I received an email from Arizer that answered that very question. The email stated:
There is no battery bypass in the Solo. The Solo Power Adapter will trickle charge the battery. If your Solo can be used while charging, the unit will use up to 9V for heating, and any remaining unused voltage trickle charges the battery.
However, I have been able to use an original Playstation 2--- 8.5 volt 5.65 Amp power supply without the charging light coming on.
Yes, it is confusing. Maybe someone else with one of the newer models could try too this and report back.
As I've said a few times, I've experimented with a VV supply in the PA range and get an assortment if results that thus far make little sense. I think the resistance of the circuit has a role as well, adding or removing a 3 foot extension cable can change the results sometimes. I suspect having to do with a voltage drop when charging current is drawn?
I agree, you get near 'break even'. That is the battery discharge is immediately made up but I never measured zero battery current in any PA attempts. To get the PA to provide all the power you need to remove the battery. While I'm confident of my observations, hopefully some interested soul(s) will repeat them?
FWIW, I find the area between 8.7 and 8.9 Volts most promising.
I believe the charge LED to be a software function, I've seen charging current (over .7 Amps IIRC) flowing but the charge light out. I've also seen it claiming to be charging when the current was down around .03 Amps, barely enought to light the LEDs. I think this is not an intended operating mode.
The quote above from the maker has been posted a couple of times. It's clearly technically flawed around the "any remaining unused voltage trickle charges the battery" part. Such is not only clearly not happening but even correcting 'unused voltage' for 'unused
current' doesn't fit IMO. The only part of that 'standard response' is the part that they don't consider battery bypass to be a feature available in the new model.....more's the pity there IMO.
Regards to all, fortunately this stuff doesn't have to interfere with the primary function of Solo.....making vapor.
OF