Thanks for the update, buffaloguy. I've also been happy with smoktek. How long after your purchase did you create the rma?
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Thanks to OP for this thread, started having the OHM problem the other day. Heading to Home depot today, for my O-rings
Figured out a trick when working with O rings some years back.
I set a blow dryer up between a couple stacks of books to cover my work zone and keep it almost hot (adjust distance as needed), pulled an O ring out of the coffee mug of hot water and managed to keep it warm enough to be pliable for a good 5 minutes (all that I needed). Might help stretching an un-cut O ring around the top of the post for this application too.
The other thought I had (again past tinkering) was to take some teflon plumbers tape and split it length wise and just pull up the post and wrap it as needed. The stuff is pretty tough and would also go down the pin just a bit when it was pushed back in making a nice tight seal (like it does on pipes).
Just my thoughts and hope I don't need this fix on my new Vamo for a loooooonnnngg time to come.
I set a blow dryer up between a couple stacks of books to cover my work zone and keep it almost hot (adjust distance as needed), pulled an O ring out of the coffee mug of hot water and managed to keep it warm enough to be pliable for a good 5 minutes (all that I needed). Might help stretching an un-cut O ring around the top of the post for this application too.
The other thought I had (again past tinkering) was to take some teflon plumbers tape and split it length wise and just pull up the post and wrap it as needed. The stuff is pretty tough and would also go down the pin just a bit when it was pushed back in making a nice tight seal (like it does on pipes).
Just my thoughts and hope I don't need this fix on my new Vamo for a loooooonnnngg time to come.
thanks for the post... i fixed it... my pin also got pushed to far down and i couldnt find the stock washer... the only thing i did was cut the washer in half because i could get the whole washer in..but it did work like that also..the only bad thing i did was mess up the treads a little bit
If anyone is interested, the Danco #60, should be the same as a standard #6 O-ring.
.125 ID X .250 OD x .062 width.
I haven't replaced mine on my Vamo yet, but I will try this standard O-ring and see if it works. As soon as I can pry it out of my wifes hands.
.125 ID X .250 OD x .062 width.
I haven't replaced mine on my Vamo yet, but I will try this standard O-ring and see if it works. As soon as I can pry it out of my wifes hands.
I did this fix yesterday with the danco o rings #60. Decided I didnt have the time nor the inclination to deal with smoktek on it any longer. In my case, their CS just failed. Not the norm Im sure but Ill be keeping clear. Five days to reply to my first and second cs ticket. The owner contacts me thru the forums and takes six days before I have to write again for a reply and then hands me back to CS people. Done with it. For a $50 mod its just not worth the effort proceeding with an rma, even tho i was only trying to make them aware of an issue and possibly get a replacement part in the first place.
I found that the orings were a bit too thick and some of my novas wouldnt catch well or would wobble a bit. Even my aga t+ wobbled. So tonight I removed the o ring (be very careful doing this... once in there even with the cut in the o ring it is TIGHT) and cut some of one side off. I used an exacto knife and pliers to hold it steady and not cut my fingers off in the process. Put it back in (cut side down btw) and things are screwing down fine now.
If your oring is too thick... slice some off and use the non cut side up.
I found that the orings were a bit too thick and some of my novas wouldnt catch well or would wobble a bit. Even my aga t+ wobbled. So tonight I removed the o ring (be very careful doing this... once in there even with the cut in the o ring it is TIGHT) and cut some of one side off. I used an exacto knife and pliers to hold it steady and not cut my fingers off in the process. Put it back in (cut side down btw) and things are screwing down fine now.
If your oring is too thick... slice some off and use the non cut side up.
I tried the washer fix, but it wouldn't work for me because there is actually a rubber piece attached to the washer that holds the center pin where it should be in the connector, and that part actually got pushed down into the Vamo in my case. No harm really as it is rubber, but I got to searching around, and stumbled upon a video on YouTube, and my Vamo is better than new because the piece that shipped with mine (it's actually a grommet I believe) was very poor quality. I didn't have an old eGo battery laying around that I was willing to destroy in order to get the grommet from it, but I did have a 510 battery connector that I had put back for when I got the inspiration to build my own mod. I think I paid $1.89 for it at Mad Vapes. Not a bad price to fix my Vamo imo. Here's the link to the video - Vamo Rubber Ring Tutorial & Fix - YouTube. Keep on vapin'!! 
If you just got a new RSST Genesis Style RBA, be very, very careful that the center pin isn't sticking out too far when you screw it down onto the battery, because that is how I messed my Vamo up in the first place. Glad it wasn't my Sigelei Zmax! lol If you are looking at the RSST from the side, you shouldn't see the center pin sticking out at all. Make sure to check this before screwing it down, or you risk damaging the center pin on your mod!!!!
If you just got a new RSST Genesis Style RBA, be very, very careful that the center pin isn't sticking out too far when you screw it down onto the battery, because that is how I messed my Vamo up in the first place. Glad it wasn't my Sigelei Zmax! lol If you are looking at the RSST from the side, you shouldn't see the center pin sticking out at all. Make sure to check this before screwing it down, or you risk damaging the center pin on your mod!!!!
