Mini Bones
Member
. i know enough to be dangerous. not sure i know what you mean by mechanical vaporizer? as in youre not using anything manual and its just a button and battery?
Discontinued Thermovape Cera
- Thread starter SameOldTim
- Start date
OF
Well-Known Member
You're very welcome, glad to help you make an informed choice.
TV direct markets Cera because they can't discount it enough to attract distributors I bet. Luna may change that (much less fiddly hand labor), but for now you need to be 'in the know' to be in the know.
I too thing Cera LL works very well as delivered (provided you use good batteries and have reasonable technique). You may or may not decide you want to work on the 'holding the button down so long' thing as many have, but that's a convenience issue for most I think.
Good luck on your pending buy. I'm sure you'll be happy with it. You might want to watch the classifieds and other similar places, some guys get lucky that way. Remember, the basic unit is guaranteed for life and the cores can be made 'good as new' for a cheap rebuild price at any time. I would not fear a used one.
OF
notoriousLrg
sTrange cLouds
My local 
dispensary stopped carrying a good CO2 formula recently that was working well with EO. They switched to 'POP Naturals' CO2 oil which seems much thicker and not easily absorbed by the CERA. Even after cleaning, loading under the specified amount and after several short burns during loading and a couple of sessions, laying the Cera on its side for a couple of hours caused a big mess with oil leaking from the inner part of the cart 
. So thought I would clean again, and as I was pulling out the cart, one of the set screws fell out. I've read about the possibility of overtightening the screw and causing damage. Should I clean and run the cart with only 3 screws in place, or is it recommended that I send in for service 
?
dispensary stopped carrying a good CO2 formula recently that was working well with EO. They switched to 'POP Naturals' CO2 oil which seems much thicker and not easily absorbed by the CERA. Even after cleaning, loading under the specified amount and after several short burns during loading and a couple of sessions, laying the Cera on its side for a couple of hours caused a big mess with oil leaking from the inner part of the cart . So thought I would clean again, and as I was pulling out the cart, one of the set screws fell out. I've read about the possibility of overtightening the screw and causing damage. Should I clean and run the cart with only 3 screws in place, or is it recommended that I send in for service ?
OF
Well-Known Member
Bummer, man. A true buzz kill.......
First off, I'd send it in (after cleaning). They'll put it right and give you a fresh start. You can run 3 screws on an emergency basis, but that means the load is now not evenly distributed when it comes time to unscrew a stuck on cart (which can happen when you're fighting leaks). This could lead to a hard failure when you least want it.
Next I'd look at the concentrate. It seems to have taken a radical shift? There's a lot of nasty junk out there, unfortunately. How dark is it? I think lighter colored ones work better. How does it do in the foil test? I think the most critical part (after the flashing off cleanly part of course) is the 'quickly and uniformly melts and flows freely' part. I've tried some 'taffy' and similar that failed at this point. It tended to flow more like those movies you see of flash floods and tidal waves with all the debris included with the liquid. My 'take' is this behavior keeps it from sinking into the ceramic.
Revolution/DART doesn't do well with such concentrates, and Omicron carts quickly foul as well, even though it 'burns off' cleanly.
As you know, getting the EO cart right is a treat. IMO worth the effort in the love it returns.
Regards,
OF
notoriousLrg
sTrange cLouds
Mini Bones
Member
So do you all recommend buying just the Cera and then another after market battery?
OF
Well-Known Member
I'll go a step further, a second (charged) battery is mandatory IMO. You need a fresh battery to swap in when output issues crop up. The second doesn't have to be a first class one, but it has to be capable of making the Cera function well for a while when freshly charged.
OF
Mini Bones
Member
Are the batteries that come with the Cera protected or unprotected?
OF- you make it seem like the batteries only last a few minutes. Is that the case with the Cera. I don't mind needing an extra battery but to need two... That seems like an issue with the run time, no?
OF- you make it seem like the batteries only last a few minutes. Is that the case with the Cera. I don't mind needing an extra battery but to need two... That seems like an issue with the run time, no?
Vape Dr.
Well-Known Member
Mini Bones, The Batteries that come with the Cera are Orbtronic PD-2900 10 amp High drain Unprotected batteries. The protected batteries are model number PD-2900-P.
"There are 2 available Orbtronic models: PD 2900 - cell with top button, no external protection, and PD 2900-P - cell with external protection which is longer
68.9mm, and wider 18.6mm"
Information found from here;
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...50-2900mah-high-drain-version-part-1-a-2.html
btka
Well-Known Member
i thought the battery they came with the cera are panasonic NCR18650PF (mine) and on the thermovape page they recommend you to buy protected ones... but this got mentioned also earlier in this thread...
and if you have 2 batteries it should be ok... the cera lasts i think 1 to 2 hours with one battery (but its dependent on your technic also) ... if you using the LL core here in the thread someone mentioned to get the sony vtc4 or sony vtc5 (because they heat faster, but they don t hold as long as the panasonic but there are also unprotected or i couldn t find them protected)
OF
Well-Known Member
I use the NCR18650PD as well (in fact I'm testing one right now for another, non vape, project.....). TV also used to sell CGR18650CGs which have lower capacity (2200 not 2900) but run slightly hotter. Both are excellent choices IMO.
