I start getting the "battery low" sign when the battery life gets to about 50%, can barely vape it anymore without having to change batteries. This happens on all my batteries, even the one I just got a few days ago. It's been like this for a few weeks, before it was fine and I could vape right down til the battery was dead. Anyone else had this problem and could there be something wrong with the mod?
Smok AL85 battery problem
- Thread starter cal202
- Start date
- th_trl_thread_readers 0
- Status
what wattage are you vaping at? is it different than what you were vaping at? did the atomizer change in any way?
If no other variables have changed, it could be your mod. The first thing I would do is try cleaning your battery contacts, make sure nothing has gotten in there, it's possible that gunk is stopping your batteries from providing adequate power to the mod as they drain, or they're draining unevenly? If that doesn't fix it, I'd take it to a B&M if you have one near you where the staff are knowledgeable and can maybe help you troubleshoot. That would be an annoying problem to have.
If you've switched tanks, coils, or wattage, this may be causing the problem. Maybe.
Good luck!
Anna
If you've switched tanks, coils, or wattage, this may be causing the problem. Maybe.
Good luck!
Anna
What batteries do you have? We need brand name, model number and any numbers/letters printed on the plastic wrap (not any sticker that might be attached). And, what wattage are you attempting to use?
The batteries are 3.7v 2500mah (one is Torchy, dont know what the others are) and I vape at around 55 watts, but as I said there was no problem before and I've not changed the watts I vape at
I've had this coil in for ages so not sure if that could be anything to do with it. It's not burned out yet so just kept it in
I've had this coil in for ages so not sure if that could be anything to do with it. It's not burned out yet so just kept it in
Last edited:
3.7v 2500mah doesn't tell us much, Torchy though is a pretty reliable vendor over in the UK.
The specs on the battery it could be either an LG HE2/HE4 20amp, Samsung 25R 2500mah 20amp, or a Sony VTC5A 25amp 2500mah. Torchy as far as I know does not have a battery manufacturing plant, so most likely the battery is a re-wrap of one of the 4 listed above. Thus why we suggest all vapers use A Bin Authentics from the Big 4 manufactures (Sony, Samsung, LG, Panasonic/Sanyo). QC on a re-wrap battery you could have a B or even C Bin discard under that wrapper and not an A Bin Spec, vape devices use and need A Bin spec batteries. What it is sounding like to me, those batteries when power is requested the voltage is sagging below the mod's programmed battery shut off level, the Alien 220W and the Alien 85W (AL85) this shutoff voltage programmed is 2.8v per battery, yours being a single battery mod at 55watts the batteries may be to old for the older ones (batteries age they loose Mah (runtime) loose Mah you decrease their overall amp CDR and the mod is detecting this).
55watts/2.8v/90% Control Board Efficiency = 21.8254amps Needed
For those amps and watts for that mod, you will be better served with these 4 batteries
Sony VTC5A 2500mah 25amp CDR <-- Very popular and really a good battery, especially considering its voltage sag under load is very slight like most of Sony's batteries
LG HD2/HD2C/HD4 2000 to 2200mah 25amp CDR <-- Been around a while, still that extra 5amps of CDR will help alleviate most of the voltage sag you are experiencing.
Places to buy beside Torchy over there if you are in the UK
fogstar.co.uk
batteriesplus.co.uk
eu.nkon.nl (Netherlands)
If here in the US/Can/Mex
Liionwholesale.com
imrbatteries.com
illumn.com
orbtronic.com
RTDVapor.com
The specs on the battery it could be either an LG HE2/HE4 20amp, Samsung 25R 2500mah 20amp, or a Sony VTC5A 25amp 2500mah. Torchy as far as I know does not have a battery manufacturing plant, so most likely the battery is a re-wrap of one of the 4 listed above. Thus why we suggest all vapers use A Bin Authentics from the Big 4 manufactures (Sony, Samsung, LG, Panasonic/Sanyo). QC on a re-wrap battery you could have a B or even C Bin discard under that wrapper and not an A Bin Spec, vape devices use and need A Bin spec batteries. What it is sounding like to me, those batteries when power is requested the voltage is sagging below the mod's programmed battery shut off level, the Alien 220W and the Alien 85W (AL85) this shutoff voltage programmed is 2.8v per battery, yours being a single battery mod at 55watts the batteries may be to old for the older ones (batteries age they loose Mah (runtime) loose Mah you decrease their overall amp CDR and the mod is detecting this).
