Powerblok 6000

[CraigHB]

Finished the Powerblok 6000 today.  I'ts a pretty hefty sucker, but it's tolerable and the run time is amazing.  Here's some specs;

Dimensions:  81mm x 40mm x 30mm
Weight:  155g (5.5oz)
Type: Variable voltage
Voltage range: 4.0-7.4 Volts
Maximum power output: 36 Watts
Maximum current output: 5A at 7.4V to 8A at 4.0V
Battery capacity:  6000mAh
Battery type: Dual non-removable 3000mAh 18650 cells, LG brand (LGABD11865)
Charging: USB, mini-B
Max charge time: 6 hours 30 Minutes (USB charging adapter required)
Features: ammeter, wattmeter, ohmmeter, battery capacity gauge, temperature gauge, hit counter
Material: Nylon-fiberglass composite enclosure, 304 stainless atomizer connector

Here's the pics;





Here's a shot of the LCD.  That's from a run on my load bank at max output.
The box will run up a 1.5 Ohm atomizer up to 7.4V no problem, pretty stinking hot vape though.



This is the rear view in comparison to one of my 1400 boxes.  You can see it's about 50% fatter.
Pretty amazing when you consider it has quadruple the run time;



Here are the internals for those that might be interested;

[cath77]

Now that i would pay good money for (if i had it), nice work Craig

[Darth Vaper]

  it's looks great Craig.

[Lettie22]

Awesome piece of work Craig!   

[Lordy]

I've said it before and I'll say it again... that's awesome work there Craig.

Silly question, but can you charge while vaping on it or does it have to be disconnected during use?

Finally, have you considered selling these? I would definitely buy one.

[CraigHB]

Thanks for the positive comments guys

You can charge and vape at the same time.  Technically speaking, the controller wakes up and the charger goes into standby when the atomizer is fired.  About a 1/2 second after the trigger is released, the controller goes into sleep mode and the charger reactivates.   It can be visibly seen when the red charging light extinguishes upon trigger activation then re-illuminates when the trigger is released.

As far as production, it's not happening at this point, though I'd like to do a limited production run.  Lots of logistical walls to climb with something like that.  Financial ones too.  I make them as a matter of course, but only one or two a month.  I make more than I need so I do sell them off here and there.

[CraigHB]

I've been using the Powerblok 6000 for a few days now and I've obtained some good measurements on hit counts.  With the 1400 boxes I usually get around 320 hits on a charge.  That may not sound like much, but keep in mind I'm usually vaping around 18 Watts.  The higher power levels drain batteries pretty fast.  18 Watts drains a battery twice as fast as 9 Watts.

On the 6000, I'm getting around 1350 hits on a charge.  So, it's getting over quadruple the run time of the smaller box.  In terms of amp-hours, it works out to right around 6000mAh which is brilliant.  These cells are higher voltage so they have more energy density.  With higher voltage, that charge capacity gets better mileage.  I'm probably getting right around the same run time as if I was using two of the Panasonic 3400mAh cells.  On paper I expected that, but you don't know for sure until you actually try it.

I think I can safely say this mod has one of the highest run times of any e-cig mod out there.  The only mod I can think of that would compare is a Stig mod (or similar) running two of the 3400mAh Panasonic cells. 

Really happy with these cells from LG Corp.  Fantastic performance.  It's not just the higher voltage and the big capacity, they're also more efficient with only 66 mOhms internal impedance.  The Panasonic 3400mAh cells have 100 mOhms.  Though, nothing beats a LiPo.  The flat cells in my 1400 boxes have 25 mOhms internal impedance.  Still, 66 mOhms is pretty low compared to any other round cell. 

[Lettie22]

Ok Craig, now that you've acomplished this, what is next?

A cute girlie-girl mod for the wife?

[Ean33]

amazing mate
love the look and the function just cant be beaten, really top class mate

[Lordy]

Craig going back to your 'limited run' idea... Would cash up front help? Just basically saying that if it's an idea you'd like to progress I'd happily pay up front. Would love to get myself one of these and have the patience to accept it would be a few months after paying. Of course, that depends largely on what it would retail for.

If you could please keep me in the loop with your plans I'd appreciate it.

[CraigHB]

Ok Craig, now that you've acomplished this, what is next?

A cute girlie-girl mod for the wife?

Good question.  I'm pretty much set now as for as designs.  Just need to build more for myself as spares and for a few others.  That's going to be a while so no new designs for some time after this.

My wife is actually pretty easy to please in terms of vaping gear.  She doesn't really care about variable voltage and other advanced features like that.  Though she does prefer my little boxes because she likes the touch switch and the USB charging.  When she uses them, she sets them on the lowest voltage and leaves it there.  The only time she looks at the display is when there's a low battery indication.  She still uses a regular eGo when she's out of the house.  So, not really much I could do for her by building a smaller one for her.  I'd have to give up features for that and I can already get something smaller with less features cheaply off the shelf.

Craig going back to your 'limited run' idea... Would cash up front help? Just basically saying that if it's an idea you'd like to progress I'd happily pay up front. Would love to get myself one of these and have the patience to accept it would be a few months after paying. Of course, that depends largely on what it would retail for.

If you could please keep me in the loop with your plans I'd appreciate it.

Lordy, I'll PM you back on that.

[shammuzie]

It was nice when I've a chance to have it