So remember to have your usb cable along with the adapter, "just in case of an emergency"
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Sigelei Zmax V3 and V5 Telescopic: User's Group
- Thread starter yzer
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I am noticing that I really need 11watts in my 1.8-2.2ohm PT mini II's to get the full flavor from the NET's I've been into lately, but the batteries that came with my V5 kit don't seem to be able to keep up that long. They won't do above 10 watts after the battery goes down to around 3.7/3.8 volts. Would better batteries fix this problem and if so, which ones, or do I need to get a mechanical mod (still confused as to what the mechanical ones are really for)?
btw - my V5 bought from GoodeJuice has no sigelei logo under the fire button, just ZMAX V5 on the side. Still shows SI 2.0a. Flat top with removable top cap.
btw - my V5 bought from GoodeJuice has no sigelei logo under the fire button, just ZMAX V5 on the side. Still shows SI 2.0a. Flat top with removable top cap.
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Strange logo shenanigans are about once again, as long as the firmware checks out. Do you have any battery compartment wobble?
I had the same issue with batteries when I bought my first pair. For batteries I suggest looking at this list, Efest is usually the more affordable brand that nearly every store seems to stock: Taste Your Juice | BATTERY INFORMATION
On portable charging. I like to use my Xtar WP2 charger for that, it has a 5V USB output mode you can switch it into when you load it up with batteries.
I had the same issue with batteries when I bought my first pair. For batteries I suggest looking at this list, Efest is usually the more affordable brand that nearly every store seems to stock: Taste Your Juice | BATTERY INFORMATION
On portable charging. I like to use my Xtar WP2 charger for that, it has a 5V USB output mode you can switch it into when you load it up with batteries.
New question:
I have protected 18350 batteries that worked alright in my vamo but the Zmax won't fire with them. I can get it to boot up, turn on after 5 clicks but after that it's just dead. Any idea what the problem is?
My suspicion is that the voltage drop that would occur on firing becomes too much for the Zmax to approve of, while the vamo didn't care.
The batteries in question are cigfire. I hoped they weren't a rebranded cheapo *-fire so I took the gamble anyway when I ordered them. They come from intaste.de who also stock several other great batteries and seem to be a respectable store.
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Thanks for the information and it turns out I was doing it right from the get-go. I like to use the 3 rings in the slim middle section for reference instead of how far my battery pokes out. If the 3 rings look exactly centered between the big tubes it's good.
There's hardly any slack or wobble on the tubes and I'm loving the zmax so far.
With protected batteries, there is an internal circuit that limits the output current (Over Current limit). I don't know what that limit is on those CigFire batteries, but it sounds like you're exceeding it which shuts the battery down and keeps the mod from working correctly.
That's why you'll hear people say not to use protected batteries in a device that already has built-in protection. However, that being said, I've bought and successfully used protected batteries in my Sigelei by reading the battery specifications before I purchase them. For example, I'm currently using Orbtronic 3100 mAh "protected" batteries in my V3, and I don't have any issues whatsoever. The "over current" protection limit in these batteries doesn't kick in until your device draws 8A or more (8 amps). I know I won't be getting anywhere near that while vaping with my V3 and I have the added peace of mind that my battery can't short out inside or (just as importantly) outside my device where I store them.
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I wanted to get back to the forum and follow-up on my previous post where I mention the possibility of improved threads on the new V3 that has the "Sigelei" logo under the button.
If you recall, this was 1 of 2 that I purchased in the same order from Desert Vapes, and that I purchased as a favor for a friend's wife so she could give it to him for Christmas (the other was for my Dad). I was there when she gave it to my friend, and I helped him get Noalox on the threads and showed him how to use it. Long story short, I noticed how much better the threads on the tube were. There wasn't any of the slop I was used to with my older V3 or my newer V3 (without the logo). I couldn't mess with it much to confirm 100% because my friend was salivating to use the mod, so I had to pass it over.
