VTbox200 replacement LiPos

[philTBA]

Can't find the thread on this. Maybe a nice helpful mod could move this if they can find it.

Ok, latest 3s cell trial started yesterday.



I picked up a pair of Turnigy nano tech LiPos (1300mAh 25C "50C burst") complete with Deans plugs already fitted, for £26.95 inc free P&P (the cells arrived next day !) and came with a free battery condition checker.
The first VTbox with a nano tech fitted went into use @ 3.45pm yesterday. A stock LiPo should run me through to 3.45 today, as I usually get 11-13 hours use from these. I've been running 2x VTs in rotation for some time, and 3x VTs for the past week or so, and all return the same use time per charge.
At 2.45 today (23hours) it's looking good, still showing around half charge.

The nano techs both showed half charge, and where on charge for 4 hours each before reaching full charge. The stock cells are a 6hr charge from weak battery warning.
This is the important stuff !
The Turnigy nano tech cells are a snug fit, and need to be altered SLIGHTLY.
At 72mm long, the Turnigys are 2mm longer than the,stock cells, this makes a BIG difference.
They DONT FIT !
That needs some explaination.
They don't fit when they arrive. As they're designed for quads/drones, they come with some padding. I had to VERY CAREFULLY remove the outter shrink wrap, then, VERY VERY CAREFULLY, remove the spongy pad on the top of the cell. This allows the cell to fit in the box.
You need to use scissors or snips to remove these, and if you get it wrong, you'll end up with a handful of hot sticky lithium polemer that's very likely to be on fire ! SO BE CAREFUL.
It will look like this when it's done.

Not as pretty as the orrigional look, but it's still all covered, and SAFE.
They're still snug, but should be fine. Turnigy say these cells have a maximum 'swell' of 5% under load. 'Load' in RC terms, is supplying 10-11v, at close to, or on maximum amps for a lot of the run time, and charging @ 5C rate. Use in a VTbox won't get these cells anywhere close to those limits so swelling shouldn't be an issue. The cell is snug at the sides, but slips into place easily, and there's 2-3mm space between the battery and side plates on both sides.
There was no excessive heat during changing in the box, or in use.
Very early signs are these would be the best option, plus, they're the largest capacity and C rating I can find that fit the VTbox. Turnigy have a 1500mAh 45C (90C burst) nano tech, but at 74mm long, even with ferocious trimming they won't fit.

Here's the link to where I got mine.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281453900596?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Or, if your not in a rush and don't mind swapping plugs. £19 a pair.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301803290701?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

 

[philTBA]

I'll be ordering another couple of these cells. this ones still going. This is 4hrs after the last image.


I'm pretty sure I'll be able to cut the power back, possibly by 3-4w, but I want to keep it the same so I'll get a better comparison.

 

[philTBA]

Done. That's it out. 45hrs is a fair sized increase over the stock 3s 24hrs use time, and had 3 green lights on the condition monitor.
I'd be happy to recommend the nano techs as a worthy upgrade for the VTbox, well worth the money and small amount of effort to slot them in. If you can do it yourself, or have someone who could do it for you, the nano techs would benefit from shortening the leads slightly, as it would give a bit more space. They're OK as they are, it just takes a bit of thought to route the leads in a neat stylee so they fit in nice an snug out of the way. These worked out at just short of £13.50 each plugged & delivered, TBH, it's transformed this mod, and has brought it up to where it should have been originally. If you vape at higher watts, you may not get almost an extra days use, but it will increase by a noticeable chunk.
If anyone would be interested, I'll take some pics when I'm 'modifying' the next nano tech for my last VTbox running the stock LiPo so you can see exactly what's involved. I'll be ordering another couple of these on Monday.

 

[OccultScientist]

Done. That's it out. 45hrs is a fair sized increase over the stock 3s 24hrs use time, and had 3 green lights on the condition monitor.
I'd be happy to recommend the nano techs as a worthy upgrade for the VTbox, well worth the money and small amount of effort to slot them in. If you can do it yourself, or have someone who could do it for you, the nano techs would benefit from shortening the leads slightly, as it would give a bit more space. They're OK as they are, it just takes a bit of thought to route the leads in a neat stylee so they fit in nice an snug out of the way. These worked out at just short of £13.50 each plugged & delivered, TBH, it's transformed this mod, and has brought it up to where it should have been originally. If you vape at higher watts, you may not get almost an extra days use, but it will increase by a noticeable chunk.
If anyone would be interested, I'll take some pics when I'm 'modifying' the next nano tech for my last VTbox running the stock LiPo so you can see exactly what's involved. I'll be ordering another couple of these on Monday.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread here but these sound excellent. I've been wondering how to squeeze more life from my VTBox. Did you have to change any battery settings in escribe? I made a change on the stock (as advised) and it helped a lot but this much extra could be a real bonus!

