"Flaw" in the batteries

[forcedfuel50]

Was getting some intermittent switch action so i pulled the switch, cleaned it up and put it back together. Still some mis-firing.

Upon examining the bottom of the batteries(ultrafire 16340's) i noticed that the copper plating on the bottoms of them was wearing off (see small worn away circles in the center of the batteries) exposing nothing but plastic, thus giving unreliable connection.

Something to look for on all batteries, especially if it has protection circuit and you are having unreliable switch action. So don't necessarily blame the switch or the atomizer connection, it may be the battery so pull them out and replace if the copper coating is wearing through.

I'm going to look into a larger center post to increase the contact area on the bottom of the battery.

 

[mwa102464]

I'm having a similar problem with some surefire TR15270-800-mAh-3.0v they seem to have a week bottom on them. I wonder if Deal Extream will stand behind them and send us some new ones if we call or just try to return them and see what happens. Let me know what you think???

THX
Matt

 

[forcedfuel50]

I somehow doubt they will. Some batterys have an all metal bottom, but these with the protection circuit are just plastic coated with a copper coating a few mills thick.

 

[gizmo]

Hmmm..they have unprotected ultrafire 16340 at DX...they would be a tad shorter I guess...any problem using those.

I've been using unprotected 16340 in my SD for over a year now...not a problem.

 

[grimmer255]

hey have you thought about widening the tip that hits the neg. side of the battery. Maybe a smooth serface that is a little wider just may help with this. and maybe use a tiny lug - nuts instead of washers for the adjustable throw.

Just an Idea,

 

[KonaNeil]

Was getting some intermittent switch action so i pulled the switch, cleaned it up and put it back together. Still some mis-firing.

Upon examining the bottom of the batteries(ultrafire 16340's) i noticed that the copper plating on the bottoms of them was wearing off (see small worn away circles in the center of the batteries) exposing nothing but plastic, thus giving unreliable connection.....

I'm shooting in the dark here since I haven't yet received my S6 but would the problem be minimized if one turned the battery around so that the switch hit the + rather than the -?

A little off topic but somewhat related as we're talking about PSI and friction; I'm hoping Dave and his mom will use the first article of the Mini for a few days solid before commiting to the final switch shape. With a smaller button there will be a higher PSI and a higher tendency to repeatedly hit it in the same way. If the button is not shaped optimum for the action this could cause some finger irritation.

 

[forcedfuel50]

All super sixes are now being shipped with a redesigned wider, flater center contact post. I'll post up a pic soon. If you have an older unit with the more rounded center post, shoot me a pm with your name and address and i can send you out the updated contact post.

David

 

[grimmer255]

I'm shooting in the dark here since I haven't yet received my S6 but would the problem be minimized if one turned the battery around so that the switch hit the + rather than the -?

A little off topic but somewhat related as we're talking about PSI and friction; I'm hoping Dave and his mom will use the first article of the Mini for a few days solid before commiting to the final switch shape. With a smaller button there will be a higher PSI and a higher tendency to repeatedly hit it in the same way. If the button is not shaped optimum for the action this could cause some finger irritation.

from reading around if you switch sides + end to the button instead of back cap you will then reverse the polarity of the battery... in some cases that is okay but in most cases not so good. This will shorten the life of the battery and decrease its voltage. I think.....

 

[thewomenfolk]

-----

The little green Ultrafire 15270's come in a two-pack, wrapped in a tight plastic wrap. I ordered a bunch and two of them had come out of their wrapping. The rubberized plastic on the ends of these batteries got beat up and little chunks of the green plastic were missing.

I think I read on this forum somewhere that someone said they just put nail polish on the parts where the missing plastic should have been. Is that a proper remedy?

-----

 

[forcedfuel50]

-----

The little green Ultrafire 15270's come in a two-pack, wrapped in a tight plastic wrap. I ordered a bunch and two of them had come out of their wrapping. The rubberized plastic on the ends of these batteries got beat up and little chunks of the green plastic were missing.

I think I read on this forum somewhere that someone said they just put nail polish on the parts where the missing plastic should have been. Is that a proper remedy?

-----

Personally, i'd chuck them. At only a few bucks a piece it isn't worth having a battery short out and worse, ruin your unit.

 

[breakfastchef]

I have noticed that Ultrafire CR2 battery bottoms will 'cave in' after repeated use. That is to say that the bottom (negative) end of the battery may bend in a concave manner that can make contact unreliable. Because of the adjustability of my Super-T1 device, I can easily make up for any length of throw differnces based on changes in battery dimensions.

