New Variable Voltage device from smoktech?

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markfm

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As posted in the thread by oldsoldier: "A failure is a failure. The battery vented with flame (aka exploded). Whether it was user error, a shorted mod or the moons aligned just wrong the battery did fail and vent with flame. "

And from Rolygate, "...A large rechargeable cell is like a small grenade. If you want to ignore that fact, it is up to you.

AW IMR cells are the least likely of all the various types to explode in the user's face, which is why we recommend them. But like any other type, they will burn up in some circumstances..."

I don't disagree that AW IMR are good. Use is situational, however. Even IMR can do things that would be really bad, an educated user is the ultimate protection. I explained it in my prior post, selection of the battery based on intended use and knowing the rest of the system (in my case a PV that had no electronic protection lead me to selecting protected ICR, to avoid the potential for a short.)
 

VAPNJ350

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Unfortunately batteries are not a one size fits all thing.

I just recently won a beautiful wood bottom feeder. In theory you can run it stacked at 6V, else use a single 18650. A no brainer for me, since I'm happy at 8 - 9W, so I use 18650 with a 1.5 ohm atty.

Then, chemistry. Protected ICR or IMR? Even fresh off the charger, 4.2V, the battery is only going to be called on to provide 4.2/1.5 = 2.8 amps. Since the PV has zero electronics protection, and sometimes atties do go short circuit, I went for protected ICR; I've got one each of 2600 and 3100 mAh, highest draw is only around 1C.

IMR can have a bad day, too. Please see: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ures-serious-battery-failure-imr-18650-a.html

So, for a boost VV I'd absolutely use IMR, but for an unregulated single battery PV my own choice is high capacity protected ICR, relying on the battery to cover the short circuit protection. My choice isn't necessarily right for anyone else, just that it was a conscious thought process.


I absolutely agree with you in that kind of situation. I was more stressing that fact of people skimping on money for a trusted brand (AW, Callie's Kustoms, even Tenergy make a great battery) instead of saving a buck or 2 on a trustfire or a radio shack special that barely have a sustained amperage output of 1.7 Amps. In your type of application I absolutely recommend the ICR protected type cell, I just recommend the AW ICR 2600,2900,3100maH or the Callie's Kustom 3100maH(CGR Panasonic CH) 18650 that still has a sustained amperage output of atleast 5 amps with a Max of 8.4, over a Ultrafire, Trustfire, Palight, Soshine etc.. that barely have a sustained Amperage of 3-4 amps Max. Those kind of low amperages are just not enough to safley power our coils. Will they? Yeah kinda. But do they do it very well? Heck NO !!! I should've went into a bit more detail to my point on my earlier post but was primarily refering to V V tube mods with Boosted circuit with built in protection or stacked, step down with protection circuit. My bad, I could've clarified more on that I guess. Take care All........
 

markfm

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No disagreement :)

Boosted VV are more common than buck, which means higher current draw, which forces to an IMR solution. Similar for people trying for 6V via stacked 3V, though I've never been tempted to go there (thankfully I'm happy in the 8 - 10W region most of the time).
 

skipdashu

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Got a quick question re Battery,s I have the AW IMR 18350s in the Vmax right now ................

I have some Blue coloured 18350 IMR Batts & some Grey ICR ? 18350s are these "safe" to use in the Vmax ????

better to be safe than sorry !!!!

The blue ones if they are true IMRs should work fine. Grey ICRs may or many not fit. If they have a protection PCB they are likely too long but otherwise they would work. You might find that protected batteries shut down on you except at the lowest settings IF you find some that will fit. My blue Ultrafires did not fit... not even close. AWs and all my generic IMRs fit fine. The true flat tops require a magnet between them to stack them.
 

skipdashu

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Are these still for sale at Smoktech? I can't find them.

The US SmokeTek or Chinese SmokeTech? Only US retailer I've seen with them in stock is AAV. They still had some earlier today when I stopped by (had to venture over to Round Rock for other reasons today).
 
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skipdashu

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Which reminds me there's a guy in this area that bought two of them the day AAV got them in and now wants to sell the extra one off. I don't think it's had batteries in it because he was short a pair of batteries when I talked to him last week. I think he was asking $110 + shipping but I'll drop him an email or call him if anyone is interested. PM me and I'll give you his email after I get his OK on that.

Skip
 

John D in CT

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Are these still for sale at Smoktech? I can't find them.

I know that All About Vapor has some of the original "Black Beasts v1.0" in stock, and has silver ones coming in soon. And GoodeJuice has them as well, for less than Smoktech requires vendors to sell them for, making me wonder if they will be getting any more any time soon.

As posted in the thread by oldsoldier: "A failure is a failure. The battery vented with flame (aka exploded). Whether it was user error, a shorted mod or the moons aligned just wrong the battery did fail and vent with flame. "

And from Rolygate, "...A large rechargeable cell is like a small grenade. If you want to ignore that fact, it is up to you.

