How many time do you push your button.

[bigblue30]

So how many time does an average e-cig user "click their bic"?

Some of the upper numbers I was looking at were:
4 clicks a minute.
4 per min is 240 an hour.
240 per hour times 10 hours is 2400 a day.
That would be 876,000 a year…….No wonder we are always looking for a better switch.

Even if I cut it down to 4 per minute times 15 minutes an hour it still is 219,000 a year.

There is no way (I hope) that we are hitting it that much. What would be a good number to use?

The reason I ask is that I am looking at some very high end switches (switches used for military helicopters).

They have a guaranteed minimum cycle life around 50,000 cycles at 3 amps. The ones we are using now are nowhere as good as these. So even with these “high end” switches I would still be replacing them every 20 days to 3 months.

Now I know we are using cheaper switches that last a long time and I am not knocking them. I am looking to use a switch that has a "guaranteed" life.

So my question is…..What is a good number to pick for the average user?

 

[beast775]

ive been using a 1 amp cheapo on a 3.7 volt now for 6 months,still going strong.i agree with a nice switch im gonna go look around.

 

[Connman]

Have yet to have one fail me. But then I`m not a good tester with so many mods.

I think a bunch to do with this switch life is actually how long it`s passing the current. My normal hit is 4 sec. Now if it was 8 sec. I`d think that would be hard on my switches.

 

[bigblue30]

Thanks beast775 and Connman for your answers. But what I really want to find out is..How many "clicks" is average for a user. Sorry if I did not make my question clear.

I would like to guarantee a mod switch, but without knowing what the average usage is its hard to do that.

Thanks again for your reply.

 

[WillyB]

Have yet to have one fail me. But then I`m not a good tester with so many mods.

I think a bunch to do with this switch life is actually how long it`s passing the current. My normal hit is 4 sec. Now if it was 8 sec. I`d think that would be hard on my switches.

Not really. It's the actual depressing of the switch, the touching/untouching (and the arcing it produces) of the contacts that eventually causes it to fail, hence the material used for the contacts plays a big part. Look at the inferior switches used as kill switches on plastic box mods. Always leave them on (I do) and they will last. If you plan on using a kill switch, replace them with something more robust.

But as you noted, I like you also use different mods during the course of the day.

 

[Rocketman]

The little switch in the cheapo flashlight (I refer to it as the free switch) has not ever failed me and I have some over a year old. This switch even seems to handle double barrel mods. As a click-on/click-off master switch or modified as a momentary it seems to easily handle atty current. It is a little oddly shaped but could be epoxied into a box mod. You can buy them for about $2 to $3 dollars and get lots of left over stuff too

Willy, what's your take on using this switch in a box?

I'll let you know how a couple survive switching a 35 watt HID flashlight. That's about 8 amps inrush, 3.2 amps steady state @ 12 volts.


Rocket

 

[roadrash]

BB, i do about 4 clicks a minute average over the day. with a auto bat its more like 15 a minute.
When I am having a vape session I click every 8 secs or so. When I one finger type, I throw the t tip in my mouth and don vape until I'm done typing. like right now.
It seems to me changing out switches is a regular part of vapin. Just something you have to do. Solder-less connections would be nice, if you are not at home when it burns out.

 

[bigblue30]

RR,

Thanks. If I was off analogs 100% I might have a clue about the number.

It just blew me away thinking how many times we hit the button a day.

No mater what the number is, it has to be better for us then hitting an analog that many time a day.

 

[WillyB]

The little switch in the cheapo flashlight (I refer to it as the free switch) has not ever failed me and I have some over a year old. This switch even seems to handle double barrel mods. As a click-on/click-off master switch or modified as a momentary it seems to easily handle atty current. It is a little oddly shaped but could be epoxied into a box mod. You can buy them for about $2 to $3 dollars and get lots of left over stuff too

Willy, what's your take on using this switch in a box?

I'll let you know how a couple survive switching a 35 watt HID flashlight. That's about 8 amps inrush, 3.2 amps steady state @ 12 volts.


Rocket

Knowing you to be one who does not baby his mods I'm sure your longevity claims are accurate. They could also be easily reconditioned. The only draw back would be the bling factor.

 

[Rocketman]

Bling factor? Are you implying I am not sensitive to those that place bling high on their priority lists? Functionality, Practicality, Reliability, and Blingness, and in that order.
a) has to do the intended job, and do it well,
b) has to be economical and easy to incorporate into the design,
c) has to do the job the next time, and the next, and the next,
d) and I have to look cool using it

Here's the entire switch end of a dollar store flashlight inlaid into a 1 1/2 inch ABS/DWV pipe cap (click switch for the HID flashlight) would look OK in a boxmod.
A pair could be used as master and vape switches.

