First-time poster, long-time vapor NEED HELP WITH MY SILVER BULLET

[BigRudy]

Hey everyone, started getting a little more in depth in vaping for the past couple weeks and figured it was time to sign on here. On my current run, I've been vaping for about 14 months now (did it a little bit three years ago too, but it didn't take).

Since I first started a little over a year ago, I've been going non-stop on a combo of V2 batteries/cartos and juice from Vapor Room, but I recently bought the Silver Bullet from AltSmoke with a tank, and I haven't been able to get a single puff from it. I did everything right with the tank (filled it about 2/3 full, put about 10 drops into the carto, etc), but nothing is working. Tried the "bump" method on the button, nothing. I've been e-mailing AltSmoke about it, but the help has been coming slowly (it's the weekend, so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt). Anyone know what I could do to get this thing running?

Also, I was wondering what everyone's experiences have been with clearomizers compared to regular polly-filled cartomizers. I've been thinking about trying them out with either my 808d V2 batteries or, if it starts working, my 510 Silver Bullet. My main interest in clearomizers is whether or not they last longer than regular cartos, because I've had no success in trying the boiling method or I-guess-I'll-call-it flavor injector method in cleaning my old cartos.

Thanks for any help and happy to be here!

 

[elmattias]

Hey everyone, started getting a little more in depth in vaping for the past couple weeks and figured it was time to sign on here. On my current run, I've been vaping for about 14 months now (did it a little bit three years ago too, but it didn't take).

Since I first started a little over a year ago, I've been going non-stop on a combo of V2 batteries/cartos and juice from Vapor Room, but I recently bought the Silver Bullet from AltSmoke with a tank, and I haven't been able to get a single puff from it. I did everything right with the tank (filled it about 2/3 full, put about 10 drops into the carto, etc), but nothing is working. Tried the "bump" method on the button, nothing. I've been e-mailing AltSmoke about it, but the help has been coming slowly (it's the weekend, so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt). Anyone know what I could do to get this thing running?

Also, I was wondering what everyone's experiences have been with clearomizers compared to regular polly-filled cartomizers. I've been thinking about trying them out with either my 808d V2 batteries or, if it starts working, my 510 Silver Bullet. My main interest in clearomizers is whether or not they last longer than regular cartos, because I've had no success in trying the boiling method or I-guess-I'll-call-it flavor injector method in cleaning my old cartos.

Thanks for any help and happy to be here!

question: do you have a battery installed in your SB? that could be why it wouldn't fire.

secondly: cartos will almost always outperform a clearomizer, if you're having trouble cleaning them, try soaking them in vodka overnight, then rinsing them thoroughly with hot water the next day, then letting them dry for 24 hours.

 

[BigRudy]

I've got two protected 123A batteries in the Silver Bullet, and I had them charging for about five-hours before I popped them in.

I'll have to try the vodka/hot water method some time. Unfortunetly it'll have to wait until I can get some new cartos in.

 

[elmattias]

I've got two protected 123A batteries in the Silver Bullet, and I had them charging for about five-hours before I popped them in.

I'll have to try the vodka/hot water method some time. Unfortunetly it'll have to wait until I can get some new cartos in.

i'm not sure that 123A batteries will work with the SB, the recommended is a single 18650 battery, and the altsmoke website clearly states that stacking batteries is NOT recommended as it simply isn't safe.

 

[BigRudy]

I was wondering whether or not that may be the problem. I've come across a few people that put 123A's in it and have had no problem, but I should have gone with the 18650. I think I'll head to the store and buy some and hope for the best.

