Why pair batteries?

[fitchy]

hi, I have mostly mods that are single battery, but one that has 2... would someone be kind enough to tell me if it is important to only use pairs of batteries in that one? Also define a pair, as I have same batteries all round but I’ve used in single battery mods. Please explain to me? Thanks

 

[untar]

A married pair/tuple is understood to be a set of batteries that
-you bought at the same time from the same place, that are the same model+manufacturer, maximizing the chance they're from the same production run and will have similar properties
-are used in your device(s) always at the same time, as a set
-are charged at the same time so they rest together approximately the same time before getting used again

This is our attempt at having something similar to a battery pack power tools, drones/model cars/planes and laptops have. Since there's no battery handling system for our devices we implement one by rules and guidelines.
This is meant to be best practice to lower the chance of something going terribly wrong.
It doesn't take much effort and if you marked them appropriately you'll always recognize them later, instead of mixing up batteries that are laying around villynilly no matter how old they are or how they were used.

Then you still have people doing dumb crap like this

(this is from 16 hours ago)
which shows why it's important to have general rules known by everybody that touches a multi cell vape mod.

 

[DaveP]

hi, I have mostly mods that are single battery, but one that has 2... would someone be kind enough to tell me if it is important to only use pairs of batteries in that one? Also define a pair, as I have same batteries all round but I’ve used in single battery mods. Please explain to me? Thanks

It's about load balancing and matching cells for capacity and similar discharge rates. A weaker cell has to work harder to keep up with the stronger one in a series paired application. Heat is a factor as well as combined voltage output. Lower overall voltage output occurs when one cell discharges faster than the other in a series circuit.

Think of two horses pulling the same wagon. If the two aren't balanced in strength and endurance then performance suffers. The strong horse has to do more work than the weaker one and eventually gets tired faster as a result. In the battery world heat and stress is not a good thing.

A matched pair of cells is two that are purchased at the same time and marked so that you know they are paired. As they age similarly their output will remain matched. They should charge and discharge evenly and remain together as a pair throughout their life, not separated and used in single battery mods separately. Marked cells should be marked with a label or felt tip pen so that you know they are paired. AA, BB, CC or 11, 22, 33, etc.

If you separate them and begin to use them in single battery mods, then they lose their matched status because they aren't sharing the same loading each time and begin to age differently.

 

[fitchy]

It's about load balancing and matching cells for capacity and similar discharge rates. A weaker cell has to work harder to keep up with the stronger one in a series paired application. Heat is a factor as well as combined voltage output. Lower overall voltage output occurs when one cell discharges faster than the other in a series circuit.

Think of two horses pulling the same wagon. If the two aren't balanced in strength and endurance then performance suffers. The strong horse has to do more work than the weaker one and eventually gets tired faster as a result. In the battery world heat and stress is not a good thing.

 

[fitchy]

Oops sorry...

 

[fitchy]

Ok thanks, so in order to start using my mod that requires 2 batteries , I will have to buy say another 4 and marry them up into 2 pairs... only to be used in said mod...

 

[DaveP]

Ok thanks, so in order to start using my mod that requires 2 batteries , I will have to buy say another 4 and marry them up into 2 pairs... only to be used in said mod...

That would be the best way to create matched pairs. If you have a lot of cells you can measure voltages at charge and discharge states and try to match from the cells you own. If you find pairs that match within .1v during charge and discharge those can be matched if they are approximately the same age.

It's best to buy new and label them so that they can be easily identified. New cells are more likely to age similarly.

 

[score69]

Ok thanks, so in order to start using my mod that requires 2 batteries , I will have to buy say another 4 and marry them up into 2 pairs... only to be used in said mod...

Once you marry a new pair or pairs, they can be used in more than one dual battery mod. You just shouldn't use them individually in single battery mods (and remarry them), or intermingle the married sets.

I label mine with a permanent marker as to:

1) Dual or Single battery mod
2) Pair # if they are for dual mods/married
3) Date I first used them

Then I wrap a second clear wrap on top of the existing one to provide more protection for the cell, and to keep the writing intact.

A specific pair (#2 for example) can be used in different dual battery mods. You just don't want to mix batteries from different married sets.

 

[Baditude]

 

[stols001]

Well I think you got the gist of it, and pairing batteries really does work, as does most of all making sure that you have some way of keeping them matched, and permanent marker suits my needs.

You want to start new as, even if batteries are bought at the same time, it's unlikely they've seen an IDENTICAL amount of use, some may have been sitting around in single battery mods used less than some other mods and etc. etc.

Really, you also are going to see better performance and longer battery life over all, as the weakest battery in the circuit is going to show itself to be unbalanced and you will probably get told that either your batteries are unbalanced, or your batteries need to be changed. It's really worth the effort honestly, and in thinking about series mods, I wish I hadn't marked them as "pairs" nowadays and intermingled that set with my other batteries but well, what can I do now, I just well, deal with the occasional imbalance that is detected, but I don't think series batteries should be paired necessarily or IF they are, well they should be kept separate from other pairs. Etc.

Best of luck it's worth the fairly minimal investment I would say.

