My husband's eGo exploded!

[sailorman]

.....edit.... 1 thing I always do is unplug the charger before screwing the battery into the charger and then plug it in. I read somewhere that you should always unplug the charger first and that is better for the batteries.

Don't mean to threadjack, but that is incorrect. It is never best to plug in a charger, of any kind, with a battery already attached. Doing so creates a sudden current draw into the charger, not only from the transofrmer of the charger itself but an additional, even higher, demand from the battery(s). You might get away with it for years, but the sudden high current draw can cause problems with some chargers, especially the cheap chargers that may not be as internally robust as they could be.

To be on the safe side, always apply power to the charger, then attach or insert the battery(s). The order isn't so important when the battery is charged, although I personally remove the batteries first because I leave most of my chargers plugged into a surge protector/power conditioner most of the time anyway.

 

[sailorman]

If you doubt anything I've said here you might do some research here on the forum. You'll find many post stating the same thing about a 2amp USB adapter and talk about frying motherboards or power supplies. A typical PC USB port output is only around .5amp which isn't enough to charge a PV.

I don't know what you're talking about when you say that a consistent 4.3v output is indicative of a poor/defective charger. I've been using the same egos and same charger for almost a yr with a consistent 4.23v output off the charger. There is nothing wrong with my charger or my multimeter. If you want to take the chance and charge your egos with your PC then fine but I won't recommend it to anyone and if you do some reading you'll find that many others agree. I don't want to get into a battle over this so if you doubt me then check with Rolygate.

I have personally fried my MOBO. But it was an older computer withe the USB 1 standard. I don't know if that makes any difference. More importantly, it wasn't a charger, it was a passthrough, which definitely draws more than 0.5A.

But, 0.5A certainly IS enough to charge a PV. So that statement (bolded) is incorrect. Most outputs of the chargers themselves are less than 0.5A. I think if you look at the stories about MoBo and USB hub damage, you'll see that they weren't caused by chargers, but by passthroughs, particularly 5V passthroughs without a 3.7V in-line battery. I have a PT with a 3.7V inline battery that stays charged when not in use. It easily works with a 500ma output USB without issue.

A typical AC/USB adapter outputs 500ma. That is more than enough to charge a battery. One of my Li-ion chargers, a TR-001 accepts a 12V, 500ma input. I think you may be confusing charging requirements with atty/carto requirements.

BTW, How accurate is your meter? Many of my batts finish up at 4.2, but I frankly haven't bothered looking at a higher resolution so, for all I know they could be a .01 or two higher. I don't think my meter is accurate enough to bother though.

Hmmm... just checked again. The only newly charged batt I have ATM, a LiCo, comes in at 4.21V. I'm not concerned, because I don't expect that kind of accuracy out of my meter. I don't have the spec's around anymore, but I'm sure it's accurate to +/- .01V or more.

 

[tmcase]

I have personally fried my MOBO. But it was an older computer withe the USB 1 standard. I don't know if that makes any difference. More importantly, it wasn't a charger, it was a passthrough, which definitely draws more than 0.5A.

I think if you look at the stories about MoBo and USB hub damage, you'll see that they weren't caused by chargers, but by passthroughs, particularly 5V passthroughs without a 3.7V in-line battery. I have a PT with a 3.7V inline battery that stays charged when not in use. It easily works with a 500ma output USB without issue.

A typical AC/USB adapter outputs 500ma. That is more than enough to charge a battery. One of my Li-ion chargers, a TR-001 accepts a 12V, 500ma input. I think you may be confusing charging requirements with atty/carto requirements.

How accurate is your meter? Many of my batts finish up at 4.2, but I frankly haven't bothered looking at a higher resolution so, for all I know they could be a .01 or two higher. I don't think my meter is accurate enough to bother though.

I am not confusing anything. It is better to error on the side of caution. While users may only be using an ego or ego type PV to charge their egos on a 1amp adapter, they may decide sometime down the road to go to a 5v Passthrough. In that case they would need a 2amp adapter and may have forgotten that they only have a 1amp adapter. There's isn't much difference in cost between an 1amp and a 2amp USB wall adapter so why take the chance. I prefer to have the extra amps and that is what I will recommend.

