Arizer Solo

OF

Well-Known Member
plug it in at 12v: the idle and charge (red) button light up
at 9v: red charge lights up, blue idle and 1-3 yellow lights are on/off in a 0,6second intervall

my stance on this is that I need to get a new solo and switch batteries to charge both ones and get the old solo running (as a backup unit 80% loaded or so)

Bummer. The 'low voltage light show' is normal, but of course the lack of charging is not...... What do the seven level LEDs show while it's trying to charge? Does the charge LED flash normally?

I like the 'troubleshoot by substitution' approach, a powerful one indeed. When I used to teach this good stuff it was right near the top of the list. It's often best used with 'divide and conquer' where you trade half the parts between good and bad units. If the problem doesn't change, swap half of what's left (1/4 of the total). If the problem shifts, switch back half of what you just traded. Using this technique on a PCB with 64 ICs in sockets you can find the defective one in six passes. Like the classic logic problem finding the counterfeit coin by weight on a balance scale.

It's also a very popular way to start with a broken and new unit and make two broken units.

Good luck with it, but please give a few more clues about the LEDs, we might be able to sort this out yet? TIA.

Wait, they do cover that under warranty?

I had the exact same problem, and was told by Arizer I was out of luck. I just checked, and I am still under warranty, and would love to get it fixed.

As reported here several times, no they do not. Like 'loose stems' they don't consider cracked/broken tabs to be a failure. That is the unit still works?

Sorry, but that's been their consistent stand. Otherwise this Forum alone could keep them mighty busy for a while.......

OF
 

uhranium

Well-Known Member
Blue Idle Led an Yellow Led at 1,2 and 3 are all blinking at a ~0.6 second intervall, being visible the same time.
But only if I turn the charger to 9v. If I turn it to 12v, the red charge light and the blue idle light will be constantly shown. The green charge light never comes.
 
uhranium,
  • Like
Reactions: OF

BreeJay

Well-Known Member
As reported here several times, no they do not. Like 'loose stems' they don't consider cracked/broken tabs to be a failure. That is the unit still works?

Sorry, but that's been their consistent stand. Otherwise this Forum alone could keep them mighty busy for a while.......

OF
Thanks for the verification OF.

Yeah, the unit does still work as good as the day I got it. The state of the bottom continues to slowly deteriorate however.
 
BreeJay,
  • Like
Reactions: OF

OF

Well-Known Member
Blue Idle Led an Yellow Led at 1,2 and 3 are all blinking at a ~0.6 second intervall, being visible the same time.
But only if I turn the charger to 9v. If I turn it to 12v, the red charge light and the blue idle light will be constantly shown. The green charge light never comes.

Thanks, but basically you just repeated what you said? I don't care about the low voltage light show, it won't charge properly at 9 Volts anyway. And I get the idle LED is lit and the charge LED is solid (which it normally never is). But none of the step LEDs is lit? That is the charge circuit isn't sensing a battery?

This is a new type ('use while charging'), right? My only one is out on loan so I can't confirm but this could be an open (failed) battery pack. The old style doesn't act the same since it's expecting a PA in that voltage range.

At this point it sounds either failed battery or circuit issue......probably time to send it to the shop?

Thanks for the verification OF.

Yeah, the unit does still work as good as the day I got it. The state of the bottom continues to slowly deteriorate however.

Yer welcome, wish the news was better. Maybe someday someone's will fall out the bottom of the tube and smash their big toe dieing in the process. Maybe then they'll replace it? The toe injury is between you and Obamacare......... Unless you work in a Dispensary in which case it's probably a really fun Workman's Comp claim?

OF
 

Vital

Well-Known Member
Hello,
I have prepared a new version of the improvements to the bottom Arizer Solo :-) Should you have any comments?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/r7bb5azxgtt09sf/bottom01.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ogpvdkqygnmn7e4/bottom02.JPG?dl=0



kilrtjat



Very clever...the only downside I see (that will only affect people that have a charging stand) is that it will probably not fit into the charging stand Arizer sells with the increased diameter of the lip on your base.
 

ataxian

PALE BLUE DOT
Bummer. The 'low voltage light show' is normal, but of course the lack of charging is not...... What do the seven level LEDs show while it's trying to charge? Does the charge LED flash normally?

