Sigelei Zmax V3 and V5 Telescopic: User's Group
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Looking forward to seeing the video, fairmana! I haven't done much video editing but I know how much time it takes.
I took the sigelei switch apart today. Like the rest of the innards on my V5, everything was bone dry. No sign of moisture anywhere. The black plastic boot that fits on top of the dome switch surprised me. It's hard plastic with a post in the middle that makes contact with the center of the dome. The dome itself is copper colored on the top side and a light gold color on the underside.
The contacts inside the box looked clean. No sign of anything strange there. I spotted carbon on the inside of the dome but no pitting.
A better look at the inside of the dome.
Inside dome close-up showing deposits. There seems to be a little pitting along with the carbon.
It's hard to take this photo on my camera but here the dome is shown on edge and resting on the corner of the switch box. It seems as flat as a pancake to me, but maybe that's the way it is supposed to be. About 2-3 weeks before the switch failed I noticed it wasn't making a clicking sound anymore and the tactical feedback was very soft. The switch began to misfire a few times on Sunday, August 17 and by the next day was completely unusable. I think the main issue with this switch is that the dome has flattened out to the point that it won't buckle and click anymore. That's strange considering that I only used this rig for four months.
I took the sigelei switch apart today. Like the rest of the innards on my V5, everything was bone dry. No sign of moisture anywhere. The black plastic boot that fits on top of the dome switch surprised me. It's hard plastic with a post in the middle that makes contact with the center of the dome. The dome itself is copper colored on the top side and a light gold color on the underside.
The contacts inside the box looked clean. No sign of anything strange there. I spotted carbon on the inside of the dome but no pitting.
A better look at the inside of the dome.
Inside dome close-up showing deposits. There seems to be a little pitting along with the carbon.
It's hard to take this photo on my camera but here the dome is shown on edge and resting on the corner of the switch box. It seems as flat as a pancake to me, but maybe that's the way it is supposed to be. About 2-3 weeks before the switch failed I noticed it wasn't making a clicking sound anymore and the tactical feedback was very soft. The switch began to misfire a few times on Sunday, August 17 and by the next day was completely unusable. I think the main issue with this switch is that the dome has flattened out to the point that it won't buckle and click anymore. That's strange considering that I only used this rig for four months.
Great pics of the bad switch Yzer. I still had the guts of the one I took apart way back and just looked at the dome to compare it to yours. It looks about the same with possibly a slight bit more roundness, but I could be imagining it. If there is a difference, it's very slight. I put the pieces back together and it still makes a solid "clicky" sound with plenty of feedback. It's perfectly reasonable to conclude that yours flattened out enough that it will no longer "pop" and then return. I can't imagine anything else that could cause it to stop working normally.
I must have at least a dozen of the original switches laying around. A couple of them were replaced before they actually went bad (just on general principle and because I already had the tube open). When I get a chance, I'll pop the "best one" open to see what kind of shape the dome is in. Maybe that will give us something better to compare to.
I must have at least a dozen of the original switches laying around. A couple of them were replaced before they actually went bad (just on general principle and because I already had the tube open). When I get a chance, I'll pop the "best one" open to see what kind of shape the dome is in. Maybe that will give us something better to compare to.
OK, so I finally got my video on YouTube. It was definitely a learning experience. I definitely learned a lot about what NOT to do while filming such as making sure the "automatic image stabilization" is OFF (sorry if anyone gets a headache from watching the close-up's!). Anyway, for what it's worth, the video is published if anyone cares to check it out. Go easy on me...
Part 1
Part 2
Part 1
Part 2
Awesome fairmana.. Don't worry about the quality people will still get what they need from it.. I started doing videos too for wicking with rayon. I had no software and only an iphone to record from. My plan was do it all as quick as possible. No editing. And on top of that I used the front facing lens on the iphone to reduce the file size and quality. They didn't turn out to bad at all. (Regularens only records in hd, way to big to deal with)
I will check em out tonight.
I will check em out tonight.
Good video, fairmana! It provides everything anyone would need to to the job. I didn't have a microfiber cloth around but lens tissue (safe for coated camera lenses) worked fine to clean the acrylic window and OLED display. I used a little lens cleaning solution on the tissue and just enough to get it damp, not wet.
Thanks for the kudos Yzer! The lens tissue sounds like a good way to do that as well. Another thing I left out that I specifically wish I had mentioned was your alternate method of re-inserting the top cap with a rubber mallet and a block of wood. As you mentioned, not everyone is going to have a vice that opens wide enough. I'm sure that's not the only thing that I neglected to include. Since I'm on the subject, I'd just like to throw out there that if anyone would like to add any comments or suggestions on the video page itself, by all means please do. I'm sure it will help anyone trying to do the repair/mod while having as much info as possible in one location. I also left a link in the video comments so that anybody can find their way back to this thread if they weren't already familiar with it.
Vaped the immortality modded Sigelei V5 all day yesterday. Still running perfectly. I've got a first generation V3 that is almost 17 months old and will misfire once in a while. That one is getting the Omron switch next.
Just order a SS Sigelei ZMAX Mini for my wife. She had been using iTaste VV3s, but they seem to only be lasting 2-6 months. It was only $32 including shipping on eBay, so I thought what the heck.
