IP Issue

[epresley]

Hi everyone,
I’ve been running my new IP for about a month now. Beautifully at that! I started having an issue yesterday. I run Boge cartos that are rated ~2.7 ohm. These always ran great with the wheel set on yellow. Staring yesterday, the carto would not fire on yellow. When I press the button, I get the red and blue light together. If I turn the wheel down to green the carto will fire, but not get as warm as I would prefer. It seems that if I get too far past green I get nothing. I replaced the carto, even tried a different brand and that had no effect. The issue seems to happen with both sets of batteries I have as well. I even took a set and made sure I got a good overnight charge, but that had no effect either. Any ideas?

 

[Bovinia]

Look and make sure your top cap connector doesn't have any juice or built up gunk in it. Also clean the bottom cap threads, both the cap and the inner threads on the tube. Check to make sure the spring screw on the bottom cap is tight and the ground screw on the side right above the dial.

Sometimes the carto doesn't make a good connection so you might try taking a finger nail file or a flat head screwdriver and gently pry up the bottom connector on your carto. The screw in the top cap connector should be snug but not super tight.

Hope something in all of that helps

 

[5cardstud]

Bovinia is correct. Also they sometimes get anodizing betywwen the screwhead and the IP. Work them back and forth before tightening. Not the connector screw. Make sure the top screw is tight.

 

[epresley]

Thanks Bovina!
I double checked everything you said, but no dice. Everything is pretty clean. I think my cartos are not at issue. Every one I test with tests fine when I put them on an ego batt.

Here's the kicker though. I went to Batteries Plus to see if I could pick up some batts. Of course they didn't have any, but I did get them to test the ones I had. They tested great. Just a little north of 4 volts. So I put the batts back in and we tested the IP. On green, 3v and change as expected. I turned the dial to 1/2 way between yellow and red and we got 5v and change. Everything checked out great. So I popped the carto back on and left the store. I went down the road in utter (get it? bovine, utter ha ha..) vaping paradise - for the next 10 minutes!

After 10 minutes I was back at square one. I can get minimal vape on green, but no more. Sometimes not even anything then. I always get the red and blue lights.

I can't figure out what would have happened that gave me that 10 minute functional window. I think it could have been those few minutes having the batts out and carto off, so the IP is empty as I type this. I will try it again in a little bit to see if I get anything.

Any more ideas?

 

[epresley]

No dice. Tried to fire it up again and I cannot get anything, even with the dial below green. I even get a red and blue light with no carto. I'm going to contact Notcig directly, but still welcome any ideas you may have. Thanks again!

 

[BuzzKill]

I think you have a battery going bad , they will show volts but not provide current ! this can happen , do you have another set that you can swap one battery with and test it ?

 

[908Tracy]

I will second what Buzz said, even being the new buzzer that I am. I had the exact same issue and when I did what he suggested you do (thanks bov!) I did indeed have a bad battery.....and that purple light of doom. (it's no fun!)

The awesome news is that it is such an easy fix, I was doing the happy dance that it wasn't something more serious. =)

 

[epresley]

Hey Buzz! Yes, I bought 2 sets from you guys, and I have tried both sets, and mixing between the 2 sets. I suppose it is possible that I got a hold of a bad batch. Your thoughts?

 

[epresley]

Thanks Tracy - I'm going to go run through my battery combos one more time just to make sure....

 

[908Tracy]

Mark them first, it helped me. Mark 1A, 1B, then 2A, 2B and try them in all possible ways. Hopefully you will find a good pair to vape on until you get them replaced. =)

 

[Bovinia]

(get it? bovine, utter ha ha..)

LOL, at least you have your sense of humor Epresley!

I know it's very frustrating to have problems, but I can promise that one way or the other we'll get you fixed up At the worst, your IP may have to make a trip to the buzzpital for surgery...best case scenario, we'll get it figured out without you having to send it in

 

[epresley]

I just ran the gamut and no luck. I lined them up as ABCD and tried AB,CD,AC,BD, etc. If the carto was in, I only had red (with the knob on green.) With the carto out, I mostly had red, but got purple with some combos.

 

[Bovinia]

Hmmmm, bummer. I'm wondering about the wire under the hood, but I think I better let Mike (Buzzkill) walk you thru that if he thinks it's necessary.

 

[epresley]

Bovinia is correct. Also they sometimes get anodizing betywwen the screwhead and the IP. Work them back and forth before tightening. Not the connector screw. Make sure the top screw is tight.

Hey 5cs,
I did take the topscrew out. I cleaned up under it, and put it back. The screw was really clean. There was some residue up under the screw in the place where you cannot get to with the screw in place. Everything is sparklingly clean now, but unfortunately that has not changed my situation.

 

[BuzzKill]

Did it get juice in it by chance ?

without reading the whole thread

1. Did it work then stop ?
2. do you have a voltmeter ?
3. test the output voltage with no atty
4. test the batts please
5. does it only do it when the carto is on ?
6. test the carto ohms please.

OK I read back thru the thread

It may be a loose ground wire , the ground wire connects to the side of the tube , try moving the screw and see if that helps.

 

[epresley]

Hmmmm, bummer. I'm wondering about the wire under the hood, but I think I better let Mike (Buzzkill) walk you thru that if he thinks it's necessary.

Ha! I know Buzz's name now! I'm willing to try anything at this point, so come on with it Buzz if you think it will help.
I will add one other thing - falling back to the ego batt after you have known the love of the IP utterly sucks!!! Maybe I should invest in a second one as a backup...

 

[BuzzKill]

Ha! I know Buzz's name now! I'm willing to try anything at this point, so come on with it Buzz if you think it will help.
I will add one other thing - falling back to the ego batt after you have known the love of the IP utterly sucks!!! Maybe I should invest in a second one as a backup...

Read above EP

 

[epresley]

Did it get juice in it by chance ?

without reading the whole thread

1. Did it work then stop ?
2. do you have a voltmeter ?
3. test the output voltage with no atty
4. test the batts please
5. does it only do it when the carto is on ?
6. test the carto ohms please.

OK I read back thru the thread

It may be a loose ground wire , the ground wire connects to the side of the tube , try moving the screw and see if that helps.

I have not gotten any juice in it that I am aware of. A drop or two out of the bottom of the carto is normal, but I am very vigilant about keeping the top clean.

It did work great for about a month, and stopped yesterday. I get only red when the carto is in, I can get either only red, or sometimes red and blue when the carto is out.

I'll try checking the ground wire...

 

[BuzzKill]

I have not gotten any juice in it that I am aware of. A drop or two out of the bottom of the carto is normal, but I am very vigilant about keeping the top clean.

It did work great for about a month, and stopped yesterday. I get only red when the carto is in, I can get either only red, or sometimes red and blue when the carto is out.

I'll try checking the ground wire...

OK let me know what happens , some thing is not right thats for sure .We had a few PCB;s that had soldering issues that got by us , this may be one of those.

 

[Bovinia]

Either the ground like Mike said, or maybe when you took the top screw out to clean under it, the red wire's little c-clamp on the inside is loose?