I like the 'troubleshoot by substitution' approach, a powerful one indeed. When I used to teach this good stuff it was right near the top of the list. It's often best used with 'divide and conquer' where you trade half the parts between good and bad units. If the problem doesn't change, swap half of what's left (1/4 of the total). If the problem shifts, switch back half of what you just traded. Using this technique on a PCB with 64 ICs in sockets you can find the defective one in six passes. Like the classic logic problem finding the counterfeit coin by weight on a balance scale.

It's also a very popular way to start with a broken and new unit and make two broken units.

Good luck with it, but please give a few more clues about the LEDs, we might be able to sort this out yet? TIA.



As reported here several times, no they do not. Like 'loose stems' they don't consider cracked/broken tabs to be a failure. That is the unit still works?

Sorry, but that's been their consistent stand. Otherwise this Forum alone could keep them mighty busy for a while.......

OF
GetAttachmentThumbnail

@OF I'm reading about you!
This vaporizer is not the strongest however it is the best for reading it's called a SOLO!
420 is important in CALIFORNIA!
@covercash @macbill this is the correct way to enjoy 420! (@Vitolo @CarolKing @Quetzalcoatl @Stu @Mr. Gweilo 420
Sorry if I forgot some names? @LysergicHysteric @Vicki @Dr. Soxhlet
@poonman @Oogendoogan @lazylathe
 
Last edited:

kellya86

Herb gardener...
After all my solo trouble, with my warranty return being delivered to an incorrect address, I finally have my 9solo in my possession...
And got some extra stems and a spare charger..

I had a little moan over the weekend about the issue, I was then rang by one of the owners of nemastavapes. He was in the park with his kids, but took the time to assist me. He apologised for the sloppy service and mistakes, and offered me 35 quid to spend with them...

So all is well now and I have nothing bad to say about this company. Mistakes happen, it's how you deal with them that counts...
 

macbill

Oh No! Mr macbill!!
Staff member
I've been solo-vating (that's salivating whilst Solo-ing), and I've decided the time is right to swap out my battery from my oldest Solo. The old battery acts just like me: roarin' to go for a little bit, lit up like a Christmas Tree and then it just slacks off - tired like: lookin' all nitey-nite after a few sessions. The battery should put the Life back in it.
 

ashtonford

Well-Known Member
the solo is still my favorite, Was thinking about getting a air but dont really need it lol but who knows

have a question. I have been using my solo 100% of the time now, should I just keep the batteries charged on my other portable vapes or will it hurt the batteries to let them run down and sit for awhile?
 
Last edited by a moderator:

TheWhisper

Well-Known Member
have a question. I have been using my solo 100% of the time now, should I just keep the batteries charged on my other portable vapes or will it hurt the batteries to let them run down and sit for awhile?

If they use Li-Ion batteries, then I believe you want to keep them around 1/2 charged for long-term storage.

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_store_batteries says:

"Lithium-ion must be stored in a charged state, ideally at 40 percent. This prevents the battery from dropping below 2.50V/cell, triggering sleep mode"
 

OF

Well-Known Member
have a question. I have been using my solo 100% of the time now, should I just keep the batteries charged on my other portable vapes or will it hurt the batteries to let them run down and sit for awhile?

Li-ions, the kind we're using here, should be stored at about 60 or 70% charge. Storing them a 100% charge, especially where warm, can kill them in a year of so with zero use. Ever notice how when you get a new vape it's not fully charged? Now you know why. If they shipped 'em that way, folks would get new vapes with lame batteries.

Storage at 70% or so avoids 'too charged' damage but gives the longest possible 'safe storage' time under self discharge......and the very minor power usage as it searches in vain for the warmth of your hand to bring it back to life. The drain is small, but finite, and is added to self discharge. Starting at the high end of the acceptable range gives you an edge here. If you're going to be routinely checking and 'topping up' you can cut that edge back a bit.

I recommend fully charging then enjoying a session or two before storage. If the vape normally does four, store it with one session discharge. For a Solo (8 sessions or so per charge) I'd do two or even 3 before putting it away. Years later, given 'room temperature' storage (or less) and you should lose less than 10% of the original capacity.

Storage 'dead flat' can be fatal as well. It was partially charged when they boxed it up to stock it for your future enjoyment, I suggest the same.

OF
 

Vital

Well-Known Member
the solo is still my favorite, Was thinking about getting a air but dont really need it lol but who knows

have a question. I have been using my solo 100% of the time now, should I just keep the batteries charged on my other portable vapes or will it hurt the batteries to let them run down and sit for awhile?




