aspire odyssey not charging?

[t.lara]

received an aspire odyssey kit and installed an 18650 3100 mAh battery. trying to charge it - the manual says while charging, there should be a flashing battery symbol. the symbol isn't flashing - the battery symbol is full (looks like a 'fully charged' symbol), though i'm also getting a 'low battery' message (when i click the fire/on button) and the vaporizer won't fire. it came with a micro USB cord, which i've tried connecting to my laptop and two wall adapters.

i'm leaving it connected in case it does end up charging (i've read it takes up to 3 hours...), but maybe i'm missing something? the symbol flashes for about a second when i connected it. does the battery symbol maybe flash the entire time while charging?

 

[bombastinator]

Charging batteries in the device is not recommended. It’s hard on both the device and the batteries to do it on a regular basis. It should still work though which is odd. MicroUSB2 is notoriously fragile and it is possible that either the cable or the connector port is broken.
Regardless of the reason though I suggest a decent battery charger and a couple of batteries. Not only does it work better but the effectively instantaneous recharge of a battery swap is super handy

 

[t.lara]

the cord seems to be working fine. i can feel the device warming up a bit, but it still doesn't seem to be charging. i'll try the battery charger thing, but i find it really strange it won't charge... don't know if the battery or the mod is a dud.

 

[t.lara]

does anyone have any more tips or information? i'm not sure whether to return the mod or buy a new battery and charger. or maybe a different wall adapter would work? i've tried some wall adapters and connecting it to my laptop, and i can definitely feel it become slightly warm while connected, but it isn't charging. there's a 'full battery' symbol and a 'low battery' signal when i click the fire button.

 

[crayfishx]

does anyone have any more tips or information? i'm not sure whether to return the mod or buy a new battery and charger. or maybe a different wall adapter would work? i've tried some wall adapters and connecting it to my laptop, and i can definitely feel it become slightly warm while connected, but it isn't charging. there's a 'full battery' symbol and a 'low battery' signal when i click the fire button.

You are doing all the wrong things here - @bombastinator 's comments were correct, you really should be using an external dedicated charger for 18650 batteries - charging in device is not ideal, and if you must do it it should only be done with the charger supplied with the device - mixing in wall chargers from other devices is really not advised for safety reasons.... although rare, some of the cases of batteries exploding have been down to people using iPhone or other unspecified random chargers to directly charge batteries in a device.

 

[englishmick]

Definitely sounds like something is wrong with the mod. Maybe the battery is actually charging but the mod won't fire, or the charging circuit is bad in some way so it doesn't charge. I would send it back. I guess it's possible that the mod is OK but you have a defective battery, but that seems less likely.

You really should get a charger though. Right now you don't even know whether your batteries are charged or not. If you knew that it would be easier to figure out what is going wrong.

I'm assuming you don't have any other mods to try the battery in?

 

[Topwater Elvis]

Do you have a multimeter or a way to check battery voltage?

What name brand cell are you using?
There are no 3100mah cells that have a high enough true amp rate / CDR to properly/safely power a 70w single cell device.

If it shows 'full' battery charge but won't fire I'd bet you're using an insufficient cell.

You need at least Samsung 30q, LG Hg2, Sony vtc6 all 3000 mah 15a - 20a CDR cells.
Or Sony vtc5 A - must be "A" 2500mah 25a CDR.

 

[ppeeble]

What resistance atomiser are you trying to fire ?
With the limited information you have given it sounds like you are using a bad battery, the voltage sag would drop the battery voltage to the point where the device won't allow it to fire.
Try using a higher resitance coil (1ohm+) and see if it still shows 'weak battery'....

 

[stols001]

I wouldn't waste my time with new walwarts and whatnot. Also, never ever charge via your laptop, it's not a good practice as if anything goes wrong (and it sounds like something is wrong) it can fry your laptop, which will then not be covered by any sort of warranty you might have (I'm talking about the laptop).

While it is 100% best to charge externally it does sound possible that your device is faulty, as it is not behaving as it "should" when charging. It's possible that if you inserted a fresh, externally charged battery, the device could work (and assuming an authentic, genuine battery with the right specs for your battery needs-- if you could let us know the make and model and age of your battery, as well as where you bough it, that could also narrow down the problem as if you are using a rewrapped inauthentic cell, it could cause "funkiness" in the mod, etc.,) well, that still leaves the issue of why it won't charge via USB, as although it's not recommended to charge via USB, if the manufacturer states it CAN charge via USB, it should function normally.

So, I'd say more info on your batteries would be needed, and if they're not authentic or purchased from a reputable battery supplier, I'd get your hands on some. Start here: Mooch's blog | E-Cigarette Forum I'd link the table where Mooch lists all his battery ratings and the last cell offers a list of authentic, trusted battery sellers who only sell authentic batteries, but I have not had luck with that. You also need the correctly rated battery for your device and vaping style.

If that doesn't do the trick, I would definitely warranty it, even if you can get it working "sometimes." Given that it's not charging via USB (and it should) once you are sure that your batteries are not at fault, warranty it, even if you can get it to work, charging externally. Electrical "faults" can spread... over time. So, (again, if your battery is okay) but you can't GET the mod to charge via USB and it should, I would most certainly warranty the device. The last thing you need is a slew of increasing, electrical failures that may result in a "catastrophic" failure over time, etc.

Best of luck and I hope you can get it resolved quickly!

Anna

 

[Baditude]

There could be several issues going on here:

1. I don't know of a good 18650 battery that actually has 3100 mAh. I suspect you might be using an aftermarket battery. Are You Using a Rewrap (Rebranded or Aftermarket) Battery? Aftermarket batteries often advertise inflated battery specifications to get you to buy their batteries. It also might be the wrong chemistry battery. Please let us know specifically what battery you are using. Make and model? Battery Basics for Mods: The Definative Battery Guide for Vaping

2. You should never charge through a computer's USB port. Their output can vary greatly from computer to computer, and if the output is too low your battery will never charge correctly. Also, should a short circuit occur while charging, not only will you need to replace your mod, but your computer, too.

3. You should only charge via the mod's USB port in an "emergency" situation. The primary purpose of the USB port is to download firmware updates for the circuit board. Repetitive insertion of the USB cord over time can inflict physical wear and tear to the port. The best solution is to use a dedicated Li-ion battery charger; its safer and generally faster. Guide to Choosing a Li-ion Battery Charger

 

[t.lara]

the battery is a sony vtc 6. i may have misheard the guy selling it to me about the 3100 mAh. i'm certain it isn't a fake. thanks for all of the info, i'm going to pick up a battery charger and more batteries this afternoon and give that a try.

 

[stols001]

How are you certain it isn't a fake? Or a rewrapped "second" from one of the main manufacturers? I'm curious, because it can be almost impossible to know if a battery is authentic when buying from a brick and mortar.

I'm not saying it's a fake necessarily. But I am saying, I'm not quite sure I understand your "surety" that it IS authentic. I sort of automatically (myself) assume a brick and mortar could be selling fakes (sometimes without knowing it themselves).

The only way *I* know for sure my battery isn't a fake is to stick with Mooch's list of trusted vendors. So if you do have a way of "knowing it isn't" I'd be interested in your reasoning on the matter.

Anna