Ask IMAGINE & S_Steve - Thread :)

[mudhill]

i noticed that the soft tips come in 5 packs of one color.

why not 5 or 10 packs of different colors in one pack ?

of course with the new CEs in 1 mil and 3 mil with screw on caps this question may be mute.

Larry

 

[Bukket5]

and if it matters, I used Mr. Outlaws video to refill one that leaked with juice still in it and it immediately stopped leaking.

Mine did the same thing on 3 of them. Had one that I could vape dry and haven't bothered to open the 5th. I decided the CE3 wasn't for me.

 

[Harplayr]

Imagine, so I am having an issue with the CE3s that I was really hoping you could help with. I have set up 5 CE3s and 2 of them leak out all over the place when the nic level gets to the coil housing. I am saying 2 but only becuase I have only got to that level of nic with 3 of them. I have filled them according to the instruction card, the video on SI and Mr. Outlaws video and the one that I wasnt sure if I did 100% correctly, I marked as leaking and put aside. However, I tried that one twice and it did the same thing. This is with SI juice and I am really trying to get a direct answer or solution.

I have only been putting 1ml of juice in each one, I have tried drawing the air first, pulling the needle out upside down, tried adjusting the silicone down a bit, blew out the airhole of one, didnt with the second one, used the SI comfort tips, didn't use any tips at all, and three times out of four (twice with one), they leak at the coil level. Any suggestions you have would be awesome.

When you say you only put 1ml in the CE3 are you saying that you are not completely filling it?
I fill to the wicks leaving just a very small bubble of air and I also fill slowly so any pressure has ample time to equalize. This has worked well for me the past month of using these.

If you are absolutely certain you are filling and handling properly then the only thing I can think of is that there is an air leak somewhere. My guess would be on the top seal where you stick the needle through. I know that if this hole doesn’t reseal after you pull out the needle then it will leak.

One thing that bothers me about these is that the needle hole is not pre-punched and if you’re not careful (or unlucky) when you poke through the first time I think there is a risk of damaging the fill hole so that it will not properly seal.

 

[bluecat]

I'm sorry, I should have added a smilie or something to let you know I was kidding around with the over the top motorcycle battery comment. No offence was meant.

If you want big then go big by all means. There's no right or wrong here...just what works for you.
For myself, portability is key, if it don't fit comfortably in my pocket...I don't want it. I can easily fit a couple of 78’s or a 650 and a 78 in my pocket and be much more comfortable than a fat mod. But that’s just MY preference.

No worries. I forgot to put a in there. My daughter produced a smoke cloud in the kitchen. Wife started yelling. So i left in a hurry and must hit post. Dang smoke alarms will give you a head ache. Then I had to spend a couple hours fixing the alarm system because i couldn't shut it down and yanked it out instead.

The only bad thing about that size of bat would be charging time. If you woukd double the 30 dollars 1300 pice that would be 60 bucks for 1 bat. Not sure i want to pay that. Just a it would be neat type of thing.

Have a good eve.

 

[Harplayr]

No worries. I forgot to put a in there. My daughter produced a smoke cloud in the kitchen. Wife started yelling. So i left in a hurry and must hit post. Dang smoke alarms will give you a head ache. Then I had to spend a couple hours fixing the alarm system because i couldn't shut it down and yanked it out instead.

The only bad thing about that size of bat would be charging time. If you woukd double the 30 dollars 1300 pice that would be 60 bucks for 1 bat. Not sure i want to pay that. Just a it would be neat type of thing.

Have a good eve.

The only thing about a bad day is that tomorrow should be better.

 

[awsum140]

No worries. I forgot to put a in there. My daughter produced a smoke cloud in the kitchen. Wife started yelling. So i left in a hurry and must hit post. Dang smoke alarms will give you a head ache. Then I had to spend a couple hours fixing the alarm system because i couldn't shut it down and yanked it out instead.

The only bad thing about that size of bat would be charging time. If you woukd double the 30 dollars 1300 pice that would be 60 bucks for 1 bat. Not sure i want to pay that. Just a it would be neat type of thing.

Have a good eve.

I hope you have some other smoke detectors around the house.