It is not good to store Lithium Ion batteries fully charged; it shortens their lifespan. Store them with a charge of 50-80% and you will prolong their lives. I don’t know if you are aware of this, but Lithium Ion batteries have a limited number of charging cycles. It's better to run a Lithium Ion battery almost all the way down and then charge it all the way up rather than charging it every time you use it. One other thing…Don't run Lithium Ion batteries all the way down because sometimes they will not take a recharge if they are totally drained. There are tricks you can try like jump starting a Lithium Ion battery back to life, but it’s best not to drain them completely and avoid the possibility of ending up with a battery that won’t take a charge anymore.




Hope this helps...
 

OF

Well-Known Member
I don’t know if you are aware of this, but Lithium Ion batteries have a limited number of charging cycles. It's better to run a Lithium Ion battery almost all the way down and then charge it all the way up rather than charging it every time you use it. One other thing…

Actually I don't think that is true, at least the later parts. Yes, they do have a limited number of cycles, but "run a Lithium Ion battery almost all the way down and then charge it all the way up rather than charging it every time you use it" is going to get you the absolute minimum number of cycles. No real penalty for not fully discharging, in fact the opposite. If you limit DOD (Depth of Discharge) to 50%, rather than 100% you get 3 or 4 times more cycles. That means more total sessions before the battery needs replacement.

And cutting a bit of the capacity (stopping charge .1 Volt sooner, say 4.1 not 4.2 Volts) DOUBLES the number of cycles. You get say 600 cycles at 7 sessions each instead of 300 at 8. 4200 sessions against 2400, a clear advantage? Drop another .1 Volt, to 4.0 per cell, and it double again! Now we're talking 1200 cycles at six sessions each? 7200 is way more than 2400.

The more hours you spend at 100% charge (like leaving it constantly on charge so 'it'll be ready for use) alone will kill the battery faster. Which is another reason I don't recommend 'use while charging', too easy to leave it to recharge fully?

For more details you might want to check out:
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

The information around tables 2 and 4 is of special interest here.

My best advice is to run it down as far as is convenient to your use (it has solid protection from over discharge damage) before recharging but to try to stop the charge early. While the charge LED is still flashing. Basically every time you do this you get a free cycle? To automate this I built my 'Gadget':
vMEGl5W.jpg


That's one of the evaluation units built on the second generation PCB. It's nothing fancy but the had built prototypes were truly ugly. Functional, but ugly. Power comes in upper left. The transistor upper right is turned on (allowing charging in the Solo attached to the blue terminals) when the button lower right is pressed. When the charge current tapers off (as the charge reaches the value set by the blue adjustment between switch and transistor) the processor lower left drops the charging and runs the beeper to let you know it's done.

A nice side effect of this is, since the last part of charging is at a reduced rate (50% on average) using the Gadget not only gives you more battery life but faster recharges. You save about 30 minutes off every charge (the slow part at the end). Here's one in it's box with the output cable:
jy0w0hN.jpg


I gave out 8 or 9 for evaluation a couple years back, several of the usual suspects here have them, some went to folks not on FC. So far no failures of my kluge, nor to my knowledge any batteries wearing out using one?

Your call how you manage your battery use, but those are the facts behind that decision.

Anyway, best battery life by avoiding the top of the charge curve. The sales guys hate this, but your wallet doesn't. No penalty for 'early recharges' in fact a more modest advantage. The big gain to be had (aside from keeping it cool) comes from stopping the charge 'early'. In fact Military gear that uses these same types of batteries often specify 3.95 Volts (plus or minus .050) not 4.2 for this reason. They know the secret. Having less run time on your radio (or whatever) is a small price to pay to avoid battery replacements in the field.

OF
 

ataxian

PALE BLUE DOT
Actually I don't think that is true, at least the later parts. Yes, they do have a limited number of cycles, but "run a Lithium Ion battery almost all the way down and then charge it all the way up rather than charging it every time you use it" is going to get you the absolute minimum number of cycles. No real penalty for not fully discharging, in fact the opposite. If you limit DOD (Depth of Discharge) to 50%, rather than 100% you get 3 or 4 times more cycles. That means more total sessions before the battery needs replacement.