 

[elmattias]

I was wondering whether or not that may be the problem. I've come across a few people that put 123A's in it and have had no problem, but I should have gone with the 18650. I think I'll head to the store and buy some and hope for the best.

i'm not sure who told you that, my best advice is to give it a gentle shake to see if you can hear them rattling around, if you hear that rattle then they clearly do not belong as they can't make the connection....at that point i'd try the 18650, if the 18650 doesn't work, then it's time to email altsmoke and get a refund

 

[BigRudy]

i'm not sure who told you that, my best advice is to give it a gentle shake to see if you can hear them rattling around, if you hear that rattle then they clearly do not belong as they can't make the connection....at that point i'd try the 18650, if the 18650 doesn't work, then it's time to email altsmoke and get a refund

Sounds good, thanks for the help!

 

[Plumes.91]

It is a 510 carto right? because you cannot use the V2's cartos with the SB.

Did you check to make sure the carto's center pin is not touching the sides of the cartomizer? If it is, your SB is simply preventing a short. You'll have to get a small object like a tack, or a tooth pick, to move the carto's center pin toward the center so its not touching the sides.

Or it could be that the center pin of the carto is not making contact with the SB's pin. In this case, try pulling the cartomizer's center pin out. Or alternatively, you may want to contact Altsmoke and ask if you should attempt to pull the SB's pin up. Otherwise, try the 18650 battery.

When all else fails, a replacement is in order. Altsmoke shouldn't have any problem replacing it and they may even give you store credit in return for your paying return shipping if you ask.

 

[BigRudy]

It is a 510 carto right? because you cannot use the V2's cartos with the SB.

Did you check to make sure the carto's center pin is not touching the sides of the cartomizer? If it is, your SB is simply preventing a short. You'll have to get a small object like a tack, or a tooth pick, to move the carto's center pin toward the center so its not touching the sides.

Or it could be that the center pin of the carto is not making contact with the SB's pin. In this case, try pulling the cartomizer's center pin out. Or alternatively, you may want to contact Altsmoke and ask if you should attempt to pull the SB's pin up. Otherwise, try the 18650 battery.

When all else fails, a replacement is in order. Altsmoke shouldn't have any problem replacing it and they may even give you store credit in return for your paying return shipping if you ask.

Yeah, it's a 510 cartomizer.

The center pin seems perfectly centered. I tried moving it out just a bit, but still nothing.

 

[dDubs]

When filling a carto for a tank, fill it like you would be vaping it by itself. The tank may soak the carto the rest of the way, but I would rather be sure that it's properly wet before you start. What is the resistance of your carto? Two rcr batts, freshly charged, will give like 6.6v. Make sure your carto is at least 3 ohms or you'll burn it up.
I realize this has nothing to do with it not firing though lol. Maybe its a dud carto? Do you have a multimeter? Check to see that you get the correct/any voltage at the 510 connector.

 

[dDubs]

You can also check the resistance of the carto to see if it maybe be a dud.

 

[tj99959]

pst: There are a lot of us that won't even respond until you ditch those 123's.

 

[elmattias]

pst: There are a lot of us that won't even respond until you ditch those 123's.

this...I still think that's the issue here.

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[BigRudy]

When filling a carto for a tank, fill it like you would be vaping it by itself. The tank may soak the carto the rest of the way, but I would rather be sure that it's properly wet before you start. What is the resistance of your carto? Two rcr batts, freshly charged, will give like 6.6v. Make sure your carto is at least 3 ohms or you'll burn it up.
I realize this has nothing to do with it not firing though lol. Maybe its a dud carto? Do you have a multimeter? Check to see that you get the correct/any voltage at the 510 connector.

Unfortunately I have no idea what the resistance is on the cartomizer, because when I ordered the tank with the SB they didn't give me a choice on the resistance on the cartomizer or even any info on it. I would assume it's at least 2.5 ohms, which I'm sure isn't the best but, like you said, still wouldn't explain my problem. Also, no multimeter.

 

[BigRudy]

I'll go with what you guys are saying and try the 18650's. I think I tried to run before I could walk with the SB and hoped to go with 6 volts right out the gate, when I havn't even tried (I'm guessing with this number) 3.3 volts.

