Is there a way to repair auto batteries which have reduced performance because of cart leakage? I've tried to be very careful and always blow out the excess and dry the end after re-filling my carts, but both of my autos are barely working at this point. My USB battery which also has the open hole still works fine, though. As does my regular manual. Is there any way I can fix the autos? maybe clean out whatever dripped in there, if that's the problem? Thanks.
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You could try putting it in a ziplock with something to draw out the moisture, like rice, or better some of those moisture absorbing packets you get in so many things. Silicon dioxide, I think it is?
Not really sure, as I haven't done it myself. Hopefully someone else will chime in here...
I've recently managed to "kill" / drastically reduce the function of several auto batts and tried a few things, with mixed results. I don't have pics handy but will try to describe a few things:
Internally, from top to bottom these types of batteries all seem to be built like so:
- Battery connector at the top, pressed in to the tube body
- Two wires running through a tube-diameter plastic disk with a few small holes
- The battery with one wire at the top
- Second wire running to a small PCB at the bottom with LED, pressure sensor/switch and regulator
- Third wire to bottom of battery
- Vented ash cap at the end
There is very little clearance between the battery itself and the tube body. While I haven't got one apart prior to any attempt to clean them out, I suspect nicquid gets in and blocks the holes in the top plastic disc and/or the very small gap between the battery and the tube body. How far down it goes probably affects how difficult the battery might be to recover.
Since all the electronics are at the bottom, I've tried filling a small, flat-bottom bowl with about 1 to 2 inches of either hot water or PGA, standing the battery on the battery connector end in the bowl and letting it soak for a while. On some batteries this will discolor or degrade the rubber coating and/or the paint or film coloring the outer tube body, which may start to peel off. The idea is to get water or alcohol into the tube body far enough to dissolve any nicquid without soaking the PCB.
After soaking for 15 to 30 minutes, I'll do a reverse Taryn spin and let them sit for 24 hours.
Results have been mixed. On a freshly "juiced" battery, this will work well about 75% of the time. Of the batteries I have that have degraded over time (bunch of little juice episodes is my guess) about half were improved but not as good as new. On the others, performance actually got worse. With at least two I figured were lost causes anyway, I used a Cartomizerfillinator to gently flush PGA straight through from the ash cap end to the battery end, figuring that might actually flush anything gunky out. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to help much and in at least one case the battery is no longer functional.
What I think needs to be done is to take a freshly gunked-up battery apart before any attempt to recover it in order to see exactly where the nicquid is "sticking". If it's actually getting all the way down to the end and on the PCB there may not be much hope, but if less than halfway down we might be able to come up with a procedure that will help more consistently. Unfortunately it's difficult to put batteries together again after taking them apart, so pretty much any investigation along this path is going to require some new sacrificial batteries ... and at $13 to $16 a pop that adds up pretty quickly.
Internally, from top to bottom these types of batteries all seem to be built like so:
- Battery connector at the top, pressed in to the tube body
- Two wires running through a tube-diameter plastic disk with a few small holes
- The battery with one wire at the top
- Second wire running to a small PCB at the bottom with LED, pressure sensor/switch and regulator
- Third wire to bottom of battery
- Vented ash cap at the end
There is very little clearance between the battery itself and the tube body. While I haven't got one apart prior to any attempt to clean them out, I suspect nicquid gets in and blocks the holes in the top plastic disc and/or the very small gap between the battery and the tube body. How far down it goes probably affects how difficult the battery might be to recover.
Since all the electronics are at the bottom, I've tried filling a small, flat-bottom bowl with about 1 to 2 inches of either hot water or PGA, standing the battery on the battery connector end in the bowl and letting it soak for a while. On some batteries this will discolor or degrade the rubber coating and/or the paint or film coloring the outer tube body, which may start to peel off. The idea is to get water or alcohol into the tube body far enough to dissolve any nicquid without soaking the PCB.
After soaking for 15 to 30 minutes, I'll do a reverse Taryn spin and let them sit for 24 hours.
Results have been mixed. On a freshly "juiced" battery, this will work well about 75% of the time. Of the batteries I have that have degraded over time (bunch of little juice episodes is my guess) about half were improved but not as good as new. On the others, performance actually got worse. With at least two I figured were lost causes anyway, I used a Cartomizerfillinator to gently flush PGA straight through from the ash cap end to the battery end, figuring that might actually flush anything gunky out. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to help much and in at least one case the battery is no longer functional.
What I think needs to be done is to take a freshly gunked-up battery apart before any attempt to recover it in order to see exactly where the nicquid is "sticking". If it's actually getting all the way down to the end and on the PCB there may not be much hope, but if less than halfway down we might be able to come up with a procedure that will help more consistently. Unfortunately it's difficult to put batteries together again after taking them apart, so pretty much any investigation along this path is going to require some new sacrificial batteries ... and at $13 to $16 a pop that adds up pretty quickly.
Very good info Vapien! Thanks! 
Personally, though, I have to say I am still using the first two red and blue samples I pulled for personal use from our first batch, I refill constantly and NEVER clean or do maintenance on batts or cartos, and both batts are going strong with no degradation of performance compared to brand new samples I test. These are the best, most reliable, and longest lasting batts I have ever had.
Personally, though, I have to say I am still using the first two red and blue samples I pulled for personal use from our first batch, I refill constantly and NEVER clean or do maintenance on batts or cartos, and both batts are going strong with no degradation of performance compared to brand new samples I test. These are the best, most reliable, and longest lasting batts I have ever had.
fuzznut, as far as I can tell both are clean and I have fairly regularly wiped the screw part down. I see no gunk in the holes.
Vapian, huh. I'm not sure I'm ready to sacrifice them, but really they're pretty much useless at this point so I may try your technique with one of them and take the other apart.
I just came into a little more silica, lol, so I'm going to see if this has any effect over the next couple of days.
Vapian, huh. I'm not sure I'm ready to sacrifice them, but really they're pretty much useless at this point so I may try your technique with one of them and take the other apart.
I just came into a little more silica, lol, so I'm going to see if this has any effect over the next couple of days.
Kumquat, I posted this a while back:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-cleaning-new-style-auto-batts-bloog-etc.html
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-cleaning-new-style-auto-batts-bloog-etc.html
I cleaned my auto 401 batts several times by dripping some PGA into air hole then slinging it out.
They lasted until much of the paint wore off.
They lasted until much of the paint wore off.
Just a tiny update:
After about 3 days in a ziploc with one tiny and one large silica packet one of my automatics seems to be back to just about full function. The other was still no go so I've left it in there to see if time will heal the wound.
After about 3 days in a ziploc with one tiny and one large silica packet one of my automatics seems to be back to just about full function. The other was still no go so I've left it in there to see if time will heal the wound.
Was Contact Cleaner already ruled out here? As an electronics tech, that's all I use for all my batts. It unstickies and dries almost immed. w/o comp air.
Sounds good; if diaphragm is silicone it'll probably be fine.
PGA always worked for cleaning my batt auto switches.
I don't have the patience to wait for desiccant to dry PG sludge.
I prefer to flush out the sludge.
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