Crafty/Crafty+ by Storz & Bickel

JCat

JCat

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
Continuing the saga of the battery pack replacement ... I now have the right connectors, the right batteries, and wire that I think will work. What I do not have is the tool to crimp Hirose DF3 series connectors onto the wires. I've ordered one that I hope will be a good balance between economical and functional and it should be here Tuesday.

By the time I've got this all figured out I'll have spent half the cost of a Crafty! :lol:

I'll keep everyone posted!!
 
t-dub

t-dub

Vapor Sloth
JCat said:
By the time I've got this all figured out I'll have spent half the cost of a Crafty! :lol:

I'll keep everyone posted!!
Click to expand...
Thanks for doing this @JCat - I am interested in your project and, when my Crafty battery needs replacement, would like to avail myself of the opportunity you present. Thanks dude . . . :)
 
Astedra

Astedra

Well-Known Member
My out of warranty Crapty won't produce any vapor at 45 hours, the bowl seems hot, and I tried other cooling units, just in case it was leaking. So that's less then 3 months of use. This was my 5th crafty with 4 warranty replacements, (72hrs, 68hrs, 48hrs, 144hrs). This vape is so unreliable that I could never recommend it to anyone, especially beginners. Out of all my vapes, other then the hopper, the crafty is the only one that needed replacement, (4 times!!!!). 2 year warranty is just not enough for such an unreliable vape. Any news of Crafty 2.0? No way I'm buying another Crafty 1.0. Any news on out of warranty replacements? Is there any deal?
 
Astedra,
t-dub

t-dub

Vapor Sloth
Astedra said:
the bowl seems hot, and I tried other cooling units, just in case it was leaking.
Click to expand...
Have you pulled the screen from the bottom of the bowl and cleaned or replaced it? Make sure the inlet holes down there are not clogged either. Its worth a shot, especially if the unit is coming up to proper temp.
 
vapviking

vapviking

Old & In the Way
Astedra said:
the bowl seems hot, and I tried other cooling units, just in case it was leaking.
Click to expand...
I've forgotten, does the phone app give a readout of chamber temperature in real time (like Mighty's screen)?
I do see that we're coming into a time when more Crafty and Mighty owners will be in need of extra help, as it has been more than 2 years since their roll out.
 
vapviking,
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Astedra

Astedra

Well-Known Member
Ok, the herb inside gets vaped, it changes color, but I don't get any vapor. Like I said, I tried other cooling units. The bottom screen is fine, it has all the holes open.
 
Astedra,
Astedra

Astedra

Well-Known Member
I changed the o-ring on the crafty, and on the cooling unit. I get a little bit of vapor, very small, not like it supposed to be I know I had 4 other crafty units, but by the 3rd pull I get nothing and it's 191 bass temp. Even at max temp I get a tiny little bit of vapor that's nothing. On closer inspection, the herb is not changing color. Just a tiny bit. RIP Crafty.


Edit: Eventually leaving the herb inside, it changes color to vaped color. I just don't think the heater is up to it anymore.
 
JCat

JCat

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
So an update on the battery pack ... looks very promising!!! Got my crimpers in this evening, and crimped together some cords after a few tries, first one I installed, the wires snapped (crimped too tight), so I tried again! Got everything mounted, battery pack connected, and it powered up and charged no problem. Wires were a little long making it awkward to get back in. Made a 2nd pack. This one is much, much better. Used the Sony VTC6. I have it charging now and will test once ready.

I'll report back later with pictures.

If all goes well, I'll be able to build and sell these packs for $30 a piece. (I'll also provide full instructions for anyone that wants to do it themselves ... the cost to build 1 battery pack exceeds $100 after shipping and tools though!!! I figure I've spent $150-$200 with the waste from ordering stuff that didn't work as well)
 
JCat

JCat

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
Ok ... so here's an update ... not good news, although it is progress!

The packs work, however, they take too long to heat. They take maybe 30-40% longer to heat up then the stock pack. I made up 3 packs: 1st wasn't done great, wires were too long, used an LG HG2. Also made one with the Sony VTC6. Also made one with the stock Panasonic 18650PF.

The 18650PF takes 30-40% longer to heat then the stock 18650PF ... so ...

1. Connector - took apart the stock one to check, and 100% guaranteed the one I have to replace is identical. If my problem was with the crimp then it wouldn't be the same problem on both packs. The crimps also seem nice and strong (I can't pull them apart even if I try)
2. Battery - I've tried various batteries including an identical. The tabs are thicker on the stock battery, but don't think that would be it (I'd need to swap the wire harness from the original to be sure)
3. Wire - this is where I think the problem is ... although I think I have something equivalent, perhaps it's not quite good enough. I'm already over gauge for the connectors (connector supports max 22awg and I used 20awg which looks to be the same as the stock but feels a little more light duty ... this is a top quality silver plated copper wire as well)

So I think the logical target is the wires ... see if it's possible to go to a small 18awg? Maybe a different strand count for the 20awg?

Here's a picture of the stock battery pack and the homemade one. (been looking some more and think I just need the right 18awg wire)

tZysZNb.jpg



Edit: Here's the perfect wire I think ($20 in shipping + $5 for 10' of wire)

http://ca.mouser.com/Search/Product...irtualkey65010000virtualkey650-FLHTC0311-18-9
 
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JCat

JCat

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
Good news ... homemade Crafty battery pack success! The one pictured is a Sony VTC6 and initial test for heat-up time was 1:20!!! Excellent!

