Sigelei Zmax V3 and V5 Telescopic: User's Group

[xyanide]

Hey yzer., you seem to have very good luck. We need to direct sigelei r&.d to this thread and the 1cent fix. Dropping it especially on the head can easily dislodge it, by the battery getting shocked into the positive pin.

One preventative fix I have seen is .. When its new put epoxy around the posi pin in the black disc and also around black disc to body. The disc slides right out the top it's sitting on a ledge. Just don't get any On the top contact part of the pin.

This is the only preventative mod you can do to it without taking apart, but again it's pretty easy. :$

Can you hand over a few links and info/worklog? I'd love to prevent my V5 button and internals from slipping.

 

[yzer]

Hey yzer., you seem to have very good luck. We need to direct sigelei r&.d to this thread and the 1cent fix. Dropping it especially on the head can easily dislodge it, by the battery getting shocked into the positive pin.

One preventative fix I have seen is .. When its new put epoxy around the posi pin in the black disc and also around black disc to body. The disc slides right out the top it's sitting on a ledge. Just don't get any On the top contact part of the pin.

This is the only preventative mod you can do to it without taking apart, but again it's pretty easy. :$

Sometimes having good luck is frustrating because I have never seen these problems with my Sigeleis.

I sent this e-mail to Sigelei USA on 1.10.2014 using the e-mail link provided: Contact us_Contact us_SIGELEI Electronic Cigarette - This includes a link to your fix for the slippage problem. I haven't received a reply as of yet.





Dear XXXXXX,

I’m passing you a link to a special forum at E-Cigarette Forum. This thread should be of particular interest to Sigelei because of the variety and quality of comments regarding your Sigelei Zmax V3/V5 Telescopic. Posts made from November 2013 through January 2014 include many useful comments that could make your excellent product even better.

I post under the ECF name “yzer” and started this thread.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ic-flat-top-other-reports-one-week-later.html

I own two Sigelei Zmax V3 telescopics purchased in April and November of 2012. I believe this product is one of the finest e-cigarettes available anywhere. Here are some suggestions I made regarding the Sigelei V3.

A recent update:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...r-reports-one-week-later-50.html#post11826638

Suggested method for adjusting battery tube length:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...r-reports-one-week-later-44.html#post11651838

Several suggested improvements for the V3:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...r-reports-one-week-later-47.html#post11752297

Here is a recent suggested modification from another poster regarding a spacer to prevent problems with slippage of electronics:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...r-reports-one-week-later-51.html#post11835101

If I may be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX (yzer)

 

[Gato del Jugo]

1/2 spring compression is important. That's why I posted this and linked it many times.

Sigelei Zmax Telescopic battery tube adjustment

I posted it in hopes that the users here could avoid board slippage by not over-tightening the tube. JeremeyR showed that the internals can shift even on the newer Sigelei V3s with improved half-round mount if overtightened. He also showed a simple and inexpensive modification that Sigelei could use to avoid this problem.

So, if the Sigeleis are showing internal slippage with 1/2 compressed springs that's bad news. I can only watch this issue develop here because my nine-month old and two month old Sigeleis have never been overtightened and both have centered switches.

If you go back in time, these same issues have been occuring since at least May, if not earlier, to quite a few people..


Figured I would roll the dice since this is otherwise a nice piece, and I have been careful.. apparently I lost on that gamble

All this leads to me to, again, believing that part of the internals are junky


I don't have a back-up right now.. And I'm not sure I even have the correct tools to fix it myself

Not cracking this puppy open until I get the back-up


Send it back for an exchange? Extra $10-20 on shipping both ways, get a new one, and have the same issue pop up again 3-4 weeks later?

Nah.. back-up & then think about cracking it open


Oh, and I bet a few people out there could make a few extra bucks on the side by repairing these things for a small fee..

 

[Gato del Jugo]

Only thing better is a provari IMO, or just get a 40.00 mech.

In my photos I show how it bottoms out on the negative wire. And its sounds like where your at now gato. The issue is it will also start to tilt up at the top side. Increasing misfires. Misfires damage the switch overtime, IMO, as fairmainias photos show. Regular Misfires is when I would do something about it!

