Printed Mechanical Bottom Feeder Mod

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rudy4653

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Does anyone out there have any spare short buttons for a 18650?
I have a few brand new tall buttons that I would trade for. Just put a short button on my latest Peko and realized I like it better than tall button as the lock feature of the tall is not a big deal to me.
Not sure if short buttons can be ordered separately.
 

TheTurk

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Does anyone out there have any spare short buttons for a 18650?
I have a few brand new tall buttons that I would trade for. Just put a short button on my latest Peko and realized I like it better than tall button as the lock feature of the tall is not a big deal to me.
Not sure if short buttons can be ordered separately.
I should have one if i can find it ill send it your way pm me later tonight ...


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RGLP4Lyfe

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I should have one if i can find it ill send it your way pm me later tonight ...


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Cool, i was gonna say if you cant find yours im pretty sure i have an extra shorty.. And if all else fails, yes sculpteo will print single buttons for $7+ shipping.

-M
 
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Moxienator

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Ok folks! it's been a while, so here's my Peko update.

I've been running 2 pekos since 1.27.15. One is my ADV in full mechanical, the other in semi-mechanical is my backup/once in a while vape.

I finally had to break 'em down and clean em up. There was an issue with my ADV-mech having one wick dry out before the other. Upon inspection, after having gone through the obvious possibilities, and having cleaned every contact, I found a hairline crack in the positive battery tab. This is presumably from not only daily use and battery swapping, but also from the several times it took a "digger" at 3 feet or so.

Before noticing the crack, my atty (Derringer V1 BF'd by Catfish) was acting very strangely. The wicks were drying out as described; one would be dry completely and the other would be totally saturated. The vape quality was poor. Loud crackling, significant loss of flavor, low density, and the feeling of using a single coil with lots of airflow when I actually use duals. I assumed after troubleshooting this was due to gunking/carbonization on the negative post (inside), which may still be a factor, but the hairline crack is most likely the real issue.

I suggest ordering a few extra battery contacts from mouser for everyone who runs these daily. It took about 5 months of constant use/abuse for it to happen, but "IT WILL MOST LIKELY HAPPEN AT SOME POINT".

I'll update again after replacement.

This, though, is the first real Issue (notice the capital I) I've had with any of the Pekos I've built. The semi-mech is still running well and is fulfilling its role nicely.
 
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BlueSnake

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I suggest ordering a few extra battery contacts from mouser for everyone who runs these daily. It took about 5 months of constant use/abuse for it to happen, but it WILL happen.

Since you are the first one this has happened to I'm not sure saying "it WILL happen" is accurate since it apparently hasn't happened to anyone else. There are numerous factors that could have caused this that may or may not be unique to your situation, but do not mean this will happen to anyone else.
 
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Moxienator

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Since you are the first one this has happened to I'm not sure saying "it WILL happen" is accurate since it apparently hasn't happened to anyone else. There are numerous factors that could have caused this that may or may not be unique to your situation, but do not mean this will happen to anyone else.

Am I the first? or am I the first to say anything about it?

Perhaps you're right, but it is a cheap tab that by its own design and the design of the Peko itself is prone to this phenomenon.

However, I stand corrected. I suppose it "MOST LIKELY WILL HAPPEN AT SOME POINT" is more accurate.

Glad we got the important stuff out of the way.
 

myndsey

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Quick question and Ive tried to search but havent found a clear answer. Is there a way to remove just the fire button to repaint it. Both my button and the ring have worn down a bit and Id like to to do a quick repspray without disassembling the whole lot.


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Roscoe01

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gdeal

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Walter Ego

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While I can't speak for Moxi my wife (the button masher) snapped her contact off. I soldered a modified REO spring to the remaining piece and no problems since. My two (18650 & 26650) have had zero issues. I don't know how this design could be better.
ndiBa7g.jpg

HT to you Mr. gdeal
 

gdeal

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SeanMoore

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I broke one too so I bought some from Mouser (? whatever the link is in the build doc). Mine was all because of abuse. It says a lot for Sculpteo's material and the design that I can drop the thing enough times from enough height to fatigue break the contact and not even a crack in the body.

It's just metal fatigue from dropping the thing on it's .... and flattening the contact. Flatten/pry enough times and it'll break, ya know?
 

Moxienator

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[


Moxi can you elaborate on this statement? The battery contact is a Keystone brand product. Keystone tabs are a standard in a lot of mods. What part of the Peko design makes the tab susceptible to breakage. Are you just saying this is a wear and tear type thing from 5-6 month of daily usage or is this really a design issue?

Yes. I should have worded my sentence more accurately, so here I correct "cheap" to mean "Not designed for repeated bending. " Where the deflection comes into play is dependent on how "rough" are you on your mod on a day to day basis.

In my personal case, I used this particular mod for "daytime" use. It was with me in active use during my workdays which cover very long stretches. Mondays are 17hr, Tues through friday are 14hrs, and the weekend is whatever it is.). There is a significant amount of driving time between to places. Point being, this is my definition of an ADV. My backup is used rarely out of necessity and occasionally to mix it up a bit. Total weekly use of the backup would be less than 2 hours.