And cutting a bit of the capacity (stopping charge .1 Volt sooner, say 4.1 not 4.2 Volts) DOUBLES the number of cycles. You get say 600 cycles at 7 sessions each instead of 300 at 8. 4200 sessions against 2400, a clear advantage? Drop another .1 Volt, to 4.0 per cell, and it double again! Now we're talking 1200 cycles at six sessions each? 7200 is way more than 2400.

The more hours you spend at 100% charge (like leaving it constantly on charge so 'it'll be ready for use) alone will kill the battery faster. Which is another reason I don't recommend 'use while charging', too easy to leave it to recharge fully?

For more details you might want to check out:
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

The information around tables 2 and 4 is of special interest here.

My best advice is to run it down as far as is convenient to your use (it has solid protection from over discharge damage) before recharging but to try to stop the charge early. While the charge LED is still flashing. Basically every time you do this you get a free cycle? To automate this I built my 'Gadget':
vMEGl5W.jpg


That's one of the evaluation units built on the second generation PCB. It's nothing fancy but the had built prototypes were truly ugly. Functional, but ugly. Power comes in upper left. The transistor upper right is turned on (allowing charging in the Solo attached to the blue terminals) when the button lower right is pressed. When the charge current tapers off (as the charge reaches the value set by the blue adjustment between switch and transistor) the processor lower left drops the charging and runs the beeper to let you know it's done.

A nice side effect of this is, since the last part of charging is at a reduced rate (50% on average) using the Gadget not only gives you more battery life but faster recharges. You save about 30 minutes off every charge (the slow part at the end). Here's one in it's box with the output cable:
jy0w0hN.jpg


I gave out 8 or 9 for evaluation a couple years back, several of the usual suspects here have them, some went to folks not on FC. So far no failures of my kluge, nor to my knowledge any batteries wearing out using one?

Your call how you manage your battery use, but those are the facts behind that decision.

Anyway, best battery life by avoiding the top of the charge curve. The sales guys hate this, but your wallet doesn't. No penalty for 'early recharges' in fact a more modest advantage. The big gain to be had (aside from keeping it cool) comes from stopping the charge 'early'. In fact Military gear that uses these same types of batteries often specify 3.95 Volts (plus or minus .050) not 4.2 for this reason. They know the secret. Having less run time on your radio (or whatever) is a small price to pay to avoid battery replacements in the field.

OF
rq3BjuH.jpg

I go down to about 3.
Charge until full. (it has auto-shut-off once charged)
 

Vital

Well-Known Member
Actually I don't think that is true, at least the later parts. Yes, they do have a limited number of cycles, but "run a Lithium Ion battery almost all the way down and then charge it all the way up rather than charging it every time you use it" is going to get you the absolute minimum number of cycles. No real penalty for not fully discharging, in fact the opposite. If you limit DOD (Depth of Discharge) to 50%, rather than 100% you get 3 or 4 times more cycles. That means more total sessions before the battery needs replacement.

And cutting a bit of the capacity (stopping charge .1 Volt sooner, say 4.1 not 4.2 Volts) DOUBLES the number of cycles. You get say 600 cycles at 7 sessions each instead of 300 at 8. 4200 sessions against 2400, a clear advantage? Drop another .1 Volt, to 4.0 per cell, and it double again! Now we're talking 1200 cycles at six sessions each? 7200 is way more than 2400.

The more hours you spend at 100% charge (like leaving it constantly on charge so 'it'll be ready for use) alone will kill the battery faster. Which is another reason I don't recommend 'use while charging', too easy to leave it to recharge fully?

For more details you might want to check out:
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

The information around tables 2 and 4 is of special interest here.

My best advice is to run it down as far as is convenient to your use (it has solid protection from over discharge damage) before recharging but to try to stop the charge early. While the charge LED is still flashing. Basically every time you do this you get a free cycle? To automate this I built my 'Gadget':
vMEGl5W.jpg


That's one of the evaluation units built on the second generation PCB. It's nothing fancy but the had built prototypes were truly ugly. Functional, but ugly. Power comes in upper left. The transistor upper right is turned on (allowing charging in the Solo attached to the blue terminals) when the button lower right is pressed. When the charge current tapers off (as the charge reaches the value set by the blue adjustment between switch and transistor) the processor lower left drops the charging and runs the beeper to let you know it's done.