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Couple things:
The center pin shorting issue has not happened to me on my VAMO (Yet), however, it has on my ZMAX, which appears to use the exact same center pin and insulating grommet. I plan to be very careful with my VAMO to hopefully avoid having to do this but I just completed the repair of my ZMAX and in my opinion it is now better than it was brand new, at least regarding the 510 issues.
ZMAX Repair took me about 15 minutes but was a tad more work but in my opinion and for me turned out to be the ultimate shorting repair. In fact, I tried two different methods to see which worked better and to be honest both were acceptable to me. Keep in mind that both methods required the removal of the head assembly, and on the ZMAX it is just a matter of finding a very sturdy and very skinny piece of metal like a very skinny screwdriver or coat hanger. Insert the tool from the battery end of the device toward the head. Find the open spot between the electronics and the case where the tool can reach all the way to the head. Once in place smack the end of the tool hard enough to break the glue bond holding the head in place. Don't worry, the head is press fitted into place and reassembly just requires you to push it back on and lightly tapping it all the way down and it will stay perfectly fine without adding new glue. Once the head is removed, be careful as the Neg and Pos wires should still be soldered onto the head assembly.
Option 1 (ViVi Nova Gromet): Once the head assy is popped out of the battery compartment find the while (pos) lead/wire and unsolder it from the circuit board. This is very easy as long as you have a good hot iron to work with as it is just tacked on. Then pull the center pin out completely from the top side with the pos wire still soldered onto it. Remove the old rubber grommet. It may be in one or two pieces, but the point is to remove everything but the center pin and the white lead. Take apart one of your old ViVi Nova atomizer heads to get the rubber insulator on the bottom end that segregates the Neg and Pos leads of the coil. Slip the Vivi grommet over the white wire with the thick end first and push all the way down onto the center pin. Once in place reinstall the center pin into the head assembly and re-solder the white lead back onto the circuit board. Once this is done you can simply put the head assy back into place and if need be tap lightly with a hammer until it is fully seated. Done. Keep in mind that this option will make the center pin have a very tight fit and will not move around very much at all, which is mostly good. Ive tried this with several tanks, clearo's, carts, etc and all have worked pretty well.
Option 2 (#60 O-Ring): Remove head assembly as described above, including desoldering the positive lead. Put O-Ring over the loose pos lead all the way up to the center pin. Get very thin Heat Shrink (Home Depot, very cheap) that is just a tad larger in diameter than the positive wire and cut a piece just under 1/4 inch in length and slide that piece over the positive lead and run it all the way to meet with the #60 O-Ring. Use a lighter or match to head the Heat Shrink and it will shrink snug to the center Pin post prevent any future shorts. Once complete, reinstall the head assy as described in Option 1. I actually prefer Option 2 (just a little) over option 1 because if something happens to the O-Ring at some point you "can" replace just that part without having to take the head off again, which is really no big deal.
Now I know that at some point I will have the same issue with my VAMO cause I am Constantly changing crap on my Mods, and when it happens I can assure you I will be removing the head and performing one of these options to fix it as I am convinced this is a very reliable repair and it gives me a chance to make sure there are no other issues going on inside. And if there are its a perfect time to address them.
Anyway, this is what I did and I could not be more pleased with the outcome and even though it sounds detailed, this is a relatively easy repair. The problem is that not everyone has a soldering iron laying around but they can be bought at Radio Shack very cheaply and are always good to have laying around. If you are not familiar with them and decide to go this route, also get some small guage "Solder" to go along with it. Once the iron gets hot add solder to the tip (all over the tip) and then flick it off. Some will stay on there and that is a good thing. It's called "tinning" the tip which helps greatly with heat transfer and will make your job much much easier. Also having the solder around is great if you need to add just a touch to re-do your connections.
Thanks for reading and hope this helps someone .. anyone ... Beuller, Beuller ...
-1Truk-
The center pin shorting issue has not happened to me on my VAMO (Yet), however, it has on my ZMAX, which appears to use the exact same center pin and insulating grommet. I plan to be very careful with my VAMO to hopefully avoid having to do this but I just completed the repair of my ZMAX and in my opinion it is now better than it was brand new, at least regarding the 510 issues.
ZMAX Repair took me about 15 minutes but was a tad more work but in my opinion and for me turned out to be the ultimate shorting repair. In fact, I tried two different methods to see which worked better and to be honest both were acceptable to me. Keep in mind that both methods required the removal of the head assembly, and on the ZMAX it is just a matter of finding a very sturdy and very skinny piece of metal like a very skinny screwdriver or coat hanger. Insert the tool from the battery end of the device toward the head. Find the open spot between the electronics and the case where the tool can reach all the way to the head. Once in place smack the end of the tool hard enough to break the glue bond holding the head in place. Don't worry, the head is press fitted into place and reassembly just requires you to push it back on and lightly tapping it all the way down and it will stay perfectly fine without adding new glue. Once the head is removed, be careful as the Neg and Pos wires should still be soldered onto the head assembly.
