# DIY: iStick 20w 3400mah



## DoubleD (27/2/15)

For those istick 20w owners out there, I came across this great break down video which I thought was worth the share.
It's not in English but the dude does the break down flawlessly from beginning to end, on camera, so it should be a breeze for anyone.
The only note I have to this is that, when its time to solder your positive and negative, use some flux on the contact points to make it easier for the solder to 'grab'. (he probably tells you to do that but I dont understand a word he is saying, Im not even sure what language it is ..........)




*EDIT:* You could use this to upgrade your istick 30w and 50w as well.  Just saying..

Reactions: Like 2 | Winner 3 | Thanks 2 | Useful 1


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## Marzuq (27/2/15)

DoubleD said:


> For those istick 20w owners out there, I came across this great break down video which I thought was worth the share.
> It's not in English but the dude does the break down flawlessly from beginning to end, on camera, so it should be a breeze for anyone.
> The only note I have to this is that when its time to solder your positive and negative, use some flux on the contact points to make it easier for the solder to 'grab'. (he probably tells you to do that but I dont understand a word he is saying, Im not even sure what language it is ..........)
> 
> ...



Great find

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## DoubleD (27/2/15)

Marzuq said:


> Great find



I thought so too 

Now imagine taking the 50w and upgrading it, to use 2 efest 2500mah batteries.
You could use the efest 3100mah as well. 
Keep in mind though, lipos have a better discharge rate than IMR/lithium batteries or so I've heard.


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## Marzuq (27/2/15)

DoubleD said:


> I thought so too
> 
> Now imagine taking the 50w and upgrading it to use 2 efest 2500mah batteries
> Keep in mind though, lipos have a better discharge rate than IMR/lithium batteries or so I've heard.


Just the 50second long intro was a bit much to endure and then it's not English lol.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## JW Flynn (27/2/15)

all the soldering wire I have ever used has the flux in the middle... but to be honest I came out of a house where electronics where the THING, hehe....

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Raslin (27/2/15)

Cool, this looks very easy to do. I wonder how much longer the battery would last.


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## DoubleD (27/2/15)

Raslin said:


> Cool, this looks very easy to do. I wonder how much longer the battery would last.



The way I vape, I would expect at least 6 more hours of vape time on the Panasonic 3400.



Would you say the post was 'useful' or at very least 'likeable'


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## Raslin (28/2/15)

Actions speak louder that words, @DoubleD  tapatalk only let's me like a post to so needed to wait to get to a pc.

Reactions: Winner 1


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## huffnpuff (1/3/15)

Heres an iStick 50 project in German with disassembly and rewrap

Reactions: Like 2


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## The Wolf (1/3/15)

Good Find @DoubleD

Was wondering if I could replace the battery on my iStick 30w once it goes to Battery heaven

Reactions: Can relate 1


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## John (15/3/15)

Darth Vaper 

Love that intro song

Reactions: Agree 1


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## keeganvaper (24/3/15)

good find !!!

Reactions: Like 1


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## DoubleD (9/8/15)

My beloved iStick20 has finally had its day  
Battery wont charge/hold charge so I guess its time to be replaced


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## Rowan Francis (9/8/15)

i put a efest 3100 in a istick 20 , still going strong 3 months .

Reactions: Like 1


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## DoubleD (9/8/15)

Exactly the same battery I'm going to use


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## Twisper (9/8/15)

Rowan Francis said:


> i put a efest 3100 in a istick 20 , still going strong 3 months .



How much longer does it run on a charge than the standard 2200mAH?


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## DoubleD (9/8/15)

Twisper said:


> How much longer does it run on a charge than the standard 2200mAH?


The way I use it, I would assume 30% longer.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Twisper (9/8/15)

DoubleD said:


> The way I use it, I would assume 30% longer.



Thx. That's great news.


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## Rowan Francis (9/8/15)

i rekon at least 30% longer

Reactions: Agree 1 | Thanks 1


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## n0ugh7_zw (9/8/15)

Keen to see someone mod the iStick 50W with 2 X LG HG2's... 6000mAh would be pretty sweet.

