Arizer Solo

[vaporcloud]

The battery info is interesting but somewhat OTT in my opinion. I've let my solo continue charging after hitting solid green for more than an hour and my battery seems fine. I still get plenty of life out of my 3 month old battery. And i didn't do the extended initial charge either. I do wonder if the whole thing has been over thought.

 

[sloth]

I always leave my solo charging over night and occasionally I forget and leave it charging for over a day. However, I haven't noticed any difference in how long the battery lasts but then again I dont really pay attention to it.

 

[TheDudeNextDoor]

 

[CarolKing]

I used to leave my older model Solo on the charger when not in use. I always wanted it to be charged up when I was on the go. The Solo is a little over a year. I only get about 3 12 min. sessions before I have a too low battery. I'm not sure if it's because I always kept it on the charger or not? I'm not too worried because I have 2 other newer model Solos.

With my newer models I am really careful with the battery and try not to over charge. I want to be on the safe side.

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

The battery info is interesting but somewhat OTT in my opinion. I've let my solo continue charging after hitting solid green for more than an hour and my battery seems fine. I still get plenty of life out of my 3 month old battery. And i didn't do the extended initial charge either. I do wonder if the whole thing has been over thought.

It's something that's testable and in fact has been extensively tested considering how many things have been running on batteries now for how many years. The scientific and military groups, tech and handheld manufacturers.

Most Li-ions are charged to 4.20V/cell and every reduction of 0.10V/cell is said to double cycle life. For example, a lithium-ion cell charged to 4.20V/cell typically delivers 300–500 cycles. If charged to only 4.10V/cell, the life can be prolonged to 600–1,000 cycles; 4.00V/cell should deliver 1,200–2,000 and 3.90V/cell 2,400–4,000 cycles. Table 4 summarizes these results. The values are estimate and depend on the type of li-ion-ion battery.

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

I guess what it comes down to is whether you want to utilize all of the battery all of the time and get expected life out of it or if you want to do a few things and not get all of the battery life but have it working longer. I'm too damn high to explain it better so you'll have to look at the link for more info.

 

[OF]

I still get plenty of life out of my 3 month old battery. And i didn't do the extended initial charge either. I do wonder if the whole thing has been over thought.

However, I haven't noticed any difference in how long the battery lasts but then again I dont really pay attention to it.

You won't notice any difference 'in how long the battery lasts' in 3 months. I think you may be confusing capacity for lifespan? I'm not talking about how many sessions before you need to recharge, but how many sessions before you have to replace the battery. That 'how long will the battery last', how soon will it be before you have to buy another one. I'm sure we all know of cell phones or laptops that will only stay charged a fraction of the time they did when new? That failure.

As designed this is typically about 300 "cycles" (recharges) on the battery. NOBODY is going to do that in 3 months I bet? 3 recharges a day, every day?

As the Q man and CK point out, you're able to ignore this all if you wish, it's your unit and your money. The advice is offered to those interested in getting the longest life from their batteries. Many of us have many thousands of sessions on our Solos, not dozens or a hundred or even two or 3. Many owners have replaced their original batteries, some with factory packs, some home made, some with Centigen's well received custom packs. This interests us, well at least some of us. Use your Solo long enough and I bet it interests you as well? Perhaps you can make use of the information on your second battery then.

Again, your call. But I don't think you really understand the idea, you might want to try to again before you reject it?

Regards.

OF

 

[froidy]

Hi guys so I've got my Solo and I'm loving it. I have some screens but they don't fit. I saw the 'dome' screens mentioned. I only have 2 questions
1. Is it domed so the dome is facing up towards you as you look down the stem or facing down towards the oven and 'going with the bowl' ? I'm confused. If anyone could shed some light that would be great Pictures even better!
2. How do you get it down the curved stem? haha

Thanks as always

 

[fernand]

Depends how you put it in ;-)

 

[OvaDaBong]

I read all this stuff about charging the solo but i find it hard to believe that Arizer didn't put in an over charge protection circuit in the solo or charger when they designed it?
I know 18650 batteries can be bought protected to prevent them from being drained all the way or overcharged it just seems strange that you need to time your charge session. When i need to replace the pack in my solo i will be going some protected 18650 and be done with this issue, if its an issue at all.
I mean this isn't 1980 and the charger for my nicads has no timing switch

 

[OF]

I read all this stuff about charging the solo but i find it hard to believe that Arizer didn't put in an over charge protection circuit in the solo or charger when they designed it?

Of course they put a charge controller in Solo, batteries of this type (Li-ion) literally self destruct otherwise. Well, self destruct it not really right since it's the abusive overcharge that did it, but they are destroyed anyway. The question is 'where to stop the charge'.

