801 atty Revivals

[Richie G]

I had (4) 801 attys that I placed in the dead compartment of my organizer awaiting a fate of modding. Lazy as I am, I never bothered to do a resistance check on any of them until a few days ago. (I have 4 Fluke multi-meters, btw, some that are more expensive than my e-cig habit LOL)

Good resistance readings on each of the 4 attys told me I should clean these bad boys out. I soaked all 4 in Everclear overnight, agitating them once in awhile. Rinsed them out thoroughly under the tap. Then, soaked them in Pepsi for a few hours. Rinsed again, and soaked them in dish washing soap and water. Rinsed again and soaked them in plain water. A final rinse and followed by a blowout and leaving them out to dry for a few days, battery side up, natch.

After dripping about 4 drops of e-liquid into the first one, it came to life, barely but it had a pulse. 3 more drops directly on the bridge and I got an unexpected kick in the throat and enough vapor for two e-smokers. Voila!

I wasn't as lucky with the next one. It showed no signs of life -- initially. Took another ohm reading and it denoted this atty should fire up. After looking closely at the center post of the atty it looked like the center post was deeper than it should be. Hmmm. I cut the head off a 3 penny finish nail and dropped it into the center hole of the atty which in essence becomes an extension of the positive terminal, then connected the battery. Bam and voila, again!

So, do I quit while I'm ahead or try the other two? Is my luck about to run out or am I on a roll? I think I'll vape awhile and ponder... =)

 

[breakfastchef]

I never do anything without doing a resistance check. If you get a reading of 3.3-3.5 ohms, the atomizer should work fine. Readings over 10 ohms, I might try a cleaning. Readings of 20 ohms or more, I chuck them as I kill myself trying to get them to produce vapor. Resistance ratings are superior to simple continuity checks.

The one with the recessed center conductor is not uncommon. Over tightening in a charger, over tightening on a battery and/or using batteries from different manufacturers can cause the center condutor to get pushed in. Just the slightest recess can prevent proper contact with the center conductor of the battery.

 

[kittycatt]

What's a resistance check, & what do you use to do that? I'm clueless about this sort of thing.

 

[breakfastchef]

What's a resistance check, & what do you use to do that? I'm clueless about this sort of thing.

Resistance can be measured with a device called a multimeter. There are a few threads on the forum about using multimeters. Essentially, a 801/penstyle atomizer when it is new will have a resistance to the flow of current in the range of 3.2-3.5 ohms. When the ohms (or resistance) reading begins to go up, the atomizer is resisting the flow of current more and more making it difficult to heat up properly and produce good vapor. When the heating coil in the atomizer breaks, resistance reads off the scale to infinity, basically telling you the atomizer is shot.