Building a Cheap, Heavy Duty Passthrough

[Jim Davis]

Chinese passthroughs have never lasted for me. Here is a guide for building a heavy duty USB passthrough for about $5.00. Any Questions? Feel free to ask.

Simple Heavy Duty USB Passthrough.pdf

[mcquinn]

More good work my tech. writing friend.

[Jestif]

Thanks jim nice looking passthough i will have to try this but need to get the multimeter first.

[Jim Davis]

Here's a good one;

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=90899

[justmark]

Even I could (maybe) do this...

Interesting - - I'm already learning.

jm

[BillyBlack]

Well I'll just add my 2¢ (actually about $9.99).

Build Jim's box but forget about USB cables with their thread-like current robbing wires.

Now get this:

5VDC Power Supply 2.4A AC Adapter for D-Link LinkSys 5V - eBay (item 390153005603 end time Feb-12-10 02:51:39 PST)

 

5VDC Power Supply 2.4A AC Adapter for D-Link LinkSys 5V - eBay (item 390153005603 end time Feb-12-10 02:51:39 PST)

Cut off the end and hard wire (solder) right to your switch and atty connector. This power supply will provide a true 5V, under load (while vaping) to any atty out there including the power hungry Joye 510's.

Look around your house, if you've had any D-Link routers you just might be good to go as they are usually 5VDC @ 2-3A. As long as it's a 5VDC supply you can always go higher in AMPs, the atty only draws what it needs. The second one I built used a 5VDC @ 3.7A PS a friend scrounged up. Any AMPs over about 2.2A go unused.

Here's the first one I built. I used a PS from an old 2WIRE SBC/AT&T wireless modem. It's 5.1V @ 2A. 2A is a tad underpowered to provide true 5V vaping with a Joye atty, but I still get almost 4.7V, under load, with a Joye atty. Remember when looking at the volts standard Joye 510 and new eGo batts are only putting out about 3.1V, under load, according to tests done by Scottbee at ECF. Get a couple of atty adapters and you're good to go. This is probably the easiest (4 solder joints), cheapest, and most satisfying starting mod to make.



Adapter, now 901/Carto ready.



I'm actually going to install a simple on-off switch with a 3A barrel diode (from RS) to give me a 4.1V option for those times late in the day when I'm winding down. Looking at it in WATTS (power/heat), 4.1V (7.3W) while vaping is still about 70% hotter than what you get with Joye 510 batts (3.1V/4.2W).

[Jim Davis]

Very Nice Billy.

Excellent work. Neat and professional looking. I'm going to try that with a couple of power supplies I have laying around.

One of my earlier Box Mods was made with an audio connector for the USB cord. I can run on battery, or plug in the cord. The audio connector disconnects the battery circuit when the cord is plugged in.

This is the one with the connector;

Stick1.jpg

Stick3.jpg

[mcquinn]

I would like to know more about reducing the voltage from 5 to 4.1.A diode for voltage reduction?I would think a resistor would be what you need .I would appreciate more info on that .I think I would like my home made PT better at a lower voltage ,I have two and I seldom use them.I like the Kissbox PT's better.

[BillyBlack]

Thanks Jim.

One of my earlier Box Mods was made with an audio connector for the USB cord. I can run on battery, or plug in the cord. The audio connector disconnects the battery circuit when the cord is plugged in.

Nice.

I would like to know more about reducing the voltage from 5 to 4.1.A diode for voltage reduction?I would think a resistor would be what you need .I would appreciate more info on that .I think I would like my home made PT better at a lower voltage ,I have two and I seldom use them.I like the Kissbox PT's better.

Well my meter (old but I hope good now) has a diode check function. I bought these:

3A Barrel Diodes - RadioShack.com

Diodes will drop voltage usually about .7V, but there are probably sample to sample variances. My meter says it drops .597V. Folks claim the cheaper 1N40XX series work but they are only 1A.

Electricity uses up a little energy pushing its way through the diode, rather like a person pushing through a door with a spring. This means that there is a small voltage across a conducting diode, it is called the forward voltage drop and is about 0.7V for all normal diodes which are made from silicon. The forward voltage drop of a diode is almost constant whatever the current passing through the diode.

In my case I want an option, hence a switch. I have a regular on-off slide switch rated at 3A. It will be wired in right before the final positive connection to the atty connector. The diode (or a resister) will be soldered to both poles, The current should take the path of least resistance, on (direct path) will power the atty directly, off the current will have to go through the diode or resister.

With the diode if you have a true 5V (loaded) the diode may only get you down to about 4.3-4.4V. Using Joye atties a 1ohm resister may get you a little lower. RS also has 1 ohm 10W resisters. I don't know a lot about resisters, but these are kinda big. Note 5V with a 2.3 ohm atty = about 11W, so I'm assuming the large 10W versions are needed. If I'm using the charts right an additional 1 ohm should cut it to about 7.6W or about 30% less heat.

You can pluck your numbers into these charts for some ideas:

Ohm's Law Calculators

I'm dropping from a true 4.7V, not 5V. The diode should work well for my 2A PT and 2.3 ohm Joye atty.

I too am not overly enamored with HV vaping. If we look at WATTS (let's call it heat) a standard Joye batt and atty are probably at about 4.5W. Going to a true 4.1V we jump to about 7.3W. That a 60% increase.

[mcquinn]

I was figuring a 2.5 ohm 10 watt resister should drop the voltage on a 510 @ 5volts to 4 volts.The only use I thought of for diodes was to keep electrons from going backwards as in current rctification.I didn't make it far in electronics class too many laws and formulas.