Like almost any maker he opts for the highest possible voltage (without blowing up) since that means longer run times and run times sell products. Customers tend to be kind of shallow sometimes, flash some numbers at them and they base their decisions there as often as not (since they understand numbers?).

So the guys that make the charge controllers know this, without even having to ask, if they make say a 4.1 Volt per cell controller and their competitor makes a 4.2 they know they'll never sell any in a world where '10% more capacity' will always boost sales. This means that basically all the charge controllers you can buy are programed this way (maximum safe voltage), meaning they expect the battery to last between 300 and 600 cycles (recharges). They're OK with that, enough for warranty, and they will be ready to sell you a new battery or better still a replacement unit for the Solo you enjoy.

This is exactly what Solo is doing, I know because I measured several (as have others). The built in charge controller terminates charge (LED goes solid) at 4.15 to 4.20 Volts, just as intended.

The military, who also knows the score, specifies 3.97 Volts typically (about 20% lower capacity per charge) since they know that will give much longer battery life, that is they can effectively avoid replacement for a much longer period in the field. That's the trade off we're looking for here.

If you 'read all the stuff' did you not understand the discussion in the Battery University article? I really think they do a better job of explaining it than I do, but sometimes other words help......

I saw the 'dome' screens mentioned.
1. Is it domed so the dome is facing up towards you as you look down the stem or facing down towards the oven and 'going with the bowl' ?
2. How do you get it down the curved stem? haha

First off, it goes in the short end (where the herb is) so the bent part doesn't matter. The dome part (the part that sticks up) goes in facing the load, that is the edge of the screen seats against the glass plate with the hole with an 'air space' between screen and plate. It does two things, reduces the volume of the load and prevents the screen from quickly fouling over the holes in the glass plate.

Make more sense?

OF

 

[froidy]

First off, it goes in the short end (where the herb is) so the bent part doesn't matter. The dome part (the part that sticks up) goes in facing the load, that is the edge of the screen seats against the glass plate with the hole with an 'air space' between screen and plate. It does two things, reduces the volume of the load and prevents the screen from quickly fouling over the holes in the glass plate.

Make more sense?

OF

Thanks OF,

Does indeed make more sense now.

Okay so I've got my screen in but as others have said, there is nothing there to keep it in place. It's kind of there but keeps wanting to pop back out or doesn't sit evenly all the way round. It did need some sort of ridge in the glass or something to keep it there. Any tips fine folk or is it just a matter of getting the perfect dome? I just used a biro end i had laying around. It should still do the job in keeping weed out, just thought there may have been a neater solution

Cheers

 

[peterpiper]

Mould it round the other end of the glass stem. Then gently mould further and tease into load end. Fits nice and snug. Wont come out and no bits get through. Eds tnt stem makes a perfect screen

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

So, Ive owned 2 and used about 5 solos. They ALL taste like tires to me. Im a chef and a seriously trained sense of taste, no fucking where near the cloud or lotus.

So it puzzles the shis out of me that everyone refers to the solo for taste. To me its WAY to fucking tight of a draw (pulled my BACK before hitting it) and tastes like shit. Better then some others but still a joke.

That being said, who has tried the latest model. Is the draw shockingly looser? It needs to be.

 

[CarolKing]

Read some of the thread to find out the info that you want. It was just stated a few posts ago.

 

[OvaDaBong]

Of course they put a charge controller in Solo, batteries of this type (Li-ion) literally self destruct otherwise. Well, self destruct it not really right since it's the abusive overcharge that did it, but they are destroyed anyway. The question is 'where to stop the charge'.

Like almost any maker he opts for the highest possible voltage (without blowing up) since that means longer run times and run times sell products. Customers tend to be kind of shallow sometimes, flash some numbers at them and they base their decisions there as often as not (since they understand numbers?).

So the guys that make the charge controllers know this, without even having to ask, if they make say a 4.1 Volt per cell controller and their competitor makes a 4.2 they know they'll never sell any in a world where '10% more capacity' will always boost sales. This means that basically all the charge controllers you can buy are programed this way (maximum safe voltage), meaning they expect the battery to last between 300 and 600 cycles (recharges). They're OK with that, enough for warranty, and they will be ready to sell you a new battery or better still a replacement unit for the Solo you enjoy.

This is exactly what Solo is doing, I know because I measured several (as have others). The built in charge controller terminates charge (LED goes solid) at 4.15 to 4.20 Volts, just as intended.

