Ascent Vaporizer by DaVinci

[YesIt'sLoaded]

I agree but my point is the UNIT doesn't like to run while plugged in when the batteries are fully discharged. I was kind of drawn back a bit that they weren't able to have it function without the batteries having charge..

Just doesn't sound like a very hard thing to accomplish. I'm probably wrong though.

There was a long post a while back about how much the DV charges when in use. I forget the whole conversation, but the point was the DV used more than the charger put out, so you could plug it in and use it, but it still needed a charge because it would still use up battery faster than it could charge. To me, that seems to make sense, when you consider how long the vape takes to charge, but without knowing the exact size of the batt and the power consuption of the unit, hard numbers are...well...hard to come by.

 

[Razor]

There was a long post a while back about how much the DV charges when in use. I forget the whole conversation, but the point was the DV used more than the charger put out, so you could plug it in and use it, but it still needed a charge because it would still use up battery faster than it could charge. To me, that seems to make sense, when you consider how long the vape takes to charge, but without knowing the exact size of the batt and the power consuption of the unit, hard numbers are...well...hard to come by.

You can make it so when a device is turned on from a wall charger, it only uses the charger from the walls power to run the unit, bypassing any battery. This doesn't run unless the battery has charge. The charger should be directly connected internally via the port to the circuit board to allow for current to go directly to the unit while turned on and plugged into the wall and then switch back to charging the batteries when not turned on.

For 250 bucks, this is what inexpert when I hear ''can be used from the wall charger''

Basically its a permanent way to possibly get your money again once the batteries die and your warranty is gone since it wont work from the wall anymore. No wonder we can't open the case and change out the batteries. Cause they made it so the unit can't run without them even while plugged in. People would just take the batts out and use it as a desktop unit when the batts died.

 

[YesIt'sLoaded]

You can make it so when a device is turned on from a wall charger, it only uses the charger from the walls power to run the unit, bypassing any battery. This doesn't run unless the battery has charge. The charger should be directly connected internally via the port to the circuit board to allow for current to go directly to the unit while turned on and plugged into the wall and then switch back to charging the batteries when not turned on.

For 250 bucks, this is what inexpert when I hear ''can be used from the wall charger''

Basically its a permanent way to possibly get your money again once the batteries die and your warranty is gone since it wont work from the wall anymore. No wonder we can't open the case and change out the batteries. Cause they made it so the unit can't run without them even while plugged in. People would just take the batts out and use it as a desktop unit when the batts died.

I imagine doing that would have forced them to balance the power coming in from the jack instead of the battery. They they have to build that accounting for every power source one may use, in every country and every configuration. Not only would that be larger, it would be kind of a nightmare, AFIK...could be wrong.

It seems to me, just thinking about pesudowiring, that the easier and more space efficient thing to do is run power to the battery, which is less sensitive to voltage and amperage, and run the device off that, where circuits can be tuned to one specific power source very easily.

 

[Razor]

I imagine doing that would have forced them to balance the power coming in from the jack instead of the battery. They they have to build that accounting for every power source one may use, in every country and every configuration. Not only would that be larger, it would be kind of a nightmare, AFIK...could be wrong.

It seems to me, just thinking about pesudowiring, that the easier and more space efficient thing to do is run power to the battery, which is less sensitive to voltage and amperage, and run the device off that, where circuits can be tuned to one specific power source very easily.

It would've been wired to the board and then told by the software which power source to use. Battery if not plugged in and charger if plugged in ad turned on. The board is already wired to the battery. Theres no reason for the pseudo wiring or whatever. The wiring would stay the same... its really not that hard if everyone else does it IMO.

 

[CarolKing]

I was real disappointed with the DV Ascent car charger. The cord isn't very long, they need to improve on that. Are you listening DV?

I enjoyed walking on the beach using the Ascent the other day, nobody gave it a second glance, I have the black stealth one. The wind was blowing, so the smell disappeared quick.

I think DV finally got it right for most of the units, there are a few lemons out there I see. Sorry for some of you with the faulty units. I am hoping mine holds up, I've had it a month or so. I use the Pinnacle Pro more. But I really do like the Ascent, it's nice to have a variety of vapes. I'm always looking for the next best portable vape.

