I have 3 MINI PIPES, which I ordered from MYVAPORSTORE.com on clearance for $39 each. I got 1 brown one as well as 2 black ones. This vendor ships fast, which is a major plus.
I can see why these Mini Pipes are on clearance! They would be a good deal for $30 each and a bargain at $25 each....but I feel sorry for any dealer sitting on a bunch of these stones! No wonder the poor fella lowered them to $39 each! He just wants to unload them and I certainly don't blame him!
These things just don't work well on the included 3.7V batteries. I take that back...ONE of the 3 Mini Pipes does work fairly well. One works marginally ok, the other doesn't work for crap....ALL tested on fully charged batteries (12HRS charge time). The original attys are just not a good match for the included batteries. The battery cover design is like a joke too dirty for present company....simply inapproriate.
I carefully stretched the negative battery contact (lower spring). I also slid the 2 side contacts (positive) out of the bowl a bit to tweak them downwards SLIGHTLY with small pliers. Battery cover now stays on quite well. It actually requires a little effort to remove it now.
Atty on all 3 is the same. There is a metal ring that says ROYALSMOKER on all 3 of them. It has 2 carburetor holes surrounding the main vacuum orifice, which mates with the bowl. It needs a bit MORE AIR INTAKE! I may just carefully enlarge the 2 existing holes on one of them and see what happens. Atty also does not burn hot enough to really deal with a well soaked cart stuffing....not by a LONG SHOT. It's simply starving for a solid power source
Took the weakest MINI PIPE over to my workbench, next to my home-brewed 5 Amp variable voltage power supply. Set it for 5VDC on the analog meter and ran jumpers into the battery compartment.....WHAT A DIFFERENCE! BILLOWING CLOUDS OF VAPOR + KILLER THROAT HIT!!! I watched the current meter (AMPS) every single time I took a hit. The harder I sucked, the more current was drawn. I got it to peak at nearly 1000 mA (1 AMP) of current draw.
Synopsis: This is a GREAT DEVICE to modify for EXTERNAL power use; however I would NOT recommend it for USB passthrough. USB power cannot be relied upon for anything more than 500mA (one-half amp of constant current supply); nor should any USB jack on any pc ever be relied upon for anything more.
I have some little wall warts/chargers kicking around that are rated for about 5VDC at about 1 Amp. Gotta love those Goodwill consignment stores. The little brick adapters are about a buck each there.....and I always put them to good use. I looked in my junk box & found a tiny little LG adapter with an output rating of 5VDC @ 1 Amp. Another LG that is 5.2VDC @ 800mA. Found a Motorola that is 4.4VDC @ 1100mA (1.1 Amp). Also a generic that is 6VAC @ 700mA (this one would need a simple quarter wave rectifier, since it has an AC output).
Another good thing would be to use a 4.8VDC NiMH rechargeable battery pack, which contains 4 "AA" size cells. This would make a very suitable portable power supply for the MINI PIPE.....but running it off the kit supplied batteries is a complete WASTE of time. It won't get the atty hot enough to function properly....unless maybe you wet the cart stuffing VERY sparingly (who has the time to fuss around with it like that?). Furthermore, HOW would you ever do a nice cleaning burn??? NOT HAPPENING with the kit supplied batteries, plain & simple.
I drilled a hole in the lower center of the bowl on the black pipe that makes nearly no vapor on battery power. I used my calipers to measure the wire diameter and identify the right drill size. I drilled it barely big enough to squeeze the adapter wire through it (very tight fit). Used a very small tie wrap as a strain releif. I then desoldered and removed the lower spring (negative battery contact). I also desoldered and removed the positive leads from the side contacts. I spliced the little LG ac adapter (5VDC @ 1 AMP) into the unit and reconnected the LED ground. Covered all my newly soldered connections with small gauge heat shrink tubing. Replaced the side contacts just to retain the jewel cover. Unit works beautifly with plenty of power supplied to the atomizer. DONE DEAL
I will keep at least one of the mini pipes completely original for now.....but I'll need to make sure I only use the very best of the six batteries I got within the 3 kits. For home use, I won't even fuss with the batteries; I'll simply use the LG adapter powered mini pipe, since it works so awesomely.
I now have ONE DSE601 EPIPE (soon to be 2), THREE of the MINI PIPES and several VX2 (mini cig) units. I modified my VX2 USB passthrough by chopping off the USB plug and I replaced it with the Motorola 4.4VDC @ 1.1Amp ac adapter...I LOVE IT! I store ALL PIPES in small jars and oversized Coca-Cola shotglasses (curvy like a woman!). I always store them with the bowls skyward (mouthhpiece down) and this prevents clogging at the orifice behind the atty....been there, done that...not fun when you need a quick nic fix. So far, the modified mini pipe is the best device I have, in terms of throat hit. When I just want LOADS of smooth mellow vapor, I vape off the DSE601. VX2 ecigs are small and convenient on-the-go. They don't run too hot (GREAT FLAVOR production) and the battery & cart life is good for such small ecigs.
The Mini Pipes would be great (and they probably should have been designed) with higher voltage batteries. IF the attys hold up for a decent duration, the mini pipe may prove to be a formidable PV device......in it's modified power source state. I really could not recommend the MINI PIPE to anyone who needs portable performance. Sorry, but it's just not reliable enough on OEM battery power. I know that batteries have to be broken in, but after the initial 12 HR charge, the attys should still be working much better than they are.
