Does battery orientation matter with a mechanical?

[Jerms]

I have a Smoktech Epipe coming, not fully mech since I've read there's a wire in there, but no computer chips or safety features. I had seen a video from a vendor, I believe it was GotVapes, that said for a battery with a nipple top it needs to be put in reverse so it doesn't auto-fire, but a batt without a nipple top can go in the right way. I was under the impression that putting a battery in reverse is a big no-no, but is this not the case with mech mods? For RBAs does this mean the positive and negative posts will be reversed, and does that matter?

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[Jerms]

Bumpity

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[Tezcatlipoca]

Hey Jerms, of course everything I say should always be taken with a fair portion of salt, but I don't see why it would matter which direction current flows if there are no electronics (Kick, circuit board, what ever). I suppose internal structure of the mod might play a role, as may be the case in your SmokTech pipe by the sound of it, or of course a spring will make better contact with a negative battery end than a nipple top.

Who knows -- they might just say to put the battery in reverse because that's how ePipeMods does it.

 

[Jerms]

Hey Jerms, of course everything I say should always be taken with a fair portion of salt, but I don't see why it would matter which direction current flows if there are no electronics (Kick, circuit board, what ever). I suppose internal structure of the mod might play a role, as may be the case in your SmokTech pipe by the sound of it, or of course a spring will make better contact with a negative battery end than a nipple top.

Who knows -- they might just say to put the battery in reverse because that's how ePipeMods does it.

Hey Tez, thanks for the reply bud. I couldn't see any reason why it would hurt which way the current flows, but don't know enough about it to say for sure. Didn't know epipemods suggests putting the battery in reverse for there's. For the Smok pipe my guess is the nipple top makes a connection with the button when put in positive side up, which would be why it auto fires unless put in the other way. Might be the same with the EPMs, makes sense with pipes having the button where they are.

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[Tezcatlipoca]

You're probably right on the Smok pipe -- I'll be interested to see what the internals look like when you get it. Perhaps you wouldn't mind posting a photo?

EPM's batteries go in upside-down because they have a VapeSafe fuse glued into the bottom, and its magnet holds everything in place. I was under the impression that the VapeSafe could go on either end of the battery, but they recommend only using it that way.

 

[Statistic]

Yes. It does matter. I'd go into a lengthy explanation about it but there is a good post I'm gonna find...

brb

 

[Tezcatlipoca]

Oh, heads up! This video says it should only be used with a flat-top battery, because it will autofire with a nipple top:



Edit: Okay, watching that video, I think I see what's up -- there looks to be a delrin spacer with a hole in the center between the button's contact and the battery -- when the button is pressed, the contact goes through the delrin hole. I bet the nipple will fit right in there and touch it if placed positive end up.

 

[Statistic]

Well, I can't find the post right now, I'll keep looking.

Inserting a battery upside down puts you at an avoidable risk of hard shorting your battery. It is a no-no for any mod but if anything a bigger no-no for mechanicals than regulated. If the metal case of the battery just under the plastic skin ever makes contact with the inside of the mod and you hit the button your battery will be hard shorted. The positive post is insulated, obviously. The entire mod is essentially a negative contact. Any mod that is designed for a battery to go in "upside down" should be considered flawed by design unless the inside of the tube has its own insulation from the battery.. which wouldn't make a lot of sense :/

In the case of your e-pipe rather than say button tops must go in upside down I think it should be warned that button tops are just not appropriate for use in this mod, at all.

Granted it's not a certain catastrophe situation but hard shorts are ugly and in the case of battery orientation they are completely avoidable.

 

[Jerms]

Edit: Okay, watching that video, I think I see what's up -- there looks to be a delrin spacer with a hole in the center between the button's contact and the battery -- when the button is pressed, the contact goes through the delrin hole. I bet the nipple will fit right in there and touch it if placed positive end up.