Rocky

 

[Rocketman]

Makes sense (and cents) for a supplier to incorporate the most reliable switch possible. Warranty returns could eat up profits in a hurry. The Touch Switch is a nice touch. Modders with proficiency in electrasity matters may be able to duplicate it, but the beginning modder wouldn't be able to match the functionality or reliability of a totally electronic switch.

I do cheap, like several others here do. When you do cheap, sometimes you have to put up with less than the optimum solution. I also DIY, and like to show others they can too. Vaping somethng you made yourself, or watching someone else vape something you made, or helped them make themselves has it's rewards. Modding may turn out to be a profitable business venture for some. For others, just a hobby.

Happy 4th of July to all those enjoying the freedoms we have left.

Rocketman

 

[Lightgeoduck]

I guess the average would have to factor in on how often a smoker smoked an analog.. and how many drags it takes to finish that analog

for me I smoked an average of 1 cigarette every 30 minutes and it takes me approx 15 drags to finish that cigarette.... so I guess that would equate to 30 clicks an hour using an ecig.... BUT... honestly I am a clicking fool...when I vape.. more so when vaping zero nic

so mechanical switches or touch switches for a device would definitely guarantee a long life.... Of course I have been vaping for almost a year.. and I haven't had a button issue yet ... well with one unmentioned exception ( of course that was an issue from almost day one)

 

[Rocketman]

Heavy-handed button pressing may shorten the life of some of the little push button switches. You know the ones with the little colored caps. High quality switches isolate button pressure from placing large forces on the electrical contacts. Cheaper switches directly couple the button force to the contacts. Repeated heavy pressure can compress and distort the internal parts and cause them to made poor connections. Too light a pressure and contact resistance will be high and erode the contacts.
Try and press just hard enough to make a good connection and the cheap switches may last longer.
Don't go crazy with epoxy around the switch either. Epoxy generates heat when it cures and most cheap switches have plastic parts. Plus, a lot of epoxy makes replacement a pain, Been there-done that
I vape many hours of the day, and really have not realized just how many times I pressed the switch. Numbers don't lie, just mind boggling.

Rocky

 

[cddz]

The little switch in the cheapo flashlight (I refer to it as the free switch) has not ever failed me and I have some over a year old. This switch even seems to handle double barrel mods. As a click-on/click-off master switch or modified as a momentary it seems to easily handle atty current. It is a little oddly shaped but could be epoxied into a box mod. You can buy them for about $2 to $3 dollars and get lots of left over stuff too

Willy, what's your take on using this switch in a box?

I'll let you know how a couple survive switching a 35 watt HID flashlight. That's about 8 amps inrush, 3.2 amps steady state @ 12 volts.
Rocket

I have one of those 35W HID lights..... nice to see someone else has the same bug as I do

 

[Rocketman]

I have one of those 35W HID lights..... nice to see someone else has the same bug as I do

You mean one of these home-made DIY Ni-Mh 10 D cell flashlights,

With a switch just like the ones that come in flashlight mods?
Seems to be a really nice switch for a lot of applications.

 

[cddz]

You mean one of these home-made DIY Ni-Mh 10 D cell flashlights,

With a switch just like the ones that come in flashlight mods?

Holy long flashlight Rocketman. Mine uses 6 x 18650 bout 14.5in long. Interested in the DIY....


Don't have any pics I have taken of it, but this is from the website.....

 

[Rocketman]

Flashlight making would be off topic in a e-cig forum.
Even if it uses the same switch as a flashlight mod.
Maybe I could start a thread on how to mod a 10 cell DIY HID flashlight into a 3 or 4 cell e-cig mod. If I reverse engineered it to an e-cig, someone could probably un-reverse engineer it into a flashlight.

 

[cddz]

Yup, I agree. Just love flashlights. But to stay on topic, the clicky switches add a bit of resistance to the circuit. Some over 1ohm of resistance.

 

[jfdpl686]

I am no expert at all, but I had replaced my mr puffer switch once already in less than 2 months.
I am a chain vaper and I stress a lot my devices. Lately, what I did and it is working perfectly is to have 2 or even 3 devices with the same liquid and rotate them during my vape sessions.
I started mostly because I was killing attys like crazy, maybe a week or a little over but never, ever more than 12 days. I’ve been doing my “test” for a month now, with 3 different devices and all attys are working perfectly; so if you don’t stress them as much, I think they last longer and perhaps is the same with switches.

 

[Rocketman]

1 ohm seems a little high. That would dissipate a good bit of energy and could be the cause for some switches failing. Most folks don't have a really good ohmmeter but even a cheap one with a 200 ohm range can be used to make comparative measurements. Making a reference meaurement against one contact, letting the meter settle gives a "zero reading" including leads. Then across the switch (in the on condition) and letting the meter settle again. Repeat until bored. A "good" switch should have less than 10 milliohms contact resistance, a cheap switch less than 100 milliohms.

If your mod switch shows a detectable resistance with a cheapo meter, consider another switch.