 

[SteelJan]

I'm so sorry for you guys, glad to know no one was hurt. I agree with a lot that has been written here, that it could be faulty battery, faulty or wrong charger, or I see no one has mentioned not screwing batteries onto atties/cartos or onto chargers really hard, we have to take great care to just snug connections together, not wrench them down tight. Also in the two previous batteries that failed, did you wipe any excess eliquid off of the battery and charger connector before screwing them together?

Oh, and as for charging batteries on a computer's USB port, if the charger says it's needed input is 500mA and you don't have anything else plugged into the computer's other USB ports drawing power, then technically it should be okay. But never try plugging a passthrough into a computer's USB port, they demand 1.5Amps or higher.

I've become increasingly upset over things screwing together that don't go together, especially as we are using increasingly more powerful batteries. Like Low Resistance atties or cartos on batteries that don't have enough "C" rating - can't provide the instantaneous amps required. Or why on earth can we screw a battery on a charger that isn't right for it??!!

For folks who want a simple ecig, I prefer websites/vendors that only sell one ecig and test and support that one item out the wazoo, like the Smokeless Image Volt. For folks wanting the safest ecig out there, I've got to go with the Darwin or perhaps the Gotvapes Ultimo 950 (now called the 850 because I proved the battery was different) -- but both of these are typically out of stock. The word "Ego" I think of now as just the name of the battery connector, there are so many clone manufacturers, it's hard to know what you're buying or if one thing works with another.... the fellow who said to buy a complete starter kit with any Ego.. yes, that's what I'd do if I used Egos for my daily vape, but geez, when I reviewed the Piper, another Ego clone, I found it came with a mismatched charger.

Here's one of my videos where I discuss some of these connector issues and ideas for future design ideas:

 

[sailorman]

I am not confusing anything. It is better to error on the side of caution. While users may only be using an ego or ego type PV to charge their egos, they may decide sometime down the road to go to a 5v Passthrough. In that case they would need a 2amp adapter and may have forgotten that they only have a 1amp adapter. There's isn't much difference in cost between an 1amp and a 2amp USB wall adapter so why take the chance. I prefer to have the extra amps and that is what I will recommend.

So, let me get this straight. Your concern that "sometime" someone "might" decide to get a 5V passthrough. So that justifies your posting an outright falsehood. As if there's not enough contradictory and confusing information/disinformation for a newbie to wade through. You posted disinformation. Period, end of story and despite your intentions to save someone who "might" get a passthrough and "forget" it's not a charger. Your good intentions don't mean squat when you post information that is flat out wrong.

In the ideal world, Yeah, get a 2amp USB adapter. Heck, get a 5A wall adapter. If there were such an animal available, would that justify saying that a 2amp adapter is not enough to charge a PV? No, it would not. If your intentions is to save a forgetful newbie, it's easy enough to write a post without the obvious disinformation. If you prefer something that is not necessary, just state that it's your preference so that you can use it for both purposes, and it's not appreciably more expensive. But if you steer someone with a perfectly capable, quality USB port in their computer to buy some cheap 2A wall adapter that shorts out while they're charging their battery, what good have you done?

 

[Corley]

I'm so sorry for you guys, glad to know no one was hurt. I agree with a lot that has been written here, that it could be faulty battery, faulty or wrong charger, or I see no one has mentioned not screwing batteries onto atties/cartos or onto chargers really hard, we have to take great care to just snug connections together, not wrench them down tight. Also in the two previous batteries that failed, did you wipe any excess eliquid off of the battery and charger connector before screwing them together?

Oh, and as for charging batteries on a computer's USB port, if the charger says it's needed input is 500mA and you don't have anything else plugged into the computer's other USB ports drawing power, then technically it should be okay. But never try plugging a passthrough into a computer's USB port, they demand 1.5Amps or higher.

I've become increasingly upset over things screwing together that don't go together, especially as we are using increasingly more powerful batteries. Like Low Resistance atties or cartos on batteries that don't have enough "C" rating - can't provide the instantaneous amps required. Or why on earth can we screw a battery on a charger that isn't right for it??!!