55watts/2.8v/90% Control Board Efficiency = 21.8254amps Needed
For those amps and watts for that mod, you will be better served with these 4 batteries
Sony VTC5A 2500mah 25amp CDR <-- Very popular and really a good battery, especially considering its voltage sag under load is very slight like most of Sony's batteries
LG HD2/HD2C/HD4 2000 to 2200mah 25amp CDR <-- Been around a while, still that extra 5amps of CDR will help alleviate most of the voltage sag you are experiencing.
Places to buy beside Torchy over there if you are in the UK
fogstar.co.uk
batteriesplus.co.uk
eu.nkon.nl (Netherlands)
If here in the US/Can/Mex
Liionwholesale.com
imrbatteries.com
illumn.com
orbtronic.com
RTDVapor.com
Agree with IMFire. 
Are You Using a Rewrap (Rebranded) Battery?
Are You Using a Rewrap (Rebranded) Battery?
- Learn what a rewrap cell is. If you are using rebranded cell, does that mean it is inferior, poor quality, or even dangerous? Which batteries are suspected to be rebranded batteries.
Recommended batteries:
No, they do NOT look ok. All three have damaged wraps, and that is a very serious safety concern. The wrap prevents the cell's outer metal jacket from making an electrical contact with whatever device it's being used in.
I would either rewrap them, or better yet, recycle them and replace them with brand new cells from either @IMFire3605's list or @Mooch's chart (Thanks @Baditude ... where you been?).
I would either rewrap them, or better yet, recycle them and replace them with brand new cells from either @IMFire3605's list or @Mooch's chart (Thanks @Baditude ... where you been?).
Battery 1 (top) looks double wrapped, it 'Might' be ok, battery 2 (middle), ugh, what did you do to it, poor thing, battery 3 (bottom) looks a bit more safer battery wrap wise. The light green wrap I am seeing on all 3 are kind of reminiscent of the wrap on the Samsung 25R Rev 5 (this is the latest version of the 25R). All things equal, I am going to have to agree with @Coastal Cowboy and you need to re-wrap them batteries, especially battery 2, that or recycle them entirely. Guessing, and I mean guessing, just by the wraps and the 2500mah rating, those are most likely Samsung 25R batteries, though can not say if they are A, B, or C Bin quality being re-wraps, the Samsung 25R is a 20amp Continuous Discharge Rated (CDR) battery, as posted above given your Smok control board, you are almost 22amps at lowest battery charge for that mod.
50watts Max - Samsung 25R (buy the real one not a re-wrap) will still suit you well, you can run it at 55watts but as you are noticing, after a bit the battery sag is to much the mod is kicking in its low voltage protection on you.
65watts Max - the Sony VTC5A or the LG HD series I listed above
80watts Max - then you are looking at the LG HB2, HB4, HB6 1500mah 30amp CDR batteries for it.
And please for the love of god for your batteries, just by them wrap pictures above "DO NOT FORCE A BATTERY INTO A BATTERY SLOT IN A MOD", which is what looks like happened with battery 2, another thing is to check the battery slot in the mod for any machining burrs and such, there should be no reason other than negligence for a brand new battery (silver label on battery 3) to be showing damage to the battery wrap already unless it is internally in the mod that is causing it. If it is not in the mod then it is in how you are storing and transporting your batteries, if in a pocket, your next battery purchase you need to purchase at least a 2 bay battery case to transport and store your batteries in. Hate to sound harsh and harping, but geesh, a little common sense, especially when dealing with an item like a battery that could potentially go off like a 1/4 stick of dynamite if handle inappropriately.
Honestly, all three look sketchy. I can't even be sure that middle one really is a 25R. For $5 from a reputable dealer, it's hard to justify not spending the few bucks instead of risking a big ER bill down the road.
