abilities to protect the battery.

 

[jasl90]

That's definitely an idea. I'm just not crazy about having an unprotected Li-Co cell around. As it stands that eGo pcb isn't exactly filling me w/ confidence.
I'm hoping the IMR battery will solve the issue but I still haven't ruled out thermal issues either.

 

[jasl90]

I was hoping to find someone who has experience using these boards in their mods who could provide some solid "Dos & Don'ts", and may be able point out where I botched the job.

 

[Java_Az]

I was hoping to find someone who has experience using these boards in their mods who could provide some solid "Dos & Don'ts", and may be able point out where I botched the job.

A year or so ago a guy did some of these, should be a thread around here somewhere. Not going to find a lot of folks doing this since you can just buy a ego T MOD made for 18650's for 10 bucks. Joyetech eGo-T battery MOD control unit - Joye eGo-T spare parts Heaven Gifts Tubes are $5.50 extra but come if different colors. Joyetech logo eGo-T battery MOD tube - Joye eGo-T spare parts Heaven Gifts Not to take away from what you are doing , it is just most folks are going to spend the 15 bucks rather then spend hours modding something.

 

[jasl90]

Perfectly understandable. Just wanted to get my feet wet and see if I could pull it off and get it to work.
My long term goal is to come up w/ a buck/boost VV mod but that's still a little out of my reach at the moment. This was just a 1st baby step.
I've got two more of the eGo boards. I had planned on doing the next one using the pcb to power the gate on a TIP-120 and bypass the the amperage issue all together. Breadboarding it, however, revealed that the TIP-120 eats up a TON of voltage. About 1.5 volts... So scratch that idea!
Now I'm looking for mechanical relay that can handle 3 amps and still be small enough to fit in the tube... AND not cost a fortune! (starting to think it may not exist)

 

[JZXJ]

Now I'm looking for mechanical relay that can handle 3 amps and still be small enough to fit in the tube... AND not cost a fortune! (starting to think it may not exist)

isn't 2A enough? http://www.gatewaycatalog.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=4500-00348&type=store

Could you forego a relay and just use an industrial grade moment-micro switch?

 

[jasl90]

2A would be fine most of the time. My biggest concern w/ a 2A relay would be longevity.
A freshly charged battery would kick out 4.2 volts which means that I'd hit the 2A limit with a 2.1 Ohm atty. A Cisco 1.5 would push it all the way to 2.8A.
I'm by no means an expert, but I've always been advised to select a device w/ double the amps rating of what you expect to need. Since a 5A or 6A relay is simply too big that's not an option.

As momentary switch... I've never seen a tack switch rated more than 50mA. The larger 3A momentary switches are either ugly as hell and stick out too far, or too expensive.

If I could find a good deal on something like this, I'd be all over it...

 

[jasl90]

Maybe this one...
Heavy Duty Momentary Push Button OFF(ON) SPST Switch 6A | eBay

 

[meatsneakers]

Have you consider a snap-action switch? Miniature snap-action switch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They're my favorite switch type - Digikey sells hundreds of them that handle high amperage, they have a satisfying click and they are cheap. The only issue is finding a button to activate it - you can use your imagination though. I've used the actuator from a tactile switch to a pin from a shelf hook: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs..._mmc=shopping-_-googlebase-_-D25X-_-100544240

Just hit that pin with a hammer and it pops right out - makes the perfect button for a snap-action switch.

 

[jasl90]

Now you're talking!
Saw some 5A versions on eBay for $2.
May have to go ahead and pull the trigger.

 

[KeithB]

You can remove the protection board from the battery. It positioned on the bottom. eGo board itself has enough abilities to protect the battery.

YOu could take the airbags and seatbelt out of your car too, but I wouldn't recommend it.

While the MOSFETs in the eGo boards usually fail in the open/off mode (when they fail), they have been know to fail in the closed mode. I'd want to have the additional protection of the PCB myself, just in case.

 

[Vaptor]

Li-ION is normally only 1C discharge. If you want more you need LIPO. You can get up to 60C now days but are more volatile. Mostly used in RC for a Ton of power.