What's wrong with this? Current drawn using NiMH bat mod

[TomCatt]

Just to start with, I'm a chemist not an electronic/electrical expert of any kind . I was goofing around with my Puck-style mod (4 AAA NiMH batteries). And, out of curiosity, tested the amps.


Unloaded Voltage



Loaded Voltage (2.7 ohm GotVapes Vortex clearomizer)



Amps drawn under load.

Now, when I'm vaping, the batts are fine, no overheating. When I hooked the meter up (batt side of the switch and on atty) and tested voltages, there was no problem. When I switched over and measured current, I got the above reading (4.14 amps) and the batts got very hot.

So, what elementary rule did I break ? How come the high amp reading and the hot batts? I've been using this mod for ~a week and a half. And have my first which I used for a month before that. At no time have I noticed anything like this during normal vaping.

I bow to the wisdom of the sages, guide me wise ones.

 

[drewk302]

what setting is your meter on? no way its drawing over 4 amps.

 

[TomCatt]

Setting was on '10 amp', with the pos lead switched over to the 10 ADC connection on the meter.

 

[Java_Az]

Your not measuring the amps correctly. Your trying to measure amps like you would volts. What you do to measure amps is run your positive threw the meter. If you have a place or junction where you can disconnect your positive you hook each end to the meter. That will give you the proper amp reading. Doing it the way you are is short circuiting the batteries. Really you can measure it the same way by running JUST the negative side threw the meter. Just think of the meter as a positive ( Negitive if it is easyer to hook up) wire going to the atomizer. So your running your current threw the meter with one polarity not both.

 

[TomCatt]

Thanks Java, knew I was doing something wrong, just not what it was .