# DIY Battery-less USB powered mod/510 cable?



## Cespian (4/5/16)

Righto - So, I needed a new project, since the Rapsberry Pi RC robot is frustrating me... and while I was thinking, I swear I heard my Noisy Cricket tell me "Hey brah, psst... ya, its me... why dont you build a battery-less mod powered by USB". Immediately, I whipped out a few bookmarks I had saved on USB specs etc.

So I know that I can acquire 5V and roughly 500mAh from my PC's USB 2.0 port (possibly 5 to 10 watts?). However, if I use one of the wall adapters, I can bump that up to 2000mAh (and somewhere around 25watts?). 

The idea is to have the cable, interupted with a switch to fire, a poly fuse or 2 (just in case the wall adapter decides to go ANC on me) and ended off with a re-inforced 510 connector (Currently have 5 on a ship to SA because I am building a parallel mech also). 

Why do I want to do this? Because I am crazy obviously, and bored with my mundane life, and movie nights will be pleasant because its constant and efficient power whole time, everytime. 

So, I'm no electrical guru. I know a bit of elec laws and skilled enough with a soldering iron. What are your views on the plausibility (and risks/benefits) of such a creation.

Reactions: Like 4 | Useful 1 | Creative 1


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## Christos (4/5/16)

I think you need kids 
That will spice your mundane life up.

My opinion though is that unless you are getting about 50W and can step it down then I would not bother.
I personally also am not a fan of cables but I see the appeal.
Any thought on what you would vape at 10 watts?

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Cespian (4/5/16)

Christos said:


> I think you need kids
> That will spice your mundane life up.
> 
> My opinion though is that unless you are getting about 50W and can step it down then I would not bother.
> ...



I have 2 kids, but they sleep at 20:00... need something to keep me occupied between then and 1am when I usually sleep. 

thats exactly my point of using a the wall adapters instead of PC supplied power. 10 watts is too little... 20 for the least

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## Christos (4/5/16)

What are the amp ratings of the usb power plugs?
Why not get a decent dc power supply like so:


Use that to power a dna 200 board. 
Safety checked! 
What I'm suggesting is using a power source with ample amp output. 
What you see above is rated at 25A continuous and the volts go from 3 to 15.

Reactions: Like 3


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## Dave1 (4/5/16)

A couple of years back I had a PC rig that I used that took power from the PC's 5v line direct from the power supply. The power supply was rated for 30A @ 5v but I never built below 0.5Ω usually about 0.8Ω. Was a decent vape, I must look for it again although I use a laptop nowadays.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Cespian (4/5/16)

Christos said:


> What are the amp ratings of the usb power plugs?
> Why not get a decent dc power supply like so:
> View attachment 53223
> 
> ...



Thanks. Not as versatile as I originally hoped it could be (i.e light weight versatile wall adapter). But lets see, I will make up the cable in the meantime with the poly fuses and 510 adapter (as soon as it gets off that damn boat). The power supply mechanism still seems a bit opaque right now


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## Cespian (4/5/16)

Dave1 said:


> A couple of years back I had a PC rig that I used that took power from the PC's 5v line direct from the power supply. The power supply was rated for 30A @ 5v but I never built below 0.5Ω usually about 0.8Ω. Was a decent vape, I must look for it again although I use a laptop nowadays.



If you find it, I would appreciate if you could share the diagram with me. My multimeter is a bit dusty so this is perfect opportunity to use R1600 device thats just laying in a cupboard.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Dave1 (4/5/16)

Cespian said:


> If you find it, I would appreciate if you could share the diagram with me. My multimeter is a bit dusty so this is perfect opportunity to use R1600 device thats just laying in a cupboard.


Old PC power supplies make for decent bench power supplies. I use them for my radios as people tend to throw them away.
Most have a sticker on them like the following






I DO NOT RECOMMEND DOING THIS FROM A WORKING PC (INTERNAL) POWER SUPPLY. 
Although these devices have all sorts of safety stuff built in they can hurt you badly. Do some research before trying / playing.

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1


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## Dave1 (4/5/16)

The reason I used the 5v not 3.3v is because I used a Molex plug that could be moved from PC to PC when working on PC's.


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## Dave1 (4/5/16)

Cespian said:


> If you find it, I would appreciate if you could share the diagram with me. My multimeter is a bit dusty so this is perfect opportunity to use R1600 device thats just laying in a cupboard.


The pictures above should give all the info needed to try this but shout if you need more info. Also you will need a decent switch.

I left one of the Molex plugs sticking out the back of my PC so I could Plug in / out as required.

Reactions: Winner 1


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## Dave1 (4/5/16)

@Cespian Sorry I just read the heading again and my posts not really on topic. Apologies for the hijack.

