***The Vapers Lounge*** 2.0
- Thread starter slick rick
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I'm tempted by the D2, I could use an upgrade from my DNA40 and I'd like to try out titanium wire, it looks a hell of a lot easier to build than nickel.
I run ti on the DNA40 with no issues. Just have to set the temperature much lower.
P4U IPV-D2 mini review
The Pioneer 4U IPV-D2 is a temperature control mini box mod that takes a single 18650 battery. It is powered by a YiHi SX130H board that supports up to 75W in power mode and 50J in temperature mode. It will fire down to 7W (sort of, more on that in a minute) in power mode and 10J in temperature mode and will deal with resistances of 0.2 to 3 ohms in power mode and 0.05 to 0.3 ohms in temperature mode. It also supports titanium coils as well as the normal kanthal and nickel.
In the box it comes with a reasonably well translated manual, a charging cable with a 3mm OD barrel connector on the end, a silicone sleeve, and a warranty card.
Physical
In the hand it feels like a solid piece of kit. It has a decent weight to it without being too heavy to comfortably put in a pocket. The finish on my black version is glossy and shows up e-liquid fingerprints pretty badly. The paint does seem to be pretty thick by the feel of it.
As far as size is concerned, it's a hair larger than an iStick 40W in height, about the same width but about 5mm deeper.
The battery door is a ball-bearing captured sliding affair that seems to fit quite solidly in to it's mountings. It can be removed by sliding it along the device or by pulling it out away from the device to access the battery compartment.
The battery holder is a plastic cavity with a leaf contact at the negative end supported by a spring beneath it. It doesn't look too sturdy so may fail with repeated battery insertions and removals. The battery is inserted with the positive contact at the bottom and fits over a small fabric strap to enable easy removal.
The device has an onboard charger with a 3mm barrel socket on the base. A small LED beside the socket lights up red while charging and goes out once fully charged.
The decision to use a 3mm barrel connector rather than a micro USB port is a strange one that I can't see any good reason for. The rated input of the device is 1A @ 5V so the same as that which most wall-wart USB chargers can deliver. It has been suggested that it's the same circuit as on the IPV4 and so rather than manufacture new boards, they just took that and added it to the device. It's a bit of a pain as it's yet another cable you need to carry around with you should you wish to make use of the onboard charging function.
In use
The D2 operates much like other 3-button YiHi powered TC mods. You hold up and down to lock the resistance in, 5 clicks to get to the menu, then click the power button to cycle through the menu options. The video bleow shows the manu system and the options available.
The only odd thing with the device in operation is that you have to hold two buttons to lock the device. I much prefer the 3 button clicks to lock that the SX350 employs as I can do it with one hand as I slip it in to my pocket. With this I have to use 2 hands.
The display is bright and shows everything you need to know (sort of). The timeout is around 2 seconds which is a little short for my liking.
I've tested the D2 with a variety of atomisers and tanks using kanthal, nickel, and titanium coils. It has handled everything I've thrown at it with ease. In temperature control mode, the accuracy seems in line with the SX350J used in the SX-Mini. Certainly, at the same settings with the same atomiser I get the same vape. It does seem to suffer from the same issue that the SX-Mini has in that the temperature control gets less accurate the further you get away from 0.065 ohms. Resistance locking is handled the same way as on the SX350J whereby you hold the up and down buttons together to lock it in. It does operate in a very strange way with the display though. Once locked in, the resistance display is not the locked in resistance, but the target resistance that the device expects to see at the set temperature. This is rather backwards as I really don't care what this resistance is, I do care however that the device is showing me the correctly locked in resistance for a coil of which I know the resistance.
In power mode it again seems to be very accurate, as long as you aren't trying to fire the device at a wattage and resistance combination that requires a voltage of less than 3.6V. That's right, no step down. It's strange because there clearly is step down in temperature mode, but not in power mode. I tested this with a 0.4 ohm atomiser and tried to fire it at 7W. Although the display showed the correct voltage that should be applied, it was actually applying 3.6V and so was giving me 32.4W, not 7W. For me, this is a non-issue as I rarely fire anything at less than 3.6V but it's something to be aware of as it might catch some people out.
All in all, I think this is a great little device for the money. It does what it sets out to do with only a couple of minor issues in operation. The price is excellent for what you get and for me, this makes it a keeper.
