Greetings, all! Been doing some practical research and thought passing on the results might be useful.
Shortly after I started vaping one my 510 auto 280mah batteries stopped working. At this point the battery has been replaced so I can't confirm it but it's possible the battery got juiced. So I set out to find out recovery methods and there doesn't seem to be much info (or success) with recovering juiced batteries. There is one thread here on using silica gel crystals, which is a great idea but may not always be handy.
Vicky at Cignot was kind enough to send me a few out-of-service 510 batteries to experiment on and using what was learned from them I tested a few ideas.
(Side Note: I have notes and pictures which seem to indicate at least three basic internal design variations of the Joye 510 auto batteries; if anyone is interested in a write up of the differences, let me know and I'll get it posted eventually.)
Finally, two days ago I took a deep breath and deliberately juiced a new 510 auto with seven drops of juice right in the atty cup for 10 minutes. It was obvious that some of the juice was down the hole at that point (other testing indicates about 2 to 3 drops actually get the small atty holes, on average). Sure enough, it didn't work well after that - either didn't light up at all, or would light up and stay on until the timer shut it down. Below is the method I used to restore it to full operation:
First, a tip: This is probably going to work best if you catch the fact that the auto battery is juiced within 10-15 minutes of it happening, and can either act right away or seal it in an airtight baggy until you can. I don't know how effective this will be if the juice has dried or gummed up and I am currently unwilling to risk another working battery to find out.
Also, note that this was tested on a very new Joye510 auto battery with a very small hole in the atty cup (which seems to be the case with all new Joye autos). How well this will work with older batteries with the larger holes or late-model batteries with small holes but different internal layout is anybody's guess.
So, here goes. Assuming you have figured out you juiced the battery within the last 10-15 minutes:
1. Use a paper towel, napkin or nearby shirt tail to wipe as much juice as possible from the battery's atty cup. Try to get the positive connection (flat disk with hole) good and clean so you can see when juice comes out later.
2. With the LED pointed to the floor, take a good, hard 10-second draw on the atty end of the battery. If the battery is really juiced, this might get some in your mouth, so have water handy.
3. Look in the atty cup; you will likely see a fresh pool of juice. Wick it out with the previously used absorbent material.
4. With the battery still pointed LED down, repeat steps 2 and 3. Less juice will come out each time; repeat until no more juice comes out. In my case his took about 4 repeats.
5. Stand the battery on a paper towel/napkin, atty end down and LED up, for a couple of minutes.
6. Now point the LED to the sky and take another hard, 10-second draw. Even if you get no juice the first time, repeat the draw at least 3-4 times and wipe out the cup in between until you're sure nothing new comes out. In my case very little came out, but the point is to get as much as possible out so this is worth it.
8. Get some really hot water in a small flat-bottomed cup or dish so it's about one inch deep. I put about an inch of water in a dessert cup and microwaved it until it was boiling, about 90 seconds. The reason you want no more than an inch of water is to minimize how much water intrudes in the battery itself.
9. Stand the battery on the atty end in the bowl of water - I do NOT recommend submerging the whole battery! If the battery still has a charge, the LED will probably light up and cycle a time or two. You will also probably see bubbles come up from the atty end. This is a good thing, because what we're trying to do is dilute/dissolve any remaining juice in that end of the battery. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
10. At this point the water should be merely warm. Take the battery out and repeat the draw/wipe cycle... or, if you have a T-spinner handy, put the battery in atty-side-out and give it a really good spin to get out as much water as possible.
11. Fill a small bowl or zip-lock bag about half-way with rice (or, if you have some, silica gel crystals). Bury the battery so it is completely covered. The idea here is to draw any remaining water out of the battery. Let this sit undisturbed for at least 24 hours.
12. After 24 hours, pull the battery out and gently remove any rice, dust or crystals, especially near the atty cup. Make sure no small debris goes into that atty cup hole!
13. If necessary, charge the battery... then give it a go. In my case, it worked just like new and is still working just fine.
I suspect this will work with very new batteries better than with late-model or old batteries. Based on the testing done with the variously-aged batteries Vicky sent, the newer battery's overall design simply makes it more difficult for much more than a drop or two of juice to get in, much less get all the way down to the flow sensor at the LED end. The main thing I think this procedure accomplishes is to clear juice from blocking what very little airway there is from that tiny hole in the atty cup down to the draw sensor.
With older batteries that have a sensor just under the atty cup as well, this procedure may or may not work. I'm out of test-subject batteries at the moment, but it will probably depend on whether juice got to or in the upper sensor, and whether the hot water will be enough to rinse it out. However, if you have an older, juiced battery you haven't thrown out yet it's still worth a shot - nothing to lose, right?
Once again breaking records for long posts, I hope this works as well for others as it did for me and helps someone out there save a few bucks.
Exhalesior!
Shortly after I started vaping one my 510 auto 280mah batteries stopped working. At this point the battery has been replaced so I can't confirm it but it's possible the battery got juiced. So I set out to find out recovery methods and there doesn't seem to be much info (or success) with recovering juiced batteries. There is one thread here on using silica gel crystals, which is a great idea but may not always be handy.
