These seem to be hard to find now that AW has apparently gone belly-up. I'm not necessarily fixated on IMR, but need a chemistry I can trust for my fleet of Provaris. Anyone have a suggestion?
18650 IMR Button Top?
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18650batterystore.com has a bunch of button-top 18650s:
Button Top 18650 Batteries - Lithium Ion Rechargeable
The Samsung 30Q, LG HG2, and VTC6 should all be just fine in a Provari.
Button Top 18650 Batteries - Lithium Ion Rechargeable
The Samsung 30Q, LG HG2, and VTC6 should all be just fine in a Provari.
I actually looked at those, but I was a little taken back by this statement: "DO NOT USE WITH E-CIGARETTE, VAPORIZER, OR SIMILAR device." Are they just covering their collective asses?
I would assume so. I personally interpret it as “there are idiots blowing themselves up by misusing these things we want no part of that”
If you have a soldering iron you can easily create a button top out of a flat top. Hold the iron 3/8" above the flat top, push the solder into the iron's tip and let a blob or two drop on top. Trust me, I am not skilled with an iron, but it is very easy. Obviously, do not touch the battery with the iron.
I hate to be a stick in the mud, but that's a recipe for a cold solder joint -- one with very poor adhesion between the solder and the battery. The only way to get a good solder joint is to have the piece of metal you're soldering hot enough to melt the solder so it flows properly, but it is not at all good or recommended to get any part a battery that hot. That's why battery data sheets all prohibit soldering and only allow spot-welding, where the heat is transient in a tiny spot.
I'll assume that your technically correct. All I can say is it has thus far been a very robust connection. It survived my trying to dislodge it immediately after the deed as well as multiple charges and uses in my flashlight...
I haven't previously tried flat top cells in my Provari V2, but I just looked at the contacts and mine has "shoulders" around the center contact that appears to hold off the edges of a cell. I dropped in a VTC6 and the center contact doesn't touch and the Provari doesn't come on. With a button cell it's fine.
Maybe that design is only common to the V2.
Worst case scenario, you could always do this:
4 magnets to convert 18650 battery flat tops to button tops 18350 14500 18350 | eBay
MadVapes used to sell them years ago, but I do not see them there now....
4 magnets to convert 18650 battery flat tops to button tops 18350 14500 18350 | eBay
MadVapes used to sell them years ago, but I do not see them there now....
Orbtronics says the same thing about their batteries. One of our members says he has been using them for 6 (or 9?) years now. Sorry, sometimes I read too quickly without getting all the details.
I still have some good AW IMR batts, but I guess I will have to do something different when they play out. Kinda scares me, though...
The Provari 1.0 to the 2.5 must have button top batteries. The Provari board has an open slot on the end where the button top touches the positive contact on the board.
Positive battery contact on the Provari circuit board to the left edge. This is why flat top batteries won't work.
* Using a magnet or solder on a flat top battery is considered dangerous practice. Dropping the mod could dislodge the magnet or solder which could cause the circuit board to hard short. Doing so voided the Provape warranty.
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Refreshing my memory from the 4-5 times I dropped my v2 and had to press the guts back in the tube, I suppose it would be a lot safer to solder a slug of metal to that terminal on the circuit board. If I run out of things to do, I might knock the head off my v2 and try it. The unprotected button tops measure the same length as my flat tops. However, the spring in the base of the v2 ought to make it work ok.The Provari 1.0 to the 2.5 must have button top batteries. The Provari board has an open slot on the end where the button top touches the positive contact on the board.
Positive battery contact on the Provari circuit board to the left edge. This is why flat top batteries won't work.
* Using a magnet or solder on a flat top battery is considered dangerous practice. Dropping the mod could dislodge the magnet or solder which could cause the circuit board to hard short. Doing so voided the Provape warranty.
I guess you didn't follow my drift above. Doesn't matter where you solder, its a bad idea IMHO. If you drop the Provari you still run the risk of it dislodging and hard shorting the circuit board. Why not buy a button top battery instead. They are relatively well available.
Button Top 18650 Batteries - Lithium Ion Rechargeable
The Samsung 30Q, LG HG2, and VTC6 should all be just fine in a Provari.
The Samsung 30Q, LG HG2, and VTC6 should all be just fine in a Provari.
But its your mod to do as you like.
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I wonder if a magnate would screw up the programming in a regulated mod like they would blank tapes back in the day
I have three 30Q's that I use (one at a time) in my Provari 2.5. I got them here - Liion Wholesale Batteries | Li-ion battery/cell distributor
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Do not remove the circuit board housing from behind the Front Cap. Doing so will void your warranty. Remove the battery from the e-cigarette if you plan to store it for long periods of time. The ProVari operates on a single battery. Never stack two batteries or use batteries that are not recommended for use in the ProVari. Never use magnets on your batteries. This is very dangerous.
Batteries: We recommend you use IMR high drain 18500 batteries or IMR high drain 18650 batteries with the optional 18650 adapter. This will give you the full range of voltages and the proper power needed to use the device. Note: The ProVari operates on a single battery. Never stack two batteries or use batteries that are not recommended for use in the ProVari. Never use magnets on your batteries, this is very dangerous.
http://www.provarifuel.com/v/ProVari25Manual.pdf
Batteries: We recommend you use IMR high drain 18500 batteries or IMR high drain 18650 batteries with the optional 18650 adapter. This will give you the full range of voltages and the proper power needed to use the device. Note: The ProVari operates on a single battery. Never stack two batteries or use batteries that are not recommended for use in the ProVari. Never use magnets on your batteries, this is very dangerous.
http://www.provarifuel.com/v/ProVari25Manual.pdf
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Well that answers that! lol
I got your drift. However, I will just agree with you to avoid possibly encouraging someone to attempt something less than safe to save less than $10. It's not worth the trouble of even trying it, really. One of those ideas that came to mind that did not process all the way through.I guess you didn't follow my drift above. Doesn't matter where you solder, its a bad idea IMHO. If you drop the Provari you still run the risk of it dislodging and hard shorting the circuit board. Why not buy a button top battery instead. They are relatively well available.
Button Top 18650 Batteries - Lithium Ion Rechargeable
The Samsung 30Q, LG HG2, and VTC6 should all be just fine in a Provari.
But its your mod to do as you like.
It takes a lot of practice to make a good solder joint, or weld, or really any sort of metal work. Owning a soldering iron and having splashed some solder doesn't mean you're good at it. A location that is likely to cause a runaway battery short is not the place to be learning.
A somewhat related, but interesting observation from looking into button top options: Most of the button top batteries being sold are actually flat tops with a terminal attached to the top and secured with a second wrap. Protected ones (for use in a mech mod), have the circuit board in that topper and are a mm or 2 longer.
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