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## Cespian (4/5/16)

Dave1 said:


> @Cespian Sorry I just read the heading again and my posts not really on topic. Apologies for the hijack.



Thanks for all the suggestions bud. Its not a hijack but it is a step closer to a battery-less mod powered by USB 

I have a few PSU's lying around. Will disect it tonight. The molex plug is a good idea and negates the need for USB... however usb is universal and versatile... will see what i can come up with.

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## stevie g (4/5/16)

2 amp PSU @ 5v only gives you 10w.

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Dave1 (4/5/16)

Cespian said:


> Thanks for all the suggestions bud. Its not a hijack but it is a step closer to a battery-less mod powered by USB
> 
> I have a few PSU's lying around. Will disect it tonight. The molex plug is a good idea and negates the need for USB... however usb is universal and versatile... will see what i can come up with.


The reason I gave up with USB is the max 2A that was divided by the ports on a high end PC. The last time I looked I found a USB hub that you could plug a Wallwart adapter into but it would limit the output to 2A anyway. Having to power it externally still means non plug and play.

With the PC power supply the total Amps drawn on the 3.3 and 5v combined normally cannot exceed 150W, would probably be more on a 450 or 500W unit
.
5V 6.25A 0.8 Ohms 50W did not affect any of the PC's I used the device on while PC was running.

I had a ego type connector stripped from a battery wired to a 10A momentary machine switch in short piece of plastic conduit with about 1.5m cable and Molex plug on the end. Took it with me on callouts and saved me lots of recharging time.

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## Christos (4/5/16)

@Cespian, if you in jhb you are welcome to test on my bench supply. I'm willing to sponsor you 2 batteries if you agree to read a book instead!

Reactions: Winner 1 | Thanks 1


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## Cespian (4/5/16)

Dave1 said:


> The reason I gave up with USB is the max 2A that was divided by the ports on a high end PC. The last time I looked I found a USB hub that you could plug a Wallwart adapter into but it would limit the output to 2A anyway. Having to power it externally still means non plug and play.
> 
> With the PC power supply the total Amps drawn on the 3.3 and 5v combined normally cannot exceed 150W, would probably be more on a 450 or 500W unit
> .
> ...



Basically what it looks like is that theres no easy way to manipulate a reasonably sized power supply and get the wattage required to run a decent build without a high drain battery (maybe at most an old eGo tank)... possibly the easiest way is to have a battery connected to a regulated charging board, but even so, charging is slow and could result in running the battery flat (thats without considering the detriment to the battery). 

I like what @Christos mentioned about using a high amp/voltage power source with a step down converter of some sort, but then again, thats what any phone charger does... so it must be possible to achieve what I'm looking for on such a small scale. 

More reading required for me

Reactions: Like 1


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## Cespian (4/5/16)

Christos said:


> @Cespian, if you in jhb you are welcome to test on my bench supply. I'm willing to sponsor you 2 batteries if you agree to read a book instead!



Hehe thanks bud. I have enough batteries though. This isnt a case of looking for a cheaper alternative to batteries, rather something different to use in a fixed environment that negates the need to use batteries (and to satisfy my curiosity lol).

PS. Im in cape town

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## Dave1 (4/5/16)

Perhaps a solution would be something like 12v @ 2A. Plenty cell phone charger size switched modes available cheap.
12v @ 2A 0.8Ω 24W. Should be able to make a cloud?

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## Cespian (4/5/16)

Dave1 said:


> Perhaps a solution would be something like 12v @ 2A. Plenty cell phone charger size switched modes available cheap.
> 12v @ 2A 0.8Ω 24W. Should be able to make a cloud?



24w is enough to run a decent single coil in a Subtank/Toptank... I checked at Communica and they only had up to 5V available, will take a drive up to Zakspeed.

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## Dave1 (4/5/16)

Try
https://www.robotics.org.za/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=162
just for reference.

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Spydro (4/5/16)

Around 3 years ago when I first started vaping I dove into several commercial pass thru's for vaping. From dirt cheap to just the opposite that plugged into USB ports, USB wall adapters and to wall plugs with no adapters. I started vaping with KR808's so the first was a cigalike pass thru. Then it was some 510 pass thru's that included a couple that was variable voltage models and worked with any 510 atty or tank. The top end cost wise was for the ProVari's at $140. 

Did they work? Most as advertised, but some only marginally. The only one that really got used for more than just a short trial was the ProVari pass thru. It was kept on the side table next to my easy chair, and with a rack of RDA's and RTA tanks each with different flavor liquids kept a ProVari doing it's thing for hours while reading, listening to music or watching the Boob Tube. It's main downfall was the inability of the ProVari V2.5's to do sub ohm. Not used since they're all in boxes someplace.