At any rate, his internal board came loose several days ago about the same time my did (newer V3 but not the logo version) so I disassembled and fixed both of them yesterday in my garage. This gave me the opportunity to confirm that the threads on his V3 are awesome in comparison to any that I own. There is NO SLACK in the threads vertically and so little slack horizontally that it's not even worth mentioning.
The threads are VERY nice, especially with the Noalox.
I don't expect him to ever have much trouble with getting a solid ground connection through the tube.
What's confusing to me is that the other "logo" V3 that I got in the same package from Desert Vapes is not like his at all (recall that the other one went to my Dad which I also examined closely). Both look identical (Sigelei logo), came from the same vendor, same purchase date, etc. and yet the threads are night and day. I wonder if Sigelei is moving to better threads, but those improved models are mixed up with others in their shipments to vendors? No idea. Any thoughts on this are certainly welcome.
By the way, I think we've basically concluded in the forum that the software version doesn't always help with determining hardware revision, but I'll go ahead and throw out here that both are version 1.5a. (great discovery Deckacards, thanks for that!
).
If you recall, this was 1 of 2 that I purchased in the same order from Desert Vapes, and that I purchased as a favor for a friend's wife so she could give it to him for Christmas (the other was for my Dad). I was there when she gave it to my friend, and I helped him get Noalox on the threads and showed him how to use it. Long story short, I noticed how much better the threads on the tube were. There wasn't any of the slop I was used to with my older V3 or my newer V3 (without the logo). I couldn't mess with it much to confirm 100% because my friend was salivating to use the mod, so I had to pass it over.
At any rate, his internal board came loose several days ago about the same time my did (newer V3 but not the logo version) so I disassembled and fixed both of them yesterday in my garage. This gave me the opportunity to confirm that the threads on his V3 are awesome in comparison to any that I own. There is NO SLACK in the threads vertically and so little slack horizontally that it's not even worth mentioning.
The threads are VERY nice, especially with the Noalox.
I don't expect him to ever have much trouble with getting a solid ground connection through the tube.What's confusing to me is that the other "logo" V3 that I got in the same package from Desert Vapes is not like his at all (recall that the other one went to my Dad which I also examined closely). Both look identical (Sigelei logo), came from the same vendor, same purchase date, etc. and yet the threads are night and day. I wonder if Sigelei is moving to better threads, but those improved models are mixed up with others in their shipments to vendors? No idea. Any thoughts on this are certainly welcome.
By the way, I think we've basically concluded in the forum that the software version doesn't always help with determining hardware revision, but I'll go ahead and throw out here that both are version 1.5a. (great discovery Deckacards, thanks for that!
).
A link to instructions for checking firmware was posted just yesterday. Here is the link to that post.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...r-reports-one-week-later-50.html#post11826638
When you see words show up in blue color in these post it is a hypertext link. That means you can click on the blue words and it will take to you to the information posted elsewhere. Hypertext links are useful when the writer wants to avoid repeating the same information over and over again.
Hypertext links can be any color. It's just a color different from that used in the main body of the text.
The Sigelei Zmax V3s with the non-removable top caps, brass eGo threadings, firmware SI V1.1, no logos, light colored buttons, and old-style mountings for electronics appeared late in 2011. I bought one of these in April 2012 and it's still working today.
As production continued Sigelei made improvements to the V3s at several vaguely defined point of time. The electronic supports were improved, the button background changed color, the brass eGo connector was replaced with stainless steel threading and a removable top cap, and firmware upgrades changed menu wording, spelling and functions for both V3 and V5. Sigelei logos appeared first on V5 and later on V3.
