Free lithium cells from discarded vapour devices. (And total teardown of one.)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ธ.ค. 2019
- With the increasing use of vapour producing devices as an alternative to traditional smoke sticks, a growing number of "disposable" devices are becoming available. These are aimed at traditional users who are looking for the more "satisfying" vapour who are more used to buying pre-packaged products and are not into refilling or recharging devices themselves.
These units tend to use rechargeable lithium cells despite being disposable because the cells are mass produced and available in a wide range of sizes.
It seems odd to use a lithium battery just once when it could be recharged hundreds of times, but it's becoming increasingly common to do so when it would have taken so little to make the products rechargeable. It's all part of our throw away society.
On a plus note, this means that when you see one of these devices discarded in the street it's viable to pick it up and salvage the cell out of it. In these devices the capacity of the cells measured:-
Brown unit = 314mAh
Green unit = 280mAh
They have both taken multiple charges so far.
Note that these cells are suited to short bursts of high current, but are NOT suitable for continuous high current applications like drones. My tests for discharging them used a simple circuit of a string of LEDs and a 47 ohm series resistor. The little cells run the LED strings for several hours.
The cells have no built in charge protection, so they have to be used with a suitable charger PCB like a TP4056 based module (99 cents/pence shipped on eBay). The current control resistor is best changed from the usual 1K as supplied to a 3.9K resistor to limit the charge current to 300mA.
Keep in mind that it's possible that some devices may use non rechargeable cells or LiFePO4 type lower voltage cells. But I would expect most to use standard lithium cells due to their wider availability and higher voltage. Especially when the control circuitry they are being used with is optimised for traditional rechargeable lithium cells.
The liquid and vapourisation cartridge in this unit was very interesting. It uses the standard coil and wick as a vaporizer, but has a clever design of liquid feed that relies on capillary action to ration liquid flow without excessive leakage.
I did refill the purple unit. By applying a heat gun to the glued end I was able to remove it non destructively and slide out the cell and vial. By drilling a 1.5mm hole in the plastic vial just next to the silicone end cap I was able to use a syringe to suck out the existing liquid and replace it with new liquid. I then wiped the area around the hole dry and capped it with a bit of insulation tape.
The amount of liquid it holds is 1ml. (The rechargeable unit I showed holds 1.5ml in its cartridges.) When reassembling the sensor in it's silicone cover, it goes into the side with the biggest breather hole with the wires to the outside on the battery side. The LED on the back points to the end of the device.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of TH-cam's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty. - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
It warms my heart to see you re-purposing these. Making or/and marketing disposable electronics should be a crime.
I agree. A disposable anything has a certain amount of cringe for me. I don't know if it comes from being half Scottish, or having gone through some lean times, but I can't stand waste. I ended up developing the ability to pinch a penny so hard that it cries for mercy.
@@manuelh.4147 There's a big difference between cheap Chinese crap that doesn't last more than a few months, and a device literally designed, marketed, and sold to be used once and thrown away.
i mean, the most things will be thrown away anyway
Paris Flor - Yes and no. In the past, when items cost a lot of money compared to the amount of wages or other income to a family, items were only bought when essential. And they were used and reused as much as possible. Only when they were broken were they disposed of. And even then, some items were used for other purposes.
This modern thing of producing items that have a very limited use / life span is only possible because oil and therefore plastic is so cheap at the moment. And now that lithium cells are also relatively cheap, the same is happening with these vape sticks.
I’m sorry to say, the only way I see the situation improving is if governments all around the world start heavily taxing single use / limited use / limited lifespan products.
We should all be Horders and fill up mini storage units with broken electronics. Looking at that device, the plastic case, tube, wire, battery, should all be recyclable. I'd say 70% of the device is recyclable. However there is the two other R(s)... Reduce and Reuse before Recycle.
I am a big fan of reuse and recycle, however it is quite hard to reduce when items are made so badly.
Big Clive has such a relaxing voice, he even makes the word bung sound classy. 👍
It's always been classy. Compare it to the juxtaposition of two similarly, often tapered cylindrical objects with highly different origins. Butt - water or cigarette - and plug - I know that "bung" wins every time.
Selling those should simply be forbidden. Or the sellers should be obliged to take them back, with thorough control of their recycling processes - on their expense of course.
China would be glad to take them back for a price, then promptly recycle them back to the environment by dumping them in a landfill... There are many more wasteful things that china produces but for some reason these really make me frustrated.
