A tale of two passthroughs

[mikea]

I have a couple of 801 passthroughs (automatic) that have a very easy, smooth draw. When they're connected to a powered USB hub, I get very good vapor.

Recently I ordered another 801 passthrough as a spare. It's entirely different -- it has a manual button. The previous two were black; this one is white.

When I started using the manual-button passthrough I noticed right away that it's difficult to draw from, compared with the auto passthroughs. And, this is very odd. I get a burned taste and smell from it all the time, as if the atomizer were brand-new or as if I'd run out of juice. But if I put the very same atomizer+cartridge onto the older (no button) passthrough, the flavor is fine -- no burnt smell or taste -- and the draw is again very smooth.

I have just noticed that the new passthrough has what appears to be some epoxy solidly adhered to the exposed metal surface of the USB plug. It is adhered very tightly and cannot be removed. It covers maybe 1/5 or 1/6 of the total surface area on that side of the USB plug. (I don't know if its being there would have any effect on what I'm describing.)

Needless to say -- not quite what I signed up for. How might this new passthrough be producing a burnt smell/taste, when the same atomizer placed on the older (non-manual) passthrough doesn't have that problem? What might account for the seriously reduced 'draw'? Thanks in advance for any advice...

 

[mikea]

A vendor who does not carry 801 passthroughs at the moment (auto or manual) clued me in: some factory that is not the one manufacturing the 801 itself sent out a bad batch recently. So I must have received one of those.

He speculates that there's something wrong with the electronics and that is what accounts for the bad smell/taste -- it is possibly overheating the atomizer. As for what causes the hard 'draw,' the vendor who sold the thing to me suggests that it might be a problem with the inline battery being sealed. I don't know if that'd be the problem -- the 510 passthrough's is also sealed, and that hasn't affected the 'draw'.

In any case, this makes me wish I'd found an auto 801 passthrough but it's too late to get one now before I take off for Europe.

Any vendors, if you're reading this: please spot-check your new manual-button 801 passthroughs before you send 'em out.

 

[breakfastchef]

Two comments about passthroughs. First, any passthrough that has an in-line battery is providing the atomizer with power from the battery, not the USB port. You are only getting around 3.7-4.0 volts from the battery, not the full 5 volts that is coming out of your USB port. That is why you can disconnect the passthrough and continue to vape from it while you walk around.

Second, I find that som epenstyle battery adapters seem to choke off the draw from some penstyle atomizers. It is almost like not enough air is making it through the threads, reducing airflow. If this is the case, you certainly might get an off flavor. Try this. Remove the ring at the bottom of an atomizer. Peel it off with needle-nosed pliers. Removing the ring will allow air to flow more freely into the holes/slots molded on the outside of the atomizer connector.

 

[mikea]

First, any passthrough that has an in-line battery is providing the atomizer with power from the battery, not the USB port. You are only getting around 3.7-4.0 volts from the battery, not the full 5 volts that is coming out of your USB port. That is why you can disconnect the passthrough and continue to vape from it while you walk around.

I assume that's a reference to, say, the 510's passthrough. You're right, though I have found that the battery supplied with the 510 passthrough I'm using does not hold charge all that long.

The rest of the time I'm running the passthrough either off a powered USB hub (and not via the computer's own USB port) or a small Kensington power pack designed to power USB devices.

Second, I find that som epenstyle battery adapters seem to choke off the draw from some penstyle atomizers.

The 801 passthroughs I have don't contain that additional battery after the fashion of the 510. If there are 801 passthroughs that do have the additional in-line battery, I haven't seen them. So far the "throughputs" of my two automatic 801 passthroughs are excellent -- very, very smooth draw, and lots of vapor. It was the arrival of the new manual-button 801 passthrough where I saw the difference (and the defects).

It is almost like not enough air is making it through the threads, reducing airflow. If this is the case, you certainly might get an off flavor. Try this. Remove the ring at the bottom of an atomizer. Peel it off with needle-nosed pliers. Removing the ring will allow air to flow more freely into the holes/slots molded on the outside of the atomizer connector.

I could, but following the one vendor's description of a bad batch of 801 passthroughs, I'm 99.9% certain I've got a defective one. If I take the atomizer+cart off that one and put it onto an older automatic 801 passthrough, there is no problem. This new one is clearly defective. (To say nothing of the epoxy "splotches" firmly adhered to the exposed metal surface of the USB plug. That's just wrong -- very sloppy workmanship!)

 

[ZambucaLu]

Moved out of newbs forum.

Lu

 

[SheerLuckHolmes]

mikea,

Did you realize that statistics never lie, only staticians.