Hey folks. I love my P3, but the battery issues are really starting to wear on me. I just took out a battery it said was empty and it reads 4V on the charger. Contacts have been recently swabbed with iso, but it didn't completely solve the issue. The batteries I'm using are Sony VTC4/5's, and I can run them in an SX Mini all day at 16W. They're not fresh out of the package, but they work fine in other mods. Is there a good reference for debugging these issues, or is this just part and parcel to the P3 experience?
Yep, similar experience here, though I vape at 20W and my batteries get down to 3.8V or so before "EMPTY". I too have an SXmini, which truly does go down to 3.3V before cutting off voltage. ProVape claims they're cutting off the battery when they detect 3.3V, but something must be wrong with their detection method. 20W at 3.8V won't cause enough voltage sag on a high-amp battery to hit 3.3V and trigger the cutoff. Too bad there is no live battery meter on the screen like the SXmini has - at least then you could see the actual voltage sag.
Based on the forum posts here, the lower your wattage, the lower your battery voltage when "EMPTY", which makes sense as there is less current draw, and thus less voltage sag. But, I do agree with you - the P3 cuts you off **WAY** too early. Most of the specs I've seen on these good batteries claim a minimum voltage of 2.5V, so 3.3V is still high, but seems to be an industry standard. The SXmini will let you fire at 3.4V, and at higher power, I've seen the voltage sag down to 2.8-ish, so for a high power mod, 3.3V nominal cutoff is probably a good idea - for a low power device like the P3, it doesn't make much sense.
I hope Vape360 is listening, and can relay some better technical information from their engineers than last time - "it cuts off when it detects 3.3V". Clearly something is not right based on scratch's and my experiences with GOOD batteries (Sony VTC4/5, LG HE2, etc.), especially when used at higher power on another device that displays realtime voltage sag.
PS - I have a pile of "EMPTY" cells ready for charging today - AW 18650's, AW 18490's, AW 18350's, Sony VTC4's, and an LG HE2. I'll have more data on battery size, brand, etc. to try to find a pattern, and I'm logging all of this to try to figure out what ProVape can't seem to figure out. I really should build some sort of extension so I can monitor voltage sag on the P3 with high-end test equipment (though that would also affect internal resistance / IQ). Speaking of IQ, that's where I believe the issue originates, but it's just an educated theory at this point.