That being said, there a lot of variables to my day, and S happens.

I change batteries a couple times a day. It occasionally is overflexed through operator error.

I have been known to accidentally drop my mod. Or have it fall over or off a table. It has gone bouncing in the car. It has been <gulp> handled by OTHER PEOPLE!!!

That is why I have a peko as opposed to a $400 squonker.

So, with a "relatively weak" battery tab, and a slight gap between the bottom of the "sled" and the positive end of the battery, it allows significant flex under moments of extreme gravitational or centrifugal upset ( eh? ). It flexes too far too many times, it breaks.

My statement was not intended as a negative statement to either the peko (clearly I like 'em) or the tab itself. It was intended to alert others to the fact that it may be necessary at some point to repair/replace this. Get more of them before you need them.

GDeal, your design is fantastic. That's why I have two. soon to be four. I've turned others on to them as well. What you have done has kept me from going back to smoking. I applaud you.

now where are my kick compatible internals? lol.



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Moxienator

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I broke one too so I bought some from Mouser (? whatever the link is in the build doc). Mine was all because of abuse. It says a lot for Sculpteo's material and the design that I can drop the thing enough times from enough height to fatigue break the contact and not even a crack in the body.

It's just metal fatigue from dropping the thing on it's .... and flattening the contact. Flatten/pry enough times and it'll break, ya know?
I agree. It is conceivable that a single Sculpteo shell could see its internal components replaced many times over.


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gdeal

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artv61

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Moxi - no offense taken at at all. I was just asking to see if an improvement can be made. I can easily change the design for improvements on the printed parts that why I asked. (Similar to slight change for Roscoe01's long distance throws...) But it really sounds like its just a wear and tear issue on the battery tab. Actually from your usage description, if the battery tab is the only thing wearing thats pretty good. And its a relatively quick fix. :)
Just a thought on the battery tab,would a springs under it help the shock from a drop you think? Or other option maybe a spring bottom glued to internals and soldered to threaded rod with a wire or as I have put in mine a solid 18ga wire all the way up to the top tab. Just my 2cents
 
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Moxienator

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Just a thought on the battery tab,would a springs under it help the shock from a drop you think? Or other option maybe a spring bottom glued to internals and soldered to threaded rod with a wire or as I have put in mine a solid 18ga wire all the way up to the top tab. Just my 2cents

While an under-spring-type setup would work, you would basically be removing the one "safety feature" of the mod. If it shorts, the battery tab will fold from the heat. At least, someone reported that it did. Also, if it is dropped, the weight of the battery folds the tab, so if something else gets jogged into a continuous firing position, the battery won't be connected.

The situation can be "fixed", but it's probably wiser to leave it alone and just change out the tab. I ordered some from mouser a few days ago. I think 20 of them came to about $10.

A modded spring connector that will fold during a short that is wired to the positive screw's solder tab is a great idea. Like a modified reo sub ohm contact or similar. I'll be looking into this. I also want to cut a custom one piece Cu switch arm, as I don't like the wire mod for the switch.


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Alexander Mundy

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I see battery contact damage as something that the design can't account for unless only a very specific battery were called out for. Let me explain my reasoning. I am in construction and work 60 to over 80 hours a week. <yes over 80 sometimes. I have 2 Pekos (Peki?) that are my at work ADV devices, one being my original beta unit which is my favorite although the finish looks like hell after all the abuse and the other is my backup. I even managed to snap off an RM2 with the thread part still in the 510 of the beta and have not had a contact failure. Here is what I see is the difference. The beta has the original battery tab, but it is smashed darn near flush with the Nylon bottom of the internals.

2015-06-142013.09.15_zps2mqxl5di.jpg


This is because the beta units were a hair shorter and the current ones were made a little taller to allow for more battery selection. I use HE2 flat top batteries so the tab has very little room to move any more than it is already and I have never had to bend it back up which will induce work hardening at the bend each time it is permanently bent either way.

2015-06-14%2013.36.44_zpsdgs34wwy.jpg


A very small bend like when I drop mine does not induce a permanent change in the metal so it will not cause work hardening. If you are experiencing contact failure due to having to re-bend the contact I would suggest limiting the travel of the contact to a minimum by using flat top batteries and mod something to limit the travel of the battery downward. Perhaps modded Nylon washer(s) from the hardware store glued to the bottom around the contact.

Edit: Noticed the comment about the tab being a "safety device" posted while I was composing this post. It is not designed as such.
 
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Roscoe01

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Moxi - no offense taken at at all. I was just asking to see if an improvement can be made. I can easily change the design for improvements on the printed parts that why I asked. (Similar to slight change for Roscoe01's long distance throws...) But it really sounds like its just a wear and tear issue on the battery tab. Actually from your usage description, if the battery tab is the only thing wearing thats pretty good. And its a relatively quick fix. :)
That mod is still in rotation BTW! Really need to order a new set of internals though[emoji1] My little orange V1 peko is a testiment to how these things will stand up to crazy amounts of abuse.[emoji15]
 
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