Replacing Batteries in Istick?

[ellejewell]

i got the 50w and 30w istick I was wanting a tube style for my RDAs since I think they would look nicer but I can't fathom spending that sort of dough. Guess I will stick with my isticks for now and when they finally kick the bucket I will upgrade to something better I have to say that, that kanger subbox looks pretty nice too

 

[alicewonderland]

i got the 50w and 30w istick I was wanting a tube style for my RDAs since I think they would look nicer but I can't fathom spending that sort of dough. Guess I will stick with my isticks for now and when they finally kick the bucket I will upgrade to something better I have to say that, that kanger subbox looks pretty nice too

I know! I cant wait for it to be released

tube style VV/vw mods are a rarity nowadays, because its hard to fit the chips in them and have them not be huge and wonky looking. The ones that exist now are just low power or mech mods.

 

[edyle]

I really havent done a deep search on mech mods, but from what I have gathered is that there is more to it than just recharging the batteries, they need to be cleaned regularly as well as checked for errors in the wiring and such to help prevent possible damage to the device or person using it. Is all of this necessary? I don't know really know. Anyone got a link for more information about mech mods? Maybe I am just over thinking it all but safety is a big issue for me and I really do not know how safe mech mods are. I dont sub ohm but I dont know if that even matters.

1: No mech mods do not need to be cleaned any more regularly than regulated mods.
All that talk about cleaning and checking is about people running high wattage on mech mods
It's more like having a bicyle instead of a car. You have no dashboard but if something is not working it's pretty obvious what it is.

I use mechs all the time but I have kick modules in mine so I have the basic protections against shorts or leaving it on.

2: For safety's safe, using a regulated mod is the way to go, but for reliability, a mech is a good thing to at least have as standby and for us tootlepuffers you get a kick module for your mech.
When you've been vaping for a year or more, you no longer really need a screen to tell you what's going on.

 

[edyle]

Would the Vamo be one of them by any chance?

The vamo is a regulated tube mod; I have a chrome vamo3 - changed the centerpin insulator on it twice so far since 2013, and a steel vamo5s control head which hasn't given any trouble really.
They're pretty low cost and the human interface is pretty good; I don't have an istick but I think the istick human interface is pretty good too- having updown buttons is essential: we all have actually real lives to deal with instead of wondering what is wrong with our vape.

 

[Bunnykiller]

Would the Vamo be one of them by any chance?

yup a Vamo is one but I would suggest the SVD2 Vamos Die when they fall

 

[ellejewell]

1: No mech mods do not need to be cleaned any more regularly than regulated mods.
All that talk about cleaning and checking is about people running high wattage on mech mods
It's more like having a bicycle instead of a car. You have no dashboard but if something is not working it's pretty obvious what it is.

I use mechs all the time but I have kick modules in mine so I have the basic protections against shorts or leaving it on.

2: For safety's safe, using a regulated mod is the way to go, but for reliability, a mech is a good thing to at least have as standby and for us tootlepuffers you get a kick module for your mech.
When you've been vaping for a year or more, you no longer really need a screen to tell you what's going on.

Thanks for giving me some details into this. I always test my builds with an ohms reader before firing and then I fire for hot legs adjust as needed and test one last time before actually using it on my istick. If maintenance and risk is less if I have no plans to sub ohm then I may consider. I did look at the kick and see it is a circuit board. Does it need to be installed via soldering? or does it sit at the bottom of the mod and then batteries are piled on top of that? The only reason why I want one with with a display is because I like to check to see how much battery power I have left. I usually leave my VV at 4.7 volts and I don't run any lower than 1ohm, usually 1.5 is my happy spot. but money is tight and if I could afford a digital display VV tube mod with replaceable batteries I would, but mechs seem much less expensive.

 

[edyle]

Thanks for giving me some details into this. I always test my builds with an ohms reader before firing and then I fire for hot legs adjust as needed and test one last time before actually using it on my istick. If maintenance and risk is less if I have no plans to sub ohm then I may consider. I did look at the kick and see it is a circuit board. Does it need to be installed via soldering? or does it sit at the bottom of the mod and then batteries are piled on top of that? The only reason why I want one with with a display is because I like to check to see how much battery power I have left. I usually leave my VV at 4.7 volts and I don't run any lower than 1ohm, usually 1.5 is my happy spot. but money is tight and if I could afford a digital display VV tube mod with replaceable batteries I would, but mechs seem much less expensive.

The kick just sits on top of the battery. No soldering.

I use 2 vamo's and a few mechs. Sometimes one of my vamos has a habit of cutting off - maybe from a little battery rattle or something; then I have to click 5 times to turn it on, then I have to wait 5 loooong seconds for the "System ON" message to scroll across the screen. But with my mech with a kick there's no waiting; press the fire button and that activates the kick.

A mech is a good thing to have for a backup; I'd get a mech like an astro telescopic. It will take a kick and an 18650 battery; some mechs are not long enough to take both; and a telescopic mech means you can be sure not to get battery rattle.

One common point of problems is the 510 connection:
1: depressed center pin problems where the electrical contact fails
2: topper not screwing all the way in snugly so it seems wobbly.

