Short circuits on atomizers and mod body

[Niamh]

If I check my atomizer for a short before using my mechanical mod there is still a possibility an atomizer could short during use isn't there?

What is likely to happen then?

Am I right in assuming I would get terrible burnt hits and that if at this point if I stopped pressing the button I would not put the battery under stress and avoid any problems with the battery?

If I check my mod for shorts before use is there still a possibility the mod itself could short during use? I don't really understand how you can get a short in a metal tube.

In the case of a short circuit on the mod body, what is likely to happen? Would I also be likely to get burnt hits in this case, since too much power is going through the atomizer?

 

[Margate69]

In the event of a MOD malfunction, your battery can explode.

My smok e-pipe had the button stick and started pouring smoke from the battery compartment in a few short seconds. Scary stuff.

 

[Dakota Jim]

It should only be a problem if you drop the entire device and the wires get twisted around in your atty (should not be able to happen if built with shortest legs possible) You do want to use protected batteries in mechs and also get small flat battery fuse (2 cent fuse)

A short will give you no hits and just damage the battery with a rapid discharge (not good with unprotected batteries)

 

[AttyPops]

If it is shorted, the coil is bypassed. That's why it is a short. If it were going through the coil, that's not a short (well...see below for "shorted" button)...it's supposed to go through the coil...and the coil is the resistance. I suppose you could have a "partial short" where only one part of the coil was in use but not all of it. AKA..."shorting" the positive side of the coil against the negative shell or post. Very little wire.

Anyway, a short is a bad thing. It's basically zero or near-zero ohms. That puts the battery at an over-amp condition and that's where it heats up and goes poof.

The only short "in the mod body" would be to short the positive pole of the battery/connector/button to the negative shell. The entire body is a ground (negative).

If that internal short is in the connector it would only "happen" when the button is pressed. If it is on the battery-side of the button contact somehow...where the battery connects to the circuit and that part shorts to shell...it could happen when you put the battery in... button or no button (basically the button is bypassed but shorted to the battery directly). The third thing that could happen is basically the button being bypassed somehow and the coil still in-circuit so the coil would get hot when the battery is inserted (basically never go off).

Most mechs have a button on the negative side of the battery. However, the button is basically the only thing in the circuit besides the coil. So you can almost envision it being anywhere if the atty connector is shorted.

 

[Niamh]

The only short "in the mod body" would be to short the positive pole of the battery/connector/button to the negative shell. The entire body is a ground (negative).

If that internal short is in the connector it would only "happen" when the button is pressed. If it is on the battery-side of the button contact somehow...where the battery connects to the circuit and that part shorts to shell...it could happen when you put the battery in... button or no button (basically the button is bypassed but shorted to the battery directly). The third thing that could happen is basically the button being bypassed somehow and the coil still in-circuit so the coil would get hot when the battery is inserted (basically never go off).

Most mechs have a button on the negative side of the battery. However, the button is basically the only thing in the circuit besides the coil. So you can almost envision it being anywhere if the atty connector is shorted.

So if the button/ connector cannot touch the body and the battery wrap is not torn, you would be unlikely to get a short originating in the mod? Or is that incorrect?

 

[AttyPops]

The real answer is...."the exact odds vary depending on the mod design, the batteries and the user".

Think about the flow of electricity. The atty connector is easy to short. So is an RBA. Buttons...depends on the button and design. IDK for sure. Everything depends on the design. And vents. Vents are good.

Why do you ask? Just being safe?

P.S. the button always touches the shell in a mech...as far as I know. One pole anyway. But they isolate the battery then. (The button pin contacts the battery negative side when the button is pressed)

 

[Baditude]

It should only be a problem if you drop the entire device and the wires get twisted around in your atty (should not be able to happen if built with shortest legs possible) You do want to use protected batteries in mechs and also get small flat battery fuse (2 cent fuse)

A short will give you no hits and just damage the battery with a rapid discharge (not good with unprotected batteries)

Although I agree with your recommendation of a Vape Safe Fuse, your recommendation for a protected ICR battery is arguable.