I think you need two solid batteries (at least). You need to have a fresh one to swap in to test any concerns with performance....otherwise Murphy will talk you into adding more oil to your EO cart and you'll have a flooded cart to add to your discharged battery problems.
I did a fair bit of testing of run times early on it the Beta test phase, I reported them here somewhere. As I recall you can expect half an hour (or a bit more) run time from the CG, closer to 45 minutes from the PD. I ran my Beta unit half an hour straight at one point, it got mighty hot (I could only hold it by the very bottom, thankfully with the latching switch so I didn't have to press the button as well which would not have been possible). The battery held up fine, much better than my fingers did.
You can do the 'back of the envelope math' for yourself. Cera draws about four Amps so dividing 2.2 Ah by four gives half an hour, dividing the 2.9 Ah for the PD by that same four Amps gives about 3/4 hour.
The key is to stay sharp and swap depleted batteries out before you run them into the mud.
Regards.
OF
Vape Dr.
Well-Known Member
Orbtronic are Panasonic cores according to Orbtronics website. Those are what came with my unit. I was looking on battery forums to find the information I posted. I called TeT and asked them about those Sony vtc3 ones and they only recommend Panasonic, probably because that's what they use. I was also hoping to hear someone chime in about their cera batteries. I've only been using my LL Cera for a couple days (love it) but I don't think I'll get close to an hour, let alone 2 out of the orbtronic batteries. However i'm still learning the Ceras technique.
Do different batteries come with the wax vs LL?
Last edited:
stickstones
Vapor concierge
batts are the same, just different carts
Severmore
Well-Known Member
FWIW, I recently purchased Sony's VTC5 and a Nightcore Intellicharger i4.
http://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Son...2?ie=UTF8&qid=1399054777&sr=8-2&keywords=VTC5
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UAI372/ref=pe_385040_30332190_TE_M3T1_ST1_dp_1
Compared to my year-old Panasonic CGR18650CGs (again from amazon.com), the VTC5s are noticeably better. I could always get good flavor and feel the effects of the LL Cera, but this is the first time ever that I've been able to get consistent visible clouds on demand. The VTC5s have finally allowed me to experience the power that TET's device enables with respect to loose leaf vaping...stoked.
http://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Son...2?ie=UTF8&qid=1399054777&sr=8-2&keywords=VTC5
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UAI372/ref=pe_385040_30332190_TE_M3T1_ST1_dp_1
Compared to my year-old Panasonic CGR18650CGs (again from amazon.com), the VTC5s are noticeably better. I could always get good flavor and feel the effects of the LL Cera, but this is the first time ever that I've been able to get consistent visible clouds on demand. The VTC5s have finally allowed me to experience the power that TET's device enables with respect to loose leaf vaping...stoked.
stickstones
Vapor concierge
not me, buddy...I'm new to this vape.
btka
Well-Known Member
from thermovape:
"Battery:
Do not use any unprotected Li-ion batteries. Thermovape recommends ONLY using 2C protected Japanese-manufactered rechargable Lithium-ion batteries (Protected ICR, Li-Co, or Lio-ion cells) with our products." link: http://thermovape.com/feature
"Battery:
Do not use any unprotected Li-ion batteries. Thermovape recommends ONLY using 2C protected Japanese-manufactered rechargable Lithium-ion batteries (Protected ICR, Li-Co, or Lio-ion cells) with our products." link: http://thermovape.com/feature
ataxian
PALE BLUE DOT
One 18650 is only 3.7 volts?
It won't do shatter will it?
I thought you needed 7.4 volts!
2 x 18350?
Severmore
Well-Known Member
Nope...one 18650 and the EO core will fire up shatter just fine. In fact, I believe TET's new e-liquid cartridge for the Luna is the only cartridge requiring 7.4V.
OF
Well-Known Member
Now be honest with the nice people, DR. It might take a bit more fiddling to get it loaded, but it's well worth the effort, right?
Maybe 'it works great' might cover it for some, but given good concentrate, strong battery and good technique Cera EO can have a Rastafari Shaman begging for mercy in 3 hits or less.
OF
Severmore
Well-Known Member
Any advice for loading concentrates that require higher melting temps (ie my DIY shatter)? Many times I will get oil leaking out of the bottom of the cart before the shatter on the top ceramic plate has had a chance to melt in all the way. I am pretty sure its not an overloading issue, but a heat distribution issue. DR, OF, do you guys pre-melt prior to loading? Torch, hairdryer, lighter?
I have no complaints other than minor amounts of lost oil and the occasionally clogged cart.