The typical mech mod features adjustable centerpin, fixing both of those problems.

 

[herb]

I was under the impression that I had to let my Istick50 literally die before plugging it in so maybe not doing that you may have shortened the life of the batts and unless you take it apart, you really don't know what kind of batteries they are using in those isticks and you still might not know. I assume cheap batteries or whatever manufacture had the best deal that day. I've had my istick50 since February, it still goes 3 days vaping a 1.0 ohm coil and I let mine die before recharging. Its not my only PV so I won't miss it while charging. I saw a video on swapping out the batteries in a istick and it looked like a bit of a challenge but what do you got to loose, if the chip is good then its a real shame not to give it a shot before tossing it into recycling.

Actually thats the one thing you should never do , "Battery University" explains it all in easy to understand terms . Always recharge before the battery gets low as it will greatly increase the devices lifespan.

I have two MVP's that are going on over a year and they work great , i always recharge at 3.7 volts and i try to take it off the charger at 4.0 to 4.1 volts as that will give the device the longest overall lifespan but at slightly less run time.

 

[ellejewell]

T

The kick just sits on top of the battery. No soldering.

I use 2 vamo's and a few mechs. Sometimes one of my vamos has a habit of cutting off - maybe from a little battery rattle or something; then I have to click 5 times to turn it on, then I have to wait 5 loooong seconds for the "System ON" message to scroll across the screen. But with my mech with a kick there's no waiting; press the fire button and that activates the kick.

A mech is a good thing to have for a backup; I'd get a mech like an astro telescopic. It will take a kick and an 18650 battery; some mechs are not long enough to take both; and a telescopic mech means you can be sure not to get battery rattle.

One common point of problems is the 510 connection:
1: depressed center pin problems where the electrical contact fails
2: topper not screwing all the way in snugly so it seems wobbly.

The typical mech mod features adjustable centerpin, fixing both of those problems.

Thank you I will check it out

 

[ellejewell]

Actually thats the one thing you should never do , "Battery University" explains it all in easy to understand terms . Always recharge before the battery gets low as it will greatly increase the devices lifespan.

I have two MVP's that are going on over a year and they work great , i always recharge at 3.7 volts and i try to take it off the charger at 4.0 to 4.1 volts as that will give the device the longest overall lifespan but at slightly less run time.

How do you know the exact voltage the battery is running at? does the charger have a reader on it?

 

[caferacer]

I know! I cant wait for it to be released

I'm planning on turning my VS rDNA 40 into a Stormtrooper device and that white Subtank will look PERFECT on it.

I'm seriously considering buying Subox kit just for the tank and selling the mod in the classies. Lol.

 

[Iffy]

...but for reliability, a mech is a good thing to at least have as standby and for us tootlepuffers you get a kick module for your mech.

For moi, the Kick is a critical element in mech PVs for wattage stability & protection! Yes, my daily PVs (iSticks) are regulated. BUT, I do have mechs & Kicks as backups.

If/when the time comes and I need to replace an iStick batt, I'm very confident that I could 'handle' the challenge.

 

[herb]

How do you know the exact voltage the battery is running at? does the charger have a reader on it?

Well the MVP shows you volts and watts , some mods might not show you but thats OK , just avoid running the batteries down too much . Recharging when the mod still has plenty of power is still much better for your batteries overall lifespan than to wait till the batteries are almost dead before recharging .

You don't have to charge the mod to full every time if it still has plenty of juice , sometimes i'll put it on the charger for just an hour or so , but avoid running them to near dead, thats a big no no .

Regarding your question about chargers , if you have a separate charger , they will show you all that data but you have an iStick so you don't have to deal with that .

 

[ellejewell]

Yeah I know my isticks show all the info I would need to know but I was curious about mech mods. If the chargers for the batteries had a display or something that showed that information or if they just test it with a multimeter?

 

[jseah]

Yeah I know my isticks show all the info I would need to know but I was curious about mech mods. If the chargers for the batteries had a display or something that showed that information or if they just test it with a multimeter?

I have the Xtar VP2 charger and it shows the voltage of the battery when you put it in the charger, and the voltage of the battery while it's charging. If the battery is rated at 3.6 or 3.7 volts, it will charge it to 4.2 volts and then shut off.

 

[Alien Traveler]

I used Vamo (and liked it), then I come across iStick clone for $25 decided to check if I like a box mode (I was sure I would not, but why not to check for just $25?) Surprisingly I liked it. Now it is my main mod. I even bought another box, a bit bigger. I wish somebody will make a mod as small as iStick 30 with replaceable battery. I am not planning to throw away my iStick after battery die. If vapocalypse come I will replace a battery when needed (it looks doable).

 

[ellejewell]

Oh, I absolutely love my isticks, but it is a big disappointment that the batteries can not be changed. I think I would be too afraid to try it but if everything came to a crashing halt I would surely try.

 

[ellejewell]

I have the Xtar VP2 charger and it shows the voltage of the battery when you put it in the charger, and the voltage of the battery while it's charging. If the battery is rated at 3.6 or 3.7 volts, it will charge it to 4.2 volts and then shut off.

I thought I saw something like that during my searching I see you have acquired quite the collection! Looks good