That's another problem of larger batteries, the charge time. I get impatient waiting for a 78mm sometimes and, to me, it feels like an X2-650 takes forever and I use 1.5 amp chargers on all my batteries. I'll have to do some research about maximum charge rates for litium ion batteries to see if safe to recharge them quicker or if that degrades their life cycle too much. Thinking about it, the charge rate is set by the ASIC inside the battery itself so the charge rate is what it is, charger size and rate won't make it any faster

 

[betaalex]

I get impatient waiting for a 78mm sometimes and, to me, it feels like an X2-650 takes forever and I use 1.5 amp chargers on all my batteries.

Hm, I actually timed charge times and for 78mm it's 2h50min and for 650mAh X2 it's 3h5min. Not much difference here. But for 900mAh X2 it's 5h25min - this really seems like forever.

And btw, based on charge times it appears that X2 batteries draw less than 300mAh during charging (and there is nothing u can do here: charge controller is inside the battery) so it should not matter if you use 0.5A or 1.5A charger - bottleneck is not in charger but in battery's controller..

Edit: hm again. Just looked at those charging times and 3h for 650mAh seems somewhat strange compared to 5.5h 900mAh. Want to doublecheck this.

Final edit: Just finished recharging my 650mAh X2. It's really 3h5min as was stated initially

 

[drummerskey]

When you say you only put 1ml in the CE3 are you saying that you are not completely filling it?
I fill to the wicks leaving just a very small bubble of air and I also fill slowly so any pressure has ample time to equalize. This has worked well for me the past month of using these.

If you are absolutely certain you are filling and handling properly then the only thing I can think of is that there is an air leak somewhere. My guess would be on the top seal where you stick the needle through. I know that if this hole doesn’t reseal after you pull out the needle then it will leak.

One thing that bothers me about these is that the needle hole is not pre-punched and if you’re not careful (or unlucky) when you poke through the first time I think there is a risk of damaging the fill hole so that it will not properly seal.

The directions said not to fill it all the way up or to a line or something so to avoid tempting fate, I just put 1ml in. However, I didnt know the holes werent pre-punched and I have been pushing through close to the center post because I thought that was where it was actually pre-punched. That could be my issue and I just tried another fill and put it closer to the center of the post and the outside plastic.

I do know for a fact that I didnt punch it through more than one and I havent pushed it through enough to rip the silicone. Currently, I have 5 filled and we will have to see how it goes. At a worse case, I can wait until it leaks and refil it so that it doesnt - that seems to be working but not really my preferred method since I dont want to carry a bottle or a needle with me.

If Imagine comes up with an answer that I will try that because 1 out of 15 leaking isnt bad but a failure rate of 2/3 would be pretty bad.

 

[bluecat]

I hope you have some other smoke detectors around the house.

That's another problem of larger batteries, the charge time. I get impatient waiting for a 78mm sometimes and, to me, it feels like an X2-650 takes forever and I use 1.5 amp chargers on all my batteries. I'll have to do some research about maximum charge rates for litium ion batteries to see if safe to recharge them quicker or if that degrades their life cycle too much. Thinking about it, the charge rate is set by the ASIC inside the battery itself so the charge rate is what it is, charger size and rate won't make it any faster

Oh yes. I have a battery powered on each floor, but I fixed the system (OCD set in). The alarm system has a battery backup but I don't fully trust it. I still like my old fashioned smoke alarms. Besides what else is there that accepts a 9 volt battery?

 

[paddymx]

...That could be my issue and I just tried another fill and put it closer to the center of the post and the outside plastic. ...

I don't think you have found the filling hole. You have to hold it under a bright light to see the "indent" of the hole. If you are punching thru the silcone and creating a NEW hole, that is bad. There is a little flap on the fill hole on the inside and that is what you are actually punching thru.

 

[drummerskey]

I don't think you have found the filling hole. You have to hold it under a bright light to see the "indent" of the hole. If you are punching thru the silcone and creating a NEW hole, that is bad. There is a little flap on the fill hole on the inside and that is what you are actually punching thru.

It's not that - I am finding the "pilot hole" on the tip side but Harplayr said it doesnt go all the way through. I dont know if that is the case or not but if it does go all the way through, where does it come out so I know where to aim it?

Overall, an air leak may not explain what my issue is. If it leaks due to improper filling, a misplaced syringe hole or whatever than one would logically assume that it would always leak, not just leak when it gets to the top of the coil housing and then not leak when I just add more juice.

 

[paddymx]

It's not that - I am finding the "pilot hole" on the tip side but Harplayr said it doesnt go all the way through. I dont know if that is the case or not but if it does go all the way through, where does it come out so I know where to aim it?