@@mrbyamile6973 China aint taking this crap! They halted imports of trash from western countries
@@qwertykeyboard5901 that's right, I forgot about that. They were tired of us sending them contaminated recyclables. These vape devices would contaminate even worse with all the internal components and battery.
@@mrbyamile6973 I think they would just re-use them, at least the batteries, and probably the pressure sensor. They do use parts recovered form e-waste in new items.
Have a deposit on them. Just like pop cans
The quote "salvageable bits inside" should be put on a sticker like those "Intel inside" computer stickers.
I actually wish products had this so that components can be reused easily!
@@user-yw8sr3uj1w 100% agree!
That was very interesting from an engineering point of view. Amazing how much goes into something designed to be disposable. It's a little sad too.
Gotta say, I had a heart attack when I saw you mention my e-mail! Thanks for the shout! I actually do this with most of my disposables already, now what to do with the cells ahah
A garbage collector in our area takes these and makes small flashlights.
9:35 It seems that the chip is from a PRC company called RZC, the chip is AX308. It's an ASIC designed for exactly this purpose.
Found it on www.TransistorMosfet.com as a Small Outline Transistor package (SOT 23-5) as RZC308A FilmTransistor MOSFET US.$3.00. Not from Hammond manufacturing which is a totally different chip with the same number. Happy New Year.
www.jotrin.com/product/parts/RZC308M seems to be it, with no datasheet
This makes me want to make a trash can with a label “disposable vape devices only” and place it wherever there is a maximal population of hipsters. Instant source of free Li-Ion cells!
This is brilliant!
I shall try this here. If I can find a place for it.
And diseases...
i live in the chicago area, i should do this lol
@@frogz Good luck not getting shot.
It makes me want to crush capitalism even more!
It is amazing on how much research and development must have went into these pointless devices.
More sad than amazing for sure...
Fueling drug addiction is where the money is, though -- the Sackler family knows that better than anyone. But your point remains quite valid.
these save lives. Definitely not pointless.
@@GigsVT Hahaha. Nope. Cost lives. Do some real research. Causing lung failure
@@comm744 That's been proven to be illegal THC devices that were sold with vitamin E as a thickener. Not nicotine ones.
Ok, I just need to recycle 5000 of them to make my own Tesla PowerWall.
Isn't that more like 50,000?
@@QlueDuPlessis Indeed. It is 78,125 actually.
LOL. Close enough.😁
recycle laptops for bigger cells, where do you think elon got his batteries at first?! 18650s are love, 18650s are life orsomething, not many other ways to get 100 watts from a 50 gram battery
th-cam.com/video/iEjTwsfqHOY/w-d-xo.html
like this ?
The microphone is a pressure sensor, activates on negative pressure (when you inhale) i even found the manufacturer a few years back in china. All automatic vapes have it. The battery is very popular too used in many cigarette style (like smokelessimage) devices. It does have low voltage disconnect and a charger and a voltage indicator via the led.
Almost thought the vice of knowledge was going to be deployed. A vice for a device of vice with a low price .
Thanks for the advice on the vise for a device of a vice with a low price.
That is awesome!
I'll be keeping an eye out for these.
I carry a multi-tool every day specifically to be able to take advantage to salvage opportunities in the field.
I've also found that the milky-looking translucent silicone parts make for outstanding diffusion for custom LED lighting projects.
The milky silicone just spreads out the light in a very very nice way.
I recently used a small vape cart end cap in a little decorative faux vacuum tube lamp I recently built.
With an orange LED inserted, it made for a very mellow and (I think) realistic-looking heater glow from deep within.
Great stuff as always, Clive
Cool tip!
I also carry multitool for this purpose. Also I have salvaged multiple phones and battery banks (most are even in working order) from the used battery boxes we have in stores in Estonia._
Here I was thinking the silicone bits were worthless. I was wrong. Great idea!
Hmmm... "'if you suck on it the LED will light up" sounds a bit like my new chat up line 🤣😂🤣
I'm glad Clive enjoys taking things to bits and talking through doing it again.
I've been doing this for a little over a year. Its awesome to have them around for small projects.
i have been on holiday at my sisters for a few days up in Hexham and this is the first video im watching after having no Internet for many days, love you Clive, also popped into check on my house in Ayr while i was up there.
I love this channel you post a lot of useful stuff and I like how you brakes things down in pictures form
Hi Clive.
The sensor would be over the small hole, to give a short term differential reading when you suck.
