510 PCC Review

[a2dcovert]

Well, I solved the flaky performance on my PCC. It never crossed my mide that it could be contamination on the connection between the PCC and the battery. I took my favorite contact cleaner, "DeoxIT", and sprayed it on a q-tip and swabed it around on the contacts on the PCC and on all my batteries. I was supprised the amount of black crud that came off on the q-tip. This solved the intermittant issues with the PCC. Now the charge indication led comes on imediatly simply by placing the battery into the slot.

You know that we forget that the liquid seeps into the connection between the atomizer and the battery. So I will be cleaning a lot more often than I was. DeoxIT may be a little over-kill for this application so any contact cleaner that is safe for use on plastics should work. I use DeoxIT in my electronic tinkering in HAM radio.

Kevin

 

[mamacat]

SurkMonkey -

This was perfect timing for a review of the 510 PCC! I just got my 510s and was looking at getting the PCC for them but was undecided - until now! Now, the only decision I have to make is in regards to color. 8-o

Many thanks for the fantastic review!!

 

[pipe6078]

i got a silver one in from widow today. it is soooo cute and petite i charged it up only took two hours and my 510 charged in one hour. love it so far. i did wipe the connectors down with alcohol 1st. does anyone know if you can charge the unit and the battery at the same time?

 

[Surf Monkey]

I'm glad everyone is finding the review helpful! I can't over state how essential I think this thing is.

In terms of the color, the "blue" model that I have is really nicely colored. As I said in the review, it has a kind of slightly textured powder coat on it that sparkles a little bit and shows a little color shift as you move it around. It's way more purple than blue. It looks fantastic, really. I assume the other colors are similar. I'd be interested in seeing how the black looks compared to blue. I wonder if it has that metallic quality to it.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Update: Mine actually appears to have a defective battery circuit. It behaves as if has no charge sometimes, even though it's just spent 4 hours plugged into the mains. But Widow's Beadwork is sending me out a replacement on Monday. I have no reason to believe that there's any systemic problem with these, but I'd strongly recommend getting one at Widow's based on their excellent and very responsive customer service just in case. Plus, they have the best price I've seen on them so far.

Widows Bead Work - Home

 

[ddouglas01]

i just got mine friday and have been taking it to the pool. It rocks i recharged 1 battery, then switched charged another then the original one again. so a total of 3 batteries. this is so convenient its awesome! really like it.

 

[MlrGrl]

Update: Mine actually appears to have a defective battery circuit. It behaves as if has no charge sometimes, even though it's just spent 4 hours plugged into the mains. But Widow's Beadwork is sending me out a replacement on Monday. I have no reason to believe that there's any systemic problem with these, but I'd strongly recommend getting one at Widow's based on their excellent and very responsive customer service just in case. Plus, they have the best price I've seen on them so far.

Widows Bead Work - Home

I'm just curious; when you say it behaves like it doesn't have a charge, what exactly do you mean?
I ask because when I first got mine, it appeared it was inoperable also. When I popped the top and pushed down on the battery, the LED flashed and the appropriate light on the PCC turned on.
Come to find out, either the charging unit is down lower than it should be, or the battery is shorter than the PCC was designed for.
Through the help of friends here, I now just put a little piece of folded felt in the top and it's been pushing it down the right amount.
I'm still not too keen on the idea of having to mod it, but, I'd rather have the PCC than go without it.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Like I said, it acts like the charging circuit doesn't know what the state of internal battery is. Pushing the battery deeper into the slot, letting it come up a little, twisting it around and so forth do nothing.

Here's what happens: the PCC gets charged to full in about 4 hours. Then it either 1) is able to charge one 510 battery before going dead or it 2) won't activate at all. When I plug it back into a power source, the battery indicator for the case turns red again and takes another four hours to charge, even if it was just charged to full moments before.

So, either bad power management/charging circuit or a bad battery that can't hold a charge. Either way, the issue isn't the fit of the battery in the case. It's something more complex than that.

But the best thing is that Widow's Beadwork is sending me out a new case today. Awesome customer service. I'm confident that a replacement unit will work fine.

 

[tlynn]

Is the PCC safe to plug into the computer? It's not like the passthrough that might burn up the computer?

 

[a2dcovert]

I charge mine from my PC every night. It should come with a wall charger adapter & car adapter. You can use these if you are worried about using your PC.

Kevin

 

[tlynn]

okay thanks, I plugged it in to my computer. I unfortunately did not get a wall charger with it and the car charger I got has to be used with the main charger. bummer, oh well a lot to keep up with for a newby.

 

[Surf Monkey]

One thing to note: the internal battery seems to run down if you leave a battery in it. I'd suggest only storing batteries in there when you need to charge one or you're going out.

 

[skyward]

if you have an autobatt they are a bit shorter.your mod is the correct way to go.

 

[abandonhope16]

Mine did not come with a wall or car adapter. However, I do have one of those generic usb to wall converters that I got (and was advertised for) my iPod. Do you think I'm OK using that. I assume its all the same stuff anyway.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I use the USB wall adapter for my iPhone with it. So far, so good.

 

[umanbean]

Mine did not come with a wall or car adapter. However, I do have one of those generic usb to wall converters that I got (and was advertised for) my iPod. Do you think I'm OK using that. I assume its all the same stuff anyway.

It is...

The USB 2.0 standard has four pins (connectors) in-line. The middle two are for data, the outside two are for the positive/negative 5v DC @ 500 mA (1/2 amp)... IIRC pin #1 is pos., pin #4 is neg.

Surf Monkey, Great! review... coincidentally, I had just been to Widows' site to see if she had any PCCs in stock when I found this thread... now to decide between blue or silver... way too many things today come in black-only by default... and I'm weary of black... my laptop bag, daybook, MP3 case, flashlight holster, camera bag, 510 ecig, ad nausem... all black.

Would someone who has the silver describe the finish for us? Is it shiny, polished, dull, or the "brushed aluminum" look? Is it textured or smooth? ...etc. TIA

 

[abandonhope16]

I originally was going to get the silver, but I ended up getting the blue. It just seems more "fun", plus I figure it matches my car. Its a nice royal blue, **almost** gets a purplish hue under certain light.

 

[menthollight]

Would someone who has the silver describe the finish for us? Is it shiny, polished, dull, or the "brushed aluminum" look? Is it textured or smooth? ...etc. TIA

My silver PCC has a smooth, dull aluminum look. Nice, though, and it doesn't seem to pick up fingerprints.

 

[Surf Monkey]

That's how the blue ones are too. Matte finish overall, but with a slight sparkle to them due to the subtly textured surface. As was already pointed out, deep royal blue with a hint of purple. It's really attractive. Far more so than pictures suggest. I like the blue because it works well with the black 510. They just look cool in it.

 

[Boom!]

These 510 batteries do not last long at all for me. I maybe get 4 hours out of one battery I just got a black pcc from widows yesterday and got to use it all day today.

Man this thing is f'ing awesome! This is a definite must have for the 510! I repeat you need this!

I brought an extra battery with me and all day long I would just swap them out whenever I felt like it. I was able to enjoy a full steady charge while vaping all day long. It was wonderful not having to bring my wall charger with me to work or worrying about making sure I'd have a fully charged battery at the end of the day for my commute home.

Note on the black finish - its just black. no sparkle, no subtle texture, no fading or shading. Its just black. It'll probably be scratched up in a week but I just play rough with my toys.

p.s. Did I say this is a must have and you need to get one of these?