Vendors have a roll to play in what Sigelei you get when you order. Vendors with fast moving stock often have the Sigeleis fresh from China with the latest features. Vendors with slow moving stock may still be selling NOS (New Old Stock). Vendor websites may or may not have up-to-date photos and descriptions of the Sigeleis they sell. Vendors have a choice in certain details of the Sigelei products they purchase from Sigelei, including but not limited to finish, packaging, kit accessories, logos, etc. If you have questions regarding specific details of Sigelei products don't hestitate to visit, phone or email the vendor for that information before you purchase.
As production continued Sigelei made improvements to the V3s at several vaguely defined point of time. The electronic supports were improved, the button background changed color, the brass eGo connector was replaced with stainless steel threading and a removable top cap, and firmware upgrades changed menu wording, spelling and functions for both V3 and V5. Sigelei logos appeared first on V5 and later on V3.
Vendors have a roll to play in what Sigelei you get when you order. Vendors with fast moving stock often have the Sigeleis fresh from China with the latest features. Vendors with slow moving stock may still be selling NOS (New Old Stock). Vendor websites may or may not have up-to-date photos and descriptions of the Sigeleis they sell. Vendors have a choice in certain details of the Sigelei products they purchase from Sigelei, including but not limited to finish, packaging, kit accessories, logos, etc. If you have questions regarding specific details of Sigelei products don't hestitate to visit, phone or email the vendor for that information before you purchase.
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I know this has been talked about before, but thought I'd go ahead and post how I fixed two Sigelei V3's with this issue (I mentioned having to do this in my above post). This was to fix my personal V3 as well as my buddy's V3 who also had the board move on him. Mine is the newer "unbranded" V3 and my buddy's is a Logo'd V3 (both latest software version). I agree with Yzer that if it works, why risk making things worse, but neither of our V3's would work with flat top batteries anymore due to the shifting, so this was basically the only option.
I should say first of all that although I was able to pop the cap off of my Dad's Logo'd V3 without removing the upper threaded collar, I won't ever do it again. With my V3 in the vice, and working back and forth with a pair of adjustable channel-lock pliers (both using leather protection to avoid scratches), I managed to pull off my threaded collar and dork up the threads. It still screws on and off more or less, but it has to be "helped". I can still screw it pretty solid up against my tank for added support, so although I'm disappointed, it wasn't a complete disaster. 
On the logo V3, I chose to remove the threaded collar and use the channel locks on the threads. The teeth in the jaws lined up well with the threads and I managed to work off the top cap with very minimal damage to the threads. The collar still screws on and off smoothly after working it a few times to work off any slight burs I caused. Some miniature files helped also. Again, no damage worth mentioning here.
I know what you're thinking JeremyR... "Why didn't you use the 510 threads to pull off the top cap?".
Well, call me paranoid I guess. I didn't want to risk damaging the 510, plus I don't have a tank with a stainless 510 connector to use to work it off. Oh well. It all pretty much worked out in the end. Maybe next time I'll send them to you and have your kid toss them across the room. LOL! You really need a Nerf skin or something on your V3 man.
Anyway, with the top caps removed on both V3's, I quickly discovered that in my V3, the whole black plastic cradle had broken loose from the inside tube. On the other one however, the board had instead pushed out, leaving the cradle glued firmly to the tube. Looking closer at everything, I saw that the cradle has a groove on each side of the "U" that it forms to hold the circuit card in place. Those grooves don't extend all the way off the long end of the cradle however (1/8 inch shy?). The groove appears to have been molded so that there is a positive stop to keep the card from sliding out of the "U" toward the inside of the top cap. However, enough force on the circuit card can apparently cause the plastic groove ends of the cradle to snap off the cradle (if the cradle doesn't break loose first). I hope that makes sense. I took several pictures, but forgot to take any of the cradle. Argghh...
Anyway, the idea was to keep the card from moving toward the top cap in the future, so I planned to put a spacer in there that the circuit card could .... up against (sort of how JeremyR did his). I used a micrometer to measure the distance from the card to the end of the tube, and measured the inside and outside depths of the top cap. Doing the math, I figured about 2mm of spacer was needed.
