E-Mag Battery

[RehKal]

I just received my first E-Tac. I pull the pin to turn it on, everything powers up but when I pull the trigger it seems as if the board goes dead. I've charged the battery (or I believe I have, going to try again). Anyway, my question is this.

What voltage should the battery read at full charge and does that change when the battery is low? Currently it reads at 18.75 volts. My fear is that the battery is bad and simply won't handle a load anymore.

Am placing order for new battery anyway with KC but I'd still like to know this is just a low battery or dead battery.

[Big'n slo]

Do you have one little flashing light on the display after pulling the trigger?

[RehKal]

Do you have one little flashing light on the display after pulling the trigger?

Nothing. It seems to go totally dead.

[KC]

They usually leak out of the bottom when they go dead.

18.75 is good voltage but it could be crapping out on load.

Feel free to PM me directly if you have any questions for me. I dont get to roam the forum as much as I would like to.

[MntlHazrd]

When you pull the pin out does any messages flash across your screen? If a message flashes across your screen but it does not fire when you pull the trigger you may want to check your trigger magnets, trigger stop and if the ACE may be on. Im assuming you have checked the voltage of the battery since you said it has about 18 volts on it after you have charged it up and as such if no message flashes across your screen after you pull the pin then you may want to check the wiring and possibly the board.
-Mntlhazrd-

[athomas]

If it flashes up, it is probably ok. That being said, an older battery can read full charge and have no capacity. But, most likely it is the ground screw where the board is mounted to the frame. Clean the threads and the contact point on the top of the post.

[RehKal]

When you pull the pin out does any messages flash across your screen? If a message flashes across your screen but it does not fire when you pull the trigger you may want to check your trigger magnets, trigger stop and if the ACE may be on. Im assuming you have checked the voltage of the battery since you said it has about 18 volts on it after you have charged it up and as such if no message flashes across your screen after you pull the pin then you may want to check the wiring and possibly the board.
-Mntlhazrd-

It does display the Xmod Beta 1.7 message when the pin is pulled from the battery.

I have no idea how to check the trigger megnets, or anything else for that matter. This is my first emag and about all I've done is try to charge the battery and take the grip cover off to look under it.

[athomas]

If it displays the Xmod Beta 1.7 message, then the magnets are in the correct orientation and are not too close. When it goes out when you pull the trigger, can you get the menu back at all or is it completely dead? Is there a single dot on the display that flashes periodically? I suspect it is an electrical contact issue. Check the board ground point and also the wire going to the battery connection on the top side of the grip frame as well as the connection to the battery within the battery case itself.

[RehKal]

If it displays the Xmod Beta 1.7 message, then the magnets are in the correct orientation and are not too close. When it goes out when you pull the trigger, can you get the menu back at all or is it completely dead? Is there a single dot on the display that flashes periodically? I suspect it is an electrical contact issue. Check the board ground point and also the wire going to the battery connection on the top side of the grip frame as well as the connection to the battery within the battery case itself.

It goes completely dead, occasionally I'll hear a click from the solenoid as it tries to fire. The top of the ground point under the board (part of the frame itself) is annoed on top, will anno prevent the electrical connection? Or does it not matter because of the screw establishing the connection through the threading and top portion of the board?

All the other connections seem pretty secure, no wires broken loose anywhere. Though I do believe it may be the battery at this point. It goes from "needing" charging to "fully" charged in less than 15 minutes according to the indicator lights on the charger itself.

I will try to get my fluke meter on the battery tomorrow and power up the marker/pull the trigger to see what the battery is doing under a load. I suppose it's simply dying though, wouldn't be surprised if it's an original battery.

[athomas]

It should get a good connection with the screw, but aluminum and other metals do not mix well. There could be corrosion in the hole preventing a good connection. It has been a major problem with emags in the past. Once the hole was cleaned the problem went away.

Don't rely on the charger light to tell you what is happening.

Measuring under load is a great idea.

[RehKal]

It should get a good connection with the screw, but aluminum and other metals do not mix well. There could be corrosion in the hole preventing a good connection. It has been a major problem with emags in the past. Once the hole was cleaned the problem went away.

Don't rely on the charger light to tell you what is happening.

Measuring under load is a great idea.

What size screw/threading is the ground screw? Tap is going to be the easiest way to clean it I think.

[athomas]

Just run small pipe cleaner sized wire brush into the hole.

I think the hole is a #4-40.

[RehKal]

Ok. Had some more time today to do some testing on my emag.

Tested ground to ground, it was good but I ran a rap through the ground screw just to make sure.

Ohmed out from positive to negative terminals on the board itself, it read around 35k. Can someone confirm this as correct?

I also tested across the solenoid, it read 3 ohms. Which is probally about right considering it's little more than a coil but can someone confirm this as well?

I monitered voltage across the battery as I powered up the grip and pulled the trigger to see if the voltage dropped at all. It didn't drop at all, stayed consistent at 18.5 volts or so.

The next thing I did was hook my meter up to moniter amperage. This is where I believe the problem becomes very obvious. The current upon power up was around 50mA. Pulling the trigger the currents drops off entirely, each trigger pull afterwards (three or four times only) the current would jump up to 30mA or so before I didn't get anything else. The board wouldn't even power up after the current wouldn't come back with the trigger pull.

So at this point I'm pretty convinced it's just a dead, bad battery. But if I could get the other things I tested confirmed I would greatly appreciate it.

[Ratt]

It may be your Hall Effect Sensor. Actually, it may be the magnets in the trigger. If you look behind the trigger, you should see some magnets. If you look on the front of your trigger, there should be a set screw. If the magnets are too close/too far from the HES, the board will 'shut down' when you pull the trigger. I had this problem with my old PTP E-Micro. I thought it was the ground, I thought it was the board, the solenoid, the battery...I swapped out everything. But nothing got fixed, nor did the problem move, until I swapped out the trigger. I adjusted the setscrew on the trigger, and everything was fine after that. Give that a try.

[RehKal]

It may be your Hall Effect Sensor. Actually, it may be the magnets in the trigger. If you look behind the trigger, you should see some magnets. If you look on the front of your trigger, there should be a set screw. If the magnets are too close/too far from the HES, the board will 'shut down' when you pull the trigger. I had this problem with my old PTP E-Micro. I thought it was the ground, I thought it was the board, the solenoid, the battery...I swapped out everything. But nothing got fixed, nor did the problem move, until I swapped out the trigger. I adjusted the setscrew on the trigger, and everything was fine after that. Give that a try.

Is there a specific distance it should be set to? Or does it just depend upon the individual trigger/marker?