On the Feasability of Vaping with External Battery Packs

[Arnie H]

This thead is part review, part sharing my experiences using external Li-Ion/Li Polymer battery packs (also called powerbanks) for vaping applications. I seek to answer several questions people may have about them.

Items used:

1. Powerpack
2. 5.0 volt manual passthrough (not variable voltage) - Available from madvapes and Litecig.
3. Vision Mini/Slim Vivi Nova - 1.8 ohms

I bought and tested 4 external battery packs. My first purchase was the EZOPower dual USB port 6600 mAh pack. Because I was so pleased with the perfomance of this initial device, I purchased three more to test out, seeking greater capacity, more charging ports.

Powerpacks tested:

1. EZOPower 6600 mAh Ultra Compact - Available from Amazon and Ebay for around $22.99 in a variety of colors.
2. IncrediCharge I-10 10400 mAh - Available from Amazon and Ebay for around $23.99.
3. PowerGen 12000 mAh 3 Port External Battery - Available from Amazon for $39.99
4. LimeFuel L130X Blast 13000 mAh External Battery - Available from Amazon for $39.99

Planned future testing:

1. Anker Astro3 2nd Gen 12000 mAh 3 port External Battery
2. Anker Astro E5 - 15000 mAh Ultra High Density External Battery

EzoPower

Dual USB ports, rated input Micro USB (5V 1A), rated output USB (5V 1.3Amp combined. Of the 4 devices I tested, this is my favorite. Though rated at only 1.3 Amps max, the device is (very likely) capable of greater amperage/current output. Testing with my multimeter via passthrough, this device came in second putting out 4.92V. Very good vapor production. No auto shutoff, which I like, so this device will stay on till turned off manually, important for powering USB devices with no internal batteries (LED lights, speakers, etc.) that draw continous current. Built in LED flashlight, for vaping during a power outage. Smallest of the devices I tested, nearly the same size and weight of the iTaste MVP, but with 2-3 times the capacity, and less than half the price.

IncrediCharge

Dual USB ports plus embedded Micro USB cord, meaning it is capable of charging 3 devices at one time. Rated input Micro USB (5V 1A), rated output USB (5V 2A). Got the lowest power reading of all on this device - with either port putting out around 4.78 Volts. Vaper production (at 1.8 Ohms) still decent. Auto shutdown after 30 seconds (means you have to power the device back up to vape/vape in sessions). My least favorite, but a nice device nonetheless. Inexpensive. No flashlight (not a deal breaker).

PowerGen

Triple USB ports. Rated input Micro USB (5V 2A), rated output USB (5V 3 Amps max). This is my second favorite device. Greater capacity than the EZO, can be charged faster via a 2 Amp USB wall charger, pass-through charging (allowing you to charge devices or vape while the battery pack is charging). Compact form factor. Includes LED flashlight (which can stay lit for almost a month). Fingerprint magnet. Auto shutoff, but with a longer delay. Can run a power loop to keep the device on for longer periods. Voltage test gave me the highest reading of all, coming in at 5.04 Volts, from any of the three ports.

LimeFuel

Dual USB ports. Rated input micro USB (5V 2A), rated output USB (5V 4.2 Amps total). Nice rubberized texture. According to the reviews, this device has the highest power efficiency of the four devices (around 90 percent). Faster charging with pass-through charging (vape and charge at the same time). The heaviest of all four devices at 11.4 ounces, which is about the same weight as the VTR without and single 18650. About 4 times the capacity of the VTR, half the price. Voltage test came in around 4.86V, measured at the 510 connection of the passthrough.

Questions:

1. Can these devices be used to vape with? Can they provide a decent vape?

Yes, if you are satisfied with 7/8/9+ watts of power and you vape at 1.6 - 2.4 Ohms, and do not need/want VV/VW functions. The output appears to remain constant from start to finish of the charge cycle. Would not recommend sub-ohm though.

2. Is it safe to use these devices to vape with?

Like protected batteries, all four devices feature short circuit, overcharge, and overdischarge protection. While not vented, the distance of the device from your face/head when you hit that fire button can be 4 feet, which is a good thing. No problems, overheating, etc have been encountered. I'm not an expert, but they seem to be fairly safe.

PROs: Very high capacity (can vape for almost a week, depending upon frequency/etc), 500+ charge/discharge cycles, price $25 - $40 = very cheap compared with some other VV/VW devices (VTR, MVP, iTaste, etc), consistent vapor production.

CONs: Not for cloud chasing sub-ohmers, or those seeking a more intense vaping experience, cells used are not replaceable (for most users), auto-shutoff can be a pain (really, how much power do LEDs consume?).

I welcome all comments and questions.

 

[InTheShade]

Good review thanks for posting. I've often wondered about these power banks. I have a bunch of 18650 batteries and I know some of those power banks can take 18650 in them. Have you tried any?

