Grasshopper AC Adapter Kit (and 18650)

[MoltenTiger]

we are not having good luck with the slotted adapter that you guys proposed, the normal revised part is currently in production

Yeah you can't easily mill a slot in, for sure. You'd want a few spare multi-fluted bits, a solid jig and plenty of patience and WD40 to find the perfect spindle speed, feed rate and all the rest of it, plus you'd almost certainly have to die cut after to rid the burrs and fix the threads. Plenty of work to achieve something so basic, a barrel with internal/external threads and a slot instead of a hole.
I figured when you said machinist it would be a simple matter of turning one up on a lathe, with revised universal threads, to see how much better the assembly would become and to test out functionality and the previously incompatible hopper back-ends.

What level of production are we talking? It's a simple change to push through to improve the product, if there's still time..? Or go all out and pocket in a connector, if you're milling, why not, it's easier than a slot through threads.

I don't want no janky clip (no offence to @BuzzDanklin or his soldier of a GH )

I use both of these clips as intended and the HT clip is nearly flush with the body, the Ti is ~1mm off after 4 hard years. Both get carried around in the front of a da buddha bag holding glassware fairly often, hanging onto a few mm of hemp fibre. A bent out of shape clip is going to result in a lost hopper for me.

Bending it back and forth isn't a great option, it's just thin stamped stainless. It looks stupid jutting out at some random angle and prevents its function

It's super easy to fix. If I just had the assembly parts it would be no drama to figure something out, like slimming down the leads, filing an aggressive chamfer to the conduit, or soldering a joiner in-between bracket and TH connections, or visiting a friends lathe and making a replacement slotted ring! Many options that I look forward to toying with. I will have a rapid mains to portable that is also powered by USB-C before too long. I'm not sure what I'm actually waiting on if you're not going to go through with the slotted adapter and the sled is bought and available. But postage is a risk still

I'm now fairly certain I can actually thread on an adapter at least, as there's only minute crests on the three GH back-ends in front of me.

Seems that the IO and probably those of you who have backends with threading issues has a slight flat area at each crest of the thread...

Here are the two threads under magnification for anyone interested:

 

[Shit Snacks]

Yeah you can't easily mill a slot in, for sure. You'd want a few spare multi-fluted bits, a solid jig and plenty of patience and WD40 to find the perfect spindle speed, feed rate and all the rest of it, plus you'd almost certainly have to die cut after to rid the burrs and fix the threads. Plenty of work to achieve something so basic, a barrel with internal/external threads and a slot instead of a hole.
I figured when you said machinist it would be a simple matter of turning one up on a lathe, with revised universal threads, to see how much better the assembly would become and to test out functionality and the previously incompatible hopper back-ends.

What level of production are we talking? It's a simple change to push through to improve the product, if there's still time..? Or go all out and pocket in a connector, if you're milling, why not, it's easier than a slot through threads.

I don't want no janky clip (no offence to @BuzzDanklin or his soldier of a GH )

I use both of these clips as intended and the HT clip is nearly flush with the body, the Ti is ~1mm off after 4 hard years. Both get carried around in the front of a da buddha bag holding glassware fairly often, hanging onto a few mm of hemp fibre. A bent out of shape clip is going to result in a lost hopper for me.

Bending it back and forth isn't a great option, it's just thin stamped stainless. It looks stupid jutting out at some random angle and prevents its function

It's super easy to fix. If I just had the assembly parts it would be no drama to figure something out, like slimming down the leads, filing an aggressive chamfer to the conduit, or soldering a joiner in-between bracket and TH connections, or visiting a friends lathe and making a replacement slotted ring! Many options that I look forward to toying with. I will have a rapid mains to portable that is also powered by USB-C before too long. I'm not sure what I'm actually waiting on if you're not going to go through with the slotted adapter and the sled is bought and available. But postage is a risk still

I'm now fairly certain I can actually thread on an adapter at least, as there's only minute crests on the three GH back-ends in front of me.

For the record, there is no need to bend your clip, to install the current adapter... Just go slow.

 

[MoltenTiger]

For the record, there is no need to bend your clip, to install the current adapter... Just go slow.

Sure, but with a small tweak it becomes effortless for every back-end removal. It's not unpleasant to untwist a threaded rod. It is not worth the time to turn and tuck for however many rotations, and it will be useful to be able to switch between modes often and easily. Keeping the batteries rotating and healthy shouldn't become a task, no matter the great convenience with the deal.
If my USB-C plans work out I could possibly ditch GHBs altogether, the power adapter is perfectly fine as it is if it's not being removed and replaced often. I'd like some improvements given the wait and the potential but I don't expect anything beyond the existing design, which is majorly awesome regardless and I'm very thankful for whatever eventually emerges

 

[maxvapor710]

@MoltenTiger we probably still have time to make some slight tweaks before they get to our parts in the queue, but if they require too many operations it would delay the project.

