Sigelei Zmax V3 and V5 Telescopic: User's Group

[AngiBe]

OK I'm done editing the sigelei Zmax Telescopic battery tube adjustment post. It was copied from last December and a little out of date.

LMAO!!!! Thank you, thank you thank you!!! I was on page 38 (yes, I've read 38 pages!! What I do for my best friend) on this thread looking for it!!!! You are awesome! I will copy and paste and email it to her!!!

ETA- if she did happen to squish (don't have a better word) the spring down too much can she gently use tweezers or something and pull it up? I'm more familiar with springs on end caps, not in the mods so I'm not sure if it's visible or reachable.

She is sending it back but wanted to give her info for the new replacement one.

 

[JeremyR]

UGH thanks and don't I know it. I can't help her cuz I don't have the mod, I haven't seen it and have no clue what the heck is going on. She did tell me that when using the 18350 batt at first, it seemed snug. Now, she can hear the batt rattle a bit. So I'm thinking the spring has collapsed a bit or something is not connecting. It will not power at all- no Sigelei banner thing on the OLED..nothing.

She is going to contact the vendor and hopefully they help her. I just thought there was a rare chance this issue sounded "familiar" and someone could tell me a possible solution. Thanks anyway very much.

It really sounds like the telescopic tube wasn't tight enough.
It should be tightened till the battery doesn't rattle anymore no more than that. If it rattles it's not getting contact. If using a 18350 you can use the short end cap to ensure a tight fit on shorter 18350's

 

[yzer]

LMAO!!!! Thank you, thank you thank you!!! I was on page 38 (yes, I've read 38 pages!! What I do for my best friend) on this thread looking for it!!!! You are awesome! I will copy and paste and email it to her!!!

ETA- if she did happen to squish (don't have a better word) the spring down too much can she gently use tweezers or something and pull it up? I'm more familiar with springs on end caps, not in the mods so I'm not sure if it's visible or reachable.

She is sending it back but wanted to give her info for the new replacement one.

Overtightening the V3 or V5 telescopic tube can put a lot of pressure on the internal circuit board assembly inside the rig. These Sigeleis have a battery spring mounted inside the battery cap just like many other APVs.

It's virtually impossible to do this damage using a 18350 battery. However, with the longer batteries it is possible to over tighten the tube so much that the battery spring is completely flattened. Overtightening the tube even further can cause the battery to be rammed so hard onto the Sigelei B+ terminal that all of the internal parts break free from the glue that holds them in place inside the tube.

If the internals are forced from the correct position the OLED display will shift position under the screen and the firing switch under the fire button will be out of alignment, causing misfires.

This kind of damage can be repaired at a home workbench by somebody who knows how to use tools. Tweezers won't make it. Disassembly is required. We showed how to do it on this thread.

The battery spring itself is not likely to be damaged by over tightening even if squashed flat. These springs will compress a little with time and use. If that causes problems with poor battery contact just tighten the telescopic tube a little more or remove the spring and stretch it a little using long nosed pliers. A brand new spring will measure about 17mm tall. After a month or more of normal use they can compress by a couple of mm.

 

[Gallant]

Disassembly is required. We showed how to do it on this thread.

Good day yzer can I have the link to the above mentioned post please & thanks.

 

[yzer]

This is very recent. It shows my disassembly for a V5 which is identical to the second generation V3. This has photos and goes on for a few pages. This was a switch replacement job but disassembly and assembly are the same.


Sigelei V5 disassembly



fairmana made videos and posted links to YouTube here. It's the same switch replacement job.

fairmana's video

 

[yzer]

If you have a first generation V3 it has the non-removable top cap (it won't unscrew to show the one-piece 510/eGo connector). This is still a press-fitting and removes the same way. The board housings on the first generation V3 leave something to be desired and were upgraded with the second generation V3s and all V5s.

 

[AngiBe]

Ya...don't think she's going to take anything apart and reassemble. She hasn't even made her first coil build yet. BUT...this info is super helpful to give her for the new one she has coming. I'm not sure which generation it is but it's brand new, from Varitube and it's a flat top telescopic. You guys have been awesome and thanks again so much.

I've emailed her everything

 

[yzer]

Ya...don't think she's going to take anything apart and reassemble. She hasn't even made her first coil build yet. BUT...this info is super helpful to give her for the new one she has coming. I'm not sure which generation it is but it's brand new, from Varitube and it's a flat top telescopic. You guys have been awesome and thanks again so much.

I've emailed her everything

If she bought the V3 from Varitube or anyone else who has recent stock it's a second generation V3. Sigelei hasn't made the first generation V3 for over a year now.

In this photo the second generation V3 is shown on top. The first generation V3 is on the bottom. See the difference?

The second generation Sigelei V3s and all Sigelei V5s feature the removable top cap, one-piece stainless steel 510/eGo threading, the half-round circuit board housing and new firmware.

It's hard to believe, but ECF members still recommend that APV noobs should buy a Vamo, Innokin iTaste SVD or Innokin iTaste MVP 2. The Vamo and SVD feature soft chrome-plated brass 510/eGo threading and substantially longer size. The SVD is infamous for having three undersized, weak switches. The Innokin MVP 2 is disposable and has a non-removable battery.

 

[yzer]

...and with the right coil and batteries the Sigelei V3 and V5 will hit 24 watts.

 

[JeremyR]

Lol, I would have trashed a vamo in a couple weeks. The sigelie is far superior to those other low budget mods. I believe the v3 in capable hands in fact far better than that other $200 mod. Especially if you use a cost based value for the money. The v3 provides 3x the quality dollar for dollar.