 

[YesIt'sLoaded]

It would've been wired to the board and then told by the software which power source to use. Battery if not plugged in and charger if plugged in ad turned on. The board is already wired to the battery. Theres no reason for the pseudo wiring or whatever. The wiring would stay the same... its really not that hard if everyone else does it IMO.

I explained that poorly.

I'm assuming the DV runs on a set voltage and amperage. When it is running straight from the battery, this is fairly straightforward, because the batteries output won't vary significantly. Charging the battery requires little more than a transformer. Batteries usually aren't overly sensitive when it comes to how clean your power is.

When/if it's running from the wall, you have to be able to smooth out your power...it doesn't always come from the wall well-regulated. Along with the rectifier or whatever, you need capacitors, resisters, and inductors.

The DV is portable. If it was desktop, that would make sense, but space and weight are at a premium on the DV. They don't want a machine with all that added bulk. I assume, but don't know, it may be even trickier when you are looking at a machine that needs to run off different power transmission standards worldwide.

From a design/business standpoint and a design standpoint, I have to imagine it is far easier to design the vape in a slim package without the need to consider how clean the power charging the battery will be. Then all you have to account for is the simple transformer to charge the battery.

This is all conjecture.



As an aside, where's the Grasshopper forum? Titanium all the way, baby.

 

[Razor]

My solo runs just fine from the wall when its dead with the lower wattage wall chord sold after market.

Its not as difficult as adding bulk hardware to do the very simple job were talking about. Bypassing the battery just to keep the unit running from the wall should be an innate feature since most lower priced ones have it as an option. the different country thing would have no impact. Since the regulation and direction of the power is maintained on the circuit board and software.

We're talking about something the unit is advertised to do here btw.

 

[OF]

My solo runs just fine from the wall when its dead with the lower wattage wall chord sold after market.

Interesting. Mine sure doesn't. Nor does any Solo I know of. Or, I think the maker?

It's says quite clearly on the bottom, 9VDC to run on wall power, 12VDC to charge. One or the other, as determined by the magnitude of the input power. In between those you get random flashing of lights and no joy. No "lower wattage wall cord" is going to run the Solo. It takes at least 2.5 Amps at 9 Volts (22.5 Watts) to run, but only .8 Amps at 12 Volts (9.6 Watts) to charge. Well over twice the power to run as charge. Which is why it takes longer to charge than discharge.

More to the point, the same processor and other hardware that would be running it and regulating temperature is used to control the charging.

There are lots of ways to configure such things. There's usually some careful thought put into it I think? FWIW Ascent (at least the one I looked at, a 'first run' unit) seems to manage power differently than Solo....in several ways.

OF

 

[swiss]

Hi all, I received my Ascent on monday and I had the chance to try it out in Amsterdam this weekend.
I tried a few times but i'm not sure if i'm doing it right. If i back the chamber tightly and I put the temperature over 190 C i am able to produce kind of good clouds. If I put the temperature on 170 I didn't get any visible vapor. Overall I was expecting to have better results and more visible vapor. If I didn't pack the chamber fully I couldn't get good clouds.
I also tried some different kind of hash with the glass piece but I couldn't get any vapor at all. Even at the highest temperature.
There is no offgasing and my device looks to be working fine.. I'm rather not sure if there is some learning curve with this device or if maybe it's not working properly... hmm

 

[YesIt'sLoaded]

Hi all, I received my Ascent on monday and I had the chance to try it out in Amsterdam this weekend.
I tried a few times but i'm not sure if i'm doing it right. If i back the chamber tightly and I put the temperature over 190 C i am able to produce kind of good clouds. If I put the temperature on 170 I didn't get any visible vapor. Overall I was expecting to have better results and more visible vapor. If I didn't pack the chamber fully I couldn't get good clouds.
I also tried some different kind of hash with the glass piece but I couldn't get any vapor at all. Even at the highest temperature.
There is no offgasing and my device looks to be working fine.. I'm rather not sure if there is some learning curve with this device or if maybe it's not working properly... hmm

I'd suggest you read this thread, or at least the last 10 pages or so.

 

[OF]

I tried a few times but i'm not sure if i'm doing it right. If i back the chamber tightly and I put the temperature over 190 C i am able to produce kind of good clouds. If I put the temperature on 170 I didn't get any visible vapor. Overall I was expecting to have better results and more visible vapor. If I didn't pack the chamber fully I couldn't get good clouds.