The large hole would be to make sure that over time a differential would not occur to cause the element to activate, due to heating or cooling of the environment.
Great video, the heating elements have been used by railway modelers as smoke units in scenery and such.
Happy New Year mate, 30/12/2019 here in Australia
Here is the shipping report, 2:00pm 40.5C outside. Hot North winds, gusting to 72kms.😮👍😊😊
Useful observation about the holes 👍
Has to be said, as a long term (knocking on 6 years) vaper, having gone through the old 510 devices, the emergence of sub-ohm, temp sensing etc, after all that time, I'm far far more interested in the design of these low end/simple devices than the 'high end' 200w+ 2xcell cloud chasing gear.
It's where the real innovation is at the moment; building down a cost kinda forces it!
Same here. Been vaping for quite a long time and my daily vape is just an eGo AIO. Easy to fill, charge, and ultra reliable.
this, I have a nice vape with a sub ohm coil and all the bells and whistles but I still find myself using my logic pro £10 pen vape whenever I go out because of its size and small drip tip (which stops pocket gunk from getting stuck in it)
Juul.....
@@jakew3 juuls are complete trash compared to decent pod style vapes.
Yep same! I use a low powered mechanical squonker but with LifePO4 batteries in it instead of the more dangerous ones used for sub ohm vaping.
These pressure switches can actually have very practical uses. First that came in mind: there are so called "sip and puff" input devices, mainly for people with certain disabilities.
I think a "two way" variant of this switch can be made to have both low and high pressure outputs.
But even with two of this and some creativity, two way device can be made.
There is another question though - whether a switch is practical enough or it's better to have a continuous range of values from a pressure sensor...
is this how the smoke was made on really old toy trains?
I remember having a old toy train that needed oil added into the chimney to make a smoke effect while it was going around the track.
They either used a glycol mix similar to vape juice or more likely a tiny heater coil that would aerosolize light machine oil.
On the really old trains there was a small oil fill hole in the stack area.
@@seanb3516 is correct. I have an older one, from the '60s if I had to guess. It uses a simple coil in the stack and you just drip machine oil in it. Love that smell haha. It just survived its 29th Christmas with me and is still going strong.
Yeah I remember having a rc dump truck that took a bit of oil to make smoke.
Had a truck with it as well when I was about 5, and yes the smell was great😆 Still remember being disappointed that when the stock oil was finished what we refilled it with didn't work as well 😟 That was more than 30 years ago
My uncle had a smoking train in the sixties. I believe it was a Rocket.
Lots of engineering in that small device. Thanks for sharing Clive👍
I'd come to much of the same discoveries in the cannabis vapes similar to this that we have locally - most of these ones include a micro USB for recharging until the tank is depleted, so I knew right away there had to be a small lithium cell that should either be salvaged or properly disposed of with battery recycling. I was always curious about that weird microphone like component running the show, but most of my disassembly attempts were too violent and I munged the tiny mystery chip within every time - these ones are even smaller and lack the two holes on the back which would aid disassembly which (probably extreme miniaturization over past couple years!)
I used the air flow switch on an external LED circuit on the front of the go cart. As the cart moves and the air hits you, the led switches on. It was nothing but a fun project 😅
Thanks for your wonderful videos.
I see these on my walks along the road or in the park quite often, and have taken them apart and found the little lithium cell. Your channel has given me inspiration to make some art with them... will be involving LEDs of course. The tricky bit will be rigging up a charger. Hopefully I can glean enough from your other videos to figure that out - my electronics knowledge is limited to fooling around since I was a teen, with no equational knowledge to speak of beyond a Volts times Amps equals Watts, and a long-ago use of Ohm’s law ... but this old dog can still learn. Thanks.
The main thing with these lithium cells is not to exceed 4.2V. I have a DIY charger that uses low current and two red LEDs in series to limit the voltage to about 4V.
@@bigclivedotcom Ah yes, I remember you mentioning the 4.2V. Come to think of it, I may be able to use the little DROK buck converter (www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JZ2GQJF) that has a "charging indicator light" - I replaced the tiny built-in pots (that adjust V and I) with larger precision pots that are easy to turn and adjust, so I can play around on the bench and use as a crude adjustable power supply. The manual mentions a "constant current mode", but sounds like it's a current-limiting mode, for 2V only (www.droking.com/cs/support/topic/set-constant-current-on-the-180080afa/), so I guess that would be for a single cell? Hmm... I'll check out your circuit too... Thanks.