No, no & nope.
Never use cells with torn / damaged wrap.
As batteries age and are used they lose capacity, the harder they're used (higher the amp demand) the more rapid the degradation.
The al85 has a 3.48v - 3.5v low voltage cutoff.
55w / 3.5v + 10% power device inefficiancy = 17.28a demand from cell.
Your batteries are telling you they are rapidly approaching or are at the end of their useful life.
When your battery discharges to 50% of battery life left as shown on your power device they no longer can supply the amps needed by the 'chip' to provide 55w.
I suspect your newer cells are lesser quality possibly inadequate to begin with that are now showing they are not suitable for your use.
Like others recommended.
Due to the somewhat unique high low voltage cutoff of the AL85 these will be 'okay'.
Sony vtc5A must be 'A'
LG HD series.
Power devices with a lower low voltage cutoff, notsomuch.
I would not vape those batteries, I'm not certain I'd even rewrap them and use them, as you aren't really certain of what they are. Vape shops sell batteries I'm fairly sure they are going to want the highest margins possible, and getting "rejects" is one way they do that. I'm not going to say the vendor did it on purpose, but I actually don't feel at this point that most vape shops should be selling batteries. This practice is really too widespread and it ends up causing more problems for vapers than just waiting a few days to get batteries directly from a reputable source.... I get the issue and that most vapers wanting a new setup will want to vape it right away... But battery safety is one of the most important things of all. ALL the wraps look degraded, even the very top one, right around the top part of the battery...
How long have you had these, and how on earth did the middle one get like that? Do you have a mod that it's hard to remove the batteries from, and what kind of charger did you use? Battery rewraps are cheap on amazon or other sites, you can even get rewraps from some vendors at fairly low prices, and they're easy to use.
I started out thinking that my batteries weren't so important BUT having authentic batteries and wraps in good condition is essential... None of those batteries look safe, but the good news is that I think your problem has been identified and batteries are less expensive than replacing mods....
I have found handling my batteries with extreme care-- I have found a way to insert batteries into my springloaded charger in a way that doesn't affect the wrap or cause undue pressure on the battery, I use a nitecore 2 bay charger but I have heard there are chargers out there with easier slides to deal with. With the mod I use now, battery insertion and removal is a cinch, and I don't have to worry about "popping them" out of my mod, they are in tubes and just slide out. My latest crop of batteries has been going strong for months and still look perfect. I had to rewrap my older batteries as I wasn't as aware of battery safety so even though I'd bought from a reputable supplier, my use of them caused the wraps to degrade fairly quickly....
Good luck! I hope some new, authentic batteries fix your problem. But either way, you'll have safe batteries, and that is what matters the MOST.
Anna
How long have you had these, and how on earth did the middle one get like that? Do you have a mod that it's hard to remove the batteries from, and what kind of charger did you use? Battery rewraps are cheap on amazon or other sites, you can even get rewraps from some vendors at fairly low prices, and they're easy to use.
I started out thinking that my batteries weren't so important BUT having authentic batteries and wraps in good condition is essential... None of those batteries look safe, but the good news is that I think your problem has been identified and batteries are less expensive than replacing mods....
I have found handling my batteries with extreme care-- I have found a way to insert batteries into my springloaded charger in a way that doesn't affect the wrap or cause undue pressure on the battery, I use a nitecore 2 bay charger but I have heard there are chargers out there with easier slides to deal with. With the mod I use now, battery insertion and removal is a cinch, and I don't have to worry about "popping them" out of my mod, they are in tubes and just slide out. My latest crop of batteries has been going strong for months and still look perfect. I had to rewrap my older batteries as I wasn't as aware of battery safety so even though I'd bought from a reputable supplier, my use of them caused the wraps to degrade fairly quickly....
Good luck! I hope some new, authentic batteries fix your problem. But either way, you'll have safe batteries, and that is what matters the MOST.
Anna
Thanks
I use a nitecore too, they are messed up because sometimes they are pretty tight in the mod.
