Testing Batteries

[maccafan]

LOL...Poor chris..

You can dead short a ego/RIVA battery at the connector end and nothing will happen..

The button will flash a few times indicating that there is a short and that's about it. They have short circuit protection built in..

[VE Jason]

Jul 7, 2012 17:00:11 GMT maccafan said:

LOL...Poor chris..

You can dead short a ego/RIVA battery at the connector end and nothing will happen..

The button will flash a few times indicating that there is a short and that's about it. They have short circuit protection built in..

I'm not sure that they do have SC protection built in Macca.

I've shorted circuited a few lately in the interests of research and after the erratic battery flashing only 1 out of around 7 has continued to work properly.

Someone also reported a shorted V3 Vision to us the other day (very rare but it happens), which has allegedly taken out 2 Twist batteries.

I'm waiting to get them back for testing.

[maccafan]

Were they all RIVA's Jason? The one's you tested I mean?

I have just now dead shorted the following using a multimeter probe:

1. Ego -C Twist
2.My modded SDK fitted with Liberty flights 3.3 volt circuitry
3. Ego 900mah VV battery passthrough
4.Ego 1100 maH with LF 3.3 volt circuitry
5. Ego -T 900 mAh battery 3.3 volts
6. Ego Clone 900 mAh 4.2-3.5 volts

All of them, the battery light flashes three times. On the VV passthrough the ring goes red. All of them are fine..I have no RIVA circuitry to test, but given that there are no vent holes on a RIVA just like the ego surely there must be protection of some kind.

[VE Jason]

No, I've done Riva, Echo and eGo-T Macca and had similar problems.

What I was actually trying to work out by doing it, was the sequence of flashes from different batteries, because the manufacturers seem reluctant to offer up the information. I'm sure there's a code in there somewhere (sort of like the error codes on the Provari) and if I could crack it, it would help no end when a customer rings up and says "I put X on Y and the button just flashed loads of times and now it won't work"

I haven't got your knowledge on these things though, I'm just trying to use trial by destruction

[maccafan]

I 've had my hand slip on my friend's ego batteries too and have had several shorts even with a stardust when there is pool of juice in the connector well or when I was trying to put in a coil in. On one of the batteries I repaired of a certain member here, the silicone insulator was severed and the posi pin was direct in contact with the hole but the circuitry was still fine. I think this member is still using the battery I repaired.

From what I have seen so far, they flash 3 times and shutdown when shorted..If the short still exists when fired up, they flash 3 times and don't fire. Once the casue of the short is removed they resume operating normally. I haven't got any RIVA circuitry to test presently but I have seen them exhibit exactly the same behaviour. All these circuits also have a cleaning cycle where the button flashes continuously and rapidly after every 1500 puffs or so, what they call a atomizer self cleaning circuit.

The only fried circuitry I have seen are when there is juice ingress through the connector directly onto the circuit or when the grounding point on the circuit has been in direct contact with the battery posi due to negligent assembly.

However, you can never tell how a circuit is going to behave because the manufacturers may well have changed them and as you say, if a dead short does end up frying the circuitry then it is very useful for me to know and exercise care. There is no way I would know these batteries as well as you do.

[VE Jason]

Well I save every single returned battery Macca and recently have just been sending out replacements without testing them properly because of the volume of orders and lack of time. So when I do get an hour spare I try to test as many as possible.

Stig on UKV made me unique testers for testing both batteries and chargers (and the two combined), which have reduced the return rate substantially, but I'd still like to get it down further.

If you fancy it, I'll send you out a handful of them for analysis and then you use the parts for whatever you may use parts for.

[maccafan]

Of course Jason..My letterbox loves deaded stuff..

[Batdragon (AKA Batty)]

Jason, I have been looking up on the Chinese markets about different circuit protection as I have been looking and have started to build mods. On a few of the circuit description, which has been translated into chinglish, they incorporate a safety fuse which is able to be reset. On one of the descriptions is said about If the battery is at full capacity when the short occurs to put it on to the charger to reset the fuse. I will say that what I have just put is an interpretation of what they had put as it took a while to get their meaning as they often mentions "Putting shorts on the divece", which I am assuming does not mean dressing up the Riva like a Ken or Barbie lol

It might be worth a shot to try and reduce your returns even further.

[VE Jason]

Jul 7, 2012 18:15:28 GMT maccafan said:

Of course Jason..My letterbox loves deaded stuff..

It shall be done

[VE Jason]

Jul 7, 2012 18:22:03 GMT Batdragon (AKA Batty) said:

Jason, I have been looking up on the Chinese markets about different circuit protection as I have been looking and have started to build mods. On a few of the circuit description, which has been translated into chinglish, they incorporate a safety fuse which is able to be reset. On one of the descriptions is said about If the battery is at full capacity when the short occurs to put it on to the charger to reset the fuse. I will say that what I have just put is an interpretation of what they had put as it took a while to get their meaning as they often mentions "Putting shorts on the divece", which I am assuming does not mean dressing up the Riva like a Ken or Barbie lol

It might be worth a shot to try and reduce your returns even further.

That's an excellent bit of info Batty, thanks.

I'll experiment with that one.

I've emailed one of the manufacturers this morning and requested a full detailed specification for all the batteries, with the associated error codes, so may know more soon.

Thanks

[VE Jason]

Jul 7, 2012 18:15:28 GMT maccafan said:

Of course Jason..My letterbox loves deaded stuff..

I was just chuckling to myself whilst wondering how big your letterbox was

[maccafan]

LOL..that can't be a good thing for you in terms of returns..

[VE Jason]

Well it's not as bad as it sounds.

We sell around 200 kits a week (all formats, not just Riva) and the overall return rate of batteries is %.

I would like it <1% because I like a quiet life

[maccafan]

This kit that you got to test the returns interests me..

Any chance you could post or PM some pictures of this?

[VE Jason]

Jul 7, 2012 18:53:42 GMT maccafan said:

This kit that you got to test the returns interests me..

Any chance you could post or PM some pictures of this?

I'll post a pic when I'm in the office tomorrow Macca.

But, they are very similar to the tube testers that Luke does (Deejay), except I got Stig to make me one that I could test both the battery and USB charger at the same time. Thus telling us if there was any fault with the charger once the battery was attached.

One thing that did surprise was the wide variation in the output of the chargers once the battery was demanding a charge.