I saw you using ecig batteries in another video and you demonstrated how simple the chargers are to attach. I got 15 little chargers on Amazon for $11 with a USBC port for charging and they charge in an hour. It's a sweet little setup and I can make it better by adding another battery. The price is the best part. Everything battery operated that I have is gonna get a charge port if it doesn't already have a way to be recharged. I appreciate you sir. Thank you for sharing your skills knowledge and experience, and thank you for inspiring me
Vaping got me off cigarettes within a week and I'm all for it, but these disposable things really shouldn't exist.
I guess it’s less trash than hundreds of cigarette butts.
@@5roundsrapid263 how about neither?
@@kelakakku the best option
I was thinking the same thing, but then again - the whole point is to get as much people off of the cancer cigs as possible, so i kinda understand it. It's pretty wasteful, but we buy and throw away so much crap that I'll refrain from judgment and wonder if it even makes a difference anymore. Odd enough, i was just vaping out my terrace window and saw a "lady" neighbor from the block across just open her window and throw out a plastic bag with zero fucks given...
Another awesome video Clive 👍 You would be the coolest uncle ever.
Something to remember with this is that nicotine can be readily absorbed through the skin and the amount of nicotine that will make you sick/poison you is highly dependent on your body size (a smaller person requires less exposure to get poisoned), rate of exposure (your body is great at metabolising nicotine so long term exposure to small amounts will not poison you but that same amount of nicotine in a single hit could poison you) and if you consume it on a regular basis (a non-user requires a lot less nicotine to poison themselves compared to even a light smoker/vaper). Clive is experiencing nausea (usually the first symptom of nicotine overdose/poisoning) when he vapes on these because he has a low tolerance for nicotine and nicotine salts are absorbed really fast.
In other words, don't get the liquid from these devices on your skin if you can avoid it - use gloves if possible. Wash the affected areas with soap immediately if you are exposed. Keep the liquid out of the reach of children as they require less nicotine exposure to experience poisoning and their thinner skin means quicker absorption. Play with these in a well ventilated area as spilt/exposed liquid will evaporate and carry the nicotine into the air. Finally, if you are feeling nauseous when you are working on these, seek out some fresh air and call medical services if you start to experience further symptoms like a racing pulse, headache, extreme fatigue, dizziness, and/or hearing/vision changes.
Any videos you do about these devices are going to be very poplar state-side of the pond.
I was really pleased to see you upload this one though, because these devices have peaked my interest many times. Some of the nicer models from the "big brands" have full-color 'pixel style' led's in them, and the devices can be rigged up as sort of homebrew universal chargers for small-size lithium cells... I've been taking the LEDs for projects, and I've got jumper leads coming from the charge circuit to rechargeable AAA-size batteries, little slow, but works fine, better than tossing them in the trash.
I've gone back to that My blu video and just ordered a set. Sort of a promotional set with the devise and 8 pods with different flavors. And ordered some bottles of my own pick of e-liquid.
Tried a vapor years ago but wasn't very good. Where the first generations. Seeing how you almost chocked on the My Blu it seemed more promising. Plus liked the look and the ease of refilling.
Photonic Induction is probably the most accomplished repurposer of these cells who has ever lived. His 240V power pack is somewhat epic.
You should see the 1.21 gigawatts battery pack he's upgraded his Tesla with.
Elon......... I popped it.......
Not the best charging system though.
Can you imagine the necessary balancing board? Lol.
When I left off the A suffix, RZC308, came up as a MOSFET.
Very interesting. Great photos.
"just a wee puff" clouds the room
I've taken a few of these apart and also wondered about the similar construction of the sucky switch and a microphone. They're good to make into hands free flashlights (with the batteries and cases) you can hold in your mouth but still switch on/off
That's brilliant! I've got a few of these laying around and now I've got a use for them. Thanks!
Love the side explanations. When I saw your video on salvaged lithium and NiMh batteries I knew there'd be some useful info and general theory, best practices etc. on the side. I feel like I'm learning a lot. Wondering if you could explain something about choosing the right voltage for recharging salvaged lithium battery. Also I heard from a guy that applying dimmed AC on fatigued LiPo cells can revive them but can't seem to find anything reliable and if you know something about it I'd love to hear it. Cheers!
wait a moment...u cant charge these one??...this is a pure environment desaster!
Not as bad as those disposable phone chargers with about the same capacity as this.
Thank you for the knowledge.
