Skyladon is the WEAKEST mech I own

[ejej]

OK. Since it was driving me nuts, I tested for voltage drop on 5 of my tube mech mods to get an idea of what I felt was a big difference in voltage drop on the Skyladon. this is in No means a 'scientific' test I cleaned all mods thoroughly before testing. I used the same fully charged Aspire 18650 Battery（40A 1800mAh）and never let it drop below 4.15v I used the same atty with the same build each time. Here are the results:
showing drop in voltage from baseline (battery resting state) to under load (measured voltage when firing atty)
SMPL = 0.69 v
Stingray 0.72 v
SOI (clone) = 0.75 v
FUHATTEN = v0.73
Skyladon (hybrid) = 1.34 v
Each test I ran 3 times in a row to get a decent average. You can see that the Skyladon is DOUBLE the voltage drop. It all makes sense to me now. FYI, I know this is not the proper way to measure v drop. However, I did have a consistent baseline and end result. Anyone else find their Skyladon weaksauce?

 

[sonicbomb]

That's super low, the voltage drop on any mod at that resistance will be huge.

 

[Nikea Tiber]

Try Nevr-Dull wadding and a bit of force to remove the arc-glazing. If you are a mech head you should have a can of it anyhow, it is cheap and great for removing tarnish or patina. Make sure the firing slug battery contact is clean, dead level, and isn't pitted -judging from the construction of that switch, builds below .25 ohm are going to give it some serious pitting unless it is rhodium plated (doubtful). Make sure the outer circumference of the firing slug is completely clean, as well as the inner portion of the battery tube it contacts; this connection is essential for the mod to fire well, keep it doped with a conductive grease like noalox gold.
That vdrop is pretty abysmal. For accuracy, you may want to repeat your tests with a 1 ohm load. Measuring the resistance of a mod (part of what creates the voltage drop) is complicated by the voltage sag a low resistance atomizer creates on the battery when it is fired. Since a higher resistance load creates less voltage sag, when you measure vdrop you will be meausring more of the drop created by the mods resistance, and less of the atties low resistance creating voltage sag.
In my experience, stainless steel to brass electrical connections work quite a bit better when they are doped with noalox gold or a similar conductive grease, I feel this is important enough to mention a second time here. I have a SS prax1s clone that has a brass firing slug, mechanically and electrically, it is pretty similar to the skyladon's switch (i don't own a skyladon, but there are a lot of pictures on Google images), and my prax1s hits hard even at .14 ohm.
If the stingray you ordered is 1:1 you won't be disappointed, it's switch is easily in the top 3 for tube mechs running atties close to, or at battery CDR.

 

[sonicbomb]

The testing you did looks good to me. The lower the resistance you use, the higher the VD will be. Looks like mod may be a dog.
If the cell you are using is this one, then it's a 25 amp cell not a 40 amp, watch out for that.

 

[ejej]

Quick question, as I too was just testing volt drops of my mod between loads...

With the smpl - closest to my 4nine - how low in resistance are you using the atty?

With my 4nine, I seem to be getting a way lower drop than your results with your mechs. With a .83 build, I get a solid .4 voltage drop thru out the battery charge life (tested 30+ times within the same cell/charge) and by no means is the mech "cleaned" before testing. It is as-is

.15 ohms

 

[ejej]

That's super low, the voltage drop on any mod at that resistance will be huge.

I agree, however the Skyladon itself seems to always be 50%(average) more VD than all the others. I'm just surprised it's THAT much of a difference.

 

[Danneh]

Yeah thank you, super helpful post! Will make sure to try both the wadding and grease, I'm certain my skyladon is salvageable

The stingray I went for is a higher quality clone, 1:1, steel outer tube with copper inner and contacts. All reviews point to it being a good one so I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes.

