The e-cig that goes BOOM!

[zahzoo]

I've followed several stories in this area with interest towards ensuring my own personal safety... My observations:

Most of the legitimate incidents were a result using an improper charging source.

The user was using a ultra-cheap charging adapter designed for a much smaller 510 cig-a-like battery on an eG0 plugged directly into a 2amp USB port on a computer. The adapter only regulates the output voltage... not the mA of the output.

I noticed early on... the AC adapters that come with the small 510 batteries have an output of 5V - 500mA. There's no mA rating noted on the USB adapter these come with and just say output 4.0V. So I assume these little suckers don't regulate the mA's. So if you plug it into anything other than the supplied AC adapter it delivers whatever mA rate the USB port puts out.

In contrast the AC adapters that come with the eG0 batteries have an output of 5V - 1000mA. But the big difference is the USB part which usually has a cable incorporated is listed with an output of 4.2V - 420mA... also have another one rated at 450mA... So I assume the eGo chargers are regulated on both the AC adapter and the USB adapter controlling the mA output level.

As others have pointed out... education is key. We live in a plug-n-play society and frankly most people would not know a mA rating to save their lives. They just expect to plug something in... it works and is safe... because someone else did the proper engineering to save them from themselves.

The problem I see here is due to the use of the same connectors on these varying battery types... it is easy to mismatch chargers for different rated batteries. Which may result in things that go boom. The only cost effective way to guard against this would be for industry to eliminate all the cheap charging units and only offer regulated smart chargers. Another alternative is to make the charging connector for various rated batteries different so you can't mix misrated products.

 

[Asbestos4004]

I would suggest you look more closely. How many ECF members do you know that would offer up "Stanton Glantz" as a source for legitimate research on vaping, to an unsuspecting & uninformed new member, looking for positive scientific support for vaping??

From this thread: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...73306-vaping-forbidden-patio-golf-course.html


Quote Originally Posted by Steam Turbine

"Here are 3 review article from Pub Med (a major medical journal) about vaping.

If you search for the keywords: "secondhand smoke", "secondhand vapor", "passive vaping", "passive smoking" you should find the info that you need in there.

Here are the reviews:

The Grana paper....................."


When you click on the Grana paper, here is the header to the study:

"E-Cigarettes

A Scientific Review

Rachel Grana, PhD, MPH, Neal Benowitz, MD, and Stanton A. Glantz, PhD"

As I stated in the thread, anyone who offers up Stan Glantz, with no qualifiers, as a source of legitimate research on vaping, is no friend of the vaping community.

pleasant little fellow, you are.

 

[The Torch]

[...]

I noticed early on... the AC adapters that come with the small 510 batteries have an output of 5V - 500mA. There's no mA rating noted on the USB adapter these come with and just say output 4.0V. So I assume these little suckers don't regulate the mA's. So if you plug it into anything other than the supplied AC adapter it delivers whatever mA rate the USB port puts out.

[...]

Power adapters do not regulate the amps; those are delivered according to the internal resistance of the charger or connected device (ohm's law). The number indicated on a power adaptor is the max mA that can be delivered. If you connect a charger or device that needs more mA than the power adapter can deliver, the adapter will heat up and might die... or become a fire hazard.

 

[stevegmu]

i read a story about a women plugging a usb charger in to an apple thing, and then charging that way. I wonder how many people actually do that thinking it is the same. more anumition for the tabacco companies.

That's how I charge my Tritons. Apple wall warts are probably the safest on the market...

 

[Haadkoe]

Speaking of exploding batteries, most mods and whatnot have vents at the bottom to direct the force of the explosion away from the users face... Wouldn't that effectively turn it into a rocket pointed at your head if it blew while you were hitting it? I have visions of stainless drip tips obliterating teeth.

 

[wv2win]

pleasant little fellow, you are.

I try to be except when the leading anti-vaping zealot in the country is proposed as good source of scientific study on vaping, especially to a new member with limited information asking for help.

 

[Steam Turbine]

I try to be except when the leading anti-vaping zealot in the country is proposed as good source of scientific study on vaping, especially to a new member with limited information asking for help.

You sir are seriously irritating me... I am trying to keep my cool but it is getting more and more difficult.

Go ahead, quote me out of context!

That thread talked about evidence that second hand vapor is mostly harmless. If you read the Grana review (obviously you stopped reading when you saw the name Glantz) you would have read the following: "Toxins in the aerosol were at much lower levels compared with the conventional cigarette emissions".

And of course you didn't mentioned the other papers that I've cited (that are more vape friendly) no... Let's just presents half truths!!!

I read scientific papers NO MATTER WHO WRITES THEM because that is how you can form a objective opinion about any topic, particularly on a controversial scientific issue. I am not a sheep that will only read what is being fed to me by CASAA!!! Oooooh!! How dare I walk on my own without holding the hand of the sacrosanct advocates that know what's right for me? HOW ANTZ OF ME!!! right!!!

You don't like me... I get it! Point made.... Get off my back!

 

[classwife]

Good evening


First, moved this thread to Batteries and Chargers from General E-Smoking Discussion

Second, please don't link or quote links from anti garbage articles.

Third, please freshen up on the Forum Rules re courtesy to fellow members
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-forum-rules/51178-forum-rules.html



...and quit the personal jabs and snark !


