...snip... A few weeks ago I ordered some 1200 mah LiFePo4 and was going to go through a bunch of current testing and long arduous experiments outside of the TV1, but I did a lot of research and found these 1200 mah cells had the same protective circuit that the 750 mah Tenergy cells have, so I went right to the TV1 with the new cells.
DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY! I have been using the 1200 mah cells in one cycle and the originals in the next cycle for about the past three weeks. The 1200 mah cells do not have the ability to discharge fast enough to keep the coils warm enough, and the extra capacity the cells carry is wasted by the heat the batteries create trying to discharge faster than they are designed to. The only plus out of the whole experiment was a 4 bank LiFePo4 charger, so now I can charge all six of my cells at the same time.
I should have trusted the Thermovape team to have supplied the best batteries available, and should have listened to OF and his advice about Thermovape and their battery testing. Thank you OF, I will actually listen the next time you offer advice, you seem to be a very wise and thoughtful person.
The batteries are the only weak point in this kick ass vaporizer, and for personal use, I do not have one issue with the batteries, the original set of six will last me all day with no problem ....snip...
I couldn't agree with you more. The batteries are the primary weak point of the T1 (though I am really annoyed with the rate at which the cap holes clog, and need cleaning. Pipe's post, quoted below, points out that wiping the top cap clogs the holes faster than leaving them alone and just blowing through the cap, then finally cleaning them with a toothpick when things get too grungy. I couldn't agree more, though I didn't really figure it out until last night, for some reason; wiping the inside of the cap is NOT the way to go. I have also found that Oral-B superfloss cleans the holes better than anything else, including a toothpick.).
Anyway, the LiFePO4 batteries are an inspired choice. I've been doing some research to put together a charging station, and these cells we're using can be charged at 4C rates (15 minutes from dead to full), and can put out hundreds of amps in short pulses. Very low internal resistance, and very safe chemical technology. They really are ideally suited for how we're using them, and ThermoEssence did their homework when they selected them.
I have 12 batteries in rotation now (with four more on order). Sixteen is enough to keep me and a friend going for one long day. Charging them with two slow chargers doesn't really work out when I get home with 12 (or 16) dead batteries and want all of them to be charged the next morning without me having to stay up and mind them.
I've been digging around the remote control airplane/helicopter/boat forums, and the Tenergy web site, to see what's available to charge multiple LiFePO4 batteries safely in a short time. There are a number of choices, at different price points, though all that I've found so far will require me to fabricate the holders and wiring involved to charge RCR123A size cylindrical cells. This is not really difficult, but does mean sourcing and buying the cell holders, the connectors used for balanced charging, and the thermocouples for monitoring the cell temperatures.
This can be done on the cheap for probably under $50 for a more simple version (won't handle 16 cells at the same time, maybe will handle eight at that price point), or $100-$200 for a version that does everything, including displaying full charge, discharge, and capacity curves for each cell. You can even hook it up to your computer if you want.
One of the most frustrating things for me is not being able to tell the condition of my batteries. I use rechargeable AA batteries in a bunch of things, and my charger not only lets me set whatever charge rate I want, but also discharges, conditions, and evaluates the batteries. The two "identical" Tenergy slow chargers I have now charge at significantly different rates. One takes a half hour more to finish charging a cell (or pair of cells) than the other. Consistently, no matter which of my 12 batteries I test with. I don't know if one charges faster, or one just terminates the charging earlier. I hate not knowing if one charger isn't charging batteries as fully as the other, or one just takes longer. As much as I try to use all my batteries evenly, this just doesn't work out perfectly in the field, and I hate not knowing if a battery has half its initial capacity because it's been through twice as many charge/discharge cycles as a different battery.
...snip... As a follow up to my battery problems, I am getting a grip on it. I have coded my batteries and take note of performance. Seemed a little un-prodictable until.........
I thought back to anything I may have done to cause this myself. (I'm known for that) And could only think about the small piece of electrical tape I put on the outside bottom of battery sleeve. I did this as I did not particularly like the click sound on the recoil. As not a part of the contact points I never thought any more about it. I removed it and the batteries started to become more predictable as well as did not seem to get as hot as before. Now I know the new batteries I have will definitely go for the full 10 or so hits per 90 mg bowl. Finianlly....yaaaaa.
However, the bad news is the original cells consistently only get 1/2 to 2/3 before performance drops off. Still under test. I now think this may be do to the excessive heat? Hopefully, caught in time before killing the newer batteries. I might be totally off here but predictability sure seems better with that tape removed. Still kind of stunned that it seemed to make such a difference. Hopefully, this knowledge will benefit others who may have caused their own problems.
I have now got my batteries for herb use and the other ones for preheat and e-cig use. I can live with that.
The way we are "abusing" the batteries cries for a better charger, with the ability to see how the cells are holding up. Keeping track of the state of a bunch of batteries is impractical without help from a smart charger. I don't plan on keeping a written log of my battery use; I'm too stoned at the time anyway! There are enough variables involved in getting the ThermoVape to work 100% that I want to know the state of my batteries, so when something doesn't work as expected, I can look elsewhere to figure out the problem.
Just a matter of time for the charger, right ThermoVape? Couple weeks max?
So maybe I should't buy anything right away?