Vicky at Cignot was kind enough to send me a few out-of-service 510 batteries to experiment on and using what was learned from them I tested a few ideas.
(Side Note: I have notes and pictures which seem to indicate at least three basic internal design variations of the Joye 510 auto batteries; if anyone is interested in a write up of the differences, let me know and I'll get it posted eventually.)
Finally, two days ago I took a deep breath and deliberately juiced a new 510 auto with seven drops of juice right in the atty cup for 10 minutes. It was obvious that some of the juice was down the hole at that point (other testing indicates about 2 to 3 drops actually get the small atty holes, on average). Sure enough, it didn't work well after that - either didn't light up at all, or would light up and stay on until the timer shut it down. Below is the method I used to restore it to full operation:
First, a tip: This is probably going to work best if you catch the fact that the auto battery is juiced within 10-15 minutes of it happening, and can either act right away or seal it in an airtight baggy until you can. I don't know how effective this will be if the juice has dried or gummed up and I am currently unwilling to risk another working battery to find out.
Also, note that this was tested on a very new Joye510 auto battery with a very small hole in the atty cup (which seems to be the case with all new Joye autos). How well this will work with older batteries with the larger holes or late-model batteries with small holes but different internal layout is anybody's guess.
So, here goes. Assuming you have figured out you juiced the battery within the last 10-15 minutes:
1. Use a paper towel, napkin or nearby shirt tail to wipe as much juice as possible from the battery's atty cup. Try to get the positive connection (flat disk with hole) good and clean so you can see when juice comes out later.
2. With the LED pointed to the floor, take a good, hard 10-second draw on the atty end of the battery. If the battery is really juiced, this might get some in your mouth, so have water handy.
3. Look in the atty cup; you will likely see a fresh pool of juice. Wick it out with the previously used absorbent material.
4. With the battery still pointed LED down, repeat steps 2 and 3. Less juice will come out each time; repeat until no more juice comes out. In my case his took about 4 repeats.
5. Stand the battery on a paper towel/napkin, atty end down and LED up, for a couple of minutes.
6. Now point the LED to the sky and take another hard, 10-second draw. Even if you get no juice the first time, repeat the draw at least 3-4 times and wipe out the cup in between until you're sure nothing new comes out. In my case very little came out, but the point is to get as much as possible out so this is worth it.
(NOTE: The above steps might be replaced or combined with doing a good long T-spin or two on the battery with the atty side out, but I didn't think of that until I several steps later. There's no reason I can think of that it shouldn't work just as well or better, and has the advantage of preventing any juice in the mouth.)
7. You might try leaving this step out because this is tedious, but here's what I did: using a relatively thick light-colored thread (upholstery thread was handy), thread the end as much as possible down in the atty cup. It won't be much, maybe 1/2 to 3/4 inch. Rotate the thread for a few seconds and pull it out. You will probably see the end is darker than the rest - that's juice. Snip the end of the thread off for a fresh go at it. Repeat until it no longer comes out dark or wet, or until you get tired of doing it (I did about 8 "snips" worth before stopping).
8. Get some really hot water in a small flat-bottomed cup or dish so it's about one inch deep. I put about an inch of water in a dessert cup and microwaved it until it was boiling, about 90 seconds. The reason you want no more than an inch of water is to minimize how much water intrudes in the battery itself.
9. Stand the battery on the atty end in the bowl of water - I do NOT recommend submerging the whole battery! If the battery still has a charge, the LED will probably light up and cycle a time or two. You will also probably see bubbles come up from the atty end. This is a good thing, because what we're trying to do is dilute/dissolve any remaining juice in that end of the battery. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
10. At this point the water should be merely warm. Take the battery out and repeat the draw/wipe cycle... or, if you have a T-spinner handy, put the battery in atty-side-out and give it a really good spin to get out as much water as possible.
11. Fill a small bowl or zip-lock bag about half-way with rice (or, if you have some, silica gel crystals). Bury the battery so it is completely covered. The idea here is to draw any remaining water out of the battery. Let this sit undisturbed for at least 24 hours.
12. After 24 hours, pull the battery out and gently remove any rice, dust or crystals, especially near the atty cup. Make sure no small debris goes into that atty cup hole!
13. If necessary, charge the battery... then give it a go. In my case, it worked just like new and is still working just fine.
I suspect this will work with very new batteries better than with late-model or old batteries. Based on the testing done with the variously-aged batteries Vicky sent, the newer battery's overall design simply makes it more difficult for much more than a drop or two of juice to get in, much less get all the way down to the flow sensor at the LED end. The main thing I think this procedure accomplishes is to clear juice from blocking what very little airway there is from that tiny hole in the atty cup down to the draw sensor.
With older batteries that have a sensor just under the atty cup as well, this procedure may or may not work. I'm out of test-subject batteries at the moment, but it will probably depend on whether juice got to or in the upper sensor, and whether the hot water will be enough to rinse it out. However, if you have an older, juiced battery you haven't thrown out yet it's still worth a shot - nothing to lose, right?
Once again breaking records for long posts, I hope this works as well for others as it did for me and helps someone out there save a few bucks.
Exhalesior!
I never mentioned that I don't use the rice/silica gel etc steps when using this as preventative maintenance...I guess I just figured it would be obvious