A nice side effect of this is, since the last part of charging is at a reduced rate (50% on average) using the Gadget not only gives you more battery life but faster recharges. You save about 30 minutes off every charge (the slow part at the end). Here's one in it's box with the output cable:
jy0w0hN.jpg


I gave out 8 or 9 for evaluation a couple years back, several of the usual suspects here have them, some went to folks not on FC. So far no failures of my kluge, nor to my knowledge any batteries wearing out using one?

Your call how you manage your battery use, but those are the facts behind that decision.

Anyway, best battery life by avoiding the top of the charge curve. The sales guys hate this, but your wallet doesn't. No penalty for 'early recharges' in fact a more modest advantage. The big gain to be had (aside from keeping it cool) comes from stopping the charge 'early'. In fact Military gear that uses these same types of batteries often specify 3.95 Volts (plus or minus .050) not 4.2 for this reason. They know the secret. Having less run time on your radio (or whatever) is a small price to pay to avoid battery replacements in the field.

OF



Cool gadget...did you design it?


I shouldn't have said "better", I should have said I prefer to recharge my Lithium Ion batteries so they use a full recharge cycle when I charge them. It's easier for me to keep track of how many recharge cycles I've used, and approximately how many should be left.


Read this link:

http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-get-the-most-from-li-ion-batteries/


Take note of this portion of the article:


Understand the "recharge cycle"

Every battery has a finite lifespan, and this is given as the "recharge cycle" or "battery cycle." Put simply, this is the number of charge/discharge cycles that a battery can endure before being no longer fit for service. Many manufacturers offer this number. For example, Apple state that the iPhone battery is designed to retain up to 80 percent of its original capacity at 500 full charge and discharge cycles, while the MacBook Pro or MacBook Air is designed to deliver up to 1000 full charge and discharge cycles before it reaches 80 percent of its original capacity.


But most people think that they can dodge this charge and discharge by topping up their battery regularly so the battery doesn't get fully discharged. Unfortunately, you "can not change the laws of physics." If you only let you battery discharge by 25 percent, then doing this four times counts as a cycle. Same if you do five charges after 20 percent discharge, or even 20 recharges after 5 percent discharge.


You cannot change the laws of physics!



However, what you can do is take advantage of this. How? By hooking your device up to a power source when you can. For example, playing music from your iPod or iPhone at home via a dock, or plugging your MacBook into a power outlet when convenient.


In other words, don't put the battery through unnecessary cycles. Understand that I'm not saying keep the device on charge all the time – that would also be bad for the battery because it needs a regular workout to keep its internal chemistry in good condition – just be aware of wasting cycles.



So it really shouldn't matter if you run a Lithium Ion battery a quarter of the way down and recharge it, or run it half way down and recharge it, the battery should have the same lifespan. To make it simple let’s say that a battery only has 2 recharge cycles. If you recharge the battery after it’s a quarter of the way down you will get 8 recharges. If you recharge it after its half way down you will only get 4 recharges; but the bottom line...the battery is only going to recharge for a predetermined length of time before it uses up its recharging cycles.



Thank you for pointing out that I had worded it incorrectly @OF.
 
Last edited:

OF

Well-Known Member
Cool gadget...did you design it?


I shouldn't have said "better", I should have said I prefer to recharge my Lithium Ion batteries so they use a full recharge cycle when I charge them. It's easier for me to keep track of how many recharge cycles have been used up, and approximately how many should be left.


Read this link:

http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-get-the-most-from-li-ion-batteries/

Guilty. It's my fault. I did it, and I'm not sorry I did. Too bad nobody wants to use it as the base for a small company/product, then more Solo owners could take advantage. Works for other vapes and Li-ion charging as well, BTW. Here's a prototype for 9 Volt charging like the big FMs and Ascent use. The circuit at the bottom converts the Gadget output to 9 Volts from 12:
sz6tVDv.jpg


Now that one's full on ugly. I now use a slightly different pair of converters, one to 9 Volts the other to 5 so Air and other 'USB charging' units can benefit. Also non vapes.

Interesting read, but IMO not on topic? How Apple claims to treat it's internal battery is a whole other thing to discussing the basic Li-ion battery. Solo gets way more than 300 cycles normally since the protection circuits (there are a couple) protect the low end, and actually stops discharge 'early' like most consumer products using the other kind of such batteries (the ones in plastic cases like in ESV, not steel like Solo, Air, FM and the rest. In a fun way what I'm doing is along those lines, it modifies the 'full charge cut off' downward.