If you have any sketches showing what your ideas are I can run them by the machinist.

 

[Shit Snacks]

@MoltenTiger we probably still have time to make some slight tweaks before they get to our parts in the queue, but if they require too many operations it would delay the project.

If you have any sketches showing what your ideas are I can run them by the machinist.

Hey Max, come on over to newFC btw!

Situation explained here:
http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/important-announcement.49260/

 

[MoltenTiger]

@MoltenTiger we probably still have time to make some slight tweaks before they get to our parts in the queue, but if they require too many operations it would delay the project.

If you have any sketches showing what your ideas are I can run them by the machinist.

Fair enough, I don’t think adding a slot would be too problematic, depending on the supplier and where they are up to with the job. If they’re yet to start then it should be as simple as a drawing revision update as the overall geometry and material would be the same.

I had a crack at sketching what I was envisioning and the easy assembly that it would allow..

It might be a bit more involved and ramp the costs up, but it shouldn’t be that challenging for a fastener company to make a simple pipe extender with a slot.

if there is a requirement for intact threads, another option would be milling a pocket for a right angle XT30 socket, but the clearance is tiny. It might fit if mounted at a 45 degree angle or if the legs were trimmed, otherwise there could be smaller connector types/terminals available.

I also considered you could widen the slot to shimmy the cable along and under the clip more easily, or even to fit the male XT30 connector through.

As is it’s probably neater without modifying the conduit, but it would be nice if it was smooth and thoughtless to assemble.

 

[Averyminya]

Hey hey! So sorry for the wait! Crazy how during quarantine I have nothing going on up until I get the thing I've been craving the most! Tl;dr at the bottom, sorry it got kinda long

My first two immediate impressions after use - It feels slightly lighter than with a battery inside, it's kinda cool The dial is now slightly harder to turn - I've had a theory which is supported by this, I think the battery itself acts as a pressure point for the gold/bronze tab. I have noticed with the Grasshopper that there is some springyness and can be felt by hand when pressing the tab.

However, with that said, I love, love, love LOVE (love) (love) the design that the adapter has. It's gorgeous. It's SO clean. And it is a great remedy for this difference I have noticed. Notice that I did not say issue - there is none. It's just something worth noting!

The backend itself doesn't get hot whatsoever, and the body in the battery section gets slightly warm after 3 ~30 second bong rips (the backend area also gets warm, but again, not hot like my batteries occasionally do). Speaking of getting warm, the cheaper option (SLA I believe, whichever is the transparent bluish one) also gets warm when under use. Nothing I'm worried about or anything, again just something worth noting (these are the kinds of things that I'm curious about so I want to give others some satiation!) I have not noticed the supplied PSU transformer box get warm when under use. The supplied PSU is very long and I love it! It has made routing the cable into the 3D printed converter box through your vaping area very easy. Cable management makes a pretty box

I do/did use it as a pen clip (though to be fair, only thin cloths, not jeans or at least any with a thick seam). That said, I don't really ever plan on unscrewing the backend from the threaded adapter, so I cannot say what it would be like after the second or third rethread. Finally, the clip wasn't too bad @MoltenTiger and anyone else who has engraved clips or just cares about the look - I know I do! To be honest, I almost felt more worried about the wires after the second turn. I would say that I have an old backend as well, despite it being my third, I currently have GS013081 @maxvapor710 and it threaded perfectly both ways. Also thank you so much for the battery sled and for this amazing piece of tech in general. Seriously, I cannot thank nor commend you enough (it's impossible try as we all might!)

Literally a week 1 dream after getting it Oct. 15, 2015 has finally come true. Also, holy freaking cow you can CHARGE YOUR BATTERY from the battery sled with a microUSB. It also has a bright-ass voltage LED that when in use, blinks like the Grasshopper! But it seems the Grasshopper LED stays solid (so far)! I have purple sheathes from the Arizer Air, they're fairly old now and it took a bit longer to heat up, but I also accidentally started on temp 5 so that definitely was a factor, but definitely not as fast as AC. No blinking when it's charging, just steady light and a light for when it's full.