That 20mg sounds mighty potent. I recently switched down to 3mg because I found the 6mg a bit too strong.
nic salt vapes provide more nicotine with a smoother hit. heavy smokers who are used to a pack or more a day often find a regular vape to be unsatisfying, or painful if the nicotine level is high enough to satisfy. using nicotine salts instead of freebase (the kind of nicotine in regualr e-juice) reduces the ph and reduces , making the hit much less harsh, and also reduces the bioavailability of the nic. this means that nic levels need to be higher for a similar strength, but can also be raised *far* higher without the hit hurting. this si good for heavy smokers, but also means nic salts are much higher concentration and therefore super easy to get hooked on if you're, say, a high school student with a juul, easier than a normal vape. nic salts are useful to help heavy smokers quit easier, but also help tobacco companies get a new generation hooked on nicotine. they'll say the purpose is the first, but its really the second.
@@sierra_R Thank you for the explanation. I vape 3mg/ml VG only with no flavors, but i've never tried these salts to see the difference for myself. They are also more expensive, so i don't personally see the point to even bother atm. But that's just preference. I don't agree with your wrong phrasing/statement about people getting hooked on nicotine though. This is the oldest myth and scientifically proven to be complete bullshit. Nicotine is as addictive as coffee, so i wouldn't repeat Big Tobacco's brainwashing slogans if i were you. ;) The toxins in burning tobacco, the aroma, the warmth, the inhaling habit, the social aspect of bringing total strangers together + friend gatherings, the psychological aspect of doing something you know is slowly killing you... there are many addicting qualities to cigs, but nic ain't one of them. Same bullshit is also said about cheese. And while i don't argue with the fact that nic and cheese contain SLIGHT AMOUNTS of addictive chemicals in them, i argue with the way they're portrayed as this big deadly monster they never were.
"Salt nicotine ZOMG"
These along with those single-use phone chargers should be banned.
20mg not strong by US standards! Those Juul things clock in at over twice that, 54mg IIRC.
The core difference is that in the US, vapes are regulated as tobacco products, which is to say they are barely regulated at all. Lots of little vape shops throwing FSM knows what into liquids. The FDA hypothetically requires good manufacturing process, but that's it.
Shops aren't supposed to be mixing their own liquids anymore as far as I know. 54mg or 5% is the strongest Juul pod you can buy, 3% is the other strength. Relatively speaking, this is compared to non-salt based liquids which are even lower. These are the devices that big tobacco wants people to have, too. They don't want the refillable, rechargeable, or otherwise parts replaceable vaporizers on the market.
@@MalleusSemperVictor They might not *supposed* to be doing it, but I know at least one fellow whose job it is to do exactly that: mix it in a little shop, typically with a propylene glycol or glycerin base.
I'm a bit confused by the "salt" part here. Usually the freebase form of an alkaloid has a lower melting point and higher bioavailability. That's why as I understand it, tobacco companies used to treat the leaf with ammonia: the ammonia would react with the nicotine salt and convert it into the freebase, meaning you lost less in the process of smoking it. The freebase is generally not water soluble, however.
@@PaulSteMarie Manufacturers add benzoic acid to nicotine salts which lowers the pH of nicotine salts and increases bioavailability and give that immediate nicotine blood level spike like a traditional combustible cigarette would. Traditional liquids using freebase nicotine elevate blood nicotine levels slowly and more evenly. I was perhaps mistaken on whether or not liquids can be made locally in shops and sold but the rules are extremely confusing. As far as I know, the FDA wanted verified data sheets on all sold liquids to determine their ingredients. I suppose their concern was that stuff like diacetyl was making it's way into liquids even though as one might imagine diacetyl ever found in liquids is minuscule compared to the product of a burned cigarette.
Yes!!!! And you can often find these at gas stations for 1$ the rechargeable type , that usually go for 20$ 30$. Where I work we have 3 different types on like a promotional sale for 1$. I have accumulated quite a lot. You can do a lot with these for example I noticed that my drone has basically the same battery powering it to last 20 minutes, I have been able to increase my flight time to over an hour with these!!! Not to mention fun with lasers.
And all of that is disposable. Sometimes i think we deserve to go extinct.
Same
I wonder what other uses the little pressure sensors could be used for?
Perhaps one could be mounted at the end of a tube, so that when it gets windy, it switches something on using the Bernoulli Principle?