Overall, an air leak may not explain what my issue is. If it leaks due to improper filling, a misplaced syringe hole or whatever than one would logically assume that it would always leak, not just leak when it gets to the top of the coil housing and then not leak when I just add more juice.

It is very close to the tube wall. You can actually see the needle through the silicone in the light. Sorry, but when you said you had punched thru closer to the air tube, sounded like you were making a new hole. My bad.

Leaking, some do, some don't. Think its more of a QC issue. If you only have one out of 15, sounds good to me!

 

[rave]

I may be mistaken, and someone please correct me if I am, but on one of Mroutlaw's videos I believe I heard that it is important to fill to the suggested point in order to achieve a vacuum. If you fill up less than that, it can leak. I've been doing that, and have had no trouble.

 

[paddymx]

I may be mistaken, and someone please correct me if I am, but on one of Mroutlaw's videos I believe I heard that it is important to fill to the suggested point in order to achieve a vacuum. If you fill up less than that, it can leak. I've been doing that, and have had no trouble.

Sometimes I go to the recommended "line", sometimes I go lower. Doesn't seem to make a difference one way or another. But, I have taken to draining the remaining liquid before a refill which also takes the liquid away from the wicks and I think that helps too. But as stated before, I don't think there is really a "vacuum"(I think awsum140 in another thread). Its more of a "pressure" or seeking a level thing like using a water hose to find a level. But, design is above my pay grade. QC, QC, QC is the answer!

 

[drummerskey]

Leaking, some do, some don't. Think its more of a QC issue. If you only have one out of 15, sounds good to me![/QUOTE]

I wish it was that good, I have vaped three down to the coil housing (one twice) and out of those 4 times, three leaks when the nic level gets to the coil housing.

 

[drummerskey]

yeah, it is more suction than vacuum...........

 

[awsum140]

Again, there's no vacuum in a CE3, other than a fraction of a second as liquid is vaped and that is gone when you see that little bubble of air come out of the wick ports. It's a trick of surface tension, or at least that's the only thing that makes sense to me. The needle needs to go STRAIGHT in, no angle in any direction. There is a thin point that is designed to allow relatively easy "break through" to make a clean entry hole that can reseal tightly. I just can't figure out what's happening to yours, Drummer. I routinely use them down to basicallt dry, no liquid showing anywhere, and haven't had a leak yet. Heck, I keep them, full, in the new, big Volt case laying on my dining room table and no problems there and none when in use. I'm scratching my head....maybe Imagine or MrOutlaw have an idea.

 

[Jaster]

I just can't figure out what's happening to yours, Drummer. I routinely use them down to basicallt dry, no liquid showing anywhere, and haven't had a leak yet. Heck, I keep them, full, in the new, big Volt case laying on my dining room table and no problems there and none when in use. I'm scratching my head....maybe Imagine or MrOutlaw have an idea.

I agree. Sounds like I vape and store my ce3s the same way you do awsum. The small leak I had has not occurred again. All of my mine are working great.

From all of your posts drummer, you haven't done anything different than I have. I'm at a loss too.

 

[drummerskey]

yeah, I was hoping that one of them would chime in - not that I don't appreciate everyone's help but maybe the "experts" have something I haven't thought of yet. At this point, I guess the only possible option is where I am puncturing the inside of the silicone but I am stumped by the fact that I could jugle these things and no juice will come out until it gets to that level.

Just a little frustrated, I hate it when things don't work.

 

[Harplayr]

Again, there's no vacuum in a CE3, other than a fraction of a second as liquid is vaped and that is gone when you see that little bubble of air come out of the wick ports. It's a trick of surface tension, or at least that's the only thing that makes sense to me. The needle needs to go STRAIGHT in, no angle in any direction. There is a thin point that is designed to allow relatively easy "break through" to make a clean entry hole that can reseal tightly. I just can't figure out what's happening to yours, Drummer. I routinely use them down to basicallt dry, no liquid showing anywhere, and haven't had a leak yet. Heck, I keep them, full, in the new, big Volt case laying on my dining room table and no problems there and none when in use. I'm scratching my head....maybe Imagine or MrOutlaw have an idea.

I think this is where some people are going wrong. The first time you stick the needle through the fill hole has to be done carefully so that you don't damage the fill hole so it can re-seal properly.

I also do a complete fill to just past the point where you can see the line where the center tube is inserted into the atamizer cup. There is a visible line there just above the wick holes. I usually go slightly past that line so there's only a small air buble left. Partial fills have given me trouble.