Arizer Solo

OF

Well-Known Member
It would be hard to go back to just 1 Solo now, I'm used to having one going and one waiting, charging as needed.

Fortunately, that's not a decision pressed on you. I'm thinking maybe a third, in case one of the two main ones breaks down?

2 SOLO's?

I'm a light weight!

Sorry, Bro, but that lightweight thing ain't gonna fly........

OF
 

VapeHeadz

Well-Known Member
WOW!
2 SOLO's?

How many session's per day?


I'm a light weight!

I wont to chime in here (if you don't mind mate) I have two Solo's as well, and most days I usually just have 4 or 5 sessions in the arvo and evening and I just use the one solo.

But sometimes when at parties or when I am in a funny mood or pain I like to get super medicated and smashed and I just go bowl after bowl after bowl (etc etc) and that's when 2 solos are great, 1 on charge whilst one being used.

I love having two solo's.
 

crazyjoedavola

Well-Known Member
Bought one a few years ago and fell in love.
Misplaced it somewhere in the house and bought a new one.
Bought another before I went to Amsterdam in February, because I wanted it totally clean and wasn't sure about passing through customs (both ways).
Dumped the stems, cleaned the bowl thoroughly and brought it home (with no issues).
Finally found the original when I got home, then I had 3 and thought it was a bit overkill.
Alas, I misplaced the original again and now I have 2 or 3, not sure.
I need a LoJack attachment.....
 

Buzzbomb Almighty

Well-Known Member
I call it three, you just don't know where they all are. I knocked my little hoider off the table and broke a j hook yesterday, thought of Ataxian..... I ordered 5, gave 1 away, got 3 left but they aren't all the same. Sunshine Store's parameters allow for some that aren't as straight or uniform as others. No biggie, eventually they'll all get smashed anyway. :\
 

OF

Well-Known Member
I've heard that rumor too. I wonder if it really is bad for the battery?

Like many rumors, based in fact I think. Two issues come to mind right off. First the wall wart isn't big enough to run the heater alone, let alone charge the battery. It's good for a bit less than half the total power needed when the heater is heating (LED flashing), the other half (actually closer to 2/3) has to come from Mister Battery. Charged then discharged only to be recharged a few seconds later..... Not treating it right, really.

This can be really bad if the unit is 'stone dead' and then put into 'use while charging' in that the battery gets hammered against the stop four times a minute as long as you use it. This was a feature on ESV that was found to kill the battery pack early so it was removed with software upgrade. Taken out as a feature. ESV really is convection, so the demand on it's battery is higher but the problem remains?

And this mode invites setting it down stoned and leaving it plugged in. Perhaps the worst thing you can do, really, 100% charge full time. Yes 'always ready to go' but I'm sure we all know a cell phone or laptop that now has a weak battery from this?

One can wonder how much damage is done, or how important it is, of course, the 'smart money' says this is not the way to long life battery wise. Good stuff here:
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

My advice is 'use it or charge it, but never at the same time'. The battery will thank you for it. Best life is probably discharge down to the bottom couple LEDs and recharge again. If possible stop the charge with the 7th (or even 6th) LED lit but still charging with the top LED flashing still. That, stopping charging a bit early, alone will double (or more) your battery lifespan as described in the above article. The military typically specifies a reduced charge, 3.95V plus or minus .05 IIRC rather than the more normal 4.15 =/- .05. Often even that is pushed a bit in the quest for more run time.......and one might thing sell a few more replacements? The military guys are trading 20% run time for four times the service life. This can mean never having to replace the battery pack or having to schedule maintenance.

It's real, too.

Regards to all,

OF
 
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Vital

Well-Known Member
Like many rumors, based in fact I think. Two issues come to mind right off. First the wall wart isn't big enough to run the heater alone, let alone charge the battery. It's good for a bit less than half the total power needed when the heater is heating (LED flashing), the other half (actually closer to 2/3) has to come from Mister Battery. Charged then discharged only to be recharged a few seconds later..... Not treating it right, really.