The large pod on the Blue/blew model, when the coil is truly spent, lends itself reasonably well to a gutting and installation of some sort of LED assemblage. Perhaps a short duty cycle intensely-bright flashlight, or a flasher of some sort (red or white), or even a laser pointer derived from the guts of a cheaper (dollar store or pharmacy) version.
Hey Clive....hahahahaha I was litterally doing the same this morning with "old" vape items......this happened a few times before,that I was busy doing things you later that day did post. I think that is very funny. Love your clips/channel!! Big ups!!!
Takes a puff, goes cross eyed, and then announces 'at 20mg thats actually quite high' and then attempting to read the big 20mg strength label on the packet 'I take it that is 20mg' still cross eyed and now with slightly wobbly speech lol... Priceless!
I found one of these in the car park the other day, I didn't realise it was worth 12 English shekels. Took it apart and found a working 3.7v 1500mAh battery inside. The owner probably didn't mean to lose it, but I'm appalled at the huge e-waste impact these things must be having? There was no actual way to refill it, just use 3500 times and then dispose of
The big 3500 puff ones have that very useful and fully rechargeable 1500mAh cell inside them. Always a great find.
I find it fascinating that the sensor they used to detect suction was just a simple microphone. I have wondered for some time how that was sensed but never looked into it. Needless to say, using sound instead of a pressure differential is a very elegant solution.
Edit: continued watching video, my assumption of it being a microphone was wrong; and now I really need to take on of these apart for myself. The construction of the tiny pressure sensor included is astonishing.
I wonder if you could take some resistance wire to make a coil and make a rechargable electronic lighter. Also, what is the normal charging amperage of the resistor value on the tp4056 you removed and replaced? Love your videos.
I never knew vaping could be so educational!
happy new year mr clive
Great video as always Big Clive. Can I ask what printer you are using to print these great quality photos?
Epson ecotank on generic glossy paper.
Ah the good old sticky finger, used many a time for picking thing up! TFS, GB :)
Clive, could you turn these into small rechargeable nitecore tube style torches?
At what temperature does the coil operate in order to vaporize or sublimate the liquid?
I was wondering if you know of a way to bypass the pressure switch and use just a push button instead to get the power that goes to the cartridge to come on?. I don't smoke or vape, but I would like to put a button on one of these and run a couple wires out of it but keep it in its original housing.
Now I'm going to have to start picking these up and using them for stuff
Thanks for taking a "hit" for the team. 😁 vaping nicotine for the video.
the fluid capsule looks just like the trident nuclear heater for the MREs. So the MRE maker stops putting them in food and puts them in other devices?
20mg salt nicotine is NOT the same thing as 20mg basic nicotine. The salt compound has less active ingredient (ie nicotine) w/w. The usual salt is benzoic nicotine salts which has molecular weight of 284 g/mol (grams per mole). Basic nicotine has a molecular weight of 162 g/mol. This means that the liquid listed as 20mg/ml nicotine salts (probably benzoic) contains only 11.4 mg/ml of active ingredient. Note that it's really important to know what salt you're dealing with to know what the real strength of the liquid is. This is all something that the industry is going to have to deal with at some stage, not least because of the TPD restriction of 20mg/ml. The TPD makes no distinction between nicotine salts and basic nicotine, which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
Thoroughly educational and annoying party fouls from manufacturers of commodity products.
Fascinating .
A couple months ago, one of the gas/convenience chains had sever promos for various rechargeable modules for $0.99 (e-liquid sold separately) ... I picked up a quantity, mostly 'blu' ... Haven't checked, yet, if the price was good for the components ... I was going to figure out the 'pressure module', but now I don't need to .... Thank You Very Much ... The 'blu' have a single board with the 3 wires to the 'pressure module'
I made a video about the Blu. It's very well made and the disposable cartridges can be refilled with nicotine-free liquid very easily.
It's sad these are sold as "disposable" given they could easily be recharged and refilled, maybe they should come with a money-back scheme where if you return the device to buy another, you get money off the next one so the batteries don't end up in landfill, on the ground & buried in soil, or down the gullet of a greedy seagull...
You can get rechargeable/refillable for around the same price. Larger, and not as chic, but more economic. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EVOD-MT3-1100mAh-E-Cigarette-STarter-Kit-E-Cig-Vape-Pen-Charger-24HR-SALE/254339571752?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
The wick gunges up eventually, but you can get replacement wick/coils. Battery dying from too many charge/discharge cycles is why you dispose of it.
or, you know, end capitalism...