 

[Nikea Tiber]

The stingray x is a nice mech, the conductivity of copper and the durability of stainless steel. If the one you bought has the 18350 + two extension tubes for 18650, figure out which order looks the most seamless, clean the threads really really well (use a toothbrush in addition to Nevr-Dull or a similar metal polish), grease them with a conductive grease of your choice, and don't unscrew them again if you only use 18650s. As long as the extension tubes are nice and tight after you clean it, you shouldn't have clean them again provided you don't take them apart. Always pay careful attention to the threads, there is a lot of potential for electrical resistance if they aren't clean.
When you have it apart for cleaning, be careful not to loose the rice pin in your carpet.
I managed to find a black ceracoat copper stingray clone with one piece battery tubes. It's a freakin' beast!

 

[sonicbomb]

No other mech comes close to my SX in either performance or beauty. Good advise on the 'grease and leave it alone' for multi-section tubes. I also went for a clone with a one piece 18650 tube which avoids the the issue altogether.

Things to look for with SX clones:

• Check for razor sharp edges or burr around the logo cutouts.
  
• Up-rating the magnets or replace with a good strong spring.
• Fabricate or buy another rice pin that provides a more snug fit, this tightens up the throw and reduces button rotation.
• Make sure the inner button mechanism has air-channels in the threads, some do not.
• Make sure the tube vents properly. Some clones have ridiculously tiny vents in the top-cap and button. Test by removing each end one at a time and blowing down the tube. If an unacceptable amount of air escapes, then drill 2mm holes in the tube around the top and bottom. This messes up the aesthetics to a degree, but may save you some facial scarring and a hefty medical bill if your battery goes nuclear.

 

[classwife]

Moved this to Mech Mods from Ask The Veterans

 

[defdock]

Quick question, as I too was just testing volt drops of my mod between loads...

With the smpl - closest to my 4nine - how low in resistance are you using the atty?

With my 4nine, I seem to be getting a way lower drop than your results with your mechs. With a .83 build, I get a solid .4 voltage drop thru out the battery charge life (tested 30+ times within the same cell/charge) and by no means is the mech "cleaned" before testing. It is as-is

 

[ejej]

The testing you did looks good to me. The lower the resistance you use, the higher the VD will be. Looks like mod may be a dog.
If the cell you are using is this one, then it's a 25 amp cell not a 40 amp, watch out for that.

Thank you 4 the heads up. I actually got these batteries specifically from Mooch's post.

 

[Verb]

That's super low, the voltage drop on any mod at that resistance will be huge.

I wouldn't consider .08V to .1V drop through the mod to be huge. I get that on my DIY bottom feeder below .15 ohm. Copper Ruby hits even harder, but I can't measure that without battery sag.

 

[Danneh]

I calculated my skyladon to have an internal resistance of 0.03 ohms when new. However running builds of 0.2-0.25 ohms on it has caused corrosion on the walls of the tube where the switch contacts, and it only fires properly at certain angles. I can't seem to clean the tube either, I've tried pencil erasers, alcohol, very fine steel wool, and nothing seems to clear it up. It's a brilliant mech while it worked but I think I need to move on to something with a better switch.

 

[ejej]

That's interesting. What crazy is mine is a brand new device. Weird. Oh well, I thankfully have other mods.

 

[Danneh]

I only own an Atmizoo Dingo (18650 mode) and the Skyladon, dingo's IR is 0.06 ohms, skyladon's is 0.03 so the skyladon hit noticeably harder when I got it. Now though, the corrosion means I've swapped my kayfun onto the skyladon and rebuilt my avocado for a higher ohm build and put it on my dingo, works a lot better this way round.

Copper stingray clone is inbound though, hoping that will work better for my low builds

 

[ejej]

smart thinking. ya my Stingray clone hits nice and hard.

 

[ejej]

Wow, thank you for this very informative response. I will definitely be picking up some Never-dull wadding. ~cheers~

 

[sonicbomb]

I think what you are describing is the Stingray X. If it is then it's by far my favorite mech, looks great and performs brilliantly with a very low VD.

 

[Danneh]

Ah yep, that's the one. Did a bit of research and it seemed like the one to go for!