Dropped Effest IMR 18350

[Deamon L. Scaduz]

The other day, my Vamo fell while it had (2) IMR 18350s in it. After it fell my vamo wouldn't work. I tried putting in my ICR 18350s and then it worked just fine. So I tried the Vamo in short mode with a single IMR 18350. One worked, the other didn't. The one that did not work has something loose inside, and you can feel it when you shake it. Is this battery done, or is there a way to fix it?

 

[JiGGLiN]

I would toss it. batteries shouldn't rattle. I also wouldn't stack batteries, but that's just my opinion and I tend to lean towards the side of caution.


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[Deamon L. Scaduz]

That's what I thought, but I wanted peoples opinions. Also, what I have found through research is that it's perfectly fine to stack batteries on a protected device.

 

[Ryedan]

Deamon, the issue with stacking batteries as I understand it is that the battery closest to the coil is going to drain faster than the other battery. If it becomes too drained the other battery can see too much current draw causing it to heat up. A protected device does not protect you from this as far as I know. Please correct me if I'm wrong here.

If I were going to stack batteries, this is what I would do:

Start with new sets of batteries, same make and manufacturer.
Keep my batteries in pairs. Mark the first pair of batts 'A1' and 'A2'. The second pair 'B1' and 'B2'.
Do not discharge lower than 3.4 volts each before re-charging. The mod does not know each battery's voltage, just the voltage of the stacked pair, so you will have to take the batts out and check with a multi-meter.
Take batts out, check and note the sequence. Say '1' was on top and '2' on the bottom.
If there is more than 0.2 V difference between them I would retire the pair. They can then be used by themselves.
After charging the batteries check the voltage. They should be within 0.1 V of each other. More than this and I would retire them.
Replace batteries in reverse order into mod. So in this case, '2' goes on top and '1' on the bottom.

Again, if you know more about this than I do, please let me know. I don't stack so I never did much research on it. My opinion is just from what I've picked up on from general reading.

 

[Deamon L. Scaduz]

I like your idea. Would be a smart way to keep track of everything. I have to be honest, I did some research but not a whole lot. I am no expert in this area. Right now I am waiting on 18650s so I will no longer be stacking. So I am not really to concerned about it.

 

[Switched]

Stacking batteries is old school, this was done in the day to get 6V or regulated 5V. With the advent of VV and VW there is ABSOLUTELY no need to stack batteries any more.

 

[Ryedan]

Switched, I thought some mods are capable of more power output with stacked batts. I'm thinking Vamo and zmax. Is this false?

 

[Donovan69]

Well I do know this. The vamo hits ways harder with two stacked 18350s. Pbusardo has some neato graph stuff on his review of the vamo.
when I first got mine I loved it using the stacked setup. But when i got my first genny I started running it in shorty mode. I have since started using mechs. My vamo mostly get used for quick resistance checking on my attys when i build coils. Once in awhile I jam a cartotank on it and take it for a spin. ALways in shorty mode now.

 

[BurntHit]

If you are requesting MAX wattage or voltage out of a Vamo it needs to be stacked to deliver the power. The boost circuit in the device can’t hit 15 watts off a single 4.2v cell. For most users using it for their daily vape most won’t see a benefit from stacking. I rarely ever vape on the top end. I also have my mech mod and higher drain cells for my power needs.

That said, stacking is fine. For stacked applications I charge cells in a balance charger (like a hobby charger) and use protected cells. Very common practice in the high end flashlight world.

Just make sure the cells can deliver the rated current in a safe manner and you are fine.