@@qwertykeyboard5901 yeah...we would all be vaping corncob pipes as latest wood technology and there wouldn't be any qwerty keyboards either. Stifle the engine that fuels innovation? Sounds like death spiral into desperation and despair to me. A bit of moderation would be welcomed though as so damn much of this factory to landfill crap. That we can agree on.
@@gavincurtis Money isnt the only thing that stirs innovation
@@qwertykeyboard5901 I agree
Just want to say thanks for this video.
I'm looking to upgrade my kids wireless keyboards from stock AAA to usb-c plug in rechargeable and one of these cells would be magic.
Just need to find them discarded now...
It could be useful paired with a standard TP4056 charge and protection PCB with a suitable current programming resistor.
Kinda like the way I look at used Bic lighters. They are a great source of flints.
These are cool... I will definitely look out for them... Any ideas where I can buy them in Germany?
I am prepping a little bit and these would make a great addition in my smoking related box...
Thank you for the teardown, definitely was a mystery about how it all works until I watched the video! Now let's upcycle these items and use the batteries for robots!
They’ve added a charge circuit on to the popular Elux Legend Pro which is handy to have..
It really is a shame to find out these are using rechargeable batteries. I definitely agree with other people who said they should put bins out for these devices considering how popular they are beginning to get, and how valuable those batteries can be to reuse vs literally throwing out.
Thanks for this video! I've also started to salvage these lithium cells from used vapes just recently. Is it dangerous to charge these cells with regular TP4056 chargers? You must have had a reason to swap out the current resistor. Also, are these lithium ion cells, or lithium polymer? Thanks again!
I use a TP4056 based charger to recharge them. If desired you can change one resistor to reduce the charge current to 500mA. I've made a video about that.
I wonder what you could you repurpose the pressure sensor for? I wonder if it would activate something like when you open the door, Have it mounted near there i wonder if it can pick up that change?
It needs a strong pressure change.
about a month or two ago, ebay has completely clamped down on all items related to vaping.. you used to be able to find lots of cheap items of all sorts, but now you cant find hardly anything at all. its a shame. there is however a loophole to find a vape battery which is that soldering iron battery.. i wonder if there are other products that are actually stealthily vape batteries
how do people send stuff over to you for disassembly ?
That cell would be good in a Christmas tree ornament or maybe a hat brim light. I find latter useful but they always die quickly and use non rechargeable cells.
So my new partner vapes, and her one time use units have an 18350 lipo in every one. Is there any way to re-purpose that control chip? Could I tap on some leads and get a constant current for the LED to light or something as an indicator on a project or do 3 of those pins make a regular mosfet?
The chip is a bit specialist, which makes it tricky to find other uses for.
Who remembers when photonicinduction did this and made that power cube. It's sad he's gone.
What happened to him? I haven’t done any research i just noticed that he stopped uploading one day and didnt think much abt it
@@Cdubb_Official he went through a rough divorce and some mental health issues. Sad really (this is going from a quick Google please research and don't take as 100% truth)
Last I read he was trying to get his Indian wife in to the UK and having trouble getting her a visa.
That was one of my favorite devices he made. I couldn't believe how much power it put out...
@@magnets1000 Last I saw she is in the UK now. There was a post on the EvBlog forums. Apart from a comment he posted saying more videos soon all is quiet.
ha ha bought one of these just a week ago and disassembled it immediately xD
mine got 1.11 wh and a fiber filled tank. how can you know for sure that its rechargeable?
Hi there BigClive, my better 1/2 bought this funky device called a high frequency facial ( cleanser, massager? Magic wand?) That looks like a marvelous lamp and something your doctor sticks where the sun don't shine.
These look like glorified neon tubes - the snake oil salesmen's have tried to convince me that it generates ozone, maybe if it's made in china I'd buy it but my sniffer hasn't sensed the nostalgic smell of ozone and slow asphyxiation.
I'd love to see a tear down if you get a spare moment.
Your wish is granted. th-cam.com/video/5fuTnh6ofjY/w-d-xo.html
Note that if it's the same Darsonval style device then it's based on a very old quack product called a violet wand and causes lots of electrical noise and can damage delicate electronic equipment if used in its vicinity.
Morrisons sells disposable battery chargers if you're interested, just a battery with a plug that you throw away after use
Watching this great video blowing my huge vape clouds. Haha. Have don't it for nearly two years, down to only 3mg nic and will soon work on having non. Vaping has done my health wonders. These disposable devices are the things wrong with technology.
Did you go back to the old microphone setup for this? Sounds very bass-y again compared to the LED tree video you made.
