1 day old broken vamo v5 "LOW V" read this please

[Krogan]

FALSE ALARM

In stacked mode (according to IRC) I was told 6.4V = dead in stacked mode.
3.2V = charge needed
4.2V = full charge
If you did 4.2V - 3.2 = 1
When I stacked them it died and said LOW V @ 6.4V and full charge it said 7.4 if you do 7.4 - 6.4 the result is 1

So basically both batteries are really @ 3.2V hence it's reading "LOW V"
Also, I'm going to have to get a single 18650 because I don't trust these dangerous messages people are saying in stacked mode.

Also, I'd like the charge to last longer so maybe a single 18650 2000mah will suffice
In the intellicharger now both batteries are on the first step (which means it's low on charge i guess)

 

[stancato9]

3.2 x 2 = 6.4

Just taking a guess but it seems normal.

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[mvroman]

It's because you stacked your batteries. I literally just woke up so if someone doesn't chime in before I've had some coffee I'll try to elaborate more.

2 batteries at 4.2v=7.3ish when stacked for some reason. The vamo sense this and reads low V for anything below it's safe range for stacked batteries. Plus chances are best that you don't have a proper charger for stacked batteries and messed them up and they won't hold a proper charge anymore.

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[mvroman]

You shouldn't have stacked the batteries in the first place. Try using ONE 18650 or 18350 battery to make sure your vamo works fine still. Don't go back to smoking lol that stuffs nastyyyy.

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[Krogan]

I used 1 battery. Instantly it said "LOW V" when I put the battery in (still won't work)

 

[mvroman]

Did you use one of the batteries you had stacked previously? If you did try using another one.

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[Equilibrium]

Yeah, you're never supposed to stack batteries in a mod.

 

[Krogan]

It says it supports 2 or 1 battery. and it has room for 2 so why would that harm it? other people stack it too.
In fact, you have to. How do you planning on giving something 6V with a single 3.7V battery? It won't fire...
Edit: Yes, Mvroman I swapped the batteries and still LOW V when inserted.

 

[Yohkos]

Do your research when stacking batteries. The harm is the batteries must always be paired ect. There is a lot of information out there. Using batteries like this could be really dangerous. Don't blame the Vamo

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

It says it supports 2 or 1 battery. and it has room for 2 so why would that harm it? other people stack it too.
In fact, you have to. How do you planning on giving something 6V with a single 3.7V battery? It won't fire...

The Vamo is a regulated device. It has a computer chip that can pump up the power output. It's how all regulated devices work, as all batteries are typically 3.7v without a chip. You do not need to stack the batteries to get to the voltage or watts you are looking for. As for low V, 6.4 IS low when you stack them. A regulated mod will cut off once a single battery reaches 3.4 or 3.3.... It is dangerous and bad for your batteries to let the charge go too low before recharging them.

 

[Bigflyrodder]

You can absolutely run stacked batteries in the Vamo, in fact it is designed to run them that way if you prefer. The folks above noted the reason for "Low V" and they are correct, you need to halve the reading to know where you are as far as remaining battery life when stacked so the unit is functioning correctly.

If you are looking for longer life simply run a single 18650 rather than the stacked 18350s. Stacking two 18350s will NOT double the mah.

 

[Krogan]

Yohko:
Why is there 2 battery tubes then? And if it's dangerous, why would they not warn you about the device being dangerous. If it is dangerous, I'll be glad. I'll make sue the company for everything they've got if something happened to me. So the second battery tube is for a single 18650 or what? Also, if it is dangerous stacking them I suggest you tell MANNNNNNY people that on the forums and on youtube videos because they all seem to stack it.

@BigFlyRodder
Now I'm offically confused. People are saying Stack it don't stack it. This is all becoming very complicated now

 

[baronjager]

Its not dangerous if done correctly and with the proper knowledge. Proper knowledge meaning that you understand how batteries operate, you know that they need to be a matched set of batteries (used and charged together forever) and you have the correct charger to charge them correctly. There are many threads on ecf discussing and educating about bat stacking. I have ran stacked 350's before just to see how they performed and imo a good single 18650 was a better choice.

 

[peraspera]

If you run a battery down too low it will kill it. The VAMO has a safety circuit that prevents this from happening. It will give you the LO warning and refuse to fire. The 6.4V reading is the combined output from your stacked batteries so, if they discharged evenly, they will be at 3.2 volts each which means it is time for them to be charged.

Your VAMO's safety feature protecting your batteries is working correctly. Charge your batteries and they will work in your VAMO.