Its not difficult to work on guys. If you can build an rba you can do it. I found it surprisingly simple!!

Well, perhaps I'll get lucky & my issues will stop where they are now


I was planning on getting a 2nd mod, regardless of any issues.. I was looking at a ProVari prior to the Sig, and aside from the lack of VW, I also had a tough time justifying the price-tag

Can kind of now see why it might be worth it, after all.. Besides, I used to spend more than that in a month on analogs


I suppose I could live with the lack of VW... of course, after I receive it, I'm sure they'll come up with their version 3 VV/VW, LOL

 

[yzer]

I'm a happy camper in a Provari-free zone.

 

[JeremyR]

I bet a few people out there could make a few extra bucks on the side by repairing these things for a small fee.

I can repair anyone's zmax that has a board shift problem. I've got the repair in its 3rd revision right now. So I've got it down pretty good. You can probably ship it for 5 bucks or less each way.

If anyone has one thats in need of repair pm me and we can figure something out. Its worth fixing for sure, one way or the other.

Yeah a provari is pretty pricey, way out of my price range. I'll probably never own one.

 

[Gato del Jugo]

I can repair anyone's zmax that has a board shift problem. I've got the repair in its 3rd revision right now. So I've got it down pretty good. You can probably ship it for 5 bucks or less each way.

If anyone has one thats in need of repair pm me and we can figure something out. Its worth fixing for sure, one way or the other.

Yeah a provari is pretty pricey, way out of my price range. I'll probably never own one.

Thanks for your offer to the board.. I ask that ECF doesn't delete it, as it is a pretty important thing, since it seems to be more & more of a recurring issue as time goes on

You might hear from me somewhere down the road...

 

[JeremyR]

I think its within the rules I'm not selling ecigs or related products, just offering to repair it for those in need.

 

[fairmana]

The basic Zmax electronics are used by both Smok and Sigelei and so is the name Zmax. The difference between Sigelie and Smok is like night and day in terms of build quality, menu, features, etc. They are two different companies.

The Zmax thread in the model specific APV forum is for Smok Zmax but a few Sigelei Zmax posts show up there anyway.

Maybe it's time to start a new sub-forum for Sigelei including the Zmax and mechanical mods. I can look into that. It would allow us to use features like stickies. There are a number of threads by several posters that could be good stickies. Stickies need to be watched carefully, however. They often become outdated as models change and evolve.

This thread started as a thread about one Sigelei model: the Zmax Telescopic V3 Flat Head. It grew to include all other Sigelei Zmax Telescopics including the V5. I wouldn't recommend moving this thread to another forum as it has become very well established here but there is no need to lose valuable posts that can be saved in a new forum.

I definitely agree. I really think it would be beneficial to have all this great info we've put together easier for everyone to find. Being able to "sticky" a lot of what we have compiled here would also definitely be a plus. It's such a pain to flip back through this thread to try to find all the "gold nugget" posts.

Also, if you look in the "APV Model Specific Category", there is a "Smoktech "Max" VV devices" category where many V3 owners are posting. I suspect they are posting there because there isn't anywhere else that makes sense to (no Sigelei ZMAX category). Couldn't we have a moderator place this thread there instead? It's a shame we can't have everything "Sigelei" in one place, and I suspect that many posters in that area have no idea this valuable thread exists. There's even a thread there regarding the Zmax button issues, even if it's a bit light on posts.

I'm thinking it would have to be your call Yzer, since you originally started this thread. Just moving this thread there might be a better location for it. A specific "Sigelei ZMAX" category would be even better. What are your thoughts? Do you think a moderator would consider doing that for us?

 

[olefolks]

I think Fairmana has a great idea. Yzer, you are the MAN!!!

 

[olefolks]

Hey yzer., you seem to have very good luck. We need to direct sigelei r&.d to this thread and the 1cent fix. Dropping it especially on the head can easily dislodge it, by the battery getting shocked into the positive pin.

One preventative fix I have seen is .. When its new put epoxy around the posi pin in the black disc and also around black disc to body. The disc slides right out the top it's sitting on a ledge. Just don't get any On the top contact part of the pin.