Two things to note for the battery sled, one important one - I am not an avid 18650 user but I am not inept in regards to +/- orientations. At first, I almost put in the battery wrong! So double check! And the important bit, my sheathes on the folds of +/- get caught on the metal tabs of both ends of the sled. I may be pulling them out wrong, but I have only just played with this as I've typed this comment. Finally, I scared myself a little bit trying to pull out the battery, holding the somewhat thin but flexible casing on the sled. I'd be worried about dropping it, but that's just because it looks soooo nice.

What I do remove the battery from the sled, gently pull up on one end (+), then repeat for the opposite end(-). The opposing end(-) will come out a little further. At this point, I must push the initial side (+) back down and then pull from the opposite end (-). I'm so sorry for this formatting, I've done quite a bit of testing @~@ I do have little nicks on the sleeves of the 18650's now, so just something to note!

In every video I take I don't get thick clouds but I swear it's just camera shy. I decided to just upload the best and shortest take, so here's a ~4 minute video. (Just uploaded so quality will take a few hours to get to HD). This might be the one that has a little bit of blur about 3 minutes in after I show off the gorgeous pattern, but it's just a bong rip I use the 3D Delta Studios chamber loader and scoop and gently tamp in the herb from the medium grind of a Brilliant Cut Grinder, I have a couple takes where I load it up and it's not worth the 15 seconds it takes to pack a bowl. Sorry about forgetting the sled in the video! It really just slipped my mind until typing up the comment. Here is a little photoshoot and a turn-on of a dry run.

What do you need to know? Slightly kinked wire or slight bending of the clip. Generally runs cooler (I use SS) while every bowl I have had gets a more even and darker vape. The dial is slightly harder to turn with the adapter and the batteries should be very carefully removed from the sled, at least on the version I have with the batteries that I have. The 3D printed box warms during use but not the PSU. Be somewhat gentle with the battery sleds sides, at least that's how it feels! They are flexible though so maybe nothing to worry about.

1000/10 on all fronts for real. If I had to pick my biggest concern, it would only be the battery sheathes getting caught on the metal tabs of the battery sled, as can be seen in the imgur post image 1. Beyond that, this is literal perfection. The Grasshopper has leveled up.

 

[Hammahead]

@maxvapor710 - so, is there any idea when both the CE and the Threading stuff will be solved? Point is that the longer it takes to ship, the more I'm reminded I could or rather should use the money I have paid for this for things that are objectively more important to me and probably even for me. Any idea? Would it be a problem to ask for returning the prepaid money? I know I'm asking for a new variable to an already unsolvable problem, but hey, that's how I roll...

 

[maxvapor710]

@Hammahead certifications were finished already quite a while back, the revised threading is still a few weeks out at minimum.

We still have had very few people with threading issues respective to the number of units that have shipped, so if you want your unit to ship as-is all you need to do is let us know if you haven't already. We are due to drop off a bunch of international packages today and tomorrow for people that emailed us recently.

If times have changed and you are no longer in need of a unit, just send support an email and they will get you sorted out no worries if your unit has not shipped already.

Thanks,
Max

 

[Baron23]

We still have had very few people with threading issues

Yeah, I guess I'm just lucky that way as I'm one of the few, the proud, the damn threads won't work, group.

 

[fogbank]

@maxvapor710

I'm still waiting for shipping notification for my order (230387). Am I still waiting in the queue?

Thanks

 

[Namekian]

@Baron23 you're not alone, mine worked well with the first hopper i put it on but I just tried my newest repaired hopper and it only made it a half a screw...hope this universal adapter works out cause I think I need one.

 

[MoltenTiger]

Hey hey! So sorry for the wait! Crazy how during quarantine I have nothing going on up until I get the thing I've been craving the most! Tl;dr at the bottom, sorry it got kinda long

My first two immediate impressions after use - It feels slightly lighter than with a battery inside, it's kinda cool The dial is now slightly harder to turn - I've had a theory which is supported by this, I think the battery itself acts as a pressure point for the gold/bronze tab. I have noticed with the Grasshopper that there is some springyness and can be felt by hand when pressing the tab.

However, with that said, I love, love, love LOVE (love) (love) the design that the adapter has. It's gorgeous. It's SO clean. And it is a great remedy for this difference I have noticed. Notice that I did not say issue - there is none. It's just something worth noting!