It was recorded before the recent videos.
How do you do those super enlarged pics Clive? they are awesome!
You can buy cheap USB microscopes that will do that. Check on eBay or Aliexpress.
@@daver18qc I'm talking of the actual print copy, aka what one has at hand, I know how to get close to the subject ;)
@@scaramonga uh, not sure if i missed something but i believe they're called printers ? :)
They're near extinct but they still exist :D
So you take the picture with the microscope and print it on paper than you can hold it in your hands, but now saying that, i feel like it's too simple to be right, it can't be what you were asking lol
A disposable smoker's habit is an electronic fans again. Don't throw it away, pass it on to us geeks to reuse the Lith cells. After watching the other BCDC vlog about this waste of recyclable components it was worth watching this one too. Interesting thing was how the inhaling device worked with the micro thin diaphragm disc contacting the chip on a disc circuit signaling the lithium cell to power up the heating element of the device to heat the nicotine fluid to produce the smoke vapour. A great show case about these items, and that there is no smoke without a Lith Cell to fire up, LOL.
I'm curious, what's the single-use capacity of an lithium battery compared to reuse capacity?
They're usually charged to almost full capacity and it depends on the quiescent current of the circuit and storage time what capacity will be left.
So you can build your own and put a normal button style switch in . If I can afford or find a good used lathe I might try my hand at building custom wood and aluminum vapes but I will start with one of these cheap disposable ones if I can build a proper charger for it.
I think they're only charged to 3.8v , because when I tried to recycle one of those batteries and charged it to the standard 4.2 ... It became quite "blowtorchy"....
If i see one thrown away i'll grab it now. I could put those cells to good use, parallel a pair and it would run my FM walkman for a good long while.
Salvage the charging circuit from another unit, and i've got a power source for a few months maybe a bit more. I would need to add a dropping resistor and shave it down a volt +. Yeah that could work fine i like it, one cell may even work well enough as the discharge curve is better than NiMh. Hmm now to find a source of discarded units....
Those usually make people sick that don’t smoke they’re so damn strong.
That's what normal cigarretes do, too.
How would I recharge these via USB, for use as a powerbank.?
The amount of energy potential that I’ve seen in drawers of people I know full of these disposable batteries is wild that’s what we are wasting resources on
Is it possible to use these batteries for something significant? I can get my hands on thousands of old vapes of the same type with the 13400 battery 3.7v 550mah. Say I wire 3x1000 in parallel and then connect each to a BMS to make a 12v+ power pack. Would I set something on fire?
I've always wanted to see one of these hooked up to a fish tank air pump to see if it would work as a mini fog machine
Your wish is granted. th-cam.com/video/iC878A2puH0/w-d-xo.html
Did the tobacco flavored 1 taste like tobacco before you took it apart? cuz iv been trying to quit smoking with vapes but cannot find 1 that tastes like tobacco
None of them will be quite like a cigarette, but you'll get used to them quickly and then can choose the flavour you prefer. The tobacco industry units like the Blu are firmly aimed at existing smokers in terms of taste and nicotine levels.
I've NEVER found a primary lithuim cell in a disposeable e-cig yet....
They've ALL been rechargeable cells.
BigClive, I have a question. I read from many sources that a transformer needs AC current to work. But in almost all circuits I see (like USB chargers), the transformer is working on DC current. I'm really confused...
Gael Lafond what do you mean by "USB chargers"? If you mean the blocks that plug into the wall, they're working on AC. If you mean power banks, they don't have transformers. They have something that looks similar, an inductor. Maybe you already know about inductors, and it's another device. In case you don't know, things that look like transformers can be a couple of different types of components, such as inductors, common-mode chokes, differential chokes, trigger coils (like the one in a disposable cameras' flash circuit), and probably more.
Teeny tiny transformers work at a higher frequency than traditional ones. You'll find an oscillator on the primary and a rectifier on the secondary: the transformer sees AC.
@@mckryall I mean the block that you plug into the wall. The circuit is like this: AC -> Bridge Rectifier -> Transformer ... Since the transformer is after the bridge rectifier, it must be getting DC.
@@tactileslut Thanks. What's the oscillator looks like? I don't think I have seen one...
@@gaellafond6367 It varies.. could be as simple as a transistor, capacitor and a couple of resistors, could be a chip and some FETs and an optoisolator. The generic term for the whole circuit is switch mode power supply or SMPS, if you want to search for reference designs.