Thanks for the update!
USPS must be watching this thread and panicked! Got it out of the back room and shipped out in a hurry!
(Sarcasm)
Probably still will not see it before Tues./Wed.
They tend to lose my packages 2-3 times between NY and Here.
Cloupor Mini Mod 30W
- Thread starter Trailz
- Start date
- th_trl_thread_readers 0
- Status
Thanks for the update!
USPS must be watching this thread and panicked! Got it out of the back room and shipped out in a hurry!
(Sarcasm)
Probably still will not see it before Tues./Wed.
They tend to lose my packages 2-3 times between NY and Here.
Welp mine came today from elev8 too, though mine does have the loose cover, though it only became more noticeable as I began to use it more (sony vtc5). I just layered up some electrical tape on the inside of the cover (top right and left corners) 90% less annoying still a little play though just less of it, and less noise too.
-CF
-CF
Can you tell if it might be different batteries influencing door movement? Thicker jackets? Did the door flex with no battery installed?
Looking for a pattern/reason. Hard to believe they were that sloppy with a full production run, but we never know what to expect.
Happens without the battery in.. So it's not the battery sleeve thickness.. What I have found is the tape I added to the cover hits the battery sides preventing the cover from moving... I think the permanent(ish) solution will be two lines of glue gun running parallel to either side of the battery on the inside of the cover. Use the battery itself as an anchor.
-CF
Last edited:
Well.............of it rocks with battery out, my next suspicion(actually first) would be Magnets causing the rock. To thick or not pressed fully in place.
Nope, it's just sloppy milling on the base that's the real culprit.
See how irregular that edge is above the fire button and to the left? The battery door is milled straight, but doesn't have a flush edge on either side to work against, hence the slop.
I'm thinking they ran a production run (or two, or three...) with it like that, looked at it, said "Screw it, ship it" (or the Mandarin equivalent), and later batches (or earlier batches, whatever) didn't have that machining problem which is why some folks don't have the rattle.
My first fix was some rolled up Scotch tape (cello tape for my Commonwealth friends) on the inside of the case, along either edge, that worked very well, since it was sticky side out, really keeping the door in place but still easy enough to remove. It basically acted like little bumpers preventing the metal-on-metal contact, and the exposed adhesive increased friction making the contact less likely to start. The pain of that method was that I had to remove the tape tube running along the outside edge of the battery every time I wanted to swap, and at home chain vaping, I'm swapping every hour or two. Got to be annoying.
So, I layered up some electrical tape on the inside of the battery door instead. Took a lot more material, and it's a sloppy job, but it works, and it's no fuss at all removing the battery or the door now. Downside is, it isn't quite as slop free, but it's totally noise free, and it looks like raw asz when the cover is off:
Next step is some good black silicone sealant replacing the tape on the door, when I get motivated enough and can wait around long enough to let it dry before using the mod.
Or maybe try some Bluetack.
Hmmmm........I may end up breaking out my mini files. If mine has the slop that case may be in for a world of hurt.
Got my black one from Elev8 today. Very happy with my Lemo Drop on it. No door play. Now to see if a dna40 will fit in.
Just for giggles, I tried giving the inside of the door a corner to corner twist with my thumbs to see if I could duplicate the door rattle, and sure enough it left about a .030 gap at opposite corners that gave it that common rattle. I did precision sheet metal work at one time and knew about warpage on thin metal parts when they are stamped or machined. Just bad QC in the machine shop. Took me a minute to straighten the door and it's back the way it should be. Try using a good straight edge on the door and body edges to find where it's out of alignment.
Mine is perfectly aligned and sits flush with an HE2, VTC4 and 25R. If I really push hard, I can get the door to slide just a half mm or so on the top...I think the issue is that the magnet on the door is ever so slightly smaller than the body side magnet hole. If forced it can move in that little well, but under normal usage mine is simply solid. If the magnet placed in the door was just slightly bigger I wouldn't be able to force any movement at all.
Mine does the same thing on the top, side to side but not rocking up and down like some are having. After a few more measurements, there is a .010 difference between the outside raised edge door measurements and the inside raised edge box measurements which would account for the small side to side play. The only reason it is only at the top and not the bottom is the bottom has an additional cutout on the door and a matching cutout on the body to keep it aligned. Does yours have marks (stamping, machining) on the inside of the door under the vinyl backing? Mine does. I think more stamping than milling is used in this and might account for some of the misalignment.
I do believe you're right about the stamping Ardy, since Mini is made of a steel of some sort.
Looking at the door magnets with an Optivisor there are obvious tooling marks left on the sides of the magnet studs. They are shiny aluminum which would mean they were put in after coloring, probably in the process of pressing in the magnets. I think that's where the warpage occurred and it's an easy fix to straighten it. Just remember when you straighten to twist down the high corners, it will in turn raise the low corners. Just go slowly. Light bend and test. Reapply if needed.
I think it's remarkable how they can make this thing so cheap. Probably $25 to the retailer, shipping, parts, labor, probably $12-15 their cost, plus R+D molds dies, it really doesn't surprise me they don't do much hands on fitting. If the did I wouldn't have been able to get it for $35.
I think it's remarkable how they can make this thing so cheap. Probably $25 to the retailer, shipping, parts, labor, probably $12-15 their cost, plus R+D molds dies, it really doesn't surprise me they don't do much hands on fitting. If the did I wouldn't have been able to get it for $35.
That's true, I'll put it on a hardness tester, though I doubt it will be 300 series (non magnetic) ss as it would raise tooling costs considerably.
Last edited:
Lol, you're right. I did the magnet test, but did it with the 18650 inside.
Heh heh..yeah that will make a difference.
With the laser welding incorporated today they can stamp out the box and fold it to 3 sides in one second, weld the caps on in a automated vacuum tank where you could never see a weld. If you look around the buttons and the screen you can see a slight rounding of the edges. That is a sure sign of stamping.
- Status