 

[Richie G]

-----

I think I read on this forum somewhere that someone said they just put nail polish on the parts where the missing plastic should have been. Is that a proper remedy?

-----

Reaching for something 'handy', like nail polish in this example, is never a good idea, TWF. Nail polish doesn't have any electrical insulation qualities, nor should it. Because it *is* a coating of a sort, I'd guess it might work for a little while but once it gets scratched it's a short circuit waiting to happen. There are products (paint types) that have insulation values but as David points out, the replacement batteries are so inexpensive that it's not worth it or taking the chance of 'repairing' them.

 

[grimmer255]

heck just use that conductive greese david was talking about... maybe that might help

 

[grimmer255]

All super sixes are now being shipped with a redesigned wider, flater center contact post. I'll post up a pic soon. If you have an older unit with the more rounded center post, shoot me a pm with your name and address and i can send you out the updated contact post.

David

wow talking about thinking ahead...

 

[KonaNeil]

I think many of us have been considering the new LiPo4 CR2 batteries a safe choice for 6v. I bought a pair with the matching charger and planned to buy more. With this in mind, I find the following thread and pictures very disturbing. Does anyone know of a protected CR2 we can use?

Battery explosion in my mod breaks jaw and knocks out my two front teeth

I'm grateful that the S6 is vented. Unless this story is a hoax its starting to feel that the proper name for an unvented PV that takes two batteries is pipe-bomb.

 

[Richie G]

I think many of us have been considering the new LiPo4 CR2 batteries a safe choice for 6v. I bought a pair with the matching charger and planned to buy more. With this in mind, I find the following thread and pictures very disturbing. Does anyone know of a protected CR2 we can use?

Battery explosion in my mod breaks jaw and knocks out my two front teeth

I'm grateful that the S6 is vented. Unless this story is a hoax its starting to feel that the proper name for an unvented PV that takes two batteries is pipe-bomb.

Check this out Kona --

MOD SHOP

It's only available from the UK, apparently -- but it's just a matter of time until they are available more readily, one would think. The 10440 wasn't available protected for a while and now it's hard to find them unprotected.

I think as the PV market grows so will the demand for TRUE PV batteries and not the laser device cousin batteries. Whatever the technology is behind these Janty eGo batteries, it works -- works like nothing else. It's just a matter of time before that technology is fitted to our 14500s, CR2s, 16340s, etc. It's all we'll need to run all our Super T devices for a full day and never think about battery swaps or the added layer of protection on top of David's built-in venting system.

 

[forcedfuel50]

I question whether his claim is legit too as do others. Breaking the jaw is an impact injury (falling face first on the concrete, fist fight, car crash etc).

Another indicator it's a false story is he immediately says it isn't the Mods fault and excuses them of any wrongdoing and he also indicates he has a lawyer. No lawyer would instruct his client to excuse any party from liability before it is thoroughly investigated, nor would a client who was smart enough to already have retained legal counsel make statements assigning or dismissing guilt to any party involved. Furthermore, had he retained an attorney as he claimed, the first thing any lawyer would instruct his client to do is make no public statments about the details of the incident, especially with pending litigation on the near horizon.

Think about it, how does he know that upon further investigation, it wasn't the switches fault, that it had an internal defect and shorted out thus causing the batteries to overheat and explode? Or perhaps the atomzier? Or perhaps the design of the device contributed to the injuries or the force of the explosion etc etc.

Regardless, always be cautious with any battery device...make sure you put the batteries in the correct way, don't overcharge them or over discharge them and by all means, if you mod is getting hot or making any sounds, get away from it, don't stick it in your mouth!

 

[thewomenfolk]

-----

Very good advice. For now and probably a long time to come, I'm sticking with 3.7V. Who could want more?

grimmer255...your avatar is priceless, my favorite on the whole Forum! Love that mutt!

-----

 

[grimmer255]

yea I love bulldogs and this picture was just to good to let go.....

 

[grimmer255]

I have noticed that Ultrafire CR2 battery bottoms will 'cave in' after repeated use. That is to say that the bottom (negative) end of the battery may bend in a concave manner that can make contact unreliable. Because of the adjustability of my Super-T1 device, I can easily make up for any length of throw differnces based on changes in battery dimensions.

Ive also notice this with the 18650 battery. The positive end seems to push up on one side. But I never had an issue with cr123 and 14500 batteries yet.