New to VV/VW, few questions.

[themyst]

Hey guys, just got my SS VAMO, but I got a few questions.

Is it normal for these Panasonic 18650 Grey batteries to still not fully charge on an AG-126 charger after 7 hours on the charger? The VAMO reads 4.2V when I put one of these batteries that aren't fully charged supposedly. I still see a red light. If this charger is no good for these batteries, is there a specific charger that is recommended for these (and IMR eFest 18350s).

Also, I am using a brand new Vivi Nova V3 with a 2.4ohm head, but it initially reads 4.1ohm, and slowly goes down, settling around 2.8ohm. Is that normal? My Splitfire with a 1.8ohm atty read out 1.7ohm which seems to be fine.

 

[Baditude]

I'm not familiar with what an AG-126 charger is. Do you have a link? Seven hours is a very long time for any battery to charge. Did it come with an owners manual?

The charger appears to be charging the batteries, but not indicating to you that it is finished. Not what I would want from my charger.

Any Pila, Xtar, or Nitecore charger that lists the 18650 size battery as a battery it can charge would be a good choice. Probably the cheapest and best place to get one (and additional batteries) would be RTD Vapor. http://www.rtdvapor.com/online-store/battery-chargers
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Concerning the atomizer readings from the VAMO, sounds ok to me. My Provari will occassionally show a quick reading, and then display a final ohm reading.

 

[themyst]

I'm not familiar with what an AG-126 charger is. Do you have a link? Seven hours is a very long time for any battery to charge. Did it come with an owners manual?

The charger appears to be charging the batteries, but not indicating to you that it is finished. Not what I would want from my charger.

Any Pila, Xtar, or Nitecore charger that lists the 18650 size battery as a battery it can charge would be a good choice. Probably the cheapest and best place to get one (and additional batteries) would be RTD Vapor. Battery chargers at RTD Vapor
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Concerning the atomizer readings from the VAMO, sounds ok to me. My Provari will occassionally show a quick reading, and then display a final ohm reading.

Hey, thanks for the reply!

The AG-126 I am referring to is this one:
AG-126 Lithium Ion Battery Charger

Is the Nitecore Intellicharger i4 a good one to get? I like the fact it can charge 4 batteries at once.

 

[themyst]

Hey, also noticed the glass isn't flush with the unit on the right side, and the left button is loose. All three buttons fire perfectly but just wanted to make sure before I contact the seller for a replacement.

Here's a pic. You can see the left button is lower than the right and the glass isn't flush.

 

[SirSteve]

If the batteries read 4.2 on the VAMO and the charger is still charging them, I would ditch the charger, Baditude has the right idea on chargers. As for the VAMO, I don't how bad the glass is tilted, and how loose the left button is. Do you have another device to use if you do return the VAMO and did you get the same place you got the charger?

 

[themyst]

If the batteries read 4.2 on the VAMO and the charger is still charging them, I would ditch the charger, Baditude has the right idea on chargers. As for the VAMO, I don't how bad the glass is tilted, and how loose the left button is. Do you have another device to use if you do return the VAMO and did you get the same place you got the charger?

I mean the unit works perfectly, maybe it's one of those things I can live with? The return shipping would probably cost me.

I have plenty of mechanical PVs to use, but if it's normal I don't want to waste my time I guess. The left button i'm pretty sure isn't normal though.

I've been using that charger with Protected 18650 batteries, and it worked perfectly. Guess they aren't as good for IMRs or Panasonics.

Took another pic of the button and glass, maybe this is a better angle?

 

[wv2win]

Hey, also noticed the glass isn't flush with the unit on the right side, and the left button is loose. All three buttons fire perfectly but just wanted to make sure before I contact the seller for a replacement.

Here's a pic. You can see the left button is lower than the right and the glass isn't flush.

Mine was the same way (window not flush on the right side). It finally came a little more loose and I just used a touch of epoxy to make it secure. Considering it only cost $40, I expected a few issues like this.

From a working standpoint, mine has done fine. Just an FYI, make sure you are using your Vamo in RMS (N02) mode and ajusting the watts instead of the volts.

 

[themyst]

Mine was the same way (window not flush on the right side). It finally came a little more loose and I just used a touch of epoxy to make it secure. Considering it only cost $40, I expected a few issues like this.

From a working standpoint, mine has done fine. Just an FYI, make sure you are using your Vamo in RMS (N02) mode and ajusting the watts instead of the volts.

Yep, first thing I did was switch to N02 and use VW. I'm toying between 7.0 and 7.5 watts right now. 8.0 - 8.5 is too hot for my citrus-flavored e-liquids.

 

[wv2win]

Yep, first thing I did was switch to N02 and use VW. I'm toying between 7.0 and 7.5 watts right now. 8.0 - 8.5 is too hot for my citrus-flavored e-liquids.

I use 1.5 ohm dual coils, so need to pump up the watts to 11.5 - 12.0 watts. With 2.8 ohm single coils I stay around 8.0 watts.

 

[SirSteve]

Yeah, I see what you mean. I have read of others that have the same thing, looks like the PCB wasn't put quite right. I guess that is up to you whether you return it or not, it works, but looks rather odd.

 

[nahoku]

The battery charger... dump it and buy one from RTD. I went through the same thing with a Trustfire received when I bought my Vamo. Two days later I ordered an XTAR.

The screen and button's issue is because the inside circuit board is mis-aligned. All you have to do is pull the top cap off (not as easy as it sounds), remove a half circle plastic piece, and realign the board so the screen and buttons sit nicely. The board may be tacked with some RTV type material to stop it from moving, so you have to remove that and secure with a similar material if you don't want it to move. See THIS video on how to do it.

 

[themyst]

Hey another question guys, I am guessing 8.3V on a fresh charge for 2x 18350s is normal, right?

 

[wv2win]

Hey another question guys, I am guessing 8.3V on a fresh charge for 2x 18350s is normal, right?

Mine read 8.4v so we are both in the right area.