After looking at several possible plastic parts I had laying around, I spotted a plastic cap that was part of the packaging for an artificial Christmas tree that measured a thickness at about what I needed. I used tin snips to cut the shape out and a razor blade and sandpaper to get the final shape. I opted for a horseshoe shape to fit into the top cap snugly without glue while it also left some room so the wires wouldn't be pinched (I wanted to be careful with that). The logo V3 had some slightly different measurements on the top cap, but curiously after doing the math it also came to about 2mm, so I made another spacer just like the first one.
Both tubes went back together well and are working fine. It was a little tougher to get the top caps back on than what I was used to with the older V3 (tighter fit on these). It was easy for the top cap to tilt completely one way or the other instead of inserting straight. After some fiddling and some strategic "convincing" with a rubber mallet, each cap finally went in fine.
A small plastic "horseshoe" part like this would be pretty cheap for Sigelei to include in their PV's and it should eliminate the possibility of this problem ever occurring.
My friend and I have had these new V3's for only about a month now. I'm a bit confused as to why this happened, since I've been pretty careful not to over tighten my batteries and I showed my buddy as well (about 1/8 to 3/16 inch of battery extending from tube). Hopefully someone at Sigelei is reading this thread for future reference.
Final lesson learned: Better to have your battery slightly looser in the tube than overly tight. Don't risk this failure if you can help it.
I should say first of all that although I was able to pop the cap off of my Dad's Logo'd V3 without removing the upper threaded collar, I won't ever do it again. With my V3 in the vice, and working back and forth with a pair of adjustable channel-lock pliers (both using leather protection to avoid scratches), I managed to pull off my threaded collar and dork up the threads.
It still screws on and off more or less, but it has to be "helped". I can still screw it pretty solid up against my tank for added support, so although I'm disappointed, it wasn't a complete disaster. On the logo V3, I chose to remove the threaded collar and use the channel locks on the threads. The teeth in the jaws lined up well with the threads and I managed to work off the top cap with very minimal damage to the threads. The collar still screws on and off smoothly after working it a few times to work off any slight burs I caused. Some miniature files helped also. Again, no damage worth mentioning here.
I know what you're thinking JeremyR... "Why didn't you use the 510 threads to pull off the top cap?".
Well, call me paranoid I guess. I didn't want to risk damaging the 510, plus I don't have a tank with a stainless 510 connector to use to work it off. Oh well. It all pretty much worked out in the end. Maybe next time I'll send them to you and have your kid toss them across the room. LOL! You really need a Nerf skin or something on your V3 man. Anyway, with the top caps removed on both V3's, I quickly discovered that in my V3, the whole black plastic cradle had broken loose from the inside tube. On the other one however, the board had instead pushed out, leaving the cradle glued firmly to the tube. Looking closer at everything, I saw that the cradle has a groove on each side of the "U" that it forms to hold the circuit card in place. Those grooves don't extend all the way off the long end of the cradle however (1/8 inch shy?). The groove appears to have been molded so that there is a positive stop to keep the card from sliding out of the "U" toward the inside of the top cap. However, enough force on the circuit card can apparently cause the plastic groove ends of the cradle to snap off the cradle (if the cradle doesn't break loose first). I hope that makes sense. I took several pictures, but forgot to take any of the cradle. Argghh...
Anyway, the idea was to keep the card from moving toward the top cap in the future, so I planned to put a spacer in there that the circuit card could .... up against (sort of how JeremyR did his). I used a micrometer to measure the distance from the card to the end of the tube, and measured the inside and outside depths of the top cap. Doing the math, I figured about 2mm of spacer was needed.
After looking at several possible plastic parts I had laying around, I spotted a plastic cap that was part of the packaging for an artificial Christmas tree that measured a thickness at about what I needed. I used tin snips to cut the shape out and a razor blade and sandpaper to get the final shape. I opted for a horseshoe shape to fit into the top cap snugly without glue while it also left some room so the wires wouldn't be pinched (I wanted to be careful with that). The logo V3 had some slightly different measurements on the top cap, but curiously after doing the math it also came to about 2mm, so I made another spacer just like the first one.