For folks who want a simple ecig, I prefer websites/vendors that only sell one ecig and test and support that one item out the wazoo, like the Smokeless Image Volt. For folks wanting the safest ecig out there, I've got to go with the Darwin or perhaps the Gotvapes Ultimo 950 (now called the 850 because I proved the battery was different) -- but both of these are typically out of stock. The word "Ego" I think of now as just the name of the battery connector, there are so many clone manufacturers, it's hard to know what you're buying or if one thing works with another.... the fellow who said to buy a complete starter kit with any Ego.. yes, that's what I'd do if I used Egos for my daily vape, but geez, when I reviewed the Piper, another Ego clone, I found it came with a mismatched charger.

Here's one of my videos where I discuss some of these connector issues and ideas for future design ideas:

Yes, we inspected the carto and the battery on the previous ones that failed, cleaned them out...read the forums, etc. My husband took 2 of them apart. On one the Mosfet had some visible damage (looked a little burned) and it smelled strange, however on the other, no visible damage was present and no strange smell. There is no consistency in our failures, it seems.

On another note, I believe I have watched e-liquid reviews of yours before (maybe Juicy Vapor's bacon)...so now I feel like I am talking to a celebrity. LOL

 

[player30]

So glad no one was hurt!! I just wanted to let you know about our Alabama forum

Alabama Vapes

 

[PVPuff&Stuff]

I haven't uploaded any pics anywhere. If you do a search on a Joyetech charger that would come with a 650mAh starter kit, you should find a picture of both the charger and the USB adaptor we used. They both came from the starter kit. Sorry, but I just haven't taken the time to resize and upload pics.

I'd really like to see pictures of the damaged items.

If you want to email them over I can take care of the technical stuff and post them for you.

 

[Corley]

So glad no one was hurt!! I just wanted to let you know about our Alabama forum

Alabama Vapes

Already there!!! I just chose to post the explosion issue here so everyone could see it easily.

 

[Corley]

I'd really like to see pictures of the damaged items.

If you want to email them over I can take care of the technical stuff and post them for you.

Thanks, I have some low quality images on my cell phone...just the first thing I did...but I plan on uploading some that I took with my DSLR tonight, and I will add them to a post here. I'm sure I will have to resize them, as they are huge files typically, but I do know a little about that. I really appreciate the offer.

 

[kenetix]

I'd really like to see pictures of the damaged items.

If you want to email them over I can take care of the technical stuff and post them for you.

TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting

use tinypic and select resize message board and then post the forum link one with the [ img] whatever [ /img]

easy button!

 

[Corley]

TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting

use tinypic and select resize message board and then post the forum link one with the [ img] whatever [ /img]

easy button!

Thanks, kenetix!!! I had pretty much decided there was no such thing as an "easy button" for anything related to e-cigs anymore...Nice to know that something can be simplified. I will try tinypic tonight.

 

[tmcase]

So, let me get this straight. Your concern that "sometime" someone "might" decide to get a 5V passthrough. So that justifies your posting an outright falsehood. As if there's not enough contradictory and confusing information/disinformation for a newbie to wade through. You posted disinformation. Period, end of story and despite your intentions to save someone who "might" get a passthrough and "forget" it's not a charger. Your good intentions don't mean squat when you post information that is flat out wrong.

In the ideal world, Yeah, get a 2amp USB adapter. Heck, get a 5A wall adapter. If there were such an animal available, would that justify saying that a 2amp adapter is not enough to charge a PV? No, it would not. If your intentions is to save a forgetful newbie, it's easy enough to write a post without the obvious disinformation. If you prefer something that is not necessary, just state that it's your preference so that you can use it for both purposes, and it's not appreciably more expensive. But if you steer someone with a perfectly capable, quality USB port in their computer to buy some cheap 2A wall adapter that shorts out while they're charging their battery, what good have you done?

There's no need to be so rude and aggressive for my leaving out part of my thinking in my post which I have now corrected. Chill out man. And in the future, please don't tell me what to say. Period. End of conversation.