Howdy, congratulations on the new Ascent, IMO it's a solid little unit. The one I tested sure was. But like most such portables (and many corded ones.....) it has some compromises that can effect performance. For instance, this is basically a conduction vape. Heat is transferred slowly though the glass and ceramic walls into the load by contact between hits. Once you start to hit, cold air is drawn in and the actual load temperature drops and never recovers in the hit. This by actual measurement. So, a couple of important understandings come from this:

• It needs to have solid contact to work well, pack the load solidly even if it means you need some sort of filler
• Give it plenty of time to recover heat between hits
• Favor long slow hits over swift hard ones that deplete heat in the load quickly
• Be sure your herb is dry going in, there's not a lot of energy available to dry stuff out
• 190C is a reasonable temperature to make vapor, remember the hit will be below that value (don't put too much stock in the numbers relative to other vapes)
• As always 'follow the good results'. Try to repeat good hits, doing so on demand demonstrates useful technique. Don't be afraid to experiment 'around' good results for better ones.
  
• Don't depend only on what you see in terms of vapor, also consider effect and ABV condition
• Consider using the 'glass flowers' or beads others have found successful, they retain heat throughout the load and can produce even bigger clouds than loads with more bud but no extra glass to retain heat

Hopefully that'll get ya started?

Best wishes,

OF

 

[Darkhorse182]

Hi guys….new member here. I’ve been reading posts on the Ascent for a few months now. I’ve read through MOST (but not all) of the 158 pages on this thread, and I’m trying to determine if my unit is a “keeper.” Lots of good info (especially in OF's post just before my post!), but I just want to consolidate everything. This is the first vape I’ve ever owned or really used.

For starters, I ordered this in late October, arrived earlier in November. Serial #1AA2 002402. So it’s the current/updated unit.

Major concerns:

1) Lack of clouds. (I know, this has been beaten to death)
Is the consensus that cloud vapor production will vary based on whether you use glass accessories to help increase the temp throughout the bowl-pack? I know visible vapor isn’t the end-all measurement (I’ve been getting very uniformly brown coloring on by ABV). But there still seems to be a discrepancy with SOME people getting clouds, and certainly plenty of clouds are shown in the promo videos, etc. I’m trying to use a long/slow draw, but again, I’m a rookie so user-error is not out of the question.

Caveat 1 - So far, I’ve been packing fairly small bowls, with no glass flowers and not using the oil jars as “packing” units to keep the material condensed.

Caveat 2 – Just for kicks, I’ve puffed INTO the pipe a few times, and I see LOTS of visible vapor being pushed out the bottom of the device. WTF? Why isn’t that cloud making its way to me when I’m inhaling??


2) The bottom half of the device gets HOT.
After it’s been on for 5-10 minutes, the hinged-portion that contains the bowl gets uncomfortably hot to hold. Is this a sign of a bad unit?


3) Lack of effect.
Again, this is based on maybe 2-4 small bowls over a few day period. But I can’t really report getting anywhere near a [8-10] on the effect scale. More like a [5-6] tops. This doesn’t seem like a very efficient use of greens.


Next steps:
I’ve run dry on greenery at the moment, but when I get some more, I’m going to take the following steps:

1) install one of the metal filters at the bottom of the bowl

2) purchase some glass flowers. I’m thinking either these: http://molino-glass.com/pyrexglassbongs/accessories/flower-glass-screen/

These: http://www.amazon.com/Glass-Tobacco-Screens-Daisy-Flower-Style-20pcs/dp/B009UZ0QAU/ref=pd_sim_sg_2

Or these cube ones: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001G0FF3A...TF8&colid=1QQ8IEO14GAV7&coliid=I3AG0JJEVK6KW2


3) try using the glass oil jars to compress the material, and leaving them in while vaping. I’ll try one (with the top off) with no holes in the bottom, so the vapor coming up the sides. I’ll also try to drill a hole into the bottom of one and use it that way.

4) has there been any consensus on using the glass oil jars as pre-loaded “bullets”? In theory, these would be great while on the go…carry a few jars already full of material, slap them in, and go to town without having to worry about a messy load, or the material falling out of the bowl itself while it’s floating around your pocket.