I don't buy into it being a straight up trade. The information at BU, which I trust, clearly shows DoD is not a linear factor. Table 2 clearly shows a 50% DoD gives four times the cycles at half the capacity......twice the useful lifespan in session terms? Squarely at odds with what you cite? Go figure.

And the advice to run from the mains whenever possible is misplaced IMO. It might work OK with Apple stuff, but with Solo it's a BAD IDEA IMO for several reasons which we've discussed before and I stated part of above. Specifically, unlike many products, Solo draws more power heating (a bit over 2 Amps) than it gets charging (typically between .7 and .8 Amps. Think about this a moment. The 'charger' doesn't have enough capacity to support the heater, the battery must make up the difference (discharge, at say 1.5 Amps). A dozen or so seconds later the heater clicks off again for a rest and now the battery charges at say .75 Amps only to get hammered again a bit later when the demand returns and (heavier) discharge happens.

This can, in fact, be fatal to the battery. Premature death. ESV had this. Batteries (six in that case, tiny, expensive ones) died very soon if the owner did this at the bottom of the charge range (as is human nature?). Guys would run the battery down, plug it in and keep vaping. So the maker REMOVED the 'use while charging' feature. Took it out, now you use or charge but not both at the same time. I recommend that for Solo.

Engineers didn't put that feature in, Salesmen did in response to Customer demand. Check it out. The originals ran 'PA mode' when supplied 9 not 12 Volts. The base plate in Solo still reflects this no longer available feature.....ever notice the '9 Volts heating' on the bottom? That's why. You can't do that any more. The original removed the battery from the circuit when in 'true PA mode', modern ones only attempt to charge the battery at a modest rate while function discharges it faster over time. You need to recharge a flat dead Solo something like 9 minutes before you can do a session in 'use while charging'. The Apple advice above only works for things, like cell phones, that run longer than it takes to recharge......which is not the case with Solo?

"True PA" is an Engineer's sort of solution, the alternative intended to sell more vapes......and more replacement batteries? Not give you longest battery service life....... Using 'use while charging' works the battery harder (heating it, a real enemy here) unnecessarily. It's much better treatment, from a technical POV, to charge it first then run on battery power alone. Your call, of course. But while avoiding 'use while charging' means it takes more time overall, that also means the battery is less abused in the process (runs cooler).

There is a danger, I think, in 'I read it on the web' advice, or at least potentially. This, it seems, is a good example of that? While some of the 'Apple centric' advice above is just plain wrong (like 'two half discharges counts as one total one WRT to battery life), other parts is inappropriate since the usage is different. Good to make such decisions informed ones, but that means being sure the information is accurate and applies to the application at hand. Which IMO it does not?

Everyone gets to decide how to manage their power. I believe, for the above reasons, the advice I give is the best WRT long battery life. Avoid 'use while charging' and deep discharges (Solo actually cuts off 'early', something like 3.3 Volts/cell IIRC). And avoid charging 'to the top' whenever possible. Heed it, scoff at it or blow it off......that's my advice and reasoning. If I still taught this good stuff that's the way you'd put it too, if you wanted to pass the test........

Regards to all.

OF
 
Last edited:

Vital

Well-Known Member
Guilty. It's my fault. I did it, and I'm not sorry I did. Too bad nobody wants to use it as the base for a small company/product, then more Solo owners could take advantage. Works for other vapes and Li-ion charging as well, BTW. Here's a prototype for 9 Volt charging like the big FMs and Ascent use. The circuit at the bottom converts the Gadget output to 9 Volts from 12:
sz6tVDv.jpg


Now that one's full on ugly. I now use a slightly different pair of converters, one to 9 Volts the other to 5 so Air and other 'USB charging' units can benefit. Also non vapes.

Interesting read, but IMO not on topic? How Apple claims to treat it's internal battery is a whole other thing to discussing the basic Li-ion battery. Solo gets way more than 300 cycles normally since the protection circuits (there are a couple) protect the low end, and actually stops discharge 'early' like most consumer products using the other kind of such batteries (the ones in plastic cases like in ESV, not steel like Solo, Air, FM and the rest. In a fun way what I'm doing is along those lines, it modifies the 'full charge cut off' downward.

I don't buy into it being a straight up trade. The information at BU, which I trust, clearly shows DoD is not a linear factor. Table 2 clearly shows a 50% DoD gives four times the cycles at half the capacity......twice the useful lifespan in session terms? Squarely at odds with what you cite? Go figure.

