SDII likes to stay on

[TipperT]

Hey folks,

Less than a month ago I received my SDII and there have been quite a few times that it does not want to turn off after the button has been released.  Button is screwed snug, it does not appear to be hanging or feel like it has been snagging on anything.  The button it has now is brand new, showed up in the mail yesterday.  It has happened with both buttons.

When it has still been on, I have pulled on the button to see if it was that and it will stay on.  I have have to twist off the cone or twist off the battery case to get it to turn off.  This thing has gotten really hot and I have come back to a dead battery that was darn near fully charged.  This started during its first week with me.

Is this something I have to live with or is there something I can do.

Thanks!

[Darth Vaper]

Do any of your batteries have any of the plastic wrapper scratched away...... It's possible its making a connection with the side of the SD's body.

Welcome to the forum TipperT.... hang in there we will figure this problem out.

[cath77]

Wow that's strange and to 2 different buttons?

How do you put the button together?

This is how it's meant to be done; put the screw into the body and through the hole, put the spring on then add the button and while gripping the button, tighten the screw with a screwdriver. I did know someone who put the spring on the screw and then threaded it into the body (must of been fiddly to do lol), learnt the error of his ways very quickly lol.

Also do you take it apart for regular cleaning, if it gets a bit gunky it could stick like that i suppose.

Anyway hopefully someone has some better ideas of what the problem might be, hope you get it sorted

[TipperT]

Thanks Darth & Cath77 for the replies and the welcome!

I checked both batteries that I received with the kit for a bare/exposed side.  Great thought!  I happen to have the extra in my pocket because of this issue.  Looking at them one at a time, they look wrapped nice and tight.  Standing them next to each other I see a difference in the wrapping.  On the bottom side (-) of the battery next to the button, the wrapping is up kind of high on the sides leaving the edge and sides somewhat exposed.  The wrapping on the other battery that was in my pocket actually wraps around the bottom enough to not allow any exposure of the sides or bottom edge of the battery.

I had not though of the battery possibly being an issue so I had not payed attention to if it were one or the other battery that could be the possibility.  I am not saying it is the cause but that sure makes a whole lot of sense. 

When looking into the cap (button side), I can see where the bottom of the battery would ride on it.  Could this be it?

I have not cleaned that area yet. It does look darn clean though.  Oh, spring is on the outside of the body and a screwdriver was used to tighten the screw,  I feel no up/down freeplay of the button when the spring is fully uncompressed (either one).

[Darth Vaper]

It's possible it is the batteries wrapper... if it doesn;t look right you can always wrap it with a little electrical tape and see if the problem goes away...... would be best to replace it though if its faulty. If any part of the batteries metal casing contacts the body it will bypass the switch.

[TipperT]

Thanks Darth!  I will cover that part of the battery and take note of how it handles with the other battery as well.

[prof beard]

The problem you described is exactly what would happen if the battery insultaions is faulty/split/high at the edge (normally around the botton edge) - the sypmtoms you describe would only be due to the switch if it was wrongly installed (ie no spring, unscrewed etc).

[TipperT]

The last four days there have been no problem with either battery.  I turned them upside down, positive side of battery to the button.  I do not know how these batteries are supposed to be wrapped, They are the only two I have ever had. 

The wrapping on the bottom of the batteries is nothing like on the top.  The top is well covered almost to the center post and the bottoms are bare.  One rides up around the bottom edge and the other just barely covers the bottom edge.  The is no viewable damage to the covers.

It is nice to know I don't have to hold on to it all the time to catch when it stays on. 

[trog100]

the battery insulation (wrapping) should go round the bottom edge of the battery..

what i would call clear cellotape would fix it if its damaged.. no part of the metal battery casing should be able to touch the body.. if it does the switch will be by-passed..

as prof says this is pretty much what has to be causing the problem.. putting the battery in the other way around may affect a cure.. clear tape is a quick and dirty fix but it will work..

what has caused the battery insulation to be like it is is the interesting part.. did it come like that.. ??

trog

[TipperT]

Both batteries came out of the box like that.  I have barely had this SDII a month and it was doing that from about when I first got it.  If I had known that they were messed up, I woulda called them.  I guess it is about a bit late for that now.

That is the main reason I came to the forum here - to figure out what was going on.

[Finn]

Hey Vapers:

After a two year absense from vaping, I decided to return due to the cost of smoking (2 packs/day = $15/day) ... thinking that over the time of 2 years, the technology and quality of e-cigs would have vastly improved to where I might spend more time puffing vs fixing.

My new Screwdriver mkII with full tank adapter arrived this late morning via UPS Priority mail, Flat Rate package, havinging been ordered late on 11/18/2011 (excellant fast shipping ... less than 3 days).  Putting one battery on the charger and installing the other into the mkII in standard configuration after filling the cart, it immediately began to heat once I screwed the unit together ...after a heady draw or two I pulled it apart and examined it for improper battery installation/metal burrs/etc., ... cleaned all surfaces fully and reassembled it with a resumption of the "always on" problem.  More testing and cleaning did not solve the problem, so I hopped online and read this posting thread.