On the best batteries, I'm seeing LG HE and HG ones but no HD. Would either of those be fine?
And what could happen if I continue to vape my ones? I'm gonna order new ones but they won't arrive for a few days...
also just put the watts down to 46, it only needs 17 amps now
I use a nitecore too, they are messed up because sometimes they are pretty tight in the mod.
On the best batteries, I'm seeing LG HE and HG ones but no HD. Would either of those be fine?
And what could happen if I continue to vape my ones? I'm gonna order new ones but they won't arrive for a few days...
also just put the watts down to 46, it only needs 17 amps now
What could happen? possibly vent inside your power device ruining it, slight chance of thermal runaway if shorted due to missing areas of wrap also ruining your power device.
If everything goes wrong at once, spit, fizzle, heat, swelling ruin power device and in worst case ... pop / boom.
It would be a bad idea to continue to use them unless you rewrapped them.
Correctly, not put a piece of tape over the missing areas.
If you're going to use 55w and above the Sony vtc5a or the LgHD series would be best.
You could get by for a while using the LGHG2 18isha CDR cell, Samsung 30Q 20a CDR or Sony vtc6 19ish a CDR.
You didn't say where in the world you are / left us guessing on where you can source cells so I can't make a recommendation of where to buy authentic cells.
You need to figure out why your cells are getting so torn up and remedy that problem before you screw up brand new cells.
At 46w the amp draw will be 13.27a, that could still be too much for inadequate or low quality or aged or abused cells.
The amps shown on the display on the al85 are a meaningless output amp reading, has nothing to do with actual input battery amp demand.
If everything goes wrong at once, spit, fizzle, heat, swelling ruin power device and in worst case ... pop / boom.
It would be a bad idea to continue to use them unless you rewrapped them.
Correctly, not put a piece of tape over the missing areas.
If you're going to use 55w and above the Sony vtc5a or the LgHD series would be best.
You could get by for a while using the LGHG2 18isha CDR cell, Samsung 30Q 20a CDR or Sony vtc6 19ish a CDR.
You didn't say where in the world you are / left us guessing on where you can source cells so I can't make a recommendation of where to buy authentic cells.
You need to figure out why your cells are getting so torn up and remedy that problem before you screw up brand new cells.
At 46w the amp draw will be 13.27a, that could still be too much for inadequate or low quality or aged or abused cells.
The amps shown on the display on the al85 are a meaningless output amp reading, has nothing to do with actual input battery amp demand.
Last edited:
I'm in the UK.
I'm not a huge vaper so I was thinking of buying an all in one kit that you can't remove the battery from and just charge via usb (are those safe?) as it would save buying new batteries that would maybe get damaged easily again. Any recommendations on the best ones with decent power?
I'm not a huge vaper so I was thinking of buying an all in one kit that you can't remove the battery from and just charge via usb (are those safe?) as it would save buying new batteries that would maybe get damaged easily again. Any recommendations on the best ones with decent power?
they're safe. Reliable is a different question. I personally am of the school that micro usb 2 has inherent design problems that make it nearly useless as a power source long term. There has been disagreement with this in the past though. I would say that if you do get one such, use only high quality cables and do not stress the port at all.
Well, it does depend on a variety of factors. I would NOT vape those batteries, and I'm a risk taker. Please don't use them. I think that USB charging internal batts can be fine, but they should be expected to have a shelf life, and will at some point need to be replaced. People who have them for a longer time tend to not put as much stress on the battery, like I am a MTL vaper and unlikely to vape above 12 watts on the best of days. I think if you are looking to pull a lot of wattage you may find that you need several for one day, and/or they die faster because you will be recharging more. You could try out an internal battery mod inexpensively while you are waiting to replace your internal batteries, though if your mod tears them up, that's not the greatest either.... But you could try it, I just really wouldn't vape what you have now. I seriously would start smoking again for a few days before using those batteries, and I would DEFINITELY purchase an internal battery inexpensive mod if you can afford it from a B&M in the meantime.... I'm serious.
Good luck.
Anna
Good luck.
Anna
- Status
Similar threads
