cartos were all around 3.0Ω for a while. that's probably what they were using, or even more likely was an atomizer (a stock one, not rebuildable, like the ones that look like tiny cartos) those might have been semi okay but even that I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole on a AAA mech. theres no way those tiny cells can push much amperage. id *maybe* consider it with like a 5.0Ω coil. no joke.
oh and remember the guy in Florida that was all over the news for blowing out his teeth, part of his tongue and mouth about 2 years ago? yeah, he was using a homemade box with AA cells. AAA is even weaker and has even more of a chance of blowing your face off. you gotta be careful.
Before I mention anything, yes I made an account just now, not only to respond to this but cause it's the first time I've come across this site; would have made one anyway. I also don't mean to resurrect a VERY old thread, but I feel this needs to be mentioned cause this thread comes up on the first page with a short Google search and was concerned with some of the completely invalid info present in it.
"he was using a homemade box with AA cells" - This. I searched just about everything but the deep web and can't seem to find the source of this anywhere. I'm assuming this is either a joke or wild speculation, but in either case it's damn near
impossible that this was the case. Why?
The
only way (and I seriously mean the ONLY way) that could have been the case was if the AA batteries inside that case were the relatively rare Lithium-Ion or Lithium-Metal AA batteries, or if he was using 14500 Li-Ion Rechargeables.
Here's my point: Regular AA Alkaline and Rechargeable AA Ni-Mh (Nickel-Metal Hydroxide) batteries don't have any protection circuitry because they're
safe enough to even be used by children in elementary school experiments. The Ni-Mh chemistry just
does not permit explosions unless it's under EXTREME circumstances (like tossing it into a raging fire or passing 10 000-Watt current through it). Do some research and find this out for yourself
. This is part of the reason why you're not permitted to take a large amount of Li-Ion batteries in the cargo hold of an airliner, but it's perfectly fine with Ni-Mh or Alkaline batteries.
There is also the case that Ni-Mh and Alkaline batteries natively allow a higher, unregulated current draw than Li-Ion batteries.
The regular batteries that 4-year-olds put in their cheap unregulated plastic toys that can easily short circuit and be submerged in water without worry are just about the safest and most robust batteries you can use for anything - this includes e-cigs. In comparison, there are
very strict regulations which state that Li-Ion batteries
must have integrated circuit protection with short circuit fuses, temperature control, voltage regulation and cut-off etc. The reason for this is that their chemistry is highly volatile (the electrolyte in Li-Ion batteries is highly flammable, the compartment is pressurized and lithium itself reacts violently with oxygen in high temperatures), unlike regular alkaline and Ni-Mh batteries. The information contradicting this that you mentioned may lead people to be
less careful with Li-Ion batteries, which are specifically the ones you
need to be careful with!
Here's a good source for this kind of info:
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/lithium_based_batteries
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/safety_concerns_with_li_ion
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/nickel_based_batteries
Lithium-Ion is a superior battery system, but
only if its manufacturer is reputable and
only when they're strictly regulated with integrated circuits. Strip the safety features from a Li-Ion and you have a potential mini-grenade. Strip the safety features from a Ni-Mh battery and you get a Ni-Mh battery - they don't have nor need protection.
Please don't post completely invalid data without doing your research first.
No e-cig mod that uses AA/AAA Ni-Mh or Alkaline batteries have ever exploded, much less caught on fire. There are some devices (like bug zappers) that use a pair of AA batteries that have a
substantially higher constant current draw than an e-cig atty above 1 Ohm.