Lastly…I ended up with 2 of these metal oil cans (http://www.davincivaporizer.com/the-oil-can/). Is there any usage for these? It just barely doesn’t fit in the bowl…it feels like I’m going to break something when I close the unit.


Again, thanks very much…this is a very active forum community, and it’s great to find one where everyone is so engaged in any given topic! Any feedback on any of my concerns or planned next-steps would be great.

 

[vapecapz]

I think Da Vinci really needs to step up and release an official spacer.

 

[Belgianvapor]

Try cotton and be amazed by : "Ascent, the steam machine" it's a story about love, passion,
how she's happy with almost nothing, and a very misty scenery, created by yourself, aka the human fogg machine...

 

[Razor]

Interesting. Mine sure doesn't. Nor does any Solo I know of. Or, I think the maker?

It's says quite clearly on the bottom, 9VDC to run on wall power, 12VDC to charge. One or the other, as determined by the magnitude of the input power. In between those you get random flashing of lights and no joy. No "lower wattage wall cord" is going to run the Solo. It takes at least 2.5 Amps at 9 Volts (22.5 Watts) to run, but only .8 Amps at 12 Volts (9.6 Watts) to charge. Well over twice the power to run as charge. Which is why it takes longer to charge than discharge.

More to the point, the same processor and other hardware that would be running it and regulating temperature is used to control the charging.

There are lots of ways to configure such things. There's usually some careful thought put into it I think? FWIW Ascent (at least the one I looked at, a 'first run' unit) seems to manage power differently than Solo....in several ways.

OF

You realize in my post that it says after market chord right?
Basically, I was making a point about being able to use the 9v chord to run it from the wall which

I would even buy one for the ascent if it meant I wouldn't have to replace it in two years when the battery dies and I can no longer use it from the wall. Regulating temp and directing the flow of energy is toe different things. The later being the easier. Telling the flow of energy where to go, charge, plug and play isn't a large piece of hardware or anything. Remember, all were doing is telling the power to go to the unit instead of passing through the battery to get to the unit. Its a feature most everything has (and yes most certainly the solo even has this ability even if you have to buy an after market chord) I would gladly pay 30 bucks for a chord that would keep it running without a battery that works (as I believed it to be advertised). True that temp regulators control the flow of energy to a point, but the direction of the energy isn't.

Also, the ascent charger not being able to run the ascent through the wall by your logic would mean that its not putting out enough. This would make it more like a solo and we're not comparing the two. We're talking about a feature that was misrepresented and how to fix it. Its like having a ps4 that wont plays half its games. The big picture was, the ascent dies, you plug it in and keep goin. Right now if the ascent dies, you cotta charge it for a while first before you can use it from the wall (until the batteries are really dead) which is what happened to one of my 5 ascents lol

The reason I brought up the solo was to take away the notion that for this feature to be in effect, that it would have to be a bulky desktop unit that someone tried to make as a point, however this is not the case. On to other things. The funny thing is, is the batteries have a 6 month warranty when the ascent has a longer one. So, if the unit stops working cause of the batteries after six months then you're screwed. If it ran from the wall like its supposed to then you're not screwed all the way at least. Oh well. When my batts die, ill rip em out and look at the wiring when my warranty runs out.

On to other matters,

Working on two things right now. The spacer/ upgraded bowl is being looked at. As soon as my guy gets an ascent, we have some cool things coming. Also looking into making a WT that'll stay inside the unit as a replacement stem with mini percs . Still in design right now but the concept is a tool that'll fit into the space in the top of the ascent (leaving room for power button). It'll have 2 perks and still be concealable. It'll be curved to fit with the design at the top. Came up with the idea when I saw how dirty my stem got and as a lifetime non smoker, I started coughing phlegm while using the ascent without a wt, so figured I needed filtration to keep that crap out.

 

[lwien]

I think Da Vinci really needs to step up and release an official spacer.

I used the glass oil can without the lid and placed that on top of a small amount of bud in the bowl. Got decent size clouds. Not LSV type clouds, but nice nonetheless.

 

[OF]

You realize in my post that it says after market chord right?

Its a feature most everything has (and yes most certainly the solo even has this ability even if you have to buy an after market chord) I would gladly pay 30 bucks for a chord that would keep it running without a battery that works (as I believed it to be advertised)

The reason I brought up the solo was to take away the notion that for this feature to be in effect, that it would have to be a bulky desktop unit, however this is not the case.