 

[Corley]

Update--My husband's VV quit working today. He charged it (in a sturdy metal container) last night...checking it every few minutes, and took it off the charger the moment it was fully charged. No incident and it was working fine. Today, out of the blue...just quit. *Note -- Not using cartos that we thought might have been problem before -- of course we are now sharing 1 charger, as his was put safely away after the explosion).

Received call from the vendor, who was quite apologetic and baffled at our issues. There seems to be no common denominator on 4 battery failures and 1 explosion, and vendor has never heard of this from any one customer, much less in a 2 month period of time. Vendor confirmed the 3 900 mAh batteries we received were Joyetech though the 2 VV were not. Vendor will assist in contacting Joyetech for a resolution on why these batteries are all failing and/or exploding, and on liability issues with replacing my kitchen floor due to a faulty product. Many apologies were given by the vendor, and a refund was processed for the cost of failed/exploded batteries. Now, I just need to get the pictures uploaded and sent to the Vendor who will assist me in contacting Joyetech. I don't want some huge lawsuit or recoupment amount, I just want my kitchen floor back to normal. So far, I have no negative report with this vendor in how they are addressing the issue. Just wanted you all to know.

The saga continues.

 

[chinsk]

Update--My husband's VV quit working today. He charged it (in a sturdy metal container) last night...checking it every few minutes, and took it off the charger the moment it was fully charged. No incident and it was working fine. Today, out of the blue...just quit. *Note -- Not using cartos that we thought might have been problem before -- of course we are now sharing 1 charger, as his was put safely away after the explosion).

Received call from the vendor, who was quite apologetic and baffled at our issues. There seems to be no common denominator on 4 battery failures and 1 explosion, and vendor has never heard of this from any one customer, much less in a 2 month period of time. Vendor confirmed the 3 900 mAh batteries we received were Joyetech though the 2 VV were not. Vendor will assist in contacting Joyetech for a resolution on why these batteries are all failing and/or exploding, and on liability issues with replacing my kitchen floor due to a faulty product. Many apologies were given by the vendor, and a refund was processed for the cost of failed/exploded batteries. Now, I just need to get the pictures uploaded and sent to the Vendor who will assist me in contacting Joyetech. I don't want some huge lawsuit or recoupment amount, I just want my kitchen floor back to normal. So far, I have no negative report with this vendor in how they are addressing the issue. Just wanted you all to know.

The saga continues.

It sounds like they are handling it the right way so far, very good to hear.

 

[r77r7r]

I think if you were to look around the forums here that it's not uncommon for the VVego's to fall apart/fail. I think you could address the failed VV's as a separate issue from your ego/charger issues.

 

[AttyPops]

Yes, we inspected the carto and the battery on the previous ones that failed, cleaned them out...read the forums, etc. My husband took 2 of them apart. On one the Mosfet had some visible damage (looked a little burned) and it smelled strange, however on the other, no visible damage was present and no strange smell. There is no consistency in our failures, it seems.

On another note, I believe I have watched e-liquid reviews of yours before (maybe Juicy Vapor's bacon)...so now I feel like I am talking to a celebrity. LOL

That's the pic I'd like to see. Also, what ohm carto did you say you were using (curious)?

 

[chinsk]

I think if you were to look around the forums here that it's not uncommon for the VVego's to fall apart/fail. I think you could address the failed VV's as a separate issue from your ego/charger issues.

I have to wonder if those VVs are the source of this issue. Were they failing in such a matter that compromised the eGo charger somehow? Since its out in the open, notice on the vendor website how it states that it recommends the 450mah charger "that came bundled" as the 420mah charger "can't charge the battery completely". As much as I was able to internet detective that one, they appear to be manufactured by a company named Tobeco.

 

[kenetix]

Use this with your egos!

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/general-e-smoking-discussion/268038-battery-boom-box.html

 

[Corley]

That's the pic I'd like to see. Also, what ohm carto did you say you were using (curious)?

Not sure if he still has the mosfets or not. I will ask.

As for the carto...Ohms is not listed on the site, so I don't know. Here's where we got them, and a link to the product. We had used a pack of them before and they worked fine. This one was the first one used out of our second box.

Clear eGo Cartomizer