This can be really bad if the unit is 'stone dead' and then put into 'use while charging' in that the battery gets hammered against the stop four times a minute as long as you use it. This was a feature on ESV that was found to kill the battery pack early so it was removed with software upgrade. Taken out as a feature. ESV really is convection, so the demand on it's battery is higher but the problem remains?

And this mode invites setting it down stoned and leaving it plugged in. Perhaps the worst thing you can do, really, 100% charge full time. Yes 'always ready to go' but I'm sure we all know a cell phone or laptop that now has a weak battery from this?



One can wonder how much damage is done, or how important it is, of course, the 'smart money' says this is not the way to long life battery wise. Good stuff here:
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

My advice is 'use it or charge it, but never at the same time'. The battery will thank you for it. Best life is probably discharge down to the bottom couple LEDs and recharge again. If possible stop the charge with the 7th (or even 6th) LED lit but still charging with the top LED flashing still. That, stopping charging a bit early, alone will double (or more) your battery lifespan as described in the above article. The military typically specifies a reduced charge, 3.95V plus or minus .05 IIRC rather than the more normal 4.15 =/- .05. Often even that is pushed a bit in the quest for more run time.......and one might thing sell a few more replacements? The military guys are trading 20% run time for four times the service life. This can mean never having to replace the battery pack or having to schedule maintenance.

It's real, too.

Regards to all,

OF


Arizer sells a SOLO power adapter that was required if you wanted to use the early model SOLO's when the battery was drained. Do you think using the AC adapter will shorten the battery's lifespan too?

This is what I'm referring to:
https://www.arizer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/389.jpg
 

OF

Well-Known Member
Arizer sells a SOLO power adapter that was required if you wanted to use the early model SOLO's when the battery was drained. Do you think using the AC adapter will shorten the battery's lifespan too?

This is what I'm referring to:
https://www.arizer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/389.jpg

No, not significantly. It does draw a small fraction of the power from the battery but otherwise is a true bypass. All of the 2.5 Amps or so for the heater comes from the PA. Notice it's 9 Volts not 12? That's how the originals knew to charge or run PA.

FWIW I like the old version for this reason over the new, I see 'use while charging' a poor exchange for the ability to bypass the battery and run from the mains. I have a couple of the originals, and have yet to wear one out so figure I'm set.

OF
 

fubar

Ancient and opiniated inhaler
Arizer sells a SOLO power adapter that was required if you wanted to use the early model SOLO's when the battery was drained.

I use mine whenever I'm at a power point and rarely use it while out - the Air does a good job for portable situations.

Those old pre-charge_while_heating solos are really valuable IMHO because when plugged in, they can be almost as good as the EQ and less fuss most times - it's a beast when plugged in. The battery will discharge slowly - I recharged maybe twice in the last year? I don't think it does any harm.

Just remember to draw the stem at least half way out from full insertion to minimise radiant heat on the surface of the herb close to the hot oven - a few mm makes a big difference - inverse square!
 

abby

Well-Known Member
Just remember to draw the stem at least half way out from full insertion to minimise radiant heat on the surface of the herb close to the hot oven - a few mm makes a big difference - inverse square!

The effect should be the same as underfilling, right?
 
abby,
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abby

Well-Known Member
Yeah, once you can see the vapor production from the different stem distances through a bong, its easy to tell that holding it about a millimeter from the oven produces the most vapor by a pretty noticeable margin.

I still wish i was better at being able to visualize why convection is better than conduction+convection.
 
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OF

Well-Known Member
Yeah, once you can see the vapor production from the different stem distances through a bong, its easy to tell that holding it about a millimeter from the oven produces the most vapor by a pretty noticeable margin.

I still wish i was better at being able to visualize why convection is better than conduction+convection.

While the exact height is going to vary with stem, draw, strain, cure, phase of the moon and who knows what for sure there's a 'sweet spot' in there to work with. A handy way to do this is to tilt the stem. Raising one side up 2mm is the same as lifting the stem evenly one. This 'fine tune on the fly by tipping' doesn't work on Air or with 'brand new' Solos with tight stem seals. Neat feature, IMO.

