DIY quick-release clearomizer socket

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Giraut

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I like to switch clearos all the time, to vary the flavors I vape. Sometimes I draw 5 puffs out of a clearo, then 5 puffs out of another... Trouble is, screwing and unscrewing clearos too often isn't very good for a mod's socket connector - and it can't be all that good for the clearos' plugs either: these things are made of brass and the threading is fine, so if you do/undo them too often, they tend to let themselves go pretty quickly.

I got tired of being extra-careful when I screw or unscrew a clearo, and I got tired of replacing the Smoktech airflow controllers I use to protect my mod's socket. So I made me a quick-release clearo holder that doesn't require screwing, and puts almost no strain on the clearos' plugs. Here's what it looks like:

QR_clearo_socket30_zps009daa83.jpg


And here's a video in which I install and then remove a clearo:

00:00
00:00


It's made out of a small pill bottle I got from my local chemist, a modified Smoktech airflow controller (with the thread reamed out), a miniature bungee cord, a Coke bottle cap and a few zipties. It looks cheesy, but it works dandy. Heck, even the airflow controller still works as an airflow controller!

If you'd like to make one for yourself, here are a few photos of the process. I reckon the photos are self-explanatory, but if someone wants details, just let me know :)
 
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mvroman

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Aug 6, 2013
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I like to switch clearos all the time, to vary the flavors I vape. Sometimes I draw 5 puffs out of a clearo, then 5 puffs out of another... Trouble is, screwing and unscrewing clearos too often isn't very good for a mod's socket connector - and it can't be all that good for the clearos' plugs either: these things are made of brass and the threading is fine, so if you do/undo them too often, they tend to let themselves go pretty quickly.

I got tired of being extra-careful when I screw or unscrew a clearo, and I got tired of replacing the Smoktech airflow controllers I use to protect my mod's socket. So I made me a quick-release clearo holder that doesn't require screwing, and puts almost no strain on the clearos' plugs. Here's what it looks like:

QR_clearo_socket30_zps009daa83.jpg


And here's a video in which I install and then remove a clearo:

00:00
00:00


It's made out of a small pill bottle I got from my local chemist, a modified Smoktech airflow controller (with the thread reamed out), a miniature bungee cord, a Coke bottle cap and a few zipties. It looks cheesy, but it works dandy. Heck, even the airflow controller still works as an airflow controller!

If you'd like to make one for yourself, here are a few photos of the process. I reckon the photos are self-explanatory, but if someone wants details, just let me know :)

A+ for innovation! I'd like the idea of a real quick release connector similar to the way air tanks are setup though. It would be a metal on metal connection and would definitely look alot sleaker. I think I just figured out what I want to do this weekend lol.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
 

mvroman

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cool idea.. but is this the worth and hassle to avoid 3 turns on the atty?

Seems like from his standpoint it's not so much the turning, but more the idea of damaging the threads faster through wear and tear. For someone that switches tanks alot during the day this seems like a great idea. I just found some small airbrush quick releases I'm going to pick up to try to figure out a metal version. I have an old vamo board I was going to use in a box mod so now I might just adapt it to use a quick release with an old protank I have.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
 

Giraut

Moved On
Dec 6, 2013
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cool idea.. but is this the worth and hassle to avoid 3 turns on the atty?

Sure it is: it's a one-off and 2 hours work vs carefully screwing/unscrewing clearos a million times, and wasting money on replacement thread protectors. It's a no-brainer really.

Of course, I do look like a dork vaping that thing :) But then, it's my home setup.
 

Giraut

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Thanks guys!

IMHO the ego connector is much sturdier but most of the tanks suck.

The Ego threads will let themselves go pretty quickly too if you swap clearos often enough. Worse, at least on my Ego-C battery, screwing a tank makes this typical noise as if the thread is about to seize up - it never does, but I'm careful, and I've smeared a little anti-seize teflon grease on it just in case. But yeah, the Ego thread lasts longer, if only because it has more bearing surface due to its size.

As for non-sucky tanks, I absolutely looove the mini Protank 2: it performs flawlessly, and it looks good to boot. You should give it a whirl.

Could be one of the Chinese manufacturers will adapt a quick-connect to replace the 510's.

I would like nothing better than for manufacturers to ditch the current stupid threading standards we have today, and switch to a sturdy bayonet-style connector. Before making my quick-release gadget, I've considered making a 510-to-BNC adapter for my mod, and a bunch of BNC-to-510 adapters for my clearos. Trouble is, I have something like 30 clearos, and I have no intention of making 30 adapters. That's why I made something that works with unmodified clearos.

Maybe you could modify a grolsch cap instead of the bungees...

Well, the bungee has three functions:

- The bottom part pushes the bottom of the clearo sideways to ram the 510 plug against the inside of the de-threaded 510 socket, to ensure proper grounding.

- The top part pulls down on the clearo to ensure proper contact between the center pins - but it does so with just enough force, to avoid pushing down on the mod's center pin too hard and damaging it.

- It adapts to different lengths clearos : my little gadget works fine with the iClear 30s, but also the Protank 3s and Vision Nova STVs I have lying around here. Heck, it even works with slim tanks like the Vivi Nova, although they sit crooked if I don't install another pill bottle cap with a smaller hole.

A grolsch-style system would put too much pressure on the center pin, and I suspect wouldn't work with more than one type of clearo. And you'd still need something springy at the bottom to push the clearo sideways. A cheap bungee cord seemed simpler :)


That little gadget of mine works really well. The connection is always perfect, and it takes no more than 2 seconds to swap clearos, now that I'm used to it. In fact, it's so quick I've discovered a really annoying feature of the eVic: if the connection between the mod and the clearo is cut for less than 5 seconds, the mod's firmware considers that the clearo hasn't been changed - just that it was a transient connection problem. So I have to wait a bit before inserting the new clearo to have it detected properly. That defeats the purpose a bit really...

I suppose I should try to make a better version - with a slim metal tube and a cleaner spring system - and possibly manufacture a small series. Unfortunately I don't have much free time...
 
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