The backend itself doesn't get hot whatsoever, and the body in the battery section gets slightly warm after 3 ~30 second bong rips (the backend area also gets warm, but again, not hot like my batteries occasionally do). Speaking of getting warm, the cheaper option (SLA I believe, whichever is the transparent bluish one) also gets warm when under use. Nothing I'm worried about or anything, again just something worth noting (these are the kinds of things that I'm curious about so I want to give others some satiation!) I have not noticed the supplied PSU transformer box get warm when under use. The supplied PSU is very long and I love it! It has made routing the cable into the 3D printed converter box through your vaping area very easy. Cable management makes a pretty box

I do/did use it as a pen clip (though to be fair, only thin cloths, not jeans or at least any with a thick seam). That said, I don't really ever plan on unscrewing the backend from the threaded adapter, so I cannot say what it would be like after the second or third rethread. Finally, the clip wasn't too bad @MoltenTiger and anyone else who has engraved clips or just cares about the look - I know I do! To be honest, I almost felt more worried about the wires after the second turn. I would say that I have an old backend as well, despite it being my third, I currently have GS013081 @maxvapor710 and it threaded perfectly both ways. Also thank you so much for the battery sled and for this amazing piece of tech in general. Seriously, I cannot thank nor commend you enough (it's impossible try as we all might!)

Literally a week 1 dream after getting it Oct. 15, 2015 has finally come true. Also, holy freaking cow you can CHARGE YOUR BATTERY from the battery sled with a microUSB. It also has a bright-ass voltage LED that when in use, blinks like the Grasshopper! But it seems the Grasshopper LED stays solid (so far)! I have purple sheathes from the Arizer Air, they're fairly old now and it took a bit longer to heat up, but I also accidentally started on temp 5 so that definitely was a factor, but definitely not as fast as AC. No blinking when it's charging, just steady light and a light for when it's full.

Two things to note for the battery sled, one important one - I am not an avid 18650 user but I am not inept in regards to +/- orientations. At first, I almost put in the battery wrong! So double check! And the important bit, my sheathes on the folds of +/- get caught on the metal tabs of both ends of the sled. I may be pulling them out wrong, but I have only just played with this as I've typed this comment. Finally, I scared myself a little bit trying to pull out the battery, holding the somewhat thin but flexible casing on the sled. I'd be worried about dropping it, but that's just because it looks soooo nice.

What I do remove the battery from the sled, gently pull up on one end (+), then repeat for the opposite end(-). The opposing end(-) will come out a little further. At this point, I must push the initial side (+) back down and then pull from the opposite end (-). I'm so sorry for this formatting, I've done quite a bit of testing @~@ I do have little nicks on the sleeves of the 18650's now, so just something to note!

In every video I take I don't get thick clouds but I swear it's just camera shy. I decided to just upload the best and shortest take, so here's a ~4 minute video. (Just uploaded so quality will take a few hours to get to HD). This might be the one that has a little bit of blur about 3 minutes in after I show off the gorgeous pattern, but it's just a bong rip I use the 3D Delta Studios chamber loader and scoop and gently tamp in the herb from the medium grind of a Brilliant Cut Grinder, I have a couple takes where I load it up and it's not worth the 15 seconds it takes to pack a bowl. Sorry about forgetting the sled in the video! It really just slipped my mind until typing up the comment. Here is a little photoshoot and a turn-on of a dry run.

What do you need to know? Slightly kinked wire or slight bending of the clip. Generally runs cooler (I use SS) while every bowl I have had gets a more even and darker vape. The dial is slightly harder to turn with the adapter and the batteries should be very carefully removed from the sled, at least on the version I have with the batteries that I have. The 3D printed box warms during use but not the PSU. Be somewhat gentle with the battery sleds sides, at least that's how it feels! They are flexible though so maybe nothing to worry about.

1000/10 on all fronts for real. If I had to pick my biggest concern, it would only be the battery sheathes getting caught on the metal tabs of the battery sled, as can be seen in the imgur post image 1. Beyond that, this is literal perfection. The Grasshopper has leveled up.

Just got around to watching the demo vid. Cheers for the shout out

That is definitely the assembly method I'll be going for at first too. I suppose with using the sled there won't be any real reason to remove the adapter once installed...
But I do like the sleek and stealthy size of a hopper with GHB. That's how I'm using it tonight, small stealthy pack whilst travelling, so good with a smoke buddy.

I like that its a big lighter with the adapter vs. battery however. Always been impressed with the mass of just the GH body, crazy what it manages to do.

 

[Averyminya]

Just got around to watching the demo vid. Cheers for the shout out

That is definitely the assembly method I'll be going for at first too. I suppose with using the sled there won't be any real reason to remove the adapter once installed...
But I do like the sleek and stealthy size of a hopper with GHB. That's how I'm using it tonight, small stealthy pack whilst travelling, so good with a smoke buddy.