 

[philTBA]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread here but these sound excellent. I've been wondering how to squeeze more life from my VTBox. Did you have to change any battery settings in escribe? I made a change on the stock (as advised) and it helped a lot but this much extra could be a real bonus!

I set the w/h to 14.43, and the low volt cut off to 3.3v, that's it. 3.1v is generally accepted in rc circles as the lower limit of discharge for 3s LiPos, 3.3v gives a cushion & margin for error. The extra .2v won't noticeabley reduce run time, but it does help reduce another LiPo 'stress point'. They are a snug fit, turnigy state a maximum swell of these cells is 5%. That's the max when the cell has been running max volts and max, (or close to) amps for its full run time. A VTbox running at full chat, on a .1ohm coil won't get anywhere near those levels. At most, it's a 10 second fire, reducing the stress. They can be charged at 5C, so the 1A onboard balance charge reduces another stress point.
I've these nano techs in all 3 of my VTboxs now, all 3 are rock solid with zero signs of even a hint of distortion, and all 3 boxes deliver a fire after fire concistant vape @ 35w for 2 days.
I'll put them on to my LiPo charger once in a while for a 5C full current/voltage balance charge to give them a wake up call.

 

[OccultScientist]

Nice little plug!

 

[sganatra]

I have finally managed (I hope) to get a replacement box sent out to me by Vapecige. Only problem now is I need to transfer the chip from the old box. Any idea how difficult this is to do? I'm no stranger when it comes to soldering irons etc....but no expert either and it's been a few years since I had to use one. (Think last time was when modding my original xbox!)

 

[philTBA]

I have finally managed (I hope) to get a replacement box sent out to me by Vapecige. Only problem now is I need to transfer the chip from the old box. Any idea how difficult this is to do? I'm no stranger when it comes to soldering irons etc....but no expert either and it's been a few years since I had to use one. (Think last time was when modding my original xbox!)

Can't help in that front, but I'm sure there'll be an ape who can help.

 

[philTBA]

Here's the details on how to prep these cells for a VTbox200.
BEFORE YOU START, you'll need SHARP scissors with fine blades, and REMEMBER, your working with a potential Lithium Polymer fire bomb !
Outer wrap first. You can see where to make the first cut.



This will allow you to peel/tear off the outer wrapping, keep the nano tech label, it's foil, sticky, and you'll need it later.



This is the extra padding that needs removed, and yes, this does make the different between these cells fitting, or not.



If possible, avoid going in from this side. (Sometimes you have to)



Now it all starts into the potential fire bomb zone. You can now proceed with caution, if you haven't already. (And start shittin it !)
You'll be able to spot an edge to carefully slip the scissors into



SLOWLY work the blade between the white plastic wrap & the padding, and gently wiggle the blade as you go to give some space, until it's through



Just to remind you to be carefull ! THIS is how close you are to the cells.




This is what your aiming to get



Now, it's the same again to cut the padding/masking tape layer, oh, and your now working closer to the cell than the last layer !



And yes, you do need to go in from this side this time.


It'll look like this now, and you can see exactly how close you are to the dangerous end of a LiPo. (Fun, isn't it ! )



Now peel/scrape the paddy shit off the inside of your newly made plastic flap. (Almost done now) like this



Now it's time to reclaim the nice shinny nano tech label you saved earlier. Attach it like this



Now it's just a mater of tucking things away neatly, folding the flap over nice and snug and sealing down with the fancy ass label like so



and your done. That's it ready to fit, charge and enjoy your much improved VTbox200.

Now that was t so hard or scary, was it ?
Take your time installing it, and make sure you have the power/balance leads neatly tucked into the top end of the mod to give enough room for the cell to sit comfortably.

 

[Toby LeRôhne]

I didn't need to modify the Lipo pack on mine, instead I changed to thinner, shorter wires from the board do the Deans connector (still in spec for the board according to Evolv's spec sheet) and shortened the main wires on the Lipo and fitted the Deans connectors with heat shrink on the wires.
I was going to fit XT60s but there just isn't enough space in the mod.