Both tubes went back together well and are working fine. It was a little tougher to get the top caps back on than what I was used to with the older V3 (tighter fit on these). It was easy for the top cap to tilt completely one way or the other instead of inserting straight. After some fiddling and some strategic "convincing" with a rubber mallet, each cap finally went in fine.
A small plastic "horseshoe" part like this would be pretty cheap for Sigelei to include in their PV's and it should eliminate the possibility of this problem ever occurring.
My friend and I have had these new V3's for only about a month now. I'm a bit confused as to why this happened, since I've been pretty careful not to over tighten my batteries and I showed my buddy as well (about 1/8 to 3/16 inch of battery extending from tube). Hopefully someone at Sigelei is reading this thread for future reference.
Final lesson learned: Better to have your battery slightly looser in the tube than overly tight. Don't risk this failure if you can help it.
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Great post, fairmana! I LOL'd reading about the plastic Xmas tree cap. Yeah, we use these on our tree which is now back in closet storage. Whatever works. I scrounge project materials too.
I suspect that there are Sigelei operatives watching this thread on a regular basis.
I suspect that there are Sigelei operatives watching this thread on a regular basis.
Thanks for the battery info. I have been eyeing these to see if they will give me longer time in the 11watt+ range Amazon.com: Two Panasonic NCR18650B 3.7V 3400mAh Rechargeable Li-ion Batteries QTY 2: Electronics . As far as tube wobble, not much of any recently in 18650 mode, but a little that isn't annoying enough to be concerned. The screen is perfectly straight too, and pushing on the positive terminal doesn't move it at all. Then again, I've followed yzer's advice to the T with not over tightening and using noalox.
As I mentioned, I got mine in kit format (two sigelei branded batteries, charger, and crapiest short wick CE4 you ever saw) for about $70 after coupon from GoodeJuice who is an authorized Sigelei dealer. I did just see that RTD Vapor http://rtdvapor.com/index.php/sigelei-zmax-v5.html has the V5 body only with the logo underneath the fire button for about $65. Personally, I prefer not to have the logo as it looks cleaner to me. The threads are perfect too.
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Thanks Yzer. Yeah I'm a pack rat. I can't seem to throw anything away. Most of what I hold onto I never use and it ends up just taking up space. It's when I finally decide to toss something that I finally need it a week later.
Just for gee whiz, I put together a drawing in Paint for anyone that cares to ever do their own measurements and make their own spacer. I suspect that for the most part, 2mm is where everyone will be at, but of course there will always be some slight variation in circuit board length in these. 2mm is probably just a hair short, but I recommend that over having it too wide where the top cap won't go on all the way or the board is squashed/damaged.
Since I didn't have a pic in my previous post, I also made up a drawing of the grooves in the circuit card cradle where the ends busted out and let the card slide forward.
Cheers!
Just for gee whiz, I put together a drawing in Paint for anyone that cares to ever do their own measurements and make their own spacer. I suspect that for the most part, 2mm is where everyone will be at, but of course there will always be some slight variation in circuit board length in these. 2mm is probably just a hair short, but I recommend that over having it too wide where the top cap won't go on all the way or the board is squashed/damaged.
Since I didn't have a pic in my previous post, I also made up a drawing of the grooves in the circuit card cradle where the ends busted out and let the card slide forward.
Cheers!
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BecknCO, coincidentally those are the batteries I happened to buy for my friend's wife to go along with the the "logo" V3 he got for Christmas. He tells me that so far, they seem to be working well although he doesn't have much of a basis for comparison. He isn't a real heavy vaper, but he tells me that for the two weeks before his circuit card got shifted, they lasted him the better part of 2 days. After the board shifted, the flat top batteries would no longer make positive contact in the tube.