And the advice to run from the mains whenever possible is misplaced IMO. It might work OK with Apple stuff, but with Solo it's a BAD IDEA IMO for several reasons which we've discussed before and I stated part of above. Specifically, unlike many products, Solo draws more power heating (a bit over 2 Amps) than it gets charging (typically between .7 and .8 Amps. Think about this a moment. The 'charger' doesn't have enough capacity to support the heater, the battery must make up the difference (discharge, at say 1.5 Amps). A dozen or so seconds later the heater clicks off again for a rest and now the battery charges at say .75 Amps only to get hammered again a bit later when the demand returns and (heavier) discharge happens.

This can, in fact, be fatal to the battery. Premature death. ESV had this. Batteries (six in that case, tiny, expensive ones) died very soon if the owner did this at the bottom of the charge range (as is human nature?). Guys would run the battery down, plug it in and keep vaping. So the maker REMOVED the 'use while charging' feature. Took it out, now you use or charge but not both at the same time. I recommend that for Solo.

Engineers didn't put that feature in, Salesmen did in response to Customer demand. Check it out. The originals ran 'PA mode' when supplied 9 not 12 Volts. The base plate in Solo still reflects this no longer available feature.....ever notice the '9 Volts heating' on the bottom? That's why. You can't do that any more. The original removed the battery from the circuit when in 'true PA mode', modern ones only attempt to charge the battery at a modest rate while function discharges it faster over time. You need to recharge a flat dead Solo something like 9 minutes before you can do a session in 'use while charging'. The Apple advice above only works for things, like cell phones, that run longer than it takes to recharge......which is not the case with Solo?

"True PA" is an Engineer's sort of solution, the alternative intended to sell more vapes......and more replacement batteries? Using 'use while charging' works the battery harder (heating it, a real enemy here) unnecessarily. It's much better treatment, from a technical POV, to charge it first then run on battery power alone. Your call, of course. But while avoiding 'use while charging' means it takes more time overall, that also means the battery is less abused in the process (runs cooler).

There is a danger, I think, in 'I read it on the web' advice, or at least potentially. This, it seems, is a good example of that? While some of the 'Apple centric' advice above is just plain wrong (like 'two half discharges counts as one total one WRT to battery life), other parts is inappropriate since the usage is different. Good to make such decisions informed ones, but that means being sure the information is accurate and applies to the application at hand. Which IMO it does not?

Everyone gets to decide how to manage their power. I believe, for the above reasons, the advice I give is the best WRT long battery life. Avoid 'use while charging' and deep discharges (Solo actually cuts off 'early', something like 3.3 Volts/cell IIRC). And avoid charging 'to the top' whenever possible. Heed it, scoff at it or blow it off......that's my advice and reasoning. If I still taught this good stuff that's the way you'd put it too, if you wanted to pass the test........

Regards to all.

OF


I could have sworn the article was called "How to get the most from Lithium Ion Batteries". The only part where I saw anything that has to do with Apple is this paragraph:

For example, Apple state that the iPhone battery is designed to retain up to 80 percent of its original capacity at 500 full charge and discharge cycles, while the MacBook Pro or MacBook Air is designed to deliver up to 1000 full charge and discharge cycles before it reaches 80 percent of its original capacity.

The article has nothing to do with Apple. It's only at the very beginning where the author is trying to explain how and what a recharge cycle is that they mentioned Apple claims that you can get X number of recharge cycles with their merchandise.. Where else do you see anything about Apple in the article? Am I missing something?
 

OF

Well-Known Member
I could have sworn the article was called "How to get the most from Lithium Ion Batteries". The only part where I saw anything that has to do with Apple is this paragraph:

Doesn't change my opinion any, the advice is not appropriate to this use and can lead folks astray.

I advise not following it for the above reasons.

"However, what you can do is take advantage of this. How? By hooking your device up to a power source when you can. For example, playing music from your iPod or iPhone at home via a dock, or plugging your MacBook into a power outlet when convenient." is just plain wrong advice for Solo. Grammar aside. From at least two perspectives.

And the advice "If you only let you battery discharge by 25 percent, then doing this four times counts as a cycle. Same if you do five charges after 20 percent discharge, or even 20 recharges after 5 percent discharge." Is demonstrably false and misleading? At least contested by experience and a reference I trust. IMO it should be questioned if not ignored. Again, I point to table 2?

OF
 
Top Bottom