What'd I screw up?!?!?

[MastiffMike]

OK, I'm an idiot! Long story short, I somehow screwed up and I think it's my connector. Here's the situation:

When nothing is attached to the connector (i.e. no atty/carto) LEDs work (though I still regret putting them in!) and the connector registers on my multileter (I have no idea how to use it but it does show some numbers!)

When I screw on a carto, nothing works! No vapor and the LEDs don't even light up!

If I unscrew the carto slightly the LEDs work again, but of course then the carto doesn't.

I'm thinking it's the center pin of my connector and that it's somehow shorting out when a carto fully seated. Does that sound right?

And MOST importantly, what can I do to fix it??? It's my only connector so I don't have a spare center pin or insulator to try. At this stage, it'll be a real chore to replace the center pin and/or insulator but it's probably doable whenever I can order another connector. HOWEVER the outer part of the connector is NOT really removable.
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I'm SO bummed because until I get this fixed I can't put the bottom on and paint it (much less actually vape it!).

Please advise!

 

[asdaq]

It could well be the connector is shorting when the carto is screwed on but,

When nothing is attached to the connector (i.e. no atty/carto) LEDs work (though I still regret putting them in!) and the connector registers on my multileter (I have no idea how to use it but it does show some numbers!)

There's really basic two positions to set the DMM to for vaping, voltage and resistance. The number on the dial represents the maximum value reading the DMM will give in that category. To get voltage, set it to 20 DCV (about 10 o'clock). To get resistance, set it to 200 Ω (about 6 o'clock). Before looking for readings, touch the two leads together and wait for the display to settle down. This will give you the DMM's own resistance, a value to subtract from taking readings of other things.
for voltage, pay attention to the positive and negative wire (red/ black) but for resistance, the positive/negative doesn't matter.

Setting to measure resistance you can look for shorts with the mod off. There should be no readings at all between the positive and negative of the connector. If you poke at the positive post and move it slightly you may be able to recreate the short scenario and narrow down the source. Also it would be good to check other points in the mod for possible shorts, especially where the center pin is soldered to the wire.

If it is a faulty connector insulator, you could use a substitute. An old carto has a similar insulator in the battery connector, or you can put a couple of layers of heatshrink tubing around the center pin. That is just a couple of fixes, I'm sure others have more ideas. If the fixed center pin is looser than before, gluing it in place from below once it is in place and everything checks out is a good idea.

Hope this helps some.

 

[MastiffMike]

Wooo Hooo! Thanks Asdaq!

I took it all apart and everything "looked" fine so i put it back together and now it works! I think I must have had the center pin either in at an angle of the insulator wasn't in correctly. But now it works, at least in it's partial disessembled state. I'll try to get it all to fit back in the space and see if it still works and then quickly put the darn bottom on and hope it stays working!

I'm so relieved that my connector works and I don't have to put it all on hold until I can get another one!

Thanks for the help and the multimeter info! If I'm doing it right the resistance before from center pin to outer part was reading .8 and now it doesn't register anything on my meter. I'm guessing that the .8 was the issue and since it's gone it now works.

Thank you, thank you!

 

[asdaq]

No worries, glad it is working. 0.8 is likely the amount the meter has for resistance by itself.