Found an old picture of 3 of them...a cigalike, VV 510 and the ProVari.

Reactions: Like 4


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## Alex (4/5/16)

Here's something interesting too

Reactions: Like 2


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## Kamiel (4/5/16)

Sounds like an interesting project. I don't see it being satisfying on USB 2, though. Maybe USB 3 would provide enough oomph. Also, you can desk mount it, retrofit a hookah pipe to a drip tip, and use parts from an old Twisp battery for firing on inhale...

Reactions: Like 1


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## Cespian (4/5/16)

Kamiel said:


> Sounds like an interesting project. I don't see it being satisfying on USB 2, though. Maybe USB 3 would provide enough oomph. Also, you can desk mount it, retrofit a hookah pipe to a drip tip, and use parts from an old Twisp battery for firing on inhale...



Its impossible to get any decent power from any USB tech supply direct from PC I've come to learn. USB 3.0 if im not mistaken, still pushes under 1.5A and voltage still limited to 5V... gonna have to try the 12V DC Adapter. I might give SNT in Saltriver a shout as well. They made up a special serial cable for me a few years back, so i might be able to get the exact spec'd AC to DC adapter from them. I can then just add protection mechanisms and reostats if I feel like being fancy lol.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Kamiel (4/5/16)

Cespian said:


> Its impossible to get any decent power from any USB tech supply direct from PC I've come to learn. USB 3.0 if im not mistaken, still pushes under 1.5A and voltage still limited to 5V... gonna have to try the 12V DC Adapter. I might give SNT in Saltriver a shout as well. They made up a special serial cable for me a few years back, so i might be able to get the exact spec'd AC to DC adapter from them. I can then just add protection mechanisms and reostats if I feel like being fancy lol.


Good to know! Obviously, I know absolutely zip about these things, but wouldn't you still need a battery of sort for current dispensation purposes? Like a motherboard?

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## kimbo (5/5/16)

@Cespian my electrical knowledge is not so great but why cant you use capacitors?
use the usb to charge them and just get something to regulate the release of power from them (i am not sure if that can be done)
Have something to show you the charge on the caps, you will not need the long lasting charge of batteries because it will always be pluged in 
do you get a big enough cap for a decent vape?

Reactions: Like 1


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## Cespian (5/5/16)

Kamiel said:


> Good to know! Obviously, I know absolutely zip about these things, but wouldn't you still need a battery of sort for current dispensation purposes? Like a motherboard?



Nope, if I can get an adequate DC power supply... no battery required. Thats what the whole investigation is about... finding an alternative to batteries (a simple wired solution for when I am in a fixed position - i.e. sitting at PC or movie nights etc). I am now basically looking for an AC to DC adapter that steps down the current and voltage to provide the same as an 18650 mech would. SNT has what I need (called a few minutes ago) but going to wait for the 510's first


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## Cespian (5/5/16)

kimbo said:


> @Cespian my electrical knowledge is not so great but why cant you use capacitors?
> use the usb to charge them and just get something to regulate the release of power from them (i am not sure if that can be done)
> Have something to show you the charge on the caps, you will not need the long lasting charge of batteries because it will always be pluged in
> do you get a big enough cap for a decent vape?



I see what you're getting at... a capacitor basically stores electrical charge if memory serves me correctly (therefore, kinda a battery, but not a battery). I suppose the difficulty will be releasing that charge effeciently (possibly inline with a couple of resisters) and constantly (must be DC as I'm scared of Alternating Current) but then I will be building a complex circuit lol. Even so, a capacitor will loose its charge if used excessively (depending on how many conductors I set up), and I could end up building an electrocution mechanism. 

Great idea though, will definitely read into it.

Reactions: Like 1


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## WARMACHINE (5/5/16)

Cespian said:


> I have 2 kids, but they sleep at 20:00... need something to keep me occupied between then and 1am when I usually sleep.
> 
> thats exactly my point of using a the wall adapters instead of PC supplied power. 10 watts is too little... 20 for the least


It's called a PS4......

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## Christos (5/5/16)

WARMACHINE said:


> It's called a PS4......


The kids would be overjoyed

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Cespian (5/5/16)

WARMACHINE said:


> It's called a PS4......



I'm still stuck playing Megaman Network Battle, Advance Wars, Final Fantasy Tactics etc on Gameboy (running emulator on my phone)... and then the odd catchup with Age of Empires, Starcraft (1), Warcraft 3 and Command and Conquer on the PC... I'm a reverse hipster, excessively enjoy things after they are cool lol (or I'm stuck in the good ol' days)

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