Not my day with the Protege

[M3Tyler]

Well, I thought I got one of the good ones...I'm a week into owning my new Protege, I've been beyond pleased with performance and battery life. However, today my Protege decided she hates me and stopped working.

Not a sticky switch here, seems to be working fine in that department. I'm just not getting any power. I've replaced the batteries, atomizer and even tried the 901 adapter (I usually use the 510) to no avail.

The only thing I can think of would be either a defective switch all together or possibly the spring on the battery cap not making proper contact to the battery? I'm at a loss, and very sad

Kicking myself in the ... right about now too, sold off all my other devices and was in the process of scouting a better backup PV. Guess I should have made up my mind quicker. I really don't want to buy a pack of analogs, sigh...

 

[CaSHMeRe]

Hey M3!

Do you have a multimeter handy?

 

[M3Tyler]

I do, what do you propose?

 

[M3Tyler]

Alright, WTH...LOL

I just took everything apart for the ninth time and now it's working? I looked closer at the spring on the battery cap and kind of pulled the spring out a bit very carefully (don't want to break it off, not sure what is holding it on the cap, glue..epoxy?), seems like the coil is getting stuck in the cap grooves slightly and perhaps not making good contact with the battery?

Steve, have you had any reports or problems like this? Any suggestions? Should I just stretch the spring out slightly and hope it doesn't come off the cap or something?

 

[CaSHMeRe]

LOL ...

NICE m3 !!! great troubleshooting bud

No reports on the spring yet, but it wouldn't surprise me. The cut in the stainless steel cap is like an upside V .... The springs are pressed in, and retained that way. If the spring got pressed down to far, it may have stuck just a bit, thus loosing contact with the battery. Make sure to hold the bottom of the spring when you lengthen it... You should have zero issues doing so

 

[M3Tyler]

I'll give that a try. Thanks for the prompt reply and great attitude as always, Steve. That's why everyone around here loves you buddy!

I've got a PS PT on the way, so I'll use that as last resort if something happens to my beloved Protege, but I think I'll wait until the Prodigy V2 comes out before buying a backup PV.

 

[CaSHMeRe]

appreciate the kind words M3

Yeah, unprotected batts, the spring needs to be quite long to reach. And vice versa when it comes to protected batts. The spring ends up going pretty much completely in to the end cap to fit the protected batts Tried to find that perfect median

Have a great weekend bud!

 

[M3Tyler]

Edit:

This is just getting weird. It stopped supplying power again, so I was back to troubleshooting. Apparently I may have stretched the spring too much, because it lost power again? I held the button down and slowly started twisting the adapter off and eventually it came to life again but the adapter was just too loose. So I compressed the spring again slightly and tightened the adapter just snugly like I usually do and it's working so far...we'll see how it goes? Bah. LOL...

 

[adam07specb]

The service from Steve has been great!!! I feel bad for the poor guy getting harassed by all of us, but thanks to him for being awesome!!!

 

[CaSHMeRe]

Edit:

This is just getting weird. It stopped supplying power again, so I was back to troubleshooting. Apparently I may have stretched the spring too much, because it lost power again? I held the button down and slowly started twisting the adapter off and eventually it came to life again but the adapter was just too loose. So I compressed the spring again slightly and tightened the adapter just snugly like I usually do and it's working so far...we'll see how it goes? Bah. LOL...

now you have me completely lost M3 LOL

Put everything together and take the adapter off. Now, with your multimeter, put the red probe on the center of the brass, and the black probe to the stainless housing (doesn't matter where, anywhere will do) ... Not hit the button, you should see voltage. Release the button, you should see no voltage. Do this several time. Assuming you see voltage all the time when you should, we can conclude switch/end cap/spring are all find and dandy. Which leaves us with the adapter and atomizer.

Let me know when you get to that point

 

[lotus14]

now you have me completely lost M3 LOL

Put everything together and take the adapter off. Now, with your multimeter, put the red probe on the center of the brass, and the black probe to the stainless housing (doesn't matter where, anywhere will do) ... Not hit the button, you should see voltage. Release the button, you should see no voltage. Do this several time. Assuming you see voltage all the time when you should, we can conclude switch/end cap/spring are all find and dandy. Which leaves us with the adapter and atomizer.