Hell, depending on the current draw on the 50W board, you might even be able to use a pair of MJ1's which would be 7000mAh. Not 100% sure how safe it'd be, the MJ1's have a 10A limit. I seem to remember reading that the board will pull a max of 17A, so it's a little dicey, but if you're only living at 30-35W it should be fine.

HG2's would be totally safe though, they've got a 20A limit, so being in parallel, you'd be looking at about 30A of safe current. Which is way more current than what the board will be asking for. 

Only downside is that HG2's are the new hotness, which means that their price is sorta high ($9.99 each + shipping) and they're usually sold out.


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## zadiac (10/8/15)

He speaks Hungarian


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## BumbleBee (10/8/15)

zadiac said:


> He speaks Hungarian


I never got to learn from my dad, only picked up a few words here and there. Not the easiest language


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## zadiac (10/8/15)

BumbleBee said:


> I never got to learn from my dad, only picked up a few words here and there. Not the easiest language



I checked on google translate

Reactions: Funny 1


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## DoubleD (5/9/15)

So I finally got around to installing the efest 3100mah and my iStick20 is back serving me as it should  







Notice that the hoople in me has lost the black square above the fire button  not a big issue but it annoys me lol

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 4


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## Twisper (5/9/15)

How long did the original last?


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## DoubleD (5/9/15)

Twisper said:


> How long did the original last?



I've had it for 10mths, 5 of those months were every day use, then I got a Reo which made the istick a juice tasting/back up device, so on a full charge it would last 2 days.




On a side note : I checked the voltage of the cell I took out with a multi meter, came in on 3.28v

Reactions: Like 1 | Thanks 1 | Informative 1


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## DoubleD (8/9/15)

So just an update.



DoubleD said:


> On a side note : I checked the voltage of the cell I took out with a multi meter, came in on 3.28v



I thought there was something fishy about that voltage reading of 3.28v. I finally had to put it on charge and alas......it isnt charging 

Must be something wrong on the charging board, hopefully its a easy fix or I'll start my sqounk ah-la iStick box mod project sooner....sheeesh what a mouthful


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## BumbleBee (8/9/15)

DoubleD said:


> So just an update.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Well that sucks, so it was the charging port and not the battery at fault all along?

Reactions: Agree 1


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## DoubleD (8/9/15)

BumbleBee said:


> Well that sucks, so it was the charging port and not the battery at fault all along?



Yeah man, I think the cell I took out is fine.
Its weird though, when I plug it in, to charge, it shows on the LCD that its charging as it should but once you remove the plug it shows up empty, so somewhere there's a dry solder point or something. I'm just hoping I can fix it, I love the form factor of the istick, it makes for a handy little back up device to carry alongside my Reo.

Reactions: Like 1


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## johan (8/9/15)

@DoubleD to confirm the battery is OK or not, connect with croc-clips (or even washing pegs will do as long as it makes contact) to a standard 18650 battery charger and see if it charges up to 4.2V. For dry joint repair, take a soldering iron and some thin solder; 0.7mm (max). Touch each component solder joint while applying very little solder - when the solder melts and start to shine, take away the solder iron tip. There are only a few components around a typical charger control ic (integrated circuit).

Reactions: Informative 1


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## DoubleD (8/9/15)

johan said:


> @DoubleD to confirm the battery is OK or not, connect with croc-clips (or even washing pegs will do as long as it makes contact) to a standard 18650 battery charger and see if it charges up to 4.2V. For dry joint repair, take a soldering iron and some thin solder; 0.7mm (max). Touch each component solder joint while applying very little solder - when the solder melts and start to shine, take away the solder iron tip. There are only a few components around a typical charger control ic (integrated circuit).



Thank you for that, I'll give it a bash. So far I've connected the 'old' cell to the charger as per your advice and it looks as if it is charging but I'll report back when its done. Now I just need to get my soldering skills up to scratch

Reactions: Like 2


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## DoubleD (9/9/15)

@johan , so the 'old' cell charged up perfectly, reading at 4.2v. Guess my soldering skills will be put to the test this weekend

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1


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