My mistake last night, is apparently when you first swap battery packs on the Crafty, it gets confused. It doesn't know it was swapped. So when I checked the battery capacity on the app after changing the battery last night, it showed almost full. When I plugged it in to charge through the USB port, in the app it was still flashing between before last and last bar, and charge light had gone to solid blue; the reality of it was the battery was almost dead! So when I tested it, with the app showing a full charge, it actually had very little charge; thus the 2:30 heat-up time. Now that I figured this out today, I plugged in the charged pack and tested (first I drained the Crafty by double-clicking the power button, and clicking it a few more times, as well as left it battery-less for a while)

I'm going to start testing with this pack tonight to see if there are any issues ... I'll re-charge through USB after my first 2 trial heat-ups I've run, and then I'll test and time each heat up for each bowl, and see how many sessions I get on a charge, how the heat-up times increase after each session, how heat recovery is between hits, etc. (not all of this I'll record hard statistics on ... some will more just be observation based on feeling in comparison to stock pack ...)

ZsrlvSC.jpg
6hhWifO.jpg
 
D

Dreger_US

New Member
Can you boys please grow up and buy a mighty

I like have a support group of people that purchased the crafty first.

Please try a mighty ans buy it it's completely different than a crafty.

Charging and battery issues are not an issue.

Note that this is coming from a person that uses to this device regularly for medicinal purposes. I Rely heavily on it.
 
Surf Monkey

Surf Monkey

Well-Known Member
Dreger_US said:
Can you boys please grow up and buy a mighty

I like have a support group of people that purchased the crafty first.

Please try a mighty ans buy it it's completely different than a crafty.

Charging and battery issues are not an issue.

Note that this is coming from a person that uses to this device regularly for medicinal purposes. I Rely heavily on it.
Click to expand...

But...

But...

What about ME? I have a Mighty, and I think I may want to add a Crafty to my collection...
 
D

Dreger_US

New Member
Don't get me wrong, that's a bad little boy too. I Sing Praises about my first crafty. But there's limitations. It's a portable Vape. If you understand that it's medication, and only can get your hands on dry herbs,the mighty is necessary. Necessity, I see all other devices as toys.
 
Dreger_US,
ligi

ligi

ligi
Just got my crafty back from RMA with firmware v2.51 - really love the new feature of the light vibration sequence before the auto-shutdown. And great service again ( for the 3rd time now ) I was asking for RMA exactly 2 years after I bought it. My problem was "vibration sometimes does not work" - and no questions asked I got a brand new crafty with all the extras.
But I think next time I will try to repair myself so thanks for all users sharing their photos and experiences regarding this!
 
JCat

JCat

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
An update ... my tests with the Sony VTC6 replacement pack above:

- 1st session: 1:20 heat-up, great heat recovery during session, started the session at 185 and boosted to 195 for the last couple hits (my sessions are typically <5 min. ... maybe an average of 3 min. or so ...)
- 2nd session: 1:20 heat-up!, great heat recovery, no noticeable difference from 1st session
- 3rd session: 1:30 heat-up, still great heat recovery, maybe slightly slower recovery then the other 2 sessions near the end, but maybe not (kinda' just theorizing in hindsight that it must have been ...)
- 4th session: 1:45 heat-up, heat recovery starting to lag, perfectly acceptable performance but not stellar like the first 3.

After 4th session, the app still indicates I have a half charge on my battery, so I'm sure I could get at least 2 more sessions, but I feel that 3-4 sessions is the cut-off where you get optimal performance and after that your heat-up and recovery times will increase.

Next I'll be testing the LG HG2 pack to see how it compares :)
 
Hammahead

Hammahead

Well-Known Member
In Germany (Europe?) S&B offer a replacement of battery and wear parts of the Crafty, including a function control for a lumpsum of EUR 75 which I don't find too expensive, keeping in mind the service is done by a professional company in the medical equipment trade.
 
JCat

JCat

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
Hammahead said:
In Germany (Europe?) S&B offer a replacement of battery and wear parts of the Crafty, including a function control for a lumpsum of EUR 75 which I don't find too expensive, keeping in mind the service is done by a professional company in the medical equipment trade.
Click to expand...
Yes, I've heard you can get your battery replaced for $90 USD here. That is a valid option for many where the vaporizer is still in warranty but the battery is not or where the vaporizer is out of warranty. That equates to $90 USD ~= $120 CAD + $30 CAD shipping to CA ~= $150 CAD. This is a very expensive battery!

Currently, in order for one to replace their Crafty battery, they need to source the correct battery with tabs, and then de-solder and re-solder the wire harness. This is a daunting task for many. The option I have been trying to get to (and have) is an economical replacement that one can do with a very small amount of mechanical aptitude.

ie. Summary of steps:
  1. remove 4 screws
  2. unplug battery and heat sensor
  3. cut/tear off PVC heat shrink
  4. remove tape holding heat sensor to battery
  5. plug heat sensor back in
  6. plug new battery in
  7. place heat sensor
  8. re-assemble case and secure w/ 4 screws
An added bonus is with the Sony VTC6 you actually get an improvement in performance over new from the factory :)

I estimate that $30 USD is a reasonable price for these packs and if sent regular letter mail I can send to anywhere in North America for $5 including packaging. (I'm not doing this for the money ... it's for helping out ... and for interest's sake ... once I started I kinda' obsessed ... I figure I'm about $200 in to build the 4 packs I have ... :lol: ... and one is clearly the "best" from what I can tell so the other 3 are thus of limited use I think!)

Edit: Here's a document on how to do the battery replacement:

https://srv-file1.gofile.io/downloa...-Replacement-Instructions-JCat-2017-03-09.pdf
 
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