Let me know when you get to that point

Did you mean "Now hit the button"? Getting a little late, eh? ;-)

 

[CaSHMeRe]

Did you mean "Now hit the button"? Getting a little late, eh? ;-)

...sigh... yes Lotus, it is getting quite late!!!! Lotus is correct

 

[M3Tyler]

This is driving me mad, lol. Multimeter is showing proper voltage without the adapter on, ranges from 3.3-3.9v. When I put the adapter on, however, things get a little weird. If I screw it on like I always have in the past (snugly, not much play in the button at all) I *sometimes* don't get any readings. It's like hit or miss. If I kind of unscrew it slightly or even tighten it sometimes I'll get a plum of vapor and it heats up the atty nicely, others...nothing, atty is cold to the touch. Seems to me like the adapter is being very picky with how loose/tight it wants to be? I dunno...pretty odd.

-Tyler

 

[M3Tyler]

Update:

Things get even more bizarre. I've repeated this test several times now; I screw on the 510 adapter and put an atty on. Press the button, no vapor. I carefully take off the atty, use the multimeter with the adapter still on and test voltage...3.7-3.8v. Put the atty back on and again, no vapor. Soooo, you would think right off the bat - it's the atty. BUT, I've literally got over 100 brand new 510 atomizers, I tried over 5 attys and not a single one heats up. I'm seriously at a loss? /confused

I re-ran this exact same test using the 901 adapter with various new attys and got the exact same results. Using the multimeter at the adapter reads 3.7-3.8 volts. I screw on an atty and get nothing, no vapor and the atty is stone cold. I would guess that kind of eliminates the adapters and atomizers from the problem, yet why would the volts be there if the switch/battery/tube had an issue? I don't know wtf to think, LOL

 

[d0kieSmok]

sounds like you need to clean your threads!!! Ive had mine for as long as you, and i have cleaned every thread twice, and got loads of crap off them! Loads of crap.

 

[a2dcovert]

sounds like you need to clean your threads!!! Ive had mine for as long as you, and i have cleaned every thread twice, and got loads of crap off them! Loads of crap.

I agree. Sometimes I have to clean the connector and atty to restore proper voltage to the atty. I do this every time I change batteries and sometimes at the middle of the cycle. Any time the vapor drops off to little or nothing I clean this contact first to see if the battery is low or not. If the connection cleaned and the vapor is low with topped off cart, then I change the battery.

This same issue is the same on the Prodigy. The only way to limit this problem is to be OCD about not over filling the carts. I'm OCD and I still over fill the cart some times because I like that first big hit.

Kevin

 

[lotus14]

How do your guys clean the threads on these things? I used to clean my 510 attys and the battery threads with one end of a q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol and wipe dry with the other end. Not too sure if that will damage the adapter though.

 

[a2dcovert]

How do your guys clean the threads on these things? I used to clean my 510 attys and the battery threads with one end of a q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol and wipe dry with the other end. Not too sure if that will damage the adapter though.

I do the same as you. It shouldn't hurt the adapter, but I don't know what is used to insulate the inner connection from the outer one. I guess PS may respond if we're wrong?


Kevin

 

[harro]

I got mine last week & same thing...no voltage from battery coming thru. After emailing Casey she suggested cleaning the threads. I used a slightly damp toothbrush & scrubbed a few times. Then I put the adapter on & twisted as hard as I could twisting back & forth about 10 times & finally got a good contact. It's been working great ever since so it seems to be the threads NOT the spring etc. which are not making proper contact with adapter.

Hope this helps.

Harro

 

[a2dcovert]

I got mine last week & same thing...no voltage from battery coming thru. After emailing Casey she suggested cleaning the threads. I used a slightly damp toothbrush & scrubbed a few times. Then I put the adapter on & twisted as hard as I could twisting back & forth about 10 times & finally got a good contact. It's been working great ever since so it seems to be the threads NOT the spring etc. which are not making proper contact with adapter.

Hope this helps.

Harro

That's the first that I've heard about the thread connections to the tube. I haven't had an issue with that. The threads I clean are the atty connector and center contact. I didn't know that I might be losing ground contact through the tube connection threads. I'll have to look into that.

Kevin