Yes, I'm pretty sure of what I'm saying. I understand these issues pretty well I think.

The fact is you make claims about Solo that just aren't true. There is no aftermarket supply that both charges and runs the unit at the same time. Indeed I'm unaware of any single units that will do both (one after the other (aside from the two prototypes I made that don't reliably switch modes, the Solo can get 'hung up'). Under no conditions will Solo charge and run at the same time. Bringing it up does not support your idea. There is no such "aftermarket cord".

Once again, this is not as simple as you make it sound. How such units handle shutdown is a factor (many models, like the original Ascent in fact), never actually shutdown (they just go dark but keep scanning the keyboard and other ports for inputs). This too can compromise things.

As I said, it can also be a matter or raw power. Since it takes less power to charge than run, usually, a much smaller and cheaper charger can be provided if you don't try to run while charging. Even my lowly MP3 player won't run and charge even though the power needed is quite modest, the 'system architecture' doesn't allow it.

There's also an issue in that there's no way to remove a failed battery, which is generally needed. Ascent is more like my fancy IPhone in that respect. Unlike many other (but far from all) cell phones for instance.

I think the maker is OK with his claims, it just won't run with a failed battery. Or a failed heater or any other major part. I'm sorry you find it unacceptable, but to me it's quite reasonable the way it is.

I think it's fair to say that competent Engineers and marketing types work together on such design issues and such designs are well considered by folks that know more of the details than you or I do?

OF

 

[Razor]

Yes, I'm pretty sure of what I'm saying. I understand these issues pretty well I think.

The fact is you make claims about Solo that just aren't true. There is no aftermarket supply that both charges and runs the unit at the same time. Indeed I'm unaware of any single units that will do both (one after the other (aside from the two prototypes I made that don't reliably switch modes, the Solo can get 'hung up'). Under no conditions will Solo charge and run at the same time. Bringing it up does not support your idea. There is no such "aftermarket cord".

Once again, this is not as simple as you make it sound. How such units handle shutdown is a factor (many models, like the original Ascent in fact), never actually shutdown (they just go dark but keep scanning the keyboard and other ports for inputs). This too can compromise things.

As I said, it can also be a matter or raw power. Since it takes less power to charge than run, usually, a much smaller and cheaper charger can be provided if you don't try to run while charging. Even my lowly MP3 player won't run and charge even though the power needed is quite modest, the 'system architecture' doesn't allow it.

There's also an issue in that there's no way to remove a failed battery, which is generally needed. Ascent is more like my fancy IPhone in that respect. Unlike many other (but far from all) cell phones for instance.

I think the maker is OK with his claims, it just won't run with a failed battery. Or a failed heater or any other major part. I'm sorry you find it unacceptable, but to me it's quite reasonable the way it is.

I think it's fair to say that competent Engineers and marketing types work together on such design issues and such designs are well considered by folks that know more of the details than you or I do?

OF

I think we're talking about the same things here in different aspects. I never said the solo chord charges while it runs and I never said I wanted one that does that for the ascent. I want to be able to run my ascent off the wall when the battery is no longer operable which. I don't care if it charges while I'm using it through the wall.

Another quick update

This matter was advertised by davinci as well as by phone. Its supposed to be able to do this. I'm not bringing it up for no reason. The very nice guys at davinci have actually specified, they said it was meant to (ability to run from the wall. They stated that it should work with or without charge as long as its in the wall) worked this way as well. As a result, another re send. so, a sixth or a refund. Weeee

 

[OF]

I never said the solo chord charges while it runs and I never said I wanted one that does that for the ascent. I want to be able to run my ascent off the wall when the battery is no longer operable which. I don't care if it charges while I'm using it through the wall.

They stated that it should work with or without charge as long as its in the wall) worked this way as well.

True enough, you said "My solo runs just fine from the wall when its dead with the lower wattage wall chord sold after market.". I'm saying there's no such cord. And if there was it would be HIGHER wattage, not lower.

Neither will work with a "dead" battery until that battery is at least partially charged. You have to 'unlock' them both I think.