Yep, that's why when the guy in the Gotvapes video reversed the nipple top is stopped it from auto-firing and why the flat top works fine when orientated correctly. Nice video, I never knew ejuice grew on trees lol.

Well, I can't find the post right now, I'll keep looking.

Inserting a battery upside down puts you at an avoidable risk of hard shorting your battery. It is a no-no for any mod but if anything a bigger no-no for mechanicals than regulated. If the metal case of the battery just under the plastic skin ever makes contact with the inside of the mod and you hit the button your battery will be hard shorted. The positive post is insulated, obviously. The entire mod is essentially a negative contact. Any mod that is designed for a battery to go in "upside down" should be considered flawed by design unless the inside of the tube has its own insulation from the battery.. which wouldn't make a lot of sense :/

In the case of your e-pipe rather than say button tops must go in upside down I think it should be warned that button tops are just not appropriate for use in this mod, at all.

Granted it's not a certain catastrophe situation but hard shorts are ugly and in the case of battery orientation they are completely avoidable.

Thanks for the explaination Stat. That sucks, all my 18350s are button top, which I think all AW 18350s are. I'll have to pick up a different brand, don't want to risk anything.

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[Tezcatlipoca]

Yep, that's why when the guy in the Gotvapes video reversed the nipple top is stopped it from auto-firing and why the flat top works fine when orientated correctly. Nice video, I never knew ejuice grew on trees lol.



Thanks for the explaination Stat. That sucks, all my 18350s are button top, which I think all AW 18350s are. I'll have to pick up a different brand, don't want to risk anything.

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Yeah, I haven't seen an AW flat-top 18350. I use eFests in most of my pipes with no problems whatsoever.

 

[Statistic]

I just watched the video too, not bad. If I were you I wouldn't order new batteries for it just yet. You might try fashioning a washer for your batteries the same width as the button top and fit it snug so it just stays in the mod. I used a little divider from a tackle box to make a washer that holds a magnet in my sig19.

 

[Jerms]

Got my pipe in today, and surprisingly it looks like the tube is insulated. A thin piece of what seems to be plastic is glued in, though as the picture shows comes a little short of going all the way around exposing a small line of metal. I'm wondering if this was done so the battery can be put in either way, can't think of another reason to have that in there.



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[Sector000]

Well, I can't find the post right now, I'll keep looking.

Maybe not exactly what you're looking for, but here's one thread...

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...witch-mechanicals-case-reversing-battery.html

 

[TheSystemHasFailed]

Yes, as the man with the EA avatar stated, a hard short will be in your future. Thermal runaway and other disfiguring qualities of Li-Ion meltdown.

And as for nipple/button tops, I had this prob in a Legacy (fine, USA made mech) with those new PD2900's...NCR's. After the addition of my Short Stop (GET ONE!!!!) it was auto firing. I hot-knifed the delrin washer down a bit, and voila!
And I can't see the -neg end of a battery throwing power to the bottom of the 510 contact, which is the arrangement you'd create with RP.
Enjoy your mech

 

[calisun]

I found really good info.

I was wondering about this too since Chi You has issue with Panny batteries. With Panny Bat(bottom not covered), it will auto fire. I guess, I have ordered battery wrapper to wrap the bottom. Someone said that you can put battery backwards to prevent auto fire.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/337497-warning-battery-reverse-polarity-apvs.html

 

[jarneskegge]

Calisun, thanks for the article. Explains a lot.

I recently got a UDT V8 to use with a kick, but when I got it, the spring was in the top, attached to the switch. I first assumed that this would mean the battery went positive side down, and the mod fired either way. This bothered me though because I know enough about electricity to know that, with the battery reversed, the casing was acting as the "positive" and the entire case was "live" when firing. So I grabbed a flat top battery and put it right side up-positive against the spring.
The kick should come in the mail tomorrow and I assuming it will go at the top, but we'll see.
Any way the article you linked basically confirmed my concerns and I am using the battery positive up now.