The only reason that ICR batteries can be sold and used is because they have a protective circuit. This is because the ICR battery chemistry is a voltatile (flamable) one and becomes unstable with heat. From personal experience, I don't have much faith that the simple protective circuits used in ICR batteries will prevent a battery from going into thermal runaway and burst into flames.

IMR and hybrid batteries use a safer battery chemistry. They are more resistant to stressful conditions and are more heat tolerent. Yes, they can go into thermal runaway and vent, but it should be with less drama and with no flames involved.

In addition, ICR batteries may have a higher battery capacity (mAh) than IMR's, but they do not have the high drain ability nor the amp capacity that IMR or hybrid batteries have. ICR batteries may be suited for the average vapor's device, but they are not at all well-suited for use in advanced devices such as a RBA.

Using Ohm's Law, running a device at 4.2v with a 1.8 ohm coil will draw 2.3 amps from the battery. This is safely below the 2.65 amp rating of the average 2600 mAh ICR 18650 battery. Using a homemade 1.0 ohm coil at 4.2v on a RBA will draw 4.2 amps which is way over that battery's rating and would not be safe to use.

One must know the limitations of the battery that they use for their application if they hope to vape safely.

 

[Niamh]

Why do you ask? Just being safe?

Yeah, I bought a mechanical, have two young kids, just want to play it as safe as possible

 

[AttyPops]

Best to get a multi-meter and learn how to check stuff. It does more than just "check ohms" of a coil. It can detect shorts too in some cases and measure resistance of the mod body, the button itself, etc. Checks voltages of batteries off the charger. Things like that.

 

[Niamh]

Best to get a multi-meter and learn how to check stuff. It does more than just "check ohms" of a coil. It can detect shorts too in some cases and measure resistance of the mod body, the button itself, etc. Checks voltages of batteries off the charger. Things like that.

Have a multi-meter, know how to check battery voltages, no idea how to check for shorts with it yet, I'll be looking that up before mod arrives. How often do you think I should check the mod for shorts?

 

[AttyPops]

IDK. Not a mech expert. Daily? Depends on how worred you are about it, if it is acting up, etc. IDK.

Another option that may help you is a Vape Safe fuse, or "2 cent fuse" or other such thing. You need to check amp limits so you don't over do it....they are not used on the real low ohm SLR builds due to high amp/watt needs.

 

[pianman6954]

A short is fairly unpredictable with Li-ions, the major danger is that through various stages of depletion, metallic lithium collects on the anode, combined with the heat from the battery's internal resistance can be disasterous. All lithiums have a pretty rediculous potential of output current and a short will likely first get VERY hot wherever the short is. High drain batteries have lower internal resistance so the cell can dump far more current before becoming hot itself. RBA style tanks with SS mesh can give different types of shorts, a short on the wick would be less hazardous because you would most definately get a burnt hit which in turn is disgusting and will most certainly have you correcting the problem immediately. I don't mean t downplay any safety here these batteries have astounding energy potential and can potentially be very dangerous but I wouldn't go so far as to say in every scenario a short will turn an innocent looking battery into a frag grenade the very instant a short occurs. An inline fuse is a good idea.

 

[Niamh]

Ok thanks for all the information, really useful.

 

[Thrasher]

I cant speak of a stuck button but in the case of a "bad" coil you will feel the mod get super hot super fast and will be able to tell very quickly something is not right.

How often do you think I should check the mod for shorts?

you really shouldnt have to worry about a mod being shorted if it was built correctly, it is the atty you need to pay attention to, every time you build one and before you start to use it you need to just do a quick check.

in the case of some of these garbage mods having faulty buttons and bad grounds, IMO if its a problem it in the trash. a correctly designed and properly built mod should never have problems like these.

 

[Niamh]

Thanks for that.