E-Power problems

[justincase]

Maybe someone can help me figure this out.
I have an e-power that I have been using for several months with absolutely no issues. Been happily vaping all day, when my battery died.
Ok, no big deal. Swapped out the battery for a fresh one. Went to take a "puff" and the atty just kept burning. Had to unscrew it to get it to switch off. Screwed it back on, sounded like it was going to fire, but then stopped. Pressed the button, nothing. Ok, so I tried to figure out what could be going on.
Unscrew the switch, screw it back on, the button flashes a couple times, then flashes real fast a few times. Hit the button, nothing. The light flashing only happens when I am screwing the switch back onto the battery. (I don't have an atty attached to the switch, just dealing with the battery tube and switch only at this point).
I'm thinking maybe the switch has gone bad. So, I get the switch off another e-power that I have, same thing. Only difference this time is after connecting the switch to the battery, I notice a horrible burning smell. I unscrew all the pieces and find that the burning smell is coming from the inside of the battery tube. It was awful smelling. Like an electrical fire. I have tried 2 different switches and 2 different battery tubes and different batteries.
Needless to say, I have 2 E-Power pv's that are both seemingly useless. Any idea at all what is going on? What caused the smell? And what part(s) need replacing?
I tend to think the switches are still working or the button wouldn't flash, but honestly, I don't know anything about electronics so that's really just a guess.

Anyone??

 

[madjack]

...not an expert and only a guess, it sounds like one of your batteries went bad...maybe because of a switch or caused switch problems to start with.................
madjack

 

[tj99959]

Stupid question ... but ... did you try a different atty/carto?

Sure sounds like a short in the atty to me.

With no atty on my e-power, when I screw the tube on it flashes three times. When I push the button it flashes fast three times. Second time I push the button .. nothing. It must have an atty/carto on it to work.

 

[justincase]

yea, I tried a new atty on both set ups.
I'm uploading a video right now to youtube that I will post as soon as it is done so maybe folks can SEE what I am talking about.
I'm completely bummed right now.
I killed 2 e powers in less than 2 minutes.
Vaping may be cheaper than cancer, but for me it, is not proving to be cheaper than cigarettes

 

[justincase]

video messed up for some reason so I took it off

 

[JD1]

The initial three flashes should be telling you that you have the polarity correct. I'm thinking the extra flashes 'should' be telling you the battery is below it's cutoff voltage. If the battery is in fact charged then the switch unit may not be functioning properly.

edit: Put your meter on the 10 volt dc setting (one up from off). Hold the black lead to the bottom ( - ) of the battery and the red lead to the top (+). It should read around 4.1 to 4.2 volts on a fully charged battery.

If you have more than one charger, I'd suggest putting one of the batteries in the spare charger and trying it when you get a green light.

 

[JD1]

Make sure the spring in the bottom of the tube is clean and making good contact. You can stretch it a little to make sure it pushing the battery up against the switch unit good.

Edit: For what it's worth, I 'think' madjack is on the right track here. Your problem is probably with the battery or switch unit. If it's the battery, it could be starting with your charger.

 

[justincase]

Ok, here is some other interesting things I have found.
I made sure the spring in the bottom of the battery tube was cleaned and pulled it up a little to make sure the connection was tight as suggested above and playing around after that I came across this situation.
If I have an atty screwed into the switch BEFORE I screw the switch onto the battery tube, I only get the first set of "slow" flashes, not the fast ones that follow. Press the button and I get a couple flashes, but the atty doesn't fire. I can do this over and over as many times as I want and that's all it'll do. If I screw the atty off, then screw it back on, no more flashing?
To me, that's weird. But I don't understand the workings of these things, so to some of you that may be normal.?
And again, this happens regardless of which switch or battery tube I am playing with.
Maybe that will help someone help me?

I hope you can understand what I am saying.

 

[JD1]

Where you able to check your batteries?