Option 1 (ViVi Nova Gromet): Once the head assy is popped out of the battery compartment find the while (pos) lead/wire and unsolder it from the circuit board. This is very easy as long as you have a good hot iron to work with as it is just tacked on. Then pull the center pin out completely from the top side with the pos wire still soldered onto it. Remove the old rubber grommet. It may be in one or two pieces, but the point is to remove everything but the center pin and the white lead. Take apart one of your old ViVi Nova atomizer heads to get the rubber insulator on the bottom end that segregates the Neg and Pos leads of the coil. Slip the Vivi grommet over the white wire with the thick end first and push all the way down onto the center pin. Once in place reinstall the center pin into the head assembly and re-solder the white lead back onto the circuit board. Once this is done you can simply put the head assy back into place and if need be tap lightly with a hammer until it is fully seated. Done. Keep in mind that this option will make the center pin have a very tight fit and will not move around very much at all, which is mostly good. Ive tried this with several tanks, clearo's, carts, etc and all have worked pretty well.
Option 2 (#60 O-Ring): Remove head assembly as described above, including desoldering the positive lead. Put O-Ring over the loose pos lead all the way up to the center pin. Get very thin Heat Shrink (Home Depot, very cheap) that is just a tad larger in diameter than the positive wire and cut a piece just under 1/4 inch in length and slide that piece over the positive lead and run it all the way to meet with the #60 O-Ring. Use a lighter or match to head the Heat Shrink and it will shrink snug to the center Pin post prevent any future shorts. Once complete, reinstall the head assy as described in Option 1. I actually prefer Option 2 (just a little) over option 1 because if something happens to the O-Ring at some point you "can" replace just that part without having to take the head off again, which is really no big deal.
Now I know that at some point I will have the same issue with my VAMO cause I am Constantly changing crap on my Mods, and when it happens I can assure you I will be removing the head and performing one of these options to fix it as I am convinced this is a very reliable repair and it gives me a chance to make sure there are no other issues going on inside. And if there are its a perfect time to address them.
Anyway, this is what I did and I could not be more pleased with the outcome and even though it sounds detailed, this is a relatively easy repair. The problem is that not everyone has a soldering iron laying around but they can be bought at Radio Shack very cheaply and are always good to have laying around. If you are not familiar with them and decide to go this route, also get some small guage "Solder" to go along with it. Once the iron gets hot add solder to the tip (all over the tip) and then flick it off. Some will stay on there and that is a good thing. It's called "tinning" the tip which helps greatly with heat transfer and will make your job much much easier. Also having the solder around is great if you need to add just a touch to re-do your connections.
Thanks for reading and hope this helps someone .. anyone ... Beuller, Beuller ...
-1Truk-
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Without knowing exactly what material the O-Ring is made out of it's kind of hard to say.
If it comes in direct contact with any e-liquid that will actually be vaped I would express some concern about possible contaminants from the ring as it could possibly breakdown from chemical reaction or even heat if close to a coil.
If it doesn't come in contact with the e-liquid I'd say it's a non issue.
Personally I'd much rather use something food safe and heat resistant (currently researching what that would be) in my tanks.
On the other hand (the not paranoid one), I would think anything intended to come in contact with drinking water (plumbing supplies) will be relatively safe to use.
Just my thoughts
I haven't read the entire thread, but carts/clearos also contain many different sized gaskets in the bottom of the 510 connector. The larger shown in the photo came from a bottom feed clearo and the smaller from a dual-coil carto. The longer one, while not an exact match for the Vamo original (lock is different) will do quite well as a replacement. Moral... strip your cartos and clearos before you dump them!
If it's working for you then its the right O-Ring ... lol ... Not being sarcastic at all, just glad you got yours working. I think for the most part all of this is experimental. the O-Rings job is to insulate the center pin from the case .. Center Pin is + and the Case is - and the Atomizer head determines the resistance between the two when its screwed onto the device and completes the circuit with the battery and switch. As long as you maintain that separation and have a good enough fit to keep juice from getting into your electronics then I'd say you have the right O-Ring.
Could not agree more, especially with all of this legislation flying around keeping old hardware may be a necessity at some point. Not trying to sound like a doomsday prepper here but I think going the frugal route may pay off before too long.
Could not agree more. I bought and used the "discount" version adapter (510 to eGo) and that is the very reason I am here participating in this repair discussion. And to be honest, I have never been one to really tighten down my devices, but in this case it did not matter. But my ZMAX is now fixed and all is good. I don't dare ever ever use one on my Provari.
It doesn't matter, you are right. People will say you over tightened but I know that I am not one to do that, and that I did not over tighten when it broke. I never suggest adapters to folks anymore especially on these VAMO/ZMAX models.
Months after the repair with #60 Oring VAMO still going strong.
Is everyone here saying they didn't remove the original one but just pushed a new one in over top of it?
No i definitely removed the original one. It was basically falling out on its own anyways.
NICE, I did the fix today because mine wouldn't work at all. Now its working right again. THANKS ALL
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