AW IMR cells are the least likely of all the various types to explode in the user's face, which is why we recommend them. But like any other type, they will burn up in some circumstances..."

I don't disagree that AW IMR are good. Use is situational, however. Even IMR can do things that would be really bad, an educated user is the ultimate protection. I explained it in my prior post, selection of the battery based on intended use and knowing the rest of the system (in my case a PV that had no electronic protection lead me to selecting protected ICR, to avoid the potential for a short.)

"A failure is a failure": how that sheds any light on assessing the relative risks of different battery chemistries, I have little idea. Apologies to the author, but the risk evaluation involving batteries requires a scientific quantification of the relative severities of the results of a major malfunction of the various types. As I understand it, an internal failure of a lithium ion cobalt battery like the ICR type vs. an IMR are completely different animals, and to seemingly equate them by saying that "both are failures" does nothing to help determine relative risk. Put more simply, I would much rather be around an IMR failure than an ICR failure any day of the week.

"A large rechargeable cell is like a small grenade": I understand and fully appreciate the sentiment behind this, but I think that the author of it might just agree that IMR batteries that experience an internal or external short seem to behave nothing at all like a hand grenade. Will they "explode" under any circumstances? I don't yet know for certain what they would do if exposed to, for example, an intense fire, but i think that if you're using a PV inside a burning house, you have bigger worries.

"AW IMR cells are the least likely of all the various types to explode in the user's face, which is why we recommend them. But like any other type, they will burn up in some circumstances..."

I think it's very possibly more correct (again, apologies to the author) to say that IMR batteries cannot "explode in the user's face", and I again offer that the type of "burning" that an IMR battery does during a failure is more like a gradually increasing release of energy that will in all likelihood give the user of a PV ample time to put it down, as opposed to the more rapid and violent explosion-type "burning" that batteries with less safe chemistries (ICR, [LiFePO4 *], etc.) have exhibited during a major failure. (Or as the author put it; "burn up in certain circumstances". Again, if that occurs, drop your PV immediately and you might avoid serious injury).

I think we need some very hard facts here, and I'm not saying that I have them. I am just wholely unsatisfied with what seems to be a tendency to lump all batteries together under one, big "they can explode in your face" umbrella, when I'm not at all sure that's the case. Saying that "a failure is a failure" seems to imply equal consequences regardless of battery chemistry. To me, that's like attempting to justify giving both a jaywalker and a murderer life sentences by noting that "an infraction is an infraction".

If someone can provide any hard evidence of a lithium manganese battery "exploding" in a way that could be reasonably expected to have a strong chance of injuring someone while vaping at the time of the "explosion", I'd like to see it. Yes, I have read data sheets on LiMn batteries where the manufacturer states "battery may explode", but I think we're all aware of the sometimes extreme precautions taken by manufacturers to protect themselves in an increasingly litigious environment, especially, it seems, in the United States of America. I'd like to stick to cold, hard science, and not CYA hyperbole, regardless of who engages in it or why.

***

The reference to a LiFePO4 battery as having a less safe chemistry than an IMR has been corrected below by skipdashu. I had confused an article I read about a battery explosion in a FedEx warehouse involving a LiPo battery with the LiFePO4.
 
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John D in CT

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One of us needs to go back to Batt U to check this but I don't think this is even right...


Last time I checked LiFePO4 was the safest of the lot... better than IMR even.

Yes, I believe you are correct and that I confused LiPo with LiFePO4. I hope this does not negate all of my points.
 
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skipdashu

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Yes, I believe you are correct and that I confused LiPO with LiFePO4. I hope this does not negate all of my points.
I looked it up and it seems Batt U puts IMR and LiFEPO4 in same "most safe" catagory:

However I also found this in CPF:

The driver for Li-ion safety is decomposition temperature that releases oxygen. All of the Li-ion chemistries have plenty of energy density to be dangerous if they light off. The vapors aren't exactly healthful either. For LiFePO4, that temp is over 600C. LiMn2O4 is stable up to about 180C. LiCoO2 has shown thermal runaway at about 155C. However, LiCoO2 safety can be a tricky thing to quantify. It can start to react with its electrolyte at even 130C.

The Li-ion safety issue can be characterized as the cathode material "burning" the electrolyte. For LiCoO2, the cobalt is in a very unstable oxidation state and readily liberates oxygen, and then reacting with the organic electrolyte. Based on this, some researchers have proposed using oxygen chemical potential as a metric for cathode safety. LiCoO2 oxygen chemical potential is about +0.5eV and is thus "unsafe". LiMn2O4 is about -0.3eV and is "safer". LiFePO4 is about -1.6eV and is "safe".

MarkFM do you concur?
 

John D in CT

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Sometimes I just shake my head. I've been a EE for 30 years, sometimes people just don't want to hear things, are sure they know better after a couple months :)

Instead of just shaking your head, I'd appreciate it if you could help out the vaping community by using your experience as an EE to point out the specific flaws in what I've said.
 
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