 

[justincase]

no. i blew the fuse on my mm when I tried to check them AFTER I had checked my atties.
I will say, I have been using these batteries every day through a rotation and never noticed anything weird with them. ! battery I got with my first e-power kit about 3 months (or so) ago, the second battery came with my back up kit about 1 month ago and the other 2 I purchased just a couple weeks ago. They all lasted more than a day while in use. When one would die, I would slip in a new one and put the dead one on a charger. And I just rotated through them. I am going to pick up a new mm tomorrow just so I can be sure, but I don't "think" it's a battery issue. I could be wrong. I usually am!

 

[Icoth]

It might help to eliminate the simpler potential problems.

To start, here's a link that might help you use your multimeter. Using Your Multimeter - Cloud 9 Vaping This is a different brand of meter but the principles are the same. Generally, first make sure you have the right test mode selected (volts, ohms, etc), then select the lowest range that is higher than the expected reading.

1. Check your batteries. The voltage should be between 4.1 and 4.2 volts when fully charged, ideally 4.2. Also check for tearing of the covering and anything else that looks unusual. If all that checks out, it's probably not your batteries.

2. Check your attys. You said they're 1.8 ohm, so they should read close to that value. Resistance will change with use so they may be a bit off, but if they have very low or high resistance there is a problem. I think you'll need to select a different range than the one you used in your video for an accurate reading. Also check the connector for any obvious problems. You're looking for something that might cause a short.

3. If the batteries and attys are OK, which they probably are, and it still does not work, you're left with the switch unit. I'm not sure, but that doesn't look like a simple on/off switch. I think it is similar to ego type units and incorporates circuitry to regulate voltage and provide protection. I doubt a simple continuity test will work, but you could always check the voltage it‘s putting out. Make sure you don‘t short the leads by touching them together or by touching both the positive and negative with the same lead when you check the voltage. If you don’t’ get a good voltage reading, you probably have bad switches. If you get a good voltage reading, you may have a problem with the positive connector not making contact with the atty, and you may need to adjust it up.

Sometimes it’s not a good idea to just start swapping out parts. If you had a short of some sort, and it fried your switch, putting another switch on will fry that one too. Hopefully you’ll get a good voltage reading and you’ll just need to pry up the pin on the connector. Also, it sounds like you have some problems using your meter. Make sure you have it all set correctly before connecting the probes. Blowing a fuse usually means you did something wrong.

 

[JD1]

...I am going to pick up a new mm tomorrow just so I can be sure, but I don't "think" it's a battery issue. I could be wrong. I usually am!

I don't think all your batteries would go bad at once either, but it could be a charger issue, so it's good that you're getting a meter.

If it was me, I would set aside the initial battery and e-power, charge up one of the other batteries on a different charger if possible, and try to get the other e-power going. If there's no joy, then it's looking very much like you have two bad switch units.

 

[bidibird]

Hi,
Did you get the problem solved? I am having a problem with mine too.I am beginning to believe the switches are just no good.It seems like I may have just wasted a lot of money(to me)on this.This is the second time I have had a problem with it.

 

[glowgirl]

I bought three epowers myself and have nothing but problems with them. All the switches went bad, couldn't find new switches. They are very problematic, which is exactly what my suppliers told me when they stopped carrying replacement switches. It really irritated me that they would sell me a unit they knew had issues. I had my husband install different buttons from radio shack on the switches, which worked but I don't know how long. Then I ordered us Chucks. I am really tired of poor quality PV's.

 

[justincase]

@ Bluebird--no, I haven't solved the problem yet. I never got the chance to go get a new mm yet. I am going to TRY to get one today and will do as suggested by Icoth.
If I don't have a chance to get one today, I will definitely get one on Sunday. As soon as I do, I will post my results to see if that may help someone else. Personally, I feel it's going to be a waste of time. I think something happened to the switches because of the atty. After the initial atty wouldn't fire anymore, I broke out a brand new one and was using it just fine on my back up pv. After playing with the spring in the bottom of the battery tube and playing around with that, my new atty died. Was working just fine on my back up, but after palying with it on the e-powers then screwed it back on my back up, dead.
This is also the second time I have had a problem. The first problem I had was with a brand new e-power. Never even had a chance to use it. The light blinking, no atty firing experience happened right out of the box. The vendor happily shipped me a full replacement kit, and that is the black one that I have been happily using ever since. I enjoyed it so much, that I found a co-op going on for them, that I jumped right in. Only had that one around for emergency back up. Well, so much for that idea!