Plus points:
Price
Solid build
Supports titanium
Uses 18650s (this could also be a minus for some)
Accurate TC
75W and 50J is more than enough for most people
Minusses
Weird resistance display in TC mode
No step-down in power mode
Barrel charging port
Two buttons to lock
The Pioneer 4U IPV-D2 is a temperature control mini box mod that takes a single 18650 battery. It is powered by a YiHi SX130H board that supports up to 75W in power mode and 50J in temperature mode. It will fire down to 7W (sort of, more on that in a minute) in power mode and 10J in temperature mode and will deal with resistances of 0.2 to 3 ohms in power mode and 0.05 to 0.3 ohms in temperature mode. It also supports titanium coils as well as the normal kanthal and nickel.
In the box it comes with a reasonably well translated manual, a charging cable with a 3mm OD barrel connector on the end, a silicone sleeve, and a warranty card.
Physical
In the hand it feels like a solid piece of kit. It has a decent weight to it without being too heavy to comfortably put in a pocket. The finish on my black version is glossy and shows up e-liquid fingerprints pretty badly. The paint does seem to be pretty thick by the feel of it.
As far as size is concerned, it's a hair larger than an iStick 40W in height, about the same width but about 5mm deeper.
The battery door is a ball-bearing captured sliding affair that seems to fit quite solidly in to it's mountings. It can be removed by sliding it along the device or by pulling it out away from the device to access the battery compartment.
The battery holder is a plastic cavity with a leaf contact at the negative end supported by a spring beneath it. It doesn't look too sturdy so may fail with repeated battery insertions and removals. The battery is inserted with the positive contact at the bottom and fits over a small fabric strap to enable easy removal.
The device has an onboard charger with a 3mm barrel socket on the base. A small LED beside the socket lights up red while charging and goes out once fully charged.
The decision to use a 3mm barrel connector rather than a micro USB port is a strange one that I can't see any good reason for. The rated input of the device is 1A @ 5V so the same as that which most wall-wart USB chargers can deliver. It has been suggested that it's the same circuit as on the IPV4 and so rather than manufacture new boards, they just took that and added it to the device. It's a bit of a pain as it's yet another cable you need to carry around with you should you wish to make use of the onboard charging function.
In use
The D2 operates much like other 3-button YiHi powered TC mods. You hold up and down to lock the resistance in, 5 clicks to get to the menu, then click the power button to cycle through the menu options. The video bleow shows the manu system and the options available.
The only odd thing with the device in operation is that you have to hold two buttons to lock the device. I much prefer the 3 button clicks to lock that the SX350 employs as I can do it with one hand as I slip it in to my pocket. With this I have to use 2 hands.
The display is bright and shows everything you need to know (sort of). The timeout is around 2 seconds which is a little short for my liking.
I've tested the D2 with a variety of atomisers and tanks using kanthal, nickel, and titanium coils. It has handled everything I've thrown at it with ease. In temperature control mode, the accuracy seems in line with the SX350J used in the SX-Mini. Certainly, at the same settings with the same atomiser I get the same vape. It does seem to suffer from the same issue that the SX-Mini has in that the temperature control gets less accurate the further you get away from 0.065 ohms. Resistance locking is handled the same way as on the SX350J whereby you hold the up and down buttons together to lock it in. It does operate in a very strange way with the display though. Once locked in, the resistance display is not the locked in resistance, but the target resistance that the device expects to see at the set temperature. This is rather backwards as I really don't care what this resistance is, I do care however that the device is showing me the correctly locked in resistance for a coil of which I know the resistance.
In power mode it again seems to be very accurate, as long as you aren't trying to fire the device at a wattage and resistance combination that requires a voltage of less than 3.6V. That's right, no step down. It's strange because there clearly is step down in temperature mode, but not in power mode. I tested this with a 0.4 ohm atomiser and tried to fire it at 7W. Although the display showed the correct voltage that should be applied, it was actually applying 3.6V and so was giving me 32.4W, not 7W. For me, this is a non-issue as I rarely fire anything at less than 3.6V but it's something to be aware of as it might catch some people out.
All in all, I think this is a great little device for the money. It does what it sets out to do with only a couple of minor issues in operation. The price is excellent for what you get and for me, this makes it a keeper.
Plus points:
Price
Solid build
Supports titanium
Uses 18650s (this could also be a minus for some)
Accurate TC
75W and 50J is more than enough for most people
Minusses
Weird resistance display in TC mode
No step-down in power mode
Barrel charging port
Two buttons to lock
Great write up 
I'm sure I read the resistance not locking in tc...it is locked to what you set it at, what is displayed for some reason is the real time resistance but the locked resistance remains in memory and is what is used to gauge temps rather then the real time resistance being shown.