The military, who also knows the score, specifies 3.97 Volts typically (about 20% lower capacity per charge) since they know that will give much longer battery life, that is they can effectively avoid replacement for a much longer period in the field. That's the trade off we're looking for here.

If you 'read all the stuff' did you not understand the discussion in the Battery University article? I really think they do a better job of explaining it than I do, but sometimes other words help......




First off, it goes in the short end (where the herb is) so the bent part doesn't matter. The dome part (the part that sticks up) goes in facing the load, that is the edge of the screen seats against the glass plate with the hole with an 'air space' between screen and plate. It does two things, reduces the volume of the load and prevents the screen from quickly fouling over the holes in the glass plate.

Make more sense?

OF

Cool so its not that it cant be put on charge and forgotten about its more a case of be kind to the batteries and they will last longer. Now i get why u have the smart charger thing you built. To be honest building battery packs is no dark art to me nor is it something i have not done in the past, When my battery finally shits itself i will swap it out with something more robust like this:

://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10004185/1659700-authentic-sony-us18650vtc5-3-6v-2600mah

18650 of choice when it comes to sub ohm vaping (cloud chasing just dose my head in....why?) 30a continuos and 60a burst not that i think the solo draws that much but these have been tired and proven awesome.

I see that they are connected to the solo with a simple JST connector:

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...T_battery_pigtail_10cm_length_10pcs_bag_.html

the only thing that has me thinking is the pic in this thread :

http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/c...nce-battery-packs-original-thread.6835/page-3

could that board atop the batter be the infamous protection circuit?

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

Read some of the thread to find out the info that you want. It was just stated a few posts ago.

Yeah, I saw the 1 liner. Im asking if anyone has real experience to share so I can see if this new version will redeem it for me. I was up on this thread before I decided my solo was a paperweight.

 

[Scott A]

So, Ive owned 2 and used about 5 solos. They ALL taste like tires to me. Im a chef and a seriously trained sense of taste, no fucking where near the cloud or lotus.

So it puzzles the shis out of me that everyone refers to the solo for taste. To me its WAY to fucking tight of a draw (pulled my BACK before hitting it) and tastes like shit. Better then some others but still a joke.

That being said, who has tried the latest model. Is the draw shockingly looser? It needs to be.

Personally I dont like the flavor of the solo either. I have owned two different solos and a lot of other vapes and to me the flavor of the solo is pretty much sub par. It surprises me in general how much love the solo gets here as I just dont like it. My latest model was one of the first ones that could run off the stock wall charger I think M1E or M1T.

 

[OF]

Thanks OF,

Does indeed make more sense now.

Okay so I've got my screen in but as others have said, there is nothing there to keep it in place. It's kind of there but keeps wanting to pop back out or doesn't sit evenly all the way round.

Yer welcome.

I think size has a lot to do with fit (how's that for an obvious observation?). I like 5/8 screens, others the larger dome of 3/4 ones. 1/2 inch won't work. If you 'overdome' so they want to fall out easily, just push the top of the dome in a little once the screen is in place. Tension of the outer edge does the hanging on.

So, Ive owned 2 and used about 5 solos. They ALL taste like tires to me. Im a chef and a seriously trained sense of taste, no fucking where near the cloud or lotus.

To me its WAY to fucking tight of a draw (pulled my BACK before hitting it) and tastes like shit. Better then some others but still a joke.

Sorry your superior abilities to taste disqualifies Solo for you. It's surely not that way for most of us.

While there is a moderate 'improvement' in draw (not all of us find that useful, BTW), it will do nothing at all with the taste you find objectionable. I suggest you steer clear.

Good luck finding a more suitable vape, there are plenty to pick from. For the rest of us, we can continue to find humor in our "jokes" I guess?

OF

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

Yer welcome.



Good luck finding a more suitable vape, there are plenty to pick from. For the rest of us, we can continue to find humor in our "jokes" I guess?

OF

Ooooh I feel like I just insulted someones football team...
Heheh actually I was hoping for someone to say something to the effect of " Yeah ive tasted a few weird ones but some of them taste as good as the lotus, and the new model is much more comfortable."

I guess I should choose my words more thoughtfully to not offend people that like theirs

 

[biohacker]

Although I can understand some of the feeling on the older Solo with respect to draw, that didn't affect taste for me. What I can say, is that in my opinion the Solo has incredible taste/flavour and the newer model airflow is perfect for me (perhaps too open!). The Solo has such a full, rich tasty flavour (ESPECIALLY at temps 2-3, but even 4-5 can taste more pronounced) that it's a more intense flavour than the Cloud or EVO IMO (i'm testing all 3 of these as we speak!). The conduction aspect can intensy the flavour greatly, but yes, the taste can also go south in time, but at least it's a master of extraction. I can't believe how many hits this thing can produce! Flavour and taste in the Solo is similar to my Nano, very rich and tasty as long as the temp isn't high.