I like that its a big lighter with the adapter vs. battery however. Always been impressed with the mass of just the GH body, crazy what it manages to do.

Of course can't leave my buddy without his info and I too like it's weight, I actually went on a walk last night and brought my Grasshopper with me and used an 18650 with the sled.

In my room, heatup time is closer to the 5 second range any time I use the sled, that could be due to my age of battery or just the nature of the cell. Outside, I expected consistent 5 second times and that's pretty much what I got, rarely was it shorter from a cold start, whereas the AC is consistently shorter. The session itself waspretty much the same as whenever it's on the Grasshopper battery, could do to be slightly more extracted but since it's native it gets too warm. And of course, no flicker on the Grasshopper

I'm excited to get the IO soon to have direct comparison of adapter and adapter free Grasshoppers, but after only a couple days I feel no desire to take off the adapter. It never occurred to me that the tail could potentially be cumbersome or change the aesthetic for the worse but I actually really like it, but it does take it from stealthy to just high tech eye-candy. My friends in college who once mistook the Grasshopper for a regular pen will probably not be making that mistake with the adapter!

Anyway, just wanted to add my experience with the sled in the wild instead of inside, this was the first time I wanted to bring it outside for a long time so this adapter is really making waves! xP

 

[fogbank]

I got my shipping notifications!

I have a number of Hoppers to try the threads on, and two adapters coming, so I'm curious to see what percentage threads smoothly.

 

[Midnight Toker]

I got my shipping notifications!

I have a number of Hoppers to try the threads on, and two adapters coming, so I'm curious to see what percentage threads smoothly.

Congrats! Hoping to get my notification soon.

 

[Hammahead]

@Hammahead certifications were finished already quite a while back, the revised threading is still a few weeks out at minimum. [...]
If times have changed and you are no longer in need of a unit, just send support an email and they will get you sorted out no worries if your unit has not shipped already.

@maxvapor710 luckily I got a few revenues from a source I hadn't counted on so I'm rather going to wait for the universal thread adapter and be it more than a few weeks. I trust you keep us posted on this. Thank you.

 

[Chingas]

Finally finalized my order. My hopper has been rma'd once but has been out of use for a while due to running cool. Was going to warranty but then the fire hit so no dice. My batts are really old from Feb 2017. Hopefully this breathes new life into my unit?

Who knows. The greatness of a properly working Hopper is why we all put up with this, right?

 

[PPN]

Hi, @maxvapor710 did you said we must to send you an email if we ordered it in order to get it shipped? I ordered the wall plug kit (without battery sled), payed, and still note receive any shipment notification...., ok I send you again an email right now.

 

[maxvapor710]

Hi All,

We should have the new threaded adapter the week of the 15th provided everything arrives on schedule.

Thanks,
Max

 

[Mr. Me2]

Hi All,

We should have the new threaded adapter the week of the 15th provided everything arrives on schedule.

Thanks,
Max

Hey @maxvapor710 , please open a thread and join New Fuck Combustion at https://newfuckcombustion.com/index.php

 

[VegNVape]

No neeeed. Let's keep it OG!

Thanks for the update, btw, @maxvapor710.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Hey @maxvapor710 , please open a thread and join New Fuck Combustion at https://newfuckcombustion.com/index.php

Yeah I mentioned that to him earlier, but now we've paused on moving threads over... Though the actual grasshopper threads were already moved there, complex dual sites now lol

 

[vapeverythingnyc]

@ddukes88 most likely something just not making connection properly, cant say I have had anyone with that issue so far. If you think there is a hardware issue send us an email and we will get you a replacement out no worries.

@MoltenTiger the slotted ring has proven to be troublesome on the prototype we had cut so far so I am not sure it is going to work out. Milling slots through threaded areas is never a good idea from what I have been told.

The current included PSU is 12V/6A. From our testing so far you will need a 10A PSU to successfully power the Hopper IO. If you want to arrange alternate shipping options just send us an email and we can work out the difference of not sending a PSU. Our shopping cart is only setup for USPS during order time.

Thanks,
MaxVapor

Can confirm that my io does NOT work with the adapter and a 12v/10a psu from the same supplier as the supplied 5a psu. Won’t even power on. Green led is illuminated on the dummy battery. Any thoughts? Have you tried an io with the 10a psu @maxvapor710 ? Not accusatory, genuinely curious. Thanks

 

[maxvapor710]

@vapeverythingnyc there is a video of me using it on our youtube channel I believe.