 

[elmattias]

I'll go with what you guys are saying and try the 18650's. I think I tried to run before I could walk with the SB and hoped to go with 6 volts right out the gate, when I havn't even tried (I'm guessing with this number) 3.3 volts.

with a 3.7 volt battery such as an 18650, you'd get 3.7 volts, you'd want a low resistance carto.

in addition, the better way to crank up the voltage is to use the kick with am extension sleeve on a sb

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[Baditude]

The issue might be the two icr's end-to-end are not making adequate contact between the positive battery connection and the hot spring. You could stretch the hot spring to make it longer and see if the connection improves. Also check that the narrow end of the hot spring is centered properly to meet the correct spot on the negative end of the second icr battery.

Having said that, I really do not recommend that setup with the dual rcr123s. I'll admit that I experimented with that setup with my Silver Bullet for a couple of weeks, along with 4.7v nimh batteries, before I got my Provari. The battery duration with both types of batteries was totally unsatisfactory. And in the back of my mind I was always worried about the stacked rcrs being unsafe to use.

In addition, concerning the rcr123s, it's a PITA to keep track of the rotation that is required of each pair used to enable any kind of safety. You don't want one of the paired batteries to become the weak link and suffer early low voltage and battery failure. You're just setting yourself up for a catastophic battery event.

Stacking batteries in mods with electronics offers safety protection built in the mod that a fixed-voltage mechanical mod like a Silver Bullet just doesn't have. You're then relying only on a battery's built-in safety circuit (if any) to protect you, and it is not uncommon for those to fail, especially if the battery is a cheap brand other than AW.

If you want higher voltage in your Silver Bullet, get a Kick and extension sleeve. If not, get a true variable voltage/wattage APV.

 

[rse1]

As others have mentioned, I avoid using stacked batteries (especially Lithium cobalt) in a device I hold next to my face. I would recommend acquiring a couple of good Lithium-Manganese batteries (like the Panasonic CGR18650CH) and a smart charger (like a Nitecore or XTAR).

As far as troubleshooting an issue with a personal vaporizer not producing vapor, there are only four fundamental considerations: power, resistance, connection, and liquid feed. The first two are easily diagnosed with an inexpensive volt-ohm meter (Harbor Freight $4). If the SB suplies power when the button is pushed, it's doing it's job. If the cart shows resistance then the coil is intact. If the cart doesn't crackle and produce vapor when the button is pushed then either the connection isn't working or there is no liquid near the coil.

I prefer clearomizers (especially stardusts) over cartomizers: I can see the liquid level, they're easier to clean, allow dry-burning to refresh (clean the coil) several times, and deliver consistantly better vapor - I consider them a better value for me.

I hope this helps you. Take care.

 

[BigRudy]

I'd like to thank everyone for all of the helpful advice I've been getting. I put an order in about an hour ago for a couple of protected 18650's with a charger. I should get that in by the end of the week and hopefully that solves everything. Thanks again.

 

[elmattias]

As others have mentioned, I avoid using stacked batteries (especially Lithium cobalt) in a device I hold next to my face. I would recommend acquiring a couple of good Lithium-Manganese batteries (like the Panasonic CGR18650CH) and a smart charger (like a Nitecore or XTAR).

As far as troubleshooting an issue with a personal vaporizer not producing vapor, there are only four fundamental considerations: power, resistance, connection, and liquid feed. The first two are easily diagnosed with an inexpensive volt-ohm meter (Harbor Freight $4). If the SB suplies power when the button is pushed, it's doing it's job. If the cart shows resistance then the coil is intact. If the cart doesn't crackle and produce vapor when the button is pushed then either the connection isn't working or there is no liquid near the coil.

I prefer clearomizers (especially stardusts) over cartomizers: I can see the liquid level, they're easier to clean, allow dry-burning to refresh (clean the coil) several times, and deliver consistantly better vapor - I consider them a better value for me.

I hope this helps you. Take care.

only one thing: stardusts have skirts that won't be compatible with a sb without an adapter...

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