I had a real love/hate relationship with the older model solo's simply due to the draw, and although the pvhes helped that, it made the hits too airy and dropped the temp too fast. I went without a Solo for a long time, and then jumped on this newer charge/use model with better airflow and IMO it's the best portable out there (and kicks ass as a desktop to boot). I can't imagine now having the Solo in my arsenal. No interest in the INH005 whatsoever anymore.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

What I can say, is that in my opinion the Solo has incredible taste/flavour and the newer model airflow is perfect for me (perhaps too open!).

Ok now we're talking. I am seeing in the last 2 posts a concensus, some people have experienced sub-par flavor that never gets better, and some people have out of the ballpark good flavor for the life of their unit.

So I am guessing there might be an inconsistency. And Indeed it appears they solved the airflow "problem" .

Now I am curious.

 

[Scott A]

Ok now we're talking. I am seeing in the last 2 posts a concensus, some people have experienced sub-par flavor that never gets better, and some people have out of the ballpark good flavor for the life of their unit.

So I am guessing there might be an inconsistency. And Indeed it appears they solved the airflow "problem" .

Now I am curious.

My latest model should be one of the increased air flow models and I dont think it really helps much. It is still incredibly restricting to me.

 

[OF]

Cool so its not that it cant be put on charge and forgotten about its more a case of be kind to the batteries and they will last longer.

18650 of choice when it comes to sub ohm vaping (cloud chasing just dose my head in....why?) 30a continuos and 60a burst not that i think the solo draws that much but these have been tired and proven awesome.

I see that they are connected to the solo with a simple JST connector:

could that board atop the batter be the infamous protection circuit?

Yes, it's about getting more use from the battery before replacement.

That's not a good choice, IMO. It trades things we want (like long lifetime) for high current we can never use. Putting a Corvette engine in a Chevette and driving like an old man/lady. You can never use more than a tiny bit over two Amps.

The battery types you really want are the same ones used for laptops, which have a very similar power demand. The laptop and vape makers all use basically the same battery, they are not collectively stupid, I think it's wise to assume they know what they're doing. State of the art for such batteries is 2200 to 2600mAh in a few cases. Suitable batteries come with tabs welded on (meaning they're designed for pack duty). Welding (or rather having someone weld) tabs on other batteries or you is a second best I guess, soldering directly to them is to be avoided......even by experts. I get the ones I use from All-battery.com (who's site seems to be having troubles right now).

Yes, that's the protection PCB in the photo, in the Solo pack it's on the side. Boards on the top only work with some batteries, the compartment isn't all that tall, the highest capacity (biggest volume) ones will probably need the side board (All-battery can help you there too).

Yes, that's the common JST battery connector, but be careful on Solo the polarity is reversed. BTW I'm testing one of these $10 packs from China:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/7-4V-2200mA...ry-/190875389263?ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:US:1120

It's doing OK, I've been running it a lot (lots of that dummy runs). It seems about 2/3 or 3/4 the capacity of the factory battery despite their 2200 claim (go figure). I'm a little concerned it doesn't have the high temperature cut out, the Solo folks put it in for a reason I think (adding costs and a potential failure point), I think I'd recommend installing one before casual use.....again, All-battery is your friend.

Regards,

OF

 

[lookhigh]

I have a very strong sense of taste, My party trick is to guess all the ingredients in food when were out for dinner (90% off the time i get it right).
But as far as the taste of the SOLO.... its fantastic and i could tell you how the herb was grown from the taste.
One thing i do have to do is clean my stems after 1 or 2 uses, that makes a big difference, also don't let any material touch the heater.
Try that @SnidelyWhiplash Now if it tastes of burnt rubber i think there is something wrong.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

One thing i do have to do is clean my stems after 1 or 2 uses, that makes a big difference, also don't let any material touch the heater.
Try that @SnidelyWhiplash Now if it tastes of burnt rubber i think there is something wrong.

Hmm, definitely a possibility (that the units were not being cleaned properly)
Though this flavor is so distinct - all on the 106-107 units. A faint side of your tongue tar like smell/flavor you can feel in your nose. Very light and more on the 3-4th hits. But not something I get from any other vape.

I am still leaning toward thinking its a unit inconsistency, Lookhigh sounds like he knows his shit. The first solo I bought was distinctly less smelly then the next 2 which did seem to range in it.... But I'll give the unit a cleaning and see what happens for the sake of science.