Again, I think what they said is reasonable. If you kill the battery you don't have to fully charge the battery but you do have to charge it at least enough to 'unlock'. I never tested that with Ascent, but with Solo that takes about 5 minutes (yes, I've tested it.....). It will work fine without enough charge to run the heater, but it does need to have enough charge to not lock out. This is fairly common in such devices.

I think Solo is a bad example for you to bring up here.

I don't think DaVinci ever said it will work with a defective battery did they? I took it to mean 'you don't have to wait for the battery to (fully) charge to use it'.

OF

 

[Smknbud]

True enough, you said "My solo runs just fine from the wall when its dead with the lower wattage wall chord sold after market.". I'm saying there's no such cord. And if there was it would be HIGHER wattage, not lower.

Neither will work with a "dead" battery until that battery is at least partially charged. You have to 'unlock' them both I think.

Again, I think what they said is reasonable. If you kill the battery you don't have to fully charge the battery but you do have to charge it at least enough to 'unlock'. I never tested that with Ascent, but with Solo that takes about 5 minutes (yes, I've tested it.....). It will work fine without enough charge to run the heater, but it does need to have enough charge to not lock out. This is fairly common in such devices.

I think Solo is a bad example for you to bring up here.

I don't think DaVinci ever said it will work with a defective battery did they? I took it to mean 'you don't have to wait for the battery to (fully) charge to use it'.

OF

Your spot on OF.

No different than any cell phone out there. Go ahead and drain the battery dead...I guarantee it won't function right away if you plug it into the charger. It will need to partially charge the battery before it can function.

 

[Razor]

Your spot on OF.

No different than any cell phone out there. Go ahead and drain the battery dead...I guarantee it won't function right away if you plug it into the charger. It will need to partially charge the battery before it can function.

You are dead on, but as I said before, I was specified that it should work as normal while plugged in period. This isn't a cell phone just because it looks like one. Anyways, I already have one, so no use complaining. I do have an update on the spacer and portable water tool stem. Some friends at planetvape are interested in my designs I sent them and are working to see if it is doable. If it works as it should work, I wont be selling them, but I will be giving the design to planetvape on both if they turn out to be something that makes an actual large enough improvement like the PVHES and such, so they may some day be for sale by them.

Right now, we're tweaking ideas still. Not sure if anyone remembers but a a hundred pages back or so, I gave a very detailed description of the new modified jars and asked for anyone opinions on how to make it a better design. That still applies as I am actually doing this and not one of the say it but don't do it things.

I'm not going to be giving an extremely detailed diagram on the water tool until I know its in business and working, but at the moment, what I can say is, it will replace the mouthpiece stem and keep your unit portable with minimal adages to girth. It will be held in place by the ascents indented top like a puzzle piece while leaving the power button easily useable without lifting the stem out.

The rest of the design is secret

Sincerely

This Guy <--

 

[Smknbud]

I do have an update on the spacer and portable water tool stem. Some friends at planetvape are interested in my designs I sent them and are working to see if it is doable. If it works as it should work, I wont be selling them, but I will be giving the design to planetvape on both if they turn out to be something that makes an actual large enough improvement like the PVHES and such, so they may some day be for sale by them.

Sincerely

This Guy <--

Very cool. I'll be one of the first to say thanks.

 

[Razor]

Very cool. I'll be one of the first to say thanks.

No problem. Im a medically retired vet, so I have a lot of free time to read about useless stuff and come up with highdeas . Only problem is remembering them. Gotta write it down asap or my brain shots its self lol. That's why I may not make a lot of sense sometimes. It comes and goes too fast, so I type what I remember and draw it lol.

Oh hey OF. I messaged you about a non related forum topic. Dunno if you got it or not.

A side noteeee, what do you guys do with the honey that gets stuck in your whip? What's yer stance lol . Usin ascent with the wt adapter and it is so caked with the stuff. It was getting stuck to the inner stem. Mmmmmmmmm sticky stuff

 

[Davinci_vaporizer]

Hey FC Members,

I wanted to pop in and let you guys know about a contest we are running for a Free Ascent Contest winner will be notified on Friday.

Sign up here to enter: http://ascent-vape.com/

Also a quick update: The first spacer sample the factory sent me was a complete fail, so that's still in development. Seems like it should be easy, right?

 

[Digger42]

Another one bites the dust. My 1.1 Ascent will now heat only when it is plugged in and if you turn it off while plugged in, it no longer shows charging.