Another minus would be no musb at all, which presumably means no firmware updates.
Still, expect I'll be happy as I currently use titanium at 0.2ohms, 30j, 400f.
I'm sure I read the resistance not locking in tc...it is locked to what you set it at, what is displayed for some reason is the real time resistance but the locked resistance remains in memory and is what is used to gauge temps rather then the real time resistance being shown.
Another minus would be no musb at all, which presumably means no firmware updates.
Still, expect I'll be happy as I currently use titanium at 0.2ohms, 30j, 400f.
Great write up
I'm sure I read the resistance not locking in tc...it is locked to what you set it at, what is displayed for some reason is the real time resistance but the locked resistance remains in memory and is what is used to gauge temps rather then the real time resistance being shown.
It definitely locks the resistance in, it's not showing the realtime resistance either. It does show this when you fire it though.
It's showing what resistance it expects the coil to reach when the correct temperature is reached.
Man of Honour
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- 13 Nov 2009
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Just done my first couple of batches of mixing by weight.
Won't be going back to measuring with syringes any time soon. Scales are quicker, less messy and far more accurate.
Won't be going back to measuring with syringes any time soon. Scales are quicker, less messy and far more accurate.
Man of Honour
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- 13 Nov 2009
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- Northampton
30ml of Dragons Blood and 30ml Slurricane Clone
http://e-liquid-recipes.com/recipe/6732/Dragons+Blood
http://e-liquid-recipes.com/recipe/46694/Slurricane+by+Ruthless
Forgot to order any EM so I've omitted that from the Dragons Blood and also mixed it with DX Bavarian Cream and DX Sweet Cream to avoid Diketones. Got a couple of HeadinClouds recipes to mix later as well.
This DIY lark is getting a bit out of control though, I'm upto about 35 concentrates already
Ahh I'm with you now
Can't get over how small it is, I thought it would be closer to the subox mini in size rather then the tc40, can't wait to get my hands on it!
Soldato
- Joined
- 8 Feb 2009
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- Sheffield
Gone for the same, I just started working in a totallywicked shop so we have it as the "Grip" but it's a rebranded Wismec Presa. Got that with the Lemo 2 tank and I'm blown away by how good it is. Been mixing my own liquids for a couple of weeks, and just built my first coil today, love it! Vaping is basically free for me now too!
On your next Slurricane try adjusting the %'s to;
- 5% stawberry
- 5% peach
- 4.5% tangerine
You won't be disappointed
Great stuff buddy... can't wait to get mine..
There's no step down possibly due to the voltage range, it wouldn't be such a pocket rocket if the moved down the scale. If it's like the sx mini j, it switches to pwm in temp mode, so it's like you said, not sure why they don't have it switch to it automatically for step down.. lack of memory on the chip?
edit: bellcap for the toot as come.
Last edited:
On your next Slurricane try adjusting the %'s to;
- 5% stawberry
- 5% peach
- 4.5% tangerine
You won't be disappointed
Confirmed this is the best mix, although I think I did:
7% Strawberry
5% Peach
4% Tangerine
This is definitely gonna be in rotation!
I made a DIY Apple, Blackcurrant & Forest Fruits blend the other week:
7% Apple Fuji (FA)
5% Blackcurrant (FA)
5% Forest Fruits (FA)
Really enjoying it, give it a try!
Man of Honour
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- 13 Nov 2009
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Will give that a try next time. Only mixed 30ml of each up today so it probably won't be long before I need another mixing sessionOn your next Slurricane try adjusting the %'s to;
- 5% stawberry
- 5% peach
- 4.5% tangerine
You won't be disappointed
Hmm will need to order some Apple Fuji. 17% is a high mix for FA
Thanks
Battery life isn't great in TC mode. Blasting dual ti coils at 50J I didn't last the work day.
Need some advice guys, the missus and I both use a KangerTech EVOD, but we've had enough and looking for something better. I'm actually going to try and give up the fags now, so need something that's satisfying!
What's the best I can get for around £30 each?
What's the best I can get for around £30 each?
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 13 Nov 2009
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- 11,633
- Location
- Northampton
Well the Slurricane clone is lovely even freshly mixed.
Just mixed 30 ml of each of HICs Double Rainbow and HICs Pina Colada as well.
Starting to get to a point with DIY where I'll have enough on rotation between ready to vape and steeping
Just mixed 30 ml of each of HICs Double Rainbow and HICs Pina Colada as well.
Starting to get to a point with DIY where I'll have enough on rotation between ready to vape and steeping
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