Yzer, I wanted to be sure you're aware that the ribbon cable on those older generation screens are especially sensitive to any jostling, movement, or folding. I think it's due to the fact that the cable is thinner with more of it exposed and "in the wind" so to speak. The 1st gen V3 parts that I used as examples during my YouTube video are the result of that little lesson.
After the first time I took my 1st gen V3 apart and put it back together (Jun 2013?), the screen would occasionally display artifacts across the top or bottom row of pixels on the screen. I wasn't what you'd call "excessively rough" around that ribbon cable that I can remember, but I must have done something to it. The last time I dismantled it for the newest Omron switch (2 months ago?), I attempted to re-seat the ribbon cable. I thought it might have been pulled out a little since the ribbon cable looked OK. I was very conscious of the risk that I might make the V3 unusable, but I was willing to take the chance. At the time, I had my other V3 (2nd gen) and my new V5, so I wasn't going to be without a backup. I'll admit that those screen artifacts were really bugging the heck out of me, and that probably pushed me more than anything else to take the risk. With the card out on the bench and being powered by an 18650 battery holder, I could get the screen to come back up for a second, but fiddling around with the ribbon cable only seemed to make it worse until it finally said "enough, I'm done".
At any rate, I'm not trying to dissuade you from changing out the button (on the contrary I think you should definitely do it). Armed with the above, I'm certain it will go without a hitch for you. I did a few of these 1st gen mods after that first bit of bad luck on mine, and none of them had any problems afterwards.
Edit: The button I used in the video came out of my 1st gen V3 since I installed it and ended up removing it the same day.
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As far as I know. It said Sigelei and the vender had a good rating. I've never heard of clones of these, but there could be.
Well not exactly clones but smoketech also makes a zMax mini but it's aluminum and not ss. Sigelei also makes the mini in various colors which are aluminum. The SS version is however real steel.
I try to avoid ordering outside Europe because of customs and the cheapest I could find was at the price I mentioned in Spain.
Regards
Tony
Sent from my GT-I9195 through Tapatalk
I try to avoid ordering outside Europe because of customs and the cheapest I could find was at the price I mentioned in Spain.
Regards
Tony
Sent from my GT-I9195 through Tapatalk
The pictures and description was of the Sigelei, not the Smoktech. They also had the colored models, but I thought the SS would hold up better. Thanks
SMOK is a different diameter, thinner than Siegeli.
I've seen some incrediably low prices for used Siegeli's in the classies. They just don't get the attention, which in a way, is fine by me. They are sorta 'sleepers' in that reguard. I had hoped there'd be a hobbyist who would collect old Siegeli's inorder to start up a parts exchange / fix it service. I got so paranoid about my first one dying that I got a back up for it, but I use both of them so now I want back ups for my back ups ...
I've seen some incrediably low prices for used Siegeli's in the classies. They just don't get the attention, which in a way, is fine by me. They are sorta 'sleepers' in that reguard. I had hoped there'd be a hobbyist who would collect old Siegeli's inorder to start up a parts exchange / fix it service. I got so paranoid about my first one dying that I got a back up for it, but I use both of them so now I want back ups for my back ups ...
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Thanks for the warning and I'll keep this in mind when I crack open this beast. This Sigelei first generation V3 has been working for 17 months and the switch is still very "clicky." It only has occasional misfires so I'm not in a hurry to do the switch replacement. I've got some boat work to tomorrow (three new Group 27 deep cycle batteries) and a lot of other stuff I want to do before winter. It may be a month or two before I get to this job. The nine month-old second generation V3 still works perfectly. That's the one I had for a back-up when the V5 switch died during vacation.Yzer, I wanted to be sure you're aware that the ribbon cable on those older generation screens are especially sensitive to any jostling, movement, or folding. I think it's due to the fact that the cable is thinner with more of it exposed and "in the wind" so to speak. The 1st gen V3 parts that I used as examples during my YouTube video are the result of that little lesson.
After the first time I took my 1st gen V3 apart and put it back together (Jun 2013?), the screen would occasionally display artifacts across the top or bottom row of pixels on the screen. I wasn't what you'd call "excessively rough" around that ribbon cable that I can remember, but I must have done something to it. The last time I dismantled it for the newest Omron switch (2 months ago?), I attempted to re-seat the ribbon cable. I thought it might have been pulled out a little since the ribbon cable looked OK. I was very conscious of the risk that I might make the V3 unusable, but I was willing to take the chance. At the time, I had my other V3 (2nd gen) and my new V5, so I wasn't going to be without a backup. I'll admit that those screen artifacts were really bugging the heck out of me, and that probably pushed me more than anything else to take the risk. With the card out on the bench and being powered by an 18650 battery holder, I could get the screen to come back up for a second, but fiddling around with the ribbon cable only seemed to make it worse until it finally said "enough, I'm done".
At any rate, I'm not trying to dissuade you from changing out the button (on the contrary I think you should definitely do it). Armed with the above, I'm certain it will go without a hitch for you. I did a few of these 1st gen mods after that first bit of bad luck on mine, and none of them had any problems afterwards.
Edit: The button I used in the video came out of my 1st gen V3 since I installed it and ended up removing it the same day.
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