Smoktech Vmax Owners - tips, tricks and quirks

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skipdashu

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Please correct me if wrong here, I am under the impression that there are three styles available, flat top, button top and nipple top.

Let's add some more confusion...

The real term is "button top".

Some of these things we're calling "flat tops" really aren't. eg. Some of the eFest 18350s are really button top by definition. It has to do with whether the "button" rises above the shrink wrap or sits below it. If you take a look at one of the IMR 18350s from ENS you'll see those are true 'flat tops' and always require a magnet to stack them.

Take a look at the link below. He/She did a nice job done with the pics and all.
Battery, button or flat top
 
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skipdashu

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... The cells Smoktech actually designed and made for the VMAX is a flatop cell. Although the way they designed it the top positive plate on the cell does protrude just enough to make and keep good contact with the stacked cell on top of it.

By definition, IMO, this is a wide button, button top battery, not a flat top... just because stacked they do make contact. See prior post w/ link.

Let's face it, the battery geeks were playing with Li-Ions and IMRs before we got going ;-)
 
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fuzzione

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Opt.... Man I've been trying to figure this out for 2 solid weeks now. I 1st noticed this same phenomenon myself after I put the Smoktech SRT or whatever the hell this thing is. I was PM'd from many people that had the same thing happening....BUT ONLY with Rebuildables, that's it, nothing else ever. So for the past 2 weeks I've been putting every R.A. I have on all my VMAX's except the Chrome prototype and putting them all on the scope to see if the wave changes when a R.A. is on it or if ANYTHING changes in the numbers or data due to the R.A. I can't relate or find S*** !!!! It's driving me nutzZ !!! I've got pm's saying their RA killed their VMAX cause it was whinning and buzzing with it on their but I can't find any physical data that can back up the accusation. So all I can say is, I'm aware of the issue but right now I just have no explanation for it. More importantly I can't say if that sound is the VMAX screaming...."GET THIS RA OFF ME, I DON'T LIKE IT"!!!!! I have emailed my buddy at Smoktech about this, he's aware and heard the same sound with their new rebuildable on it also. He's trying to find out why it does this also, we left the Skype call at this...1st one to figure out what, why, where....calls the other back ASAP to let the other know their findings. Till then.....That's all I got. All I can say or recommend is keep a close eye on your VMAX when using the RA that makes it whine/buzz, if you feel/see/notice ANYTHING out of the ordinary happening...TAKE IT OFF!!!! ""IFFF"" it ends up killing your VMAX...I think we have our obvious answer.

I had to rebuild a wick and coil on my DID today and for the first time I got this dreaded buzzing. Any further info on this from your ST contacts J????

I've been attempting to troubleshoot this myself and thus far have concluded that the buzzing happens when shorts/hot spots are present on the coil. Also, it appears to get worse as the board heats up from repeated use. Buzzing disappears when the vmax (v1) is left alone to cool right down but repeated use seems to promote progressively louder buzzing as the vmax heats up. I suspect some of the heat is being transferred to the board from the hot DID, through the positive pin, and the vmax doesn't like that.

Anyone else with this problem? I'll take a stab at reoxidizing my wick and see if eliminating shorts might correct this.
 

skipdashu

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skipdashu

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VAPNJ350

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What happens when the nipple top pops through the button hole, J?



Love it Turtle.....that's classic.

But in response ......I really have no idea but would love to see it in person...sounds very intriguing to say the least.

Skip I would maybe guess your right about the technicality of the Smoktech flat/button top...but in regards to keeping it "simple" and NOT confusing the already confused any further I would have to insist that if the positive "surface" protrudes past the vinyl wrap by 1.5mm or more it is indeed a "button" top cell. If it looks flat in every attribute of physical appearence and does NOT protrude past the wrap it is absolutely a "flat top" cell. Just to keep it "simple" for the newbs that will eventually read this thread. lol.

But I do concur that the real term for the cell is a "button" top.....not nipple or any other derivative of the word or body part..lol

Love ya Skip....and Turtle. Take care guys !!!
 

VAPNJ350

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I had to rebuild a wick and coil on my DID today and for the first time I got this dreaded buzzing. Any further info on this from your ST contacts J????

I've been attempting to troubleshoot this myself and thus far have concluded that the buzzing happens when shorts/hot spots are present on the coil. Also, it appears to get worse as the board heats up from repeated use. Buzzing disappears when the vmax (v1) is left alone to cool right down but repeated use seems to promote progressively louder buzzing as the vmax heats up. I suspect some of the heat is being transferred to the board from the hot DID, through the positive pin, and the vmax doesn't like that.

Anyone else with this problem? I'll take a stab at reoxidizing my wick and see if eliminating shorts might correct this.




Fuzzi your absolutely right in your analogy brotha. Or so far as I can tell by personal experience. Smoktech denies ANY and all issues that may be made by using a RA on the VMAX. ......BUT !!!! I can tell you 1st hand and now I think a few others can to that theirs something about a RA that the VMAX "sometimes" does not like. The ONLY thing I can really relate it to the short factor with SS mesh RA's. Nothing else really makes "logical" sense to me.