Thank you

 

[Racehorse]

Well I've not seen anything about exploding ecigs in the news at all. I don't go looking for it either. I do remember stories in the past about cell phone batteries exploding on people, but no government agency ever cranked up a crusade against those. I guess there was no money in that.

I have a post on here from last year...I only use genuine Joyetech products......yet had a an adaptor blow up my wall socket. $200 electrician bill, it was the charger, he tested it. My house wires and sockets were and are fine and circuit breakers prevented any damage to house wiring.

ANY electronic component can fail out of billions manufactured.

I found that true too when I built computers. A modem could go bad, top of the line, sometimes they just fail w/in first area of use. Others will go forever, and past time they should.

Practice battery and charger safety and its not an issue.....

 

[Racehorse]

safer in this instance: I now use a charging strip, so my hand won't be "on" the wall wart, which it was when I was plugging it in and it blew up.

The RC groups and flashlight groups talk about lipo safety all the time. It' a huge topic on their forums.

The basic philosophy is that most of them charge their batts while they are nearby to keep an eye on them. And tons of how to's on how to build bunkers and / or metal boxes and other safe containers to charge batts in, as well as lipo bags, etc.

This should not be "secret agent" stuff. Everyone, including the FDA and anyone else with a 6th grade science education knows about battery dangers.........or is willing to learn about it if they are using lipos/lith-ions, etc..

This is well documented factual information, nothing to be 'hidden away' from people......for ANY reason.

 

[Hermit]

The user was using a ultra-cheap charging adapter designed for a much smaller 510 cig-a-like battery on an eG0 plugged directly into a 2amp USB port on a computer. The adapter only regulates the output voltage... not the mA of the output.

That, and some of the other points you made, are not correct. That's not your fault, of course - many people don't understand the details, so there's far too much misinformation out there to mislead you!

This is a simple explanation of the distinction:

• A Power Adapter regulates Voltage, and has a Current capacity.
• A Charger regulates Voltage and Current, to suit the battery or batteries it's designed for.
• The Power Adapter (or whatever Power source, e.g. USB port) has to have a Current capacity of at least the Charger's requirement, and regulate the Voltage equal to whatever the Charger is designed to be powered from.

So the bottom line is: use the right charger, use an adaptor that has enough current capacity and the right voltage, and you minimise the risk. You can never eliminate the risk! It is not a problem to use a power source that can supply more current than the charger needs, but the voltage must be correct for the charger.

(Since the Charger regulates the Voltage, its Current requirement might not be directly related to its Current output. The Power output and requirement are what are directly related (although it will also waste some Power as heat). Power, in Watts, equals Voltage times Current. I'm well aware that how it does its job is more complicated to explain than the bullet point above, but that simplistic description suffices for this discussion).

Generally, no harm will come from charging a higher capacity battery (e.g. ego) with a charger designed for a lower capacity (e.g. 510) - it will simply take longer (assuming they are both lithium batteries). The opposite is not true, and might well exceed the battery's charging current capacity, with catastrophic failure being much more likely.

I totally agree about plug-and-play... that users just think "well, it fits, it must be right". That's a problem. Most USB ports are only supposed to supply up to 0.5A, yet the MVP2 for example draws over 0.8A. Many USB wall warts also only supply 0.5A. There is a massive over-use of USB as a charging connector (not just e-cig related) without even basic information provided.

 

[The Torch]

Speaking of exploding batteries, most mods and whatnot have vents at the bottom to direct the force of the explosion away from the users face... Wouldn't that effectively turn it into a rocket pointed at your head if it blew while you were hitting it? I have visions of stainless drip tips obliterating teeth.

I thought I was the only one getting that vision! I have given it some thought and figures the manufacturers must have too. Here's a video of what is likely to happen if your battery vents on you:



Venting could blow out either end if the battery tube was completely sealed, but it seems like we could do with much smaller vent holes. I'm glad to see how far on the safe side e-cig manufacturers are taking things.

I have a post on here from last year...I only use genuine Joyetech products......yet had a an adaptor blow up my wall socket. $200 electrician bill, it was the charger, he tested it. My house wires and sockets were and are fine and circuit breakers prevented any damage to house wiring.

[...]

I have no idea if it has anything to do with your case, but I heard that Joyetech batteries do not have protection.

 

[Racehorse]

I have no idea if it has anything to do with your case, but I heard that Joyetech batteries do not have protection.

Thanks Torch. The problem I had was with the wall charger, not the batteries.

Actually, Joyetech ego type batts esp the C line has have some of the very best protection circuitry there is in these types of batteries. Not sure where you heard that but it's entirely not true.

 

[wv2win]

................

You don't like me... I get it! Point made.... Get off my back!

When you offer up "junk" garbage papers from the leading anti-vaping zealot in the country, especially to a new person asking for positive, reputable research information, I will call that out every time. You don't like it, then stop promoting the leading anti-vaping zealot in the country, Stanton Glantz, as a good source of information on vaping.

 

[The Torch]

Thanks Torch. The problem I had was with the wall charger, not the batteries.

Actually, Joyetech ego type batts esp the C line has have some of the very best protection circuitry there is in these types of batteries. Not sure where you heard that but it's entirely not true.

I heard it at the vape shop and these guys have been a very good source of information so far, but I was surprised to hear that a renown company like Joyetech would overlook battery protection. Perhaps they were talking about something very specific as I only caught that part of the conversation... I'll just take your word on it since everyone can make mistakes.