 

[AngiBe]

Thanks again so much Yzer for all your help. I had to send her several emails with all the info I collect. She had to have a very minor surgery today but she's sleeping it off and I'm sure she'll read it all tomorrow. Not sure when she'll get the new Sig V3 BUT..hopefully she pays super close attention to the telescopic info I got from you!!,

I do feel confident I steered her in the right direction but I just panicked a bit cuz, well, I'm the one who told her to buy it and then it didn't work so I got worried she'd be upset, which, she's not. Woohoo!

 

[JeremyR]

Oh and I didn't have to spring for a DNA 20 and put my 200.00 mod aside. The v3 is superior to a single battery DNA 20

 

[JeremyR]

It was probably user error anyway.

 

[AngiBe]

Yzer and everyone who helped me to help my friend...wanted to say thanks again. It was a combo user error and just a weird situation. She stated regarding all the copied emails "the info in the emails were way more detailed & better than what came with the Sigelei" She didn't even know or realize the "extra" battery cap was different sizes.

Lastly, this AM she went to her closet (where she hides her vape stash from her kiddos) and saw a shiny thing on the ground. It was the SPRING from the end cap?!?! She didn't even realize the spring had come off. Is this normal that the spring just falls off? She got it back on and it's working but I'm wondering if it will keep falling off. Anyway, that's why I was confused as to where the spring was located in this mod cuz I asked her several times to check if the spring collapsed cuz I knew it wasn't getting connection somewhere. UGH!

Thanks again...all working and she's a happy camper again!

 

[yzer]

That's good news AngiBe. I'm glad things are working better for your friend. I've never had the battery spring fall out of a battery cap before but maybe her's wasn't properly seated into the cap to begin with. Make sure the spring is seated all the way down into the cap by pushing down on it with a finger. The wide end of the spring should fit snugly into the base of the cap. It's OK to smash the spring flat while doing this. It will spring back. The narrow end of the spring should be centered well enough to make contact with the negative end of the battery. The spring and inside of the battery cap should be kept clean as they must make good electrical contact. Remove the spring to clean the inside of the cap.

 

[AngiBe]

That's good news AngiBe. I'm glad things are working better for your friend. I've never had the battery spring fall out of a battery cap before but maybe her's wasn't properly seated into the cap to begin with. Make sure the spring is seated all the way down into the cap by pushing down on it with a finger. The wide end of the spring should fit snugly into the base of the cap. It's OK to smash the spring flat while doing this. It will spring back. The narrow end of the spring should be centered well enough to make contact with the negative end of the battery. The spring and inside of the battery cap should be kept clean as they must make good electrical contact. Remove the spring to clean the inside of the cap.

Ok I will tell her! I wonder if I can charge her a small fee for all this work. You guys can take half

 

[yzer]

I need to update my rate card.

 

[E squire]

I... I somehow... read through... the WHOLE thread...

Holy wow. Thanks to everyone for all the contributions. Especially those who have been contributing from the start (you know who you are).

My little story: the last cigg I had was July 25th this year. At the time, I had been a dual user for about a month with a PT2 and eGo twist. My brothers got me the v5 for my birthday a couple weeks later (of course, I steered them that way), and I've been loving it ever since.

My firmware version checks out as the 2.0, it's the SS "flat top" with the slight bevel (no air channels) and I have the "disappearing metal" fire button. I've been using noalox on the threads, have not had any misfire or screen movement issues, and been loading it up with efest imr 18650 2250 mAh batteries.

I've mostly been using it with my PT1 and PT3 (lost the PT2) at 7W with rebuilt 2.5 ohm coils and really enjoying it there. I also have a Youde AGI hybrid and trying my hand at RDA & RTA building with moderate success. Nothing beats my PTs for on the go, but I'm really quite tempted to invest in a KFL+ when my vape budget allows.

I'm also tempted to invest in a couple pair of 18350s and see how I fare with a stacked set up. My main reason for this is experimentation, but I've also noticed that when my 18650s hit around 3.8v, the v5 can't seem to put out 7w. If I fiddle with the telescopic threading a bit and the topper, sometimes it corrects itself for a bit. I suspect this is a contact issue, but also suspect that a stacked set up will be the cure.

The problem might also be related to my questionable 2 bay trustfire charger. I've occasionally let the batteries charge to full on it overnight, but come to realize that "full" on this charger will still allow some trickle, and I worry that this may have affected battery performance. Add a better charger to my shopping list.

Other than that, I love this thing!

 

[yzer]

Hi E squire and welcome to the group! You should have no problem running that 18650 with 2.5 ohms and 7W until the battery hits low voltage warning at 3.3V and low voltage shutoff at 3.2V. I run 2.0 ohms at 7W right down to 3.3V on 18350, 18500 and 18650. Something else is an issue here and some of our coil winders will be commenting.

I had a Trustfire TR-001. It would continue to trickle charge batteries after the charging light went out. Leaving batteries in the charger several hours after the charging light went out resulted in batteries charged over 4.2V. Doing this on a regular basis may damage the batteries. It's easy to check the charge on your batteries when they come out of the charger with the V3 or V5 at Menu Item #4 or with a DMM.

I use a Nitecore Intellichager i-4 now. Costs less than $20 if you shop around on Amazon. It's a four bay charger and won't overcharge batteries.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...vptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_193gfrixdn_b

 

[67Tele]

Hey E squire!
They let me in here so, you should be fine...hehe. As you have found there's a wealth of knowledge and experience to be absorbed and these folks are generous with passing their experience down.

Welcome!