Side note: I can say this with absolute fact ....so far anyway (if this changes I will let everyone know) The ONLY time I get or have got the dreaded buzzing/whining sound, which after using a thesescope to locate and isolate the actual sound it does appear to be coming from the VMAX circuit board which DOES heat up to a temperature that Im really not comfortable with for fear of failure to continue use....but the SS mesh type RA's that use ONLY Kanthal/Nicrome wire by itself are the ONLY type of Atty's I get this type of issue with. The Penelope which uses a NR (non-resistant) type wire joined to the Kanthal or Nicrome wire has NO issue at all.....no buzzing, no whining...no nothing. Now 2 questions arise. Is this due to the NR wire making the actual contact to the positive and negative terminals.....or is it the silica wick it uses instead of the SS mesh ????

I will open the floor to people to maybe start chiming in on this whenever the issue arises....or doesn't in the case of the Penelope/VMAX users.

Fuzzi I'm sorry you finally have now heard the buzzing....not very cool is it. I will add that their are now a few people that have only ever used a SS mesh type RA on their VMAX......unfortunately they are now waiting on their new replacements. I would hope and think that if you don't hear the Buzzing you should not have a problem. If you do hear it, obviously the internal board heating up is the circuit telling you something is NOT right and failure is possible. Just heed the warning sound and temperature of your device.

Disclaimer : In no way am I saying don't use RA's with SS mesh setup on your VMAX's, just use your own judgement and listen to others experience with wit.
 

fuzzione

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J, I'm starting to believe that anything less than an absolutely perfect wick/coil setup may not be tolerated with the vmax. It was working great with my DID...no buzzing, for a good 6 weeks before I just rewicked/recoiled it, at which point the buzzing started. My impression is that the 1st setup I had was indeed absolutely perfect with no shorts whatsoever, hence the perfect DID/vmax functionality.

I may have not gotten it right this time around, and whereas my present coil/wick would work perfectly fine in, say, a mechanical mod or even a Provari, it is not good enough for the vmax (step down, pwm spikes, etc). I'll keep experimenting and report further. I might kill the vmax in the process but it will be a glorious death to a very courageous little device that has led an honourable life. Better than the slow death of a continually eroding battery end cap :) Spartaaaaaaaa!
 

Dusty_D

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I'll keep experimenting and report further. I might kill the vmax in the process but it will be a glorious death to a very courageous little device that has led an honourable life. Better than the slow death of a continually eroding battery end cap :) Spartaaaaaaaa!

Repeat after me! "I've had a nice evening. I've met Dusty. I've had 2 beers. I've had 20 wings. I'm going to bed. I'll work on my DID tomorrow." :D
 

fuzzione

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Repeat after me! "I've had a nice evening. I've met Dusty. I've had 2 beers. I've had 20 wings. I'm going to bed. I'll work on my DID tomorrow." :D

Hehe. OK. I can always kill it another time.
Here's a tip I seem to have forgotten tonight: Don't rub your eye with the same fingers you've used to eat chicken wings with hot sauce. :cry:
 

Dusty_D

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Hehe. OK. I can always kill it another time.
Here's a tip I seem to have forgotten tonight: Don't rub your eye with the same fingers you've used to eat chicken wings with hot sauce. :cry:


Wow.. that "age" thing you were telling me about tonight. It's really showing now.. G'night you old speed demon, you! ;)
 

TBinAZ

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My not so expert opinion regarding the RAs and the VMax/ZMax (will be receiving ZMax soon), is that any variation in OHM reading may put the circuitry into confusion. It's trying to figure out 'ok, how much power should I be feeding this thing?'. I have noticed on many of the mesh wicks I have built, and even with some of the fiber wicks I have built, the initial OHM reading on my ProVari starts out quite low, and then shoots up to what it reads after the coils get warmer. I have moved toward the most uniform winds that I can get and see less of it happening. On the mesh I have been using the cig paper and tight winds, and on the fiber wick I have been using a spacer rod quite a bit thicker than a thick paper clip also with tighter winds. Still experimenting here, so YMMV.

One other tidbit of a suggestion I found, and can't remember if I saw it on this thread, is to 'break in' the new coil assembly on another PV for a bit before using on a VMax/ZMax (maybe also a ProVari, can't recall). Anyways, thought I'd throw that in.

J, I'm starting to believe that anything less than an absolutely perfect wick/coil setup may not be tolerated with the vmax. It was working great with my DID...no buzzing, for a good 6 weeks before I just rewicked/recoiled it, at which point the buzzing started. My impression is that the 1st setup I had was indeed absolutely perfect with no shorts whatsoever, hence the perfect DID/vmax functionality.

I may have not gotten it right this time around, and whereas my present coil/wick would work perfectly fine in, say, a mechanical mod or even a Provari, it is not good enough for the vmax (step down, pwm spikes, etc). I'll keep experimenting and report further. I might kill the vmax in the process but it will be a glorious death to a very courageous little device that has led an honourable life. Better than the slow death of a continually eroding battery end cap :) Spartaaaaaaaa!
 
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