 

[bender817]

Have you hooked up that passthrough to a volt meter under load? I'm curious about the voltage drop on it. I have thought about making a whip mod to set on the table and use like a hookah... this would be much easier.

 

[Arnie H]

Good review thanks for posting. I've often wondered about these power banks. I have a bunch of 18650 batteries and I know some of those power banks can take 18650 in them. Have you tried any?

That is what is essentially inside these power packs, several battery cells hooked up in series or parallel (not technical enough to know which).

Corrected typos: Readings for IncrediCharge and LimeFuel should read.4.78 Volts, and 4.86 Volts respectively.

 

[Arnie H]

Have you hooked up that passthrough to a volt meter under load? I'm curious about the voltage drop on it. I have thought about making a whip mod to set on the table and use like a hookah... this would be much easier.

I have USB port monitoring equipment on order, which should give me accurate readings for voltage under load and amps. I did run a load test using my multimeter on the EZOPower and the IncrediCharge. I put my probes on the terminals of an uncapped dripper at 1.6 ohms. Voltage drop was about 1.0 volts +/- .10 volts. So you end up vaping at like 3.75 - 4.05 Volts. Which is not bad, at least for me.

 

[Dzaw]

A couple of questions...

A USB pass through... Will it deliver whatever amperage it has available from the USB port? Is there a current limit to the pass through itself?

Will one of these packs deliver it's total current via one port if there is demand for it?

Could I splice a few USB cables together to plug a pass through into multiple ports on the same pack? Or into two or more packs at once?

 

[Arnie H]

A couple of questions...

A USB pass through... Will it deliver whatever amperage it has available from the USB port? Is there a current limit to the pass through itself?

Will one of these packs deliver it's total current via one port if there is demand for it?

Could I splice a few USB cables together to plug a pass through into multiple ports on the same pack? Or into two or more packs at once?

Hardware and technical details are not my strong suits, but I believe a USB port will deliver as much current as is demanded by the device, which may result in an over current situation.

The LimeFuel features dual 2.0 Amp ports, but I am uncertain whether the 4.1 total means combined amperage. I tend to think not, instead that you can have two devices drawing 2.+ amps plugged in at one time. I believe the LimeFuel ports can handle 2.4 Amps, a figure I read somewhere but can't remember and possibly more.

Haven't done any splicing or modding of cables. I can confirm that you can run a power loop on the PowerGen, essentially disabling the auto shutoff feature. Did not work on the other 3.

I believe the Anker E5 is another unit that does not have the auto shutoff feature. Anker has responded to my email on the second gen Astro 3, I do not have the figures anymore, but they indicated a very low current draw theshold for that device.

 

[HauntedMyst]

I tried adapting one of these I found at a surplus store to power a pass through USB but it blew every coil within a quarter second

 

[WarHawk-AVG]

Should work very well...and you can get regulated VV USB bypass rigs

http://.........blogspot.com/2013/05/who-wants-10000mah-box-mod.html

Most excellent review!

 

[gtbb]

Very interesting Arnie! Thanks now subscribed.

 

[solace.discord]

I'm interested in trying something like this!

found the adapter in the US- V-V-PccP-USB-to-eGo-Adapter

 

[Arnie H]

I'm interested in trying something like this!

found the adapter in the US- V-V-PccP-USB-to-eGo-Adapter

Very nice. Is that a LED VV function fire button and 510 threading I see?

I tried using a variable voltage pass-through (the short one that is sold everywhere) but for some reason did not seem to like the EZOPower. Got only a tiny bit of vapor on any setting.

 

[Arnie H]

My USB monitoring equipment I ordered from the UK has come in:

Using a Mini Vivi Nova at 2.30 ohms:

Monitor set to volts with nothing attached (no load):

Monitor set to volts with passthrough (being fired) and nova attached:

Monitor set to amps with passthrough (being fired) and nova attached:

Summary:

Voltage being output from the USB port under load with a 2.30 ohm coil = 4.69v

Amps/current being drawn from the USB port under load with a 2.30 ohm coil = 1.68a (.38 higher than the rated capacity of the port)

Questions/Comments?

 

[bender817]

Is that gonna burn up your port?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

 

[Arnie H]

Haven't had any issues with damaged ports so far, after several months. That is not to say, that it could not happen though, so it is a theoretical possibility. However the battery bank is so cheap, the risk is rather minimal.

I should note, that if using Ohm's law calculator to check these readings from this meter, you need to add approx. .47 ohms of resistance to account for the internal resistance in the meter, passthrough, and 4 foot cord. The readings shown are accurate in terms of what you end up vaping at going through all the attached equipment.

Another thing to note:

While the EZOPort(s) are rated at 1.3 Amps combined, the port(s) are capable of nearly twice this (2.4 - 2.6A) before the over current protection cuts in and shuts off the device. I found this out when vaping and simultaneously charging my Kyocera JAX phone on the other port.