I can see why these Mini Pipes are on clearance! They would be a good deal for $30 each and a bargain at $25 each....but I feel sorry for any dealer sitting on a bunch of these stones! No wonder the poor fella lowered them to $39 each! He just wants to unload them and I certainly don't blame him!
These things just don't work well on the included 3.7V batteries. I take that back...ONE of the 3 Mini Pipes does work fairly well. One works marginally ok, the other doesn't work for crap....ALL tested on fully charged batteries (12HRS charge time). The original attys are just not a good match for the included batteries. The battery cover design is like a joke too dirty for present company....simply inapproriate.
I carefully stretched the negative battery contact (lower spring). I also slid the 2 side contacts (positive) out of the bowl a bit to tweak them downwards SLIGHTLY with small pliers. Battery cover now stays on quite well. It actually requires a little effort to remove it now.
Atty on all 3 is the same. There is a metal ring that says ROYALSMOKER on all 3 of them. It has 2 carburetor holes surrounding the main vacuum orifice, which mates with the bowl. It needs a bit MORE AIR INTAKE! I may just carefully enlarge the 2 existing holes on one of them and see what happens. Atty also does not burn hot enough to really deal with a well soaked cart stuffing....not by a LONG SHOT. It's simply starving for a solid power source
Took the weakest MINI PIPE over to my workbench, next to my home-brewed 5 Amp variable voltage power supply. Set it for 5VDC on the analog meter and ran jumpers into the battery compartment.....WHAT A DIFFERENCE! BILLOWING CLOUDS OF VAPOR + KILLER THROAT HIT!!! I watched the current meter (AMPS) every single time I took a hit. The harder I sucked, the more current was drawn. I got it to peak at nearly 1000 mA (1 AMP) of current draw.
Synopsis: This is a GREAT DEVICE to modify for EXTERNAL power use; however I would NOT recommend it for USB passthrough. USB power cannot be relied upon for anything more than 500mA (one-half amp of constant current supply); nor should any USB jack on any pc ever be relied upon for anything more.
I have some little wall warts/chargers kicking around that are rated for about 5VDC at about 1 Amp. Gotta love those Goodwill consignment stores. The little brick adapters are about a buck each there.....and I always put them to good use. I looked in my junk box & found a tiny little LG adapter with an output rating of 5VDC @ 1 Amp. Another LG that is 5.2VDC @ 800mA. Found a Motorola that is 4.4VDC @ 1100mA (1.1 Amp). Also a generic that is 6VAC @ 700mA (this one would need a simple quarter wave rectifier, since it has an AC output).
Another good thing would be to use a 4.8VDC NiMH rechargeable battery pack, which contains 4 "AA" size cells. This would make a very suitable portable power supply for the MINI PIPE.....but running it off the kit supplied batteries is a complete WASTE of time. It won't get the atty hot enough to function properly....unless maybe you wet the cart stuffing VERY sparingly (who has the time to fuss around with it like that?). Furthermore, HOW would you ever do a nice cleaning burn??? NOT HAPPENING with the kit supplied batteries, plain & simple.
I drilled a hole in the lower center of the bowl on the black pipe that makes nearly no vapor on battery power. I used my calipers to measure the wire diameter and identify the right drill size. I drilled it barely big enough to squeeze the adapter wire through it (very tight fit). Used a very small tie wrap as a strain releif. I then desoldered and removed the lower spring (negative battery contact). I also desoldered and removed the positive leads from the side contacts. I spliced the little LG ac adapter (5VDC @ 1 AMP) into the unit and reconnected the LED ground. Covered all my newly soldered connections with small gauge heat shrink tubing. Replaced the side contacts just to retain the jewel cover. Unit works beautifly with plenty of power supplied to the atomizer. DONE DEAL
I will keep at least one of the mini pipes completely original for now.....but I'll need to make sure I only use the very best of the six batteries I got within the 3 kits. For home use, I won't even fuss with the batteries; I'll simply use the LG adapter powered mini pipe, since it works so awesomely.
I now have ONE DSE601 EPIPE (soon to be 2), THREE of the MINI PIPES and several VX2 (mini cig) units. I modified my VX2 USB passthrough by chopping off the USB plug and I replaced it with the Motorola 4.4VDC @ 1.1Amp ac adapter...I LOVE IT! I store ALL PIPES in small jars and oversized Coca-Cola shotglasses (curvy like a woman!). I always store them with the bowls skyward (mouthhpiece down) and this prevents clogging at the orifice behind the atty....been there, done that...not fun when you need a quick nic fix. So far, the modified mini pipe is the best device I have, in terms of throat hit. When I just want LOADS of smooth mellow vapor, I vape off the DSE601. VX2 ecigs are small and convenient on-the-go. They don't run too hot (GREAT FLAVOR production) and the battery & cart life is good for such small ecigs.
The Mini Pipes would be great (and they probably should have been designed) with higher voltage batteries. IF the attys hold up for a decent duration, the mini pipe may prove to be a formidable PV device......in it's modified power source state. I really could not recommend the MINI PIPE to anyone who needs portable performance. Sorry, but it's just not reliable enough on OEM battery power. I know that batteries have to be broken in, but after the initial 12 HR charge, the attys should still be working much better than they are.
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