How do I stop the V2 switch from corrosion? Gold plate it?

[robw]

I have to clean inside the switch every day to get this black stuff off the metal ring and the contact posts. I went 2 days with out cleaning and today the body of the V2 got so hot I had to put it down. I opened it and the batteries were so hot I burned my self. I let the thing cool down and went back to use it and it got hot again. So I opened the switch and it all metal parts were completely black. I cleaned them all and the V2 started working perfectly again.

Im thinking the corrosion is causing the resistance that is heating up the batteries.

So is there a fix coming for this? btw Im using the switch upgrade parts that you shipped me. Should I go back to the original parts? Seems like you are using the wrong metal. Ive never heard of steel being used as contacts. Shouldn't these be gold plated? That is what every electronic circuit uses.

 

[BrockJ]

did yu replace your original post with the stainless ones that were sent out?

If so, put the aluminum ones back in it or use a copper ring in lieu of the resistive material ring..

I'm still using ny original post and ring. The only thing I've done to mine was to replace the oring

Golds the last thing you'd want to use. It'd pass the entire 6v to the atty.

 

[New_World]

did yu replace your original post with the stainless ones that were sent out?

If so, put the aluminum ones back in it or use a copper ring in lieu of the resistive material ring..

I'm still using ny original post and ring. The only thing I've done to mine was to replace the oring

Golds the last thing you'd want to use. It'd pass the entire 6v to the atty.

I thought the new posts were aluminum?

I could be wrong as I have been many times before.

 

[BrockJ]

The ones they just sent me for replacement are stainless.

Got three sets the other day and one switch assembly. Each came with two stainless post and a small rubber o-ring.
I think the titanium and stainless have some di-electric problem with the production of carbon or whatever it is. I haven't used mine because from what I read, they don't work.

I also don't have a problem with my original switch. Works just fine..

 

[rfw2003]

I have used both the older aluminum posts and the newer SS posts without any issues at all. just clean everything thoroughly with pga or rubbing alky then shine the titanium resistive disc with piece of 600 grit or higher wet/dry sandpaper myself I use 2000 grit. and apply a small amount of noalox to the disc and contact posts and you will be good to go. no more issues with corrosion or oxidation.

 

[robw]

Puresmoker? do you have a fix?

 

[Quick1]

More resistance -> less current, cooler batteries
Less resistance -> more current, hotter batteries

 

[rfw2003]

There is no sure way to stop a user serviceable switch from having a corrosion issue at all. Even gold or tin plated copper will tarnish and oxidize. The only sure way would be to seal the switch and fill it with an inert gas where no oxygen could get in there to cause the corrosion to begin with. If you have been following PS over at their new forum they are going to soon be making the move to all standard volt devices and offering LR atty's instead. and running a copper contact disc in the Prodigy in place of the titanium contact disc. This in combination with a normal cleaning routine will allow those that like to tinker and have the option of going with either 6v or standard voltage will minimize the issues people are having. That being said the good cleaning habits and shining everything up and using an anti oxidant such as noalox will give you trouble free operation weather you are using the titanium disc or the copper disc for the contact ring.

R.F.

 

[them0nk]

i just have to LOL @ gold plating... Bad idea... if you coat the resistance ring with gold the current will flow through the coating and not the ring

I've been pondering ways to fix this from happening... it drives me nuts... yes sanding helps but who wants to lap their contact disk all the time...

 

[rfw2003]

I don't lap mine all the time, I've only done it once. I just keep a normal cleaning schedule habit and make sure there is an oxide inhibitor on it such as noalox and it works with no issues at all. I have had 0 miss fires since I first lapped my contact disc and started using noalox back in jan.

R.F.

 

[Tasteles]

I'll confirm this also, I have had no issues what so ever since I lapped mine and coated the contact disk with Noalox. I didn't coat the pins, just the disk, the pins will get coated from what's on the disk. It's been three weeks since I did mine and haven't even cleaned it since. No misfires what so ever!

 

[wv2win]

Why do other 5/6 volt mods not have this switch problem???

