# DIY Mech Mod



## shaunnadan (25/11/14)

hi All

so ive decided on attempting to do my own mech mod. 

my plan it to get a 510 connector from an old evod battery and then attach that to my "container" which will have a 18650 battery and a heavy duty 30A panel switch. 

i have found a rather unique container which i hope to unveil at the JHB vape meet but had a few concerns before i started breaking things.

*voltage drop : *would a cheap 510 connector have any major effect ? i think its fixed and doesnt have any spring action. will investigate tonight.

would having 2mm copper flex wire from the battery to switch to connector cause any voltage drops or resistance problems. my current approximation is that i would need a total of 10cm of wire (positive and negative) 

*airflow : *this is my biggest concern... for a dripper i understand that the airholes on the side of the dripper should be sufficient but is there any air intake from or around the 510 connector? also would i need to drill out a few tiny airholes around the battery to cool it down?

Thanks

Reactions: Like 1


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## DoubleD (25/11/14)

Ohh I love DIY projects, cant wait to see how yours turns out 



shaunnadan said:


> *voltage drop : *would a cheap 510 connector have any major effect ? i think its fixed and doesn't have any spring action. will investigate tonight.



Depending on the materials used to make up the 510, there is a difference in voltage drop. I haven't had the luxury to test the differences in vape gear using different materials so hopefully someone with more experience can elaborate. But you should be fine.



shaunnadan said:


> would having 2mm copper flex wire from the battery to switch to connector cause any voltage drops or resistance problems. my current approximation is that i would need a total of 10cm of wire (positive and negative)



Sounds good to me.



shaunnadan said:


> *airflow : *this is my biggest concern... for a dripper i understand that the airholes on the side of the dripper should be sufficient but is there any air intake from or around the 510 connector? also would i need to drill out a few tiny airholes around the battery to cool it down?
> 
> Thanks



Vent holes for the battery would be a good idea.

Note the airflow channels around the connector (FDV 510 connector) -


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## johan (25/11/14)

@shaunnadan all depends how low in resistance you want to build your coils, that will determine how thick your wire/s should be for minimum voltage drop (if you limit the device to 30A, then use 2.5mm solid copper wire). If you're not going to build an electronic regulating board in your container, rather use solid copper wire and not flex wire. Flex wires are only used for high frequency electronic regulating devices to overcome the the Lenz effect.

Reactions: Can relate 1 | Informative 1


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## shaunnadan (25/11/14)

ive gotten the "container" prepped and will go and chop up the old evod battery to get the 510 connector this evening.

has anyone looked at the button that the cheap evod batterys come with? could that be reused? i have a heavy duty panel switch but it may be a problem mounting it. also curious if the button has any circuitry on it since my aim is a purely mech mod


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## shaunnadan (25/11/14)

hi Johan,

my 18650 battery is rated at 20A so im trying to work a "safe" 30A rated device.


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## johan (25/11/14)

shaunnadan said:


> hi Johan,
> 
> my 18650 battery is rated at 20A so im trying to work a "safe" 30A rated device.



First of all the button on the cheap Evods are just a tactile switch mounted on an electronic board and will be of no use to your project. If you can find a heavy duty 30A switch you are sorted.


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## shaunnadan (25/11/14)

thanks for that info, ive got a 30A industrial panel switch that i plan on using. 

bit of a silly question but do you think the power needed to light up the led on a switch will have a huge effect, the led is rated at 3V?


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## johan (25/11/14)

shaunnadan said:


> thanks for that info, ive got a 30A industrial panel switch that i plan on using.
> 
> bit of a silly question but do you think the power needed to light up the led on a switch will have a huge effect, the led is rated at 3V?



The LED normally draws about 20mA (0.02A) at its rated voltage, but when battery is fully charged to 4.2V, the LED is going to draw much more, I suggest you fit a small resistor in series with LED, to ensure it doesn't draw more that 20mA - calculate resistor value:

R = (Batt Voltage - LED Voltage) / LED Current
R = (4.2 - 3) / 0.02
R = 60 Ohm * use closest standard value 57 Ohm

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


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## RATZ (25/11/14)

johan said:


> I suggest you fit a small resistor in series with LED, to ensure it doesn't draw more that 20mA



Don't forget to wire that in parallel to your coil or you may be a little underwhelmed by your mod building abilities....

Mantech is a good source of electrical bits and bobs and the more you buy, the cheaper it gets !
www.mantech.co.za

Reactions: Agree 1


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## shaunnadan (26/11/14)

the switch and wire i got from communica.i normally buy from mantech when im not feeling for the drive all the way to samand avenue. 

just check the switch last night and found that the LED is actually rated at 12V 

finding a 30A switch with a 3V led is proving to be a bit difficult, Mantech has 20A panel switches but no stock at the moment.

will build Ver1 without the LED for now and then do an upgrade. did a basic test last night with croc clips onto the dripper and it worked like magic ! plan to solder it all up this evening.

Reactions: Like 2


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## johan (26/11/14)

shaunnadan said:


> the switch and wire i got from communica.i normally buy from mantech when im not feeling for the drive all the way to samand avenue.
> 
> just check the switch last night and found that the LED is actually rated at 12V
> 
> ...



If you can open up the switch with the 12V led, just change the value of the resistor inside.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## shaunnadan (27/11/14)

switch is sealed, opening it up will break the connector 

i did manage to get myself a 510/ego connector from VapeClub !!! so will save myself from breaking that evod battery apart. 

ive gotten the battery in with a small strip of foam padding to prevent it from rattling around but my container doesn't have any sort of "beauty ring" so i need to recess the connector so that the dripper fits flush against the top cap. it will work but makes changing drippers a bit cumbersome for this current version.

should have everything soldered up tonight, will take pics once im done.

Reactions: Like 1


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