Thank you Trog for suggesting the scotch tape battery wrapping fix ... closer exam revealed the slighest sliver of a battery wrapping tear on the   (-) terminal end  ... since unlike the top (+) end the bottom (-) end wrapping does not wrap-over the lip, I assume the slighest abrasion would expose enough metal to cause it to short out ... let alone the unwrapped edge would short out against its' direct contact with the metal stop ledge inside the body compartment.

Overlapping the bottom edge of the battery by about 1/4 inch with a full wrap of tape around the whole circumference fixed the problem.

Now, I will try out the full tank adapter and see if I might get better vapor and an easier draw.

Good vaping to all.

Finn

[trog100]

i dont get to see these batteries to be honest but the wrapping should go well around the edge.. if some are arriving with no wrap around it might be an idea to let TW know..

the battery is specially made for the SD they should have a good wrap around.. say 1/8 of an inch at least.. folks should not be having to use tape to fix new batteries..

trog

 

[Killjoy]

I saw someone post about this issue with their new SD on another forum and, after seeing the tip here, passed on the tip to look the battery over (I actually hadn't even thought of that possibility, myself).  I know I haven't been vaping all that long, less than a year, but these recent reports of SDs going off without hitting the button due to a battery wrapping issue is the first time I've heard of something like this.  So I have to second the urge to contact TW about things like this so they know what is happening and can address any potential problems    Posting in the forum is all well and good, but they can't monitor every post all the time, so contacting them directly is always a good idea 

[Finn]

I just sent an email to Totally Wicked concerning the battery shorting problem, and how I did a hack fix with scotch tape wrap ... Hey, maybe we will all get sent some new batteries.

Thanks to TipperT posting back in October about the problem, and to all the others who heped me figure it out by posting their observations and thoughts.

Now that my SD MKII is running fine (esp. with the Tornado  Full Tank mod) and giving me excellant and overpowering 24mg hits of Pillbox 38, I can't wait for my next few order deliveries from Totally Wicked in order to try some different tobacco flavors in a lower strength, and to start doing some custom mixing of my own.

Finn

[Finn]

Stacey from TW replied to my email discussing the probable shorting of new SD MKII units due to poor wrapping of lower end with a thank you, and promised to send it along to the relevant person.

Later, I was doing some Google research on several batteries and chargers but was not able to find the battery/manufaturer of the one we use in the SD MKII:

   My new batteries are marked:   RECHARGEABLE ICR18350  SPECIAL LITHIUM BATTERY  3.7V  900mAh  "Made by Moettcell Bettery Technology Company Shenzhen China" ... however, I could not find the manufacturer in my online Google searches.  I did find a company called "Shenzen Mottcell Battery Company Ltd" in China  ... But, when I searched their product index, I was unable to find any Lithium or Li-Ion 18350 battery as their product.

Hmmmmm ... my poorly wrapped, new, shorting batteries with a possible label mis-spelling "Mottcell Battery" as "Moetcell Bettery" ?  Is this a badly produced or discontinued unit from this large company?  Or, it it possible TW has been unknowingly purchasing bootlegged, counterfeit batteries?

If anyone still has the original batteries from an early SD MKII or an even earlier version of the ScrewDriver, could you check them for an unwrapped (-) terminal bottom and unusal mispelling of "Motcell Battery" and then post their findings?

Thanks,

Finn

[StevieD]

Hi Finn, the SD MkII batteries are a custom made unit made for TW with extra protection built into them, not a standard item, so that is probably why they are not listed. The MkI SD uses a different sized battery. As a note, mine are all listed as from Moetcell, and the wrapping at the base end extends underneath very nearly to the raised portion.

[Otis B. Driftwood]

Hey folks,

Less than a month ago I received my SDII and there have been quite a few times that it does not want to turn off after the button has been released.  Button is screwed snug, it does not appear to be hanging or feel like it has been snagging on anything.  The button it has now is brand new, showed up in the mail yesterday.  It has happened with both buttons.

When it has still been on, I have pulled on the button to see if it was that and it will stay on.  I have have to twist off the cone or twist off the battery case to get it to turn off.  This thing has gotten really hot and I have come back to a dead battery that was darn near fully charged.  This started during its first week with me.

Is this something I have to live with or is there something I can do.

Thanks!

I had a similar problem with my SD, early on.  What was happening in my case is that I was letting the wadding get dry and it would overheat and the atomizer barrel would stay very hot to the touch.  It seemed to get hotter after I'd released the button.  Eventually the poly wadding became scorched and the source of the problem became clear.  It seems there was a loose nut behind the mouthpiece. 

Just offering something else to check.