Hi there I just want to ask a question about my mod and when to change out bats. I've got an RX2/3 and I usually change batteries out when the screen reads 30% but I want to know if I can actually go to 0%. I don't have a meter to check if the batteries drop too low so I want to know how low the mod itself lets the batteries get and if I can let them run down a little bit further. (I read online that the worse thing you can do is let your bats run under 30%)
(added thought) My mates have mods where you can't read the percentage or can't read the battery life at all like the Tesla Invader III so they change when the mod no longer allows them to fire and I'd also like to know if they are harming their batteries
It is a bit of a complex issue, of when to switch out and charge batteries, and many opinions. There are really two voltages to take into consideration, voltage at idle rest (this will generally be a higher voltage) and the voltage under load or voltage sag (this will be lower than voltage at rest). Lower the resting charge so to when put under load the voltage will be far lower, with a key set of voltages you must keep in mind at all time, as the lower the voltage on a battery in a regulated mod, the higher the amp requirement, 3.0v resting idle can turn out to be 2.5v under load, with lithium ion batteries we use, voltage lower than 2.5v is dangerous as it damages the battery internally, namely the copper or conductive anode and cathode (the positive and negative terminals inside the battery) start deteriorating once below 2.5v and mix in with the electrolytes of the battery which can lead to micro-shorts internally. Though your mod may be showing voltage as 30% at 3.4v or so at idle, once you apply load (ask voltage and amps) from that point the voltage sag under moderate load (10 amps or less for example) the voltage sag could be between 3.0 to 3.2v or even less, the mod will detect this and kick at that time a low voltage warning or check battery warning.
The mod should not, in theory and principle, fire at all when at this warning state, for to go lower will ask more amps than the battery has available if at very high watts, the more constant stress as this you ask of your batteries, the shorter their longevity becomes as you basically cook them internally which changes their original chemistry and decreases their MaH, decrease the MaH or not often talked about C (or current rating) and you decrease their CDR (continuous discharge rate), from a battery that's life charge rating was 200 to 300 full charge cycles to one that is now only 180 to 260 full charge cycles a month to 6months down the road. Many old mech mod users and older vaping veterans adopt like
@Vapin4Joy posted above a half charge regime, which in theory can extend the life of their batteries by 1/3 more charge cycles up to 2x more charge cycles, myself on my mechs and higher powered mods pull and recharge my batteries in the 3.5 to 3.7v range to recharge them, some of my lower end devices I recharge at about 1/4 or 3.3 to 3.4v range as I rarely ask higher than 12 to 15watts on these lower powered devices, the batteries aren't under as much stress as my 100+watt mods. Can you reach absolute 0% before mod shut down, yes, on a lower powered device as the sag isn't as significant, if you are 70 to 80 watts (multi-battery mod) you might be able to pull down to about 15% at idle voltage, as you go higher in watts this sag gets even more significant so idle voltage is generally higher when the mod finally kicks its check or change battery warnings. Many customers when I worked at a vape shop always looked at me deer in the headlights like when I would tell them at time of purchase they would need 2x the number of batteries than the mod needed, one set in duty mode in the mod, another set charging or charged and in a battery carry case with them, extremely high powered devices needed 3x the number of batteries to keep a proper battery rotation.
A good battery rotation regime would be something like, batteries come out of the mod, get set aside next to the battery charge for about 30minutes after use, then after that 30minutes put on the charger to charge, once charge is done, removed from the charger and set aside for about another 30minutes before being put back into service again. These set aside and rest stages help the batteries cool back down to room temperature, let the ions inside to settle down and become stable before being re-energized or de-energized, as putting a battery that is warm and fully discharged straight onto a charger to be re-energized while the battery is hot and bothered can potentially lead to internal instability and the battery could go kaboom on you, more batteries historically have gone kaboom in charging cycle than inside a device under use, Remote Controlled Devices, other rechargable devices like laptops, etc, thus the reason we warn to keep batteries monitored during charging. I understand I am saying a lot, but information is a powerful tool, the more you know the safer you can be. Can you take your batteries down to their absolute lowest before the mod shuts down or refuses to fire, yes, but take into consideration what I have stated here.