Anyway, I'll update this post with my findings as soon as I get the new mm.

 

[wdave]

Maybe someone can help me figure this out.
I have an e-power that I have been using for several months with absolutely no issues. Been happily vaping all day, when my battery died.
Ok, no big deal. Swapped out the battery for a fresh one. Went to take a "puff" and the atty just kept burning. Had to unscrew it to get it to switch off. Screwed it back on, sounded like it was going to fire, but then stopped. Pressed the button, nothing. Ok, so I tried to figure out what could be going on.
Unscrew the switch, screw it back on, the button flashes a couple times, then flashes real fast a few times. Hit the button, nothing. The light flashing only happens when I am screwing the switch back onto the battery. (I don't have an atty attached to the switch, just dealing with the battery tube and switch only at this point).
I'm thinking maybe the switch has gone bad. So, I get the switch off another e-power that I have, same thing. Only difference this time is after connecting the switch to the battery, I notice a horrible burning smell. I unscrew all the pieces and find that the burning smell is coming from the inside of the battery tube. It was awful smelling. Like an electrical fire. I have tried 2 different switches and 2 different battery tubes and different batteries.
Needless to say, I have 2 E-Power pv's that are both seemingly useless. Any idea at all what is going on? What caused the smell? And what part(s) need replacing?
I tend to think the switches are still working or the button wouldn't flash, but honestly, I don't know anything about electronics so that's really just a guess.

Anyone??

Sounds like you got your ecig wet.

 

[shelli]

I dropped mine in the bath tub and it actually survived. That was about a month ago and its been fine. The only problem I had was the button fell off the first day I had it and I couldn't find it. I had an old riva that had died I just pulled the button off it and stuck it in the e power with a syringe needle.
I did order an replacement switch, extra batteries, and an extra charger because I have heard of all the problems people have and it looks like suppliers are going to quit carrying the 18650 model.
I guess the black paint is scratching off too but I will just repaint it myself.
I keep my fingers crossed daily and am currently looking for some thing similar to the e power to have for a back up when my e power dies.

 

[justincase]

I said I would update this thread with my findings on Monday. Well, it's Wedensday, I just got a new multi meter, I went by the instructions on Cloud Nine's websitwe as well as the instructions for the mm and I am just not getting it. I must be some kind of dumb. Don't want to say I feel cheated by my atties, but they are stamped 1.8 ohm but I keep getting a mm readings of 2.5-2.8. I have tried 5 different ones, all brand new, right out of the package never been used. I check it against one that I have been using since the start of this thread and it measures the same.
Am I doing something wrong, or are the atties not what they are supposed to be?
The mm I am using is just a generic brand that I picked up at harbour freight.
Here's a link

I haven't bothered checking the batteries since I'm not sure I know what I'm doing. I have the dila set to 200.

Anyone???

 

[Beaverkt]

I aint much of an electrician but i believe that before you check the resistance of the atties you need to either check or zero out or multimeter. To do this you should touch the red and black leads together. If it does not read zero or infinite you should either zero your multimeter or subtract this reading from whatever you test. For example if you touch the leads together and it reads 1 ohm you should subtract 1ohm away from whatever your readings are on your atties in order to get their true resistance. I'm sure someone a bit more knowledgeable will chime in soon with more help.

 

[Eddie.Willers]

I just fried the switch on my Epower by putting the battery in the wrong way Maybe they'll put something in the circuitry next time to guard against this kind of carelessness.

Good thing Deejstuff had replacements!