Stacking can be done safely in a regulated mod but requires a high degree of diligence. Batteries should be marked and permanently paired for both charging and use. They should be rested before and after charging. The top and bottom batteries should be reversed with each use. Once the batteries start to show any signs of uneven discharge or wearing out they should no longer be used for stacking.

All of this diligence for stacking is pretty much a silly waste of time considering the VAMO has a boost circuit which makes the extra power from stacking largely unnecessary. You would be far ahead of the game by using an 18650 when you are wanting longer battery life and save the 18350s to use singly in shorty mode.

 

[crxess]

Yohko:
Why is there 2 battery tubes then? And if it's dangerous, why would they not warn you about the device being dangerous. If it is dangerous, I'll be glad. I'll make sue the company for everything they've got if something happened to me. So the second battery tube is for a single 18650 or what? Also, if it is dangerous stacking them I suggest you tell MANNNNNNY people that on the forums and on youtube videos because they all seem to stack it.

@BigFlyRodder
Now I'm offically confused. People are saying Stack it don't stack it. This is all becoming very complicated now

The Danger everyone keeps talking about is from people using stacked batteries in the first Mods - Mechanical mods with no protection.
The secondary concern is someone placing a fully charged and partially charged battery together. Never use anything except identical and fully charged batteries.
In RC Modeling(electric Aircraft) we use Battery Balancing chargers to keep every cell matched.

All Batteries have a full charge voltage and a minimal useable voltage. this is why, even though you are seeing 6.x volts, the Mod shuts power down. Each cell has reached its lower safe limit.
It is not defective. It is saving you from replacing damaged batteries.
18350 batteries, whether stacked or single use are only good for a few hours at a time before recharging.

Unless you are constantly vaping above 10 watts you do not need to stack batteries. Pick up a few 18650's. they will get you 2x-3x more vape time.

 

[Krogan]

Edited the topic. If I did 7.4 (reading on full charge in stacked mode) - 6.4 = 1
3.2V = need charging
4.2V = charged
4.2V - 3.2V = 1
hence 6.4V (stacked mode) is really 3.2V if i'm correct meaning it's low charge

 

[DavidOck]

Don't have a Vamo, but my SVD is also capable of taking stacked batteries. (I don't, my choice, don't want the hassle of keeping that much track on them.)

If going from stacked to single, it will read low on a fresh battery because the electronics are still "programmed" for the higher voltage. I.e. to cut off at 6.2, and a fresh single is only 4.2ish. The procedure from the manual is to remove all batteries, and hold the fire button for about 5 seconds to discharge any residual voltage, the put in a fresh battery and good to go.

Proper and full charge is necessary. You say you've "broken" several, of different types. Are they being fully charged? A dead battery doesn't mean a broken device...

 

[DavidOck]

Edited the topic. If I did 7.4 (reading on full charge in stacked mode) - 6.4 = 1
3.2V = need charging
4.2V = charged
4.2V - 3.2V = 1
hence 6.4V (stacked mode) is really 3.2V if i'm correct meaning it's low charge

Seems a bit convoluted to me, but yes, 3.2 on each battery means it's time to recharge. If the Vamo cuts off at 6.4, that's equivalent to 3.2 for each. Although if the batteries are not matched, it might not be. One could be 3.0 and one could be 3.4. (And that condition could lead to battery failure. Depending on the type / brand / quality of battery, that could be catastrophic. Hence all the cautions about stacking.)

Running Lithiums below 3.2 is a pretty good way to make them useless. That's why regulated mods like the Vamo - and even eGo style batteries - have the low V cutoff. I generally swap out long before then, but that's just the way I like to run my hardware.

 

[Yohkos]

All I was saying, do some research. Another sue happy person. Great. Blame someone else when things don't work out. Educate and learn as much as you can. The vaper stuff can get overwhelming and there is so much to learn and lots of you tube videos. Please don't jump on the sue band wagon. Some of us love our Vamos! And please dont smoke cigs, you can't sue them when you're wheezing and dying from cancer. No really, see if you can return your vamo and don't smoke. Try one battery. The Vamo is a good device even with one battery.

 

[Bigflyrodder]

Edited the topic. If I did 7.4 (reading on full charge in stacked mode) - 6.4 = 1
3.2V = need charging
4.2V = charged
4.2V - 3.2V = 1
hence 6.4V (stacked mode) is really 3.2V if i'm correct meaning it's low charge

That is basically correct Krogan. Honestly, I never saw a benefit to running stacked batteries in the Vamo so didn't do it. I run it in single 18350 mode as I like the size much better and have run it in 18650 when needed more battery life. I'm not saying there may not be a benefit to running the stacked, just that there wasn't for the way I vape with that particular device.