Hey guys! Me again back with another noob question for you beautiful people lol So, I have always used a device that was just a rechargeable pack, no interchangeable batteries whatsoever. So I was looking into maybe buying a good regulated mod but looks like most need batteries put into them, I have very little knowledge about different types of batteries, what the numbers mean, what brands are sketchy and which are reliable etc. Also, chargers and how to get the right one for that battery that won't overcharge them. So, can anyone point me to some threads that I can study or maybe give me some noob pointers? Thanks guys!
It all depends on what type of mod you're going to get (more specifically how many batteries it utilizes) and how many watts you're going to use. The main thing about battery safety, is to make sure that you don't draw more amps than what the batteries are rated for. I suggest reading extensively about batteries, and looking into the RX200. It utilizes three 18650's in series, which means it's a jack of all trades.. and a master of all.
If you do buy the RX200 however, you need to buy an external charger as its onboard charging doesn't evenly charge the batteries. When using a mod you want to keep your batteries "married", which means they should always be charged and discharged together. They should never be used without the others, nor with any other battery.
To calculate the amps drawn on a regulated mod it is Watts / Voltage (Your battery's voltage) = Amps. With an RX200 utilizing three batteries in series, this means that it combines their voltages which in turn reduces the amount of amps needed. Batteries cut off at 3.2 volts, and to safely calculate, you use the "worst case scenario". Which would be all of your batteries at 3.2 volts, (most people will drop it to 3 for inefficiencies). Also, for battery longevity and reduction of unnecessary heat generation, it's advised not to use more than 80% of your battery's continuous discharge rate.
Let's say you're at 80 watts for this,
example: 3x3=9, 80 watts / 9 volts = 8.88 amps drawn.
- 8.88 amps is barely anything, three 20 amp continuous discharge batteries and you'd be good to
go! I would suggest Sony VTC5's, LG HG2's, or Samsung 25r's. They are all capable 20 CDR batteries.
Let's say you're at 160 watts for this,
example: 3x3=9, 160 watts / 9 volts = 17.77 amps drawn.
- 17.77 amps? Now that's a decent amount of amps! There's two 18650's which could handle this type of current in the 80% margin mentioned above without sacrificing battery life. These are the Sony VTC4's or the LG HD2's.
These calculations are using the RX200 as an exmaple which uses three 18650's. Also, keep in mind that these examples are calculating for the worst possible scenario, when your batteries are at their most vulnerable. The average draw will be less, for example let's say your batteries are almost fully charged at 4v: 4x4=16, 80 watts / 16 volts = 5 amps drawn.
I hope I've helped with this short summary, but really.. read read read!:
Battery Information Table of Contents, Basic to Advanced
Mooch's blog | E-Cigarette Forum
PSA: You Don't Calculate Current Draw on Regulated Mods Like You Do on Mech Mods • /r/electronic_cigarette