The only thing that I did notice that might be a concern is that when I looked at these, the battery flat top seemed to be slightly "pushed in" from the pressure of the positive contact inside the Sigelei. I don't know if that was caused by over tightening the tube or if the flat top on the battery is a little weak/flimsy. I don't know how big an issue that is but I wanted to mention it. Someone else on the forum might have had that happen to batteries they owned that could tell us if they worked OK in spite of that or if they ended up crapping out. I'd be interested to know just out of curiosity.
He's coming over to pick up his repaired V3 tonight and bringing those batteries so I'll take a look at them again.
The logoed Sigelei I bought from Vapor Bank must be seriously defective. With the tubes screwed together and a 350 batt in it there is about 1/4" of threading left. I'm using the large bottom piece to hold the batt in place but am beginning to get dry hits because it's not making good contact all the time. I have never over tightened it with a 650. I don't have the tools, patience or steadiness of hand to do anything to it but how long does anyone think the PV is going to remain functional with such a large gap between the hot spring and the bottom of the battery?
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The 18350 battery position is correct. Use the short battery cap for 18350 batteries. You will get good battery contact with that. Use the tall battery cap on 18490/18500, 18650 and 2x18350.
The short battery cap fits 18350 best and makes the Sigelei smaller. It's a bit harder to handle than the tall cap so take a little extra care when screwing it in.
The tall battery cap will work with 18350 but usually you must stretch the spring a little before doing this. Try stretching the spring no more than about 2mm. Or.. just use the short cap for 18350.
@ BechnCO:
OK, so I got a close look at these batteries and had a conversation with him about them. I was previously under the impression they were dimpled on the top from being pushed on by the PV positive contact, but I was wrong (I only glanced at them briefly). They come slightly concave on the top from the factory, but make contact just fine (if the board isn't shifted that is). The top contact seems beefy and not flimsy at all. They seem like good batteries to me and they are lasting him almost 2 days as I mentioned previously (3400 mAh is about the highest capacity on the market right now).
I borrowed one of these to use for a week and let him use one of my Orbtronic 3100 mAh protected batteries. I can let you know how this one works out by next weekend.
Here are a couple of pics for you.
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BecknCO,
I had the some problem as you when I first got my V5 in the mail. My Zmax came as a package, along with an 18650 and 18350 Sigelei branded ICR battery. Using those batteries, I'd only be able to hit 10+ watts when the battery was at 3.9 or higher volts. Not much leeway if you ask me, considering my batteries typically left the charger at 4.15 volts.
If your batteries are the ones shown in this link, I would stop using them immediately. The link displays specs of the Sigelei 18650 ICR, and points to a 0.5C discharge current. Hardly safe for use in any PV.
I went on the lookout for higher capacity batteries and ordered two button top Panasonic NCR18650Bs. To answer your question: Using higher capacity batteries in your Zmax will allow you to vape at 10+ watts for a longer period of time, but as soon as the battery voltage drops to 3.7/3.8 volts (as you described in your post), you'll encounter the same problems that you've had with the lower capacity batteries you have now.
The only solution to this problem I've found is to stack 18350s. I use dual Efest IMRs and can maintain even 15 watts until an individual battery reads 3.5 volts.
Now this is very concerning. Those are in fact the batteries that came with the kit, and if they are dangerous, then why would Sigelei put them in their kit and risk a law suit? Not that I haven't heard that this is possible before with other mods, but damn...now I am a little worried. Are there any precursors I should watch for before they fail? I've heard that you can stack batteries as you've done, and have it be ok, but it is still relatively unsafe (or rather less safe than using one 18650). I've already spent my vape budget for this month, but damn....now I'm more confused than ever which batteries to get and whether or not I can wait until February to do so. Right now, the zmax is what I am using exclusively...
I'm also very interested in your battery comparison, fairmana.
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