This is the only preventative mod you can do to it without taking apart, but again it's pretty easy. :$

Jeremy, In essence are you epoxying the pin to the round black disc and epoxying the disc to the body of the tube? What epoxy would you use? The epoxy I use is way too thick for this type of application. (Golf club repair).

 

[White_rabbitt]

I definitely agree. I really think it would be beneficial to have all this great info we've put together easier for everyone to find. Being able to "sticky" a lot of what we have compiled here would also definitely be a plus. It's such a pain to flip back through this thread to try to find all the "gold nugget" posts.

Also, if you look in the "APV Model Specific Category", there is a "Smoktech "Max" VV devices" category where many V3 owners are posting. I suspect they are posting there because there isn't anywhere else that makes sense to (no Sigelei ZMAX category). Couldn't we have a moderator place this thread there instead? It's a shame we can't have everything "Sigelei" in one place, and I suspect that many posters in that area have no idea this valuable thread exists. There's even a thread there regarding the Zmax button issues, even if it's a bit light on posts.

I'm thinking it would have to be your call Yzer, since you originally started this thread. Just moving this thread there might be a better location for it. A specific "Sigelei ZMAX" category would be even better. What are your thoughts? Do you think a moderator would consider doing that for us?

I agree too and had actually brought this up a few posts ago. Yzer responded and explained a few of the benefits/issues w/ doing that.
I'd still like to see a Sigelei Zmax sub-forum regardless.

 

[JeremyR]

Jeremy, In essence are you epoxying the pin to the round black disc and epoxying the disc to the body of the tube? What epoxy would you use? The epoxy I use is way too thick for this type of application. (Golf club repair).

I just saw it on the inter webs some where, I can make no claims to its durability, never tried it. I don't think it would be totally permanent. Not sure you what type maybe an adhesive glue/caulk type stuff like used heavily in construction, can't think of the name.. Anythink that bonds metal & plastic.

 

[fairmana]

Yeah, IMO I don't think that solution is very durable. The black disk sits on a ledge inside the tube that prevents if from coming out toward the battery, but it's not glued in place, which is normally not an issue because the battery normally doesn't push against it (when the circuit board is not shifted that is). If the circuit card shifts and the battery moves up the tube far enough, it will contact the black disk and move it as well.

IMO using epoxy to glue the black disk to the tube and trying to get glue on the circuit board around that pin won't help very much. I doubt you could get glue where you need it while working in the limited space inside the battery tube anyway and you'd risk getting glue all over the place (including on the positive pin that needs to touch your battery). Steady pressure from the battery will likely dislodge it afterwards anyway because you couldn't get enough in the right places. Also, epoxy doesn't usually dry completely hard and it will likely stretch and flex when it's under pressure. We've already seen how well the epoxy that Sigelei used worked to secure the circuit card cradle inside the upper tube. A different type of glue might be better than epoxy, but you still have to contend with the other points I made above.

IMO the spacer on the other end of the tube under the top cap is the only approach that will be permanent and avoid future hassles, which unfortunately requires removing the top cap. I just don't see a good solution any other way.

 

[olefolks]

After using my old and feeble brain, I agree with Fairmana. Would probably be an exercise in futility.

 

[JeremyR]

^^^^
Yeah me too I just threw it out because it's the only other option I saw. I didn't do it because it would cause more of a mess and likely not work for very long.

The way I have the internal trepair honed its impossible for the board to is shift in any way/ the hardest part is getting everything lined up properly when it's back together.

 

[olefolks]

^^^^
Yeah me too I just threw it out because it's the only other option I saw. I didn't do it because it would cause more of a mess and likely not work for very long.

The way I have the internal trepair honed its impossible for the board to is shift in any way/ the hardest part is getting everything lined up properly when it's back together.

Please Jeremy, I really don't want to hear that. Your making me nervous, when the time comes. LOL!!!

 

[fairmana]

LMAO!

 

[yzer]

I'll contact an ECF mod and ask about creating a Sigelei sub forum in APV Model Specific Discussion. I'll also ask about "sticky" policy and process for the forum. This could be fun.

 

[olefolks]

Yzer, thank you, thank you, thank you. No need to say it but, keep us advised.