 

[rfw2003]

Most others HV's are actually full 6v and some are indeed 5 volt and use a resistor instead of a alloy metal for the contact in the switch. That being said is beside the point though, On the ones that do use a mechanical switch most of them also suggest that you do a regular cleaning maintenance on them and use Noalox as well. I won't name specific ones, because this is a manufacture specific sub forum, but some other popular ones have their maintenance guides online that specifically tell you to use Noalox on not only the adapter and battery caps but also the mechanical switches as well to prevent corrosion/oxidation issues.

R.F.

 

[Quick1]

and others use switches that are rated for
200,000 clicks electrical
1,000,000 clicks mechanical

Electrical - is the number of times the contacts will make and break an electrical connection.
Mechanical - is the number of times the spring and moving parts will cycle.

Is the PV switch user adjustable?

 

[robw]

Part of me likes the fact that the switch can be taken apart and cleaned. The other part says make a better switch.

I don't really get why standard off the shelf radio shack switch were not used. Seems to me they are made to last a long time. A simple plug could have been made to allow these off the shelf switches that cost $2 for a bag of 6 to be used and simply thrown away if they break. The idea of a user fixable switch with no desoldering and resoldering was good, but the execution of trying to reinvent the switch just seems to be the weak point.
I might have to try and make my own switch. holder that can take regular premade switches.

 

[them0nk]

the ENTIRE reason pure smoker went to mechanical switches was the "Cheap" "off the shelf" Chinese switches that were breaking. they were trying to help the situation...

with that being said... if PS can make a switch that is headache free for all users... Why wouldn't they do it? Right, they would.

I have full confidence in cash to go on with making the button work perfectly *all* the time.

after i thought long and hard about it. the whole problem could be fixed. but it means changing the design of the button and i don't think cash would want to do it.

i'll put this here because i've already sent the idea to cash and haven't gotten a reply.

1. shorten the button and make the contacts out of or coat them with the right kind of metal (the exact stuff used to REAL mechanical switches). also making the contact surfaces a little bit larger....

2. make a donut shaped urethane part that is coin thick with metal resistor in the middle that sits between the battery and the button. the resistor would be the right thickness to enable the resistance needed. and the same diameter as the positive contact of the battery and button contacts.

here is why it solves the problem:

the actual surfaces that interact off-on-off-on as sporadically as any vapor in the world would spam the button would be MADE for that to happen. the contact between the button and the battery would be a constant. i think this would cut down a huge amount of the annoying issues greatly. and with "lapping" and a little noalox there would be no chance what-so-ever that the contacts would ever have issues. it would work right out of the box and people would be much happier.

i can personally say that i never thought there would be a problem with arcing or anything like that that would happen with it. you can see in my original post about the mechanical button there is no special metals no nothing there.

 

[Quick1]

You're not a mechanical or electrical engineer are you... It's not that simple and not that cheap. Neither are heavy duty switches.

 

[hueysds]

You're not a mechanical or electrical engineer are you... It's not that simple and not that cheap. Neither are heavy duty switches.

Hmmm, looking at my mech switch it's dead simple, and I'm pretty sure monk was the one who posted the idea for the switch that we all use today or at least got the ball rolling in that direction. He might not be "classically trained" in mech switches so to speak, but I would say he knows his way around them.

 

[hueysds]

I'll confirm this also, I have had no issues what so ever since I lapped mine and coated the contact disk with Noalox. I didn't coat the pins, just the disk, the pins will get coated from what's on the disk. It's been three weeks since I did mine and haven't even cleaned it since. No misfires what so ever!

I have my noalox coming in the mail today and I was wondering, how exactly does one go about lapping their parts? Is it a simple sanding all the metal contacts? or are you guys actually doing something else to the parts? using special equipment?

 

[them0nk]

the lapping term that i was using was actually ment almost sarcastically.

an easy way to do it... goto wally world and get a manicure set with the 3 different roughness emory boards in it... shine condition and some other name...

use the roughest first... then medium then fine - on the disk itself within a few minutes you'll have it almost mirror finish.