Conduction is like cooking in a pan against on the BBQ (minus the smoke taste). Conduction means the walls are the hottest part of the game, hotter than the herb that's making vapor. That can get 'stale' mighty quick. And, if hard to get really clean the taste is never pure. A bit like watering your Scotch, all you can ever have after that is Scotch and water.....

Convection, OTOH, exploits Thermodynamics the other way. Heat gets to the load by hotter air (which has no taste). Now the load is the hottest thing in the taste game?

Remember it takes heat (in calories) to get to the magic heat (in degrees) and once there it takes still more heat (again in calories) to make vapor happen. Heat has to flow into the load to make vapor or the load will cool off too much. With conduction, this rate of heat flow in is largely fixed. Vapor can be made only so fast. Unlike combustion. Convection, OTOH, is not bound by that. 'Done right' drawing in more heated air produces more vapor as a result. In cases like Volcano you can extract a large load fully in one long (mechanical) hit, unlike conduction vapes.

The way to visualize is, I think, to think about the heat flow. How does the heat get to the trichome to coax it into releasing that lovely THC. That's what we need the machine for, to heat the trichome to make vapor. Everything else in the heat flow path has to be hotter and a potential source of contamination. Conduction can be very nice indeed, but getting that is not a given in most cases.

One last difference to put in the mix is convection means a lot of 'extra' power being consumed (tough on battery life) and by it's nature delivers lots of dry hot air with the vapor. That can introduce serious problems sometimes. Conduction is almost certain to be more efficient with power consumption and easier to control in many cases.

Not better in all cases, but different?

A well rounded owner needs to try it out and make up his own mind. And get LOTS of glass if you intend to follow in @ataxian's footsteps. And if you do, be careful not to step on the broken glass......

Regards to all.

OF
 

ataxian

PALE BLUE DOT
While the exact height is going to vary with stem, draw, strain, cure, phase of the moon and who knows what for sure there's a 'sweet spot' in there to work with. A handy way to do this is to tilt the stem. Raising one side up 2mm is the same as lifting the stem evenly one. This 'fine tune on the fly by tipping' doesn't work on Air or with 'brand new' Solos with tight stem seals. Neat feature, IMO.

Conduction is like cooking in a pan against on the BBQ (minus the smoke taste). Conduction means the walls are the hottest part of the game, hotter than the herb that's making vapor. That can get 'stale' mighty quick. And, if hard to get really clean the taste is never pure. A bit like watering your Scotch, all you can ever have after that is Scotch and water.....

Convection, OTOH, exploits Thermodynamics the other way. Heat gets to the load by hotter air (which has no taste). Now the load is the hottest thing in the taste game?

Remember it takes heat (in calories) to get to the magic heat (in degrees) and once there it takes still more heat (again in calories) to make vapor happen. Heat has to flow into the load to make vapor or the load will cool off too much. With conduction, this rate of heat flow in is largely fixed. Vapor can be made only so fast. Unlike combustion. Convection, OTOH, is not bound by that. 'Done right' drawing in more heated air produces more vapor as a result. In cases like Volcano you can extract a large load fully in one long (mechanical) hit, unlike conduction vapes.

The way to visualize is, I think, to think about the heat flow. How does the heat get to the trichome to coax it into releasing that lovely THC. That's what we need the machine for, to heat the trichome to make vapor. Everything else in the heat flow path has to be hotter and a potential source of contamination. Conduction can be very nice indeed, but getting that is not a given in most cases.

One last difference to put in the mix is convection means a lot of 'extra' power being consumed (tough on battery life) and by it's nature delivers lots of dry hot air with the vapor. That can introduce serious problems sometimes. Conduction is almost certain to be more efficient with power consumption and easier to control in many cases.

Not better in all cases, but different?

