Easy bottom feed modification for the Phoenix v4 (ERA clone) RBA
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How difficult was it to get the insulator removed? The two I purchased don't seem to want to budge. The center posts came out without much effort.
Edit - got the insulator pushed out and managed to mod 2 of these. They work great. Nice to have liquid drain back down into the bottle instead sitting in the well like the hornet.
Edit - got the insulator pushed out and managed to mod 2 of these. They work great. Nice to have liquid drain back down into the bottle instead sitting in the well like the hornet.
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Well, i'll be damned, these little rba's kick some serious .... on the reo grand, Thinking of trading or selling my mortar v5 to get another REO
I will mod another atty tommorow and try to post some clear pics, the more the merrier! Thanks for the tutorial, you saved me 80+ dollars (Was planning on buying a BF ERA)
I will mod another atty tommorow and try to post some clear pics, the more the merrier! Thanks for the tutorial, you saved me 80+ dollars (Was planning on buying a BF ERA)
I liked this mod so much that after the first few vapes I decided to give up my chalice.
I've run in to a few issues with the black aluminum version though, the threads are painted (or anodized maybe) so when I first installed it on my VVW it wouldn't fire. So I had to scuff them up a little to make contact, this weakened the already soft threads. The threads ended up stripped after using an oversized O-ring seal for less than a day. I rigged it with a tiny strip of aluminum foil until I receive more.
Edit, I accidentally cut all the way through the part _nderscore mentioned not to but I don't think it will cause problems, the post is kept very securely centered regardless. Mine was very tough to get out, I had to use vice grips and pliers as a makeshift vice.
I've run in to a few issues with the black aluminum version though, the threads are painted (or anodized maybe) so when I first installed it on my VVW it wouldn't fire. So I had to scuff them up a little to make contact, this weakened the already soft threads. The threads ended up stripped after using an oversized O-ring seal for less than a day. I rigged it with a tiny strip of aluminum foil until I receive more.
Edit, I accidentally cut all the way through the part _nderscore mentioned not to but I don't think it will cause problems, the post is kept very securely centered regardless. Mine was very tough to get out, I had to use vice grips and pliers as a makeshift vice.
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Thank you for the link! I just ordered 5 of the SS RDAs & 2 of the alum RDAs. Planning on modding them for bottom feed as well as bottom air.
I also have one of those triangle dual coil RBAs on the way too which I will be attempting to do the same. I have an A7 now & it works pretty well now after I did some tweaking to it but I want something shorter. I was going to shorten the A7 yesterday but because of the way the cap was bored with a larger internal bore there was not enough material for me to rethread it if I shortened it.
Glad it's working out for everyone so far
Just got a new button and spring for my grand on friday and since then, I've admittedly been vaping solely with my new ERA. I'm thinking I'll give the Phoenix v4 some love later and try to build a dual coil in it some time soon.
Just got a new button and spring for my grand on friday and since then, I've admittedly been vaping solely with my new ERA. I'm thinking I'll give the Phoenix v4 some love later and try to build a dual coil in it some time soon.
My main concern with cutting all the way through was that the post might short against the side of the connector. But, as long as the juice flow channel you cut out is thinner than the post, it shouldn't be a problem.
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I cut all the way. Be careful to not cut off so much that the post won't be prevented from touching the metal housing, as _nderscore mentioned.
To get the insulator pushed out I inserted an Allen bit just smaller than the opening of the center hole and tapped it with a hammer. To keep the atty raised so the insulator could be pushed out I placed it into the end of a crescent wrench. Simply adjust the end of the wrench to fit the threaded end of the Phoenix.
To get the insulator pushed out I inserted an Allen bit just smaller than the opening of the center hole and tapped it with a hammer. To keep the atty raised so the insulator could be pushed out I placed it into the end of a crescent wrench. Simply adjust the end of the wrench to fit the threaded end of the Phoenix.
Got bored and decided to build a quick dual coil in the Phoenix v4.
~.6ohms and producing some nice clouds.
~.6ohms and producing some nice clouds.
This is brilliant! Thanks so much _nderscore! I got my black and SS clones in today and modded them during my lunch break. I literally can't tell a difference in my SS Era and the Black modded Phoenix. I loved my Era more than any other atty I've ever used, but this sure makes for darn good clone. I couldn't be happier. I recommend this to anyone. It is a little PIA getting the pin out, but it's definitely worth the $70 saved. I too cut all the way through the insulator which I imagine would loosen up your juice supply a bit as you mentioned. Also, I drilled out the airhole just like my Era, it's perfect.
And everything just falls into place
http://.........blogspot.com/2013/05/rba-blowout-phenoix-v4-now-in-colors-549.html
Thanks for the info
http://.........blogspot.com/2013/05/rba-blowout-phenoix-v4-now-in-colors-549.html
Thanks for the info
Well, I got an SS one and a black anodized version both with drip tips in my order. All my drip tips fit fine in the SS one, but the black one is a little loose for most of my tips. The drip tips that come with them are nice though. I just need to find a fatter oring for whatever tip I use on the black atty. Anywho, can't complain too much for a nice $5-6 Era clone! I will admit I feel guilty for canceling an order for a real black Era. I really did want to support the creators of this awesome device, but I really can't tell the difference in my modded clone and the real thing. Feeling dumb for spending more than I need to sadly outweighs the guilt. Still glad I have a real Era though.
Omg, _nderscore, I can't thank you enough! I just got one from sun-vapers for about 5 bucks. This one gave me some serious pain trying to get the center pin out, had to scare it with a hammer. Couldn't get the insulator out, so I dremelled a groove into it in place and ground down the center pin so it wouldn't stick out so much as to short the 510 connector.
This actually seems to work better than the original ERA! Since the juice is coming up straight from the bottom rather than from the middle of a post, it's flood proof! Any excess liquid gets sucked down into the bottle. No flooding, no leaking.
All that for 5 bucks and half an hour of fiddling! Well, fiddling is free, since I actually enjoy it.
Thank you again!
This actually seems to work better than the original ERA! Since the juice is coming up straight from the bottom rather than from the middle of a post, it's flood proof! Any excess liquid gets sucked down into the bottle. No flooding, no leaking.
All that for 5 bucks and half an hour of fiddling! Well, fiddling is free, since I actually enjoy it.
Thank you again!
For the second one I modded I used jeenam's wrench trick with a rag in between to protect the finish, then gently tapped on the center post with a small hammer. A small screwdriver or alan wrench tapped with the hammer makes the insulator easy as well.
I'm finding myself using the Phoenix v4 more than my ERA right now because of this. Might have to sell off the ERA if this keeps up
I ordered a couple black ones to match my black wrinkle grand. I cannot for the life of me press out the post or insulator. I damaged the post a little bit using a hammer and an allen key, fortunately I didn't damage the threads. This thing won't budge. I drilled through the posts on the others that I have but I really want to try this method as it saves me from breaking a drill bit and tossing an atty, that happened to me twice but these things are so cheap that it doesn't hurt so much that a couple of precisely used F bombs can't fix.
I use an arbor press so it easy for me. Where are you located in Socal? If you're close by I'd be happy to press it out for you. Won't take more than a few seconds.
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