Anna

 

[DaveP]

There are more series connected ecig mods than there are parallel mods. Series mods yield higher voltages and parallel mods provide higher amperage for the circuitry to work with. All mods using 2 or more cells need paired and matched batteries for safety and efficiency. When a cell can't deliver power to keep up with the other cells the remaining cells have to take up the slack, creating a higher load on the better cells.


Dual 18650 in Parallel:
Eleaf iStick 100W $25.99
Eleaf iStick TC100W $35.99
Kanger KBOX 120W Mod $33.99
Kanger KBOX 200W Mod $39.99
Sigelei Fuchai 200W TC Mod (2 FREE 18650 Batteries) $59.95
****************************************************************
THREE 18650 in Parallel:
Primus 300W TC Box Mod by KOOPOR Pre-Order $99.99
****************************************************************
Dual 18650 in SERIES:
SnowWolf 200W TC Box Mod With Temperature Control $69.99
Sigelei T150W Box Mod (2 FREE 18650 Batteries) Touchscreen Pre-Order $199.00
Tarot 200VTC Mod By Vaporesso Pre-Order $55.99
Sigelei 213W Box Mod $124.99 (2 FREE 18650 Batteries) Pre-Order $124.99
Player Mod DNA133/DNA200 by Starss Out of stock
Smok X Cube II 160 Watt Box Mod With Temp Control $54.99
Laisimo S3 200W TC Box Mod $48.99
Cuboid 150W TC Mod by JoyeTech $37.99
Laisimo L1 200W Mod $75.99
iPV5 200W Mod by Pioneer4You $54.99
R200 by Smok 200W TC Smok $42.99
****************************************************************
Different:
Efusion DUO DNA133/200 Mod by Lost Vape Out of stock
(•Dual 18650 Battery Sled (133 Watts Max)
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Efusion DNA 200 Box Mod by Lost Vape $149.99
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Tesla Nano 100W Steampunk $49.99
(•4500mAh Dual LiPo Internal Battery)
****************************************************************

 

[mimöschen]

The Koopor Primus is a series mod.

 

[fitchy]

So the smok procolor is series? One in one way, the other in opposite way... am I right?

 

[stols001]

My understanding is reverse directional batteries are series, parallel is when you stick them in the same way. I stand ready to be corrected, but I think most series mods are designed so the batteries stay in the same orientation like negative down both of them. The parallel mod I have is the only mod I own that does it that way.

Then to muddy the waters further, there is the Noisy Cricket, the most dangerous mech mod of all time, where you can pretty much make it series or not based on HOW you shove in the batteries. Etc. At least it's got an appropriate name, because there have been times I have had a cricket in my house, it was noisy, I was trying to sleep, and after two hours of trying and failing to find it in the gloomy dark, I was pretty much ready to die.

My noisy cricket is in my vapeocalpse closet, waiting for the next time I am ready or at least comfortable with dying, but that hasn't happened in a while now, so perhaps when I get Left Behind, which I fully ANTICIPATE if the author of those books is at ALL accurate. Sometimes I think the husband may NOT be left behind, but then he'll say crap like, "I have been praying for you ALL day today," in a passive aggressive fashion and I think, "I bet Jesus NEVER said that, he should be washing my feet if he wants to get anywhere in the afterlife."

But no, one up one down is usually parallel I
think.

Anna

 

[Baditude]

...think most series mods are designed so the batteries stay in the same orientation like negative down both of them."

I think its the other way around, Anna. At least in a mech mod it is. When in doubt, contact the manufacturer.

 

[untar]

My understanding is reverse polarity is not series, series is when you stick them in the same way. I stand ready to be corrected, but I think most series mods are designed so the batteries stay in the same orientation like negative down both of them. That's the only mod I think I have that does it that way.

You'll find that the vast majority of series regulated mods have batteries going in opposite directions, connecting the (+) of one to the (-) of the other, that is what the very definition of series batteries is
Parallel means (+) gets connected with (+), (-) with (-), so mods that do that tend to have batteries go in the same way (both positive up or both positive down).

Maybe you got it mixed up.
How "reverse polarity" got in there I don't know that's an entirely different topic^^

 

[stols001]

Yup I meant parallel. I shall go fix that now.

Anna

 

[mimöschen]

Battery orientation means absolutely nothing!

The wiring is the only thing that counts.
In the Koopor Primus the batteries are all inserted in the same direction for example, but the wiring makes it a series mod, as shown in DJLsb's review.

 

[stols001]

There's no secret code way to tell what kind of mod you have based on battery insertion???????????

Are you telling me I have to like read the instructions or like even visit the MANUFACTURER's PAGE or even the SPECS listed on the site I buy it from????'

What a bubble you have burst, although on the flip side, I'm apparently NOT VERY GOOD at describing battery orientation so there is always THAT. Every freaking cloud, etc. LOL.

Anna

 

[untar]

Good thing is you don't have to know. Insert the batteries into the magic box according to the runes carved into it and hit the mythical button so as to make the mists of avalon appear

If there are no runes indicating battery orientation - run.

It's only when you're, you know, a nerd and want to know how that thing you bought ticks that you need to investigate.