A well rounded owner needs to try it out and make up his own mind. And get LOTS of glass if you intend to follow in @ataxian's footsteps. And if you do, be careful not to step on the broken glass......

Regards to all.

OF
Your very intelligent!

My pile of glass?
Some are broke!
Some are whole!
kZFPaW5.jpg


For me the SOLO is a great portable.
It will make one read fast!
Retain more!
PRETTY CIVILIZED!
My pile of broken glass will fill a trash can!
@OF I use a AIR STEM for a GonG! (works) + EPIC's GLOWING HEX GRIPPER
 
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sickmanfraud

Well-Known Member
Your very intelligent!

My pile of glass?
Some are broke!
Some are whole!
kZFPaW5.jpg


For me the SOLO is a great portable.
It will make one read fast!
Retain more!
PRETTY CIVILIZED!
My pile of broken glass will fill a trash can!
@OF I use a AIR STEM for a GonG! (works) + EPIC's GLOWING HEX GRIPPER
T
What do you call it, bong-instein?
 

Vital

Well-Known Member
No, not significantly. It does draw a small fraction of the power from the battery but otherwise is a true bypass. All of the 2.5 Amps or so for the heater comes from the PA. Notice it's 9 Volts not 12? That's how the originals knew to charge or run PA.

FWIW I like the old version for this reason over the new, I see 'use while charging' a poor exchange for the ability to bypass the battery and run from the mains. I have a couple of the originals, and have yet to wear one out so figure I'm set.

OF


Do you think using their dedicated AC adapter would prolong the battery life of a newer SOLO?
 
Vital,
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OF

Well-Known Member
Do you think using their dedicated AC adapter would prolong the battery life of a newer SOLO?

I know it would not. The new model cannot run true PA no matter what you plug it into and the PA voltage is too low to even charge the battery. It's useless. Despite what the left over printing on the bottom says. Save your money.......it could come in handy for a new battery when the time comes?

OF
 

Vital

Well-Known Member
I know it would not. The new model cannot run true PA no matter what you plug it into and the PA voltage is too low to even charge the battery. It's useless. Despite what the left over printing on the bottom says. Save your money.......it could come in handy for a new battery when the time comes?

OF


That means their car adapter is just as bad for the battery as the standard power cord...correct?
 

fubar

Ancient and opiniated inhaler
The effect should be the same as underfilling, right?

tl;dr If the top layer shows char (black spots - not brown or green) while the bud layered below remains light brown, you're probably getting too much radiant heat. See http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/temperature-plotting-with-a-raspberry-pi.20720/

Inverse square law means radiant heat load decreases according to the square of the distance from the oven heat source, so a mm or two by pulling back or by having the top of the load a mm or two extra away from the hot oven will have similar effects.

I recommend pulling halfway out - either way, you need to experiment for yourself to find what works best for your needs.

This is flogging a bit of a dead horse in terms of terminology, but see http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/aqa_pre_2011/energy/heatrev1.shtml for an explanation of the difference between radiant, convective and conductive heat transfer.

Radiation transfers heat, even in a vacuum. Confusingly, some might call it "conduction through air", but it happens in a vacuum and does not require air, "ether" or anything else to happen so let's call it by the appropriate scientific term - radiation. Whatever we call it, it's neither convection which happens when air carries heat it acquires as it flows through the air path down the sides of the ceramic heat exchanger that surrounds the oven as you inhale, nor conduction when thermal energy moves from a hotter place to a cooler one through a substance like the glass stem or through the stainless steel oven from the heater pad underneath.

The Solo (or Air) grommet just above the stainless steel oven cup is a heat insulator, holding the glass stem away from the sides of the oven so there is no direct physical contact and thus (other than through the grommet) no conduction from the oven directly to the glass. The glass gets hot from convective and radiant heat transfer, and then it conducts heat (but that's secondary to it getting hot by radiation and convection in the first place) unless you jam it right in so it is in physical contact with the oven which will likely block the air holes - that's definitely not a good strategy.
 
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