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Lavabox 200W TC by Volcano
Lavabox 200W TC by Volcano

Lavabox 200W TC by Volcano

Commercial characteristics

  • Sponsor having loaned the product for the magazine: Vapoclope
  • Price of the tested product: 188.90 Euros
  • Product category according to its selling price: Luxury (over 120 euros)
  • Mod type: Voltage and variable power electronics with temperature control
  • Is the mod telescopic? No
  • Maximum power: 200 watts
  • Maximum voltage: 9
  • Minimum value in Ohms resistance for a start: Less than 0.1

Reviewer comments on business characteristics

Founded in August 2009 by Cory Smith and Jos Burnett, Volcano is a Hawaii-based company under its full name: VOLCANO Fine Electronic Cigarettes®. Manufacturer and reseller of equipment and juice, the team of enthusiasts who compose it decided to offer the Lavabox under their logo.

A happy initiative for the little world of the vape geek. By partnering with the American manufacturer Evolv, Volcano therefore equips its box of the very famous DNA 200, the latest generation of firmware and allows you to set a series of controls with the software Escribe.

Another positive initiative, the Lavabox integrates a 900mAh LiPo battery, which you can replace when the time comes. The package also includes a charger and a micro USB connector for recharging on the mains (via the charger) or directly on a PC.

Its price is a bit steep it is true, but in my opinion it is justified. It is an import product, high quality manufacturing, designed to last and provide what technology offers most interactive and complete in terms of configuration, pre-settings and load management.

Volano colored logo

Physical characteristics and felt quality

  • Width or Diameter of the product in mms: 28.15
  • Product Length or Height in mms: 94.87
  • Product weight in grams: 200
  • Material constituting the product: Stainless steel, Aluminum, Brass
  • Form Factor Type: Classic Box - VaporShark type
  • Decorative Style: Customizable
  • Quality of decoration: Good
  • Is the coating of the mod sensitive to fingerprints? No
  • All components of this mod seem well assembled? Yes
  • Fire button position: Lateral near the top cap
  • Fire button type: Mechanical metal on contact rubber
  • Number of buttons making up the interface, including touch zones if they are present: 3
  • Type of user interface buttons: Mechanical metal on rubber contact
  • Quality of the interface button (s): Very good, the button is responsive and does not make any noise
  • Number of parts in the product: 3
  • Number of threads: 7
  • Quality of the threads: Excellent
  • Overall, do you appreciate the quality of manufacture of this product with regard to its price? Yes

Rating of the vapelier as to feelings quality: 4.2 / 5 4.2 5 out of stars

Reviewer's comments on physical characteristics and perceived quality

Its shape is rectangular with beveled corners at 45 °. The grip is ergonomic, despite its 46,2mm width. A super-thick grip with diamond-patterned patterns helps hold hands and protects the coating from tinted aluminum (6061 very resistant type). It is a composite plastic (polypropylene) that gives a feeling of rigid rubber.  

LavaBox

The top course is planned to ensure the arrival of atos air that require it. The connection is made of stainless steel, the positive brass pin is adjustable on spring (floating).

Lavabox 200 Volcano connector 510

The bottom-cap has two six-hole holes for possible battery drain.

Lavabox 200 Volcano Bottom cap

The front of the functions groups: at the top, the switch; in the middle, the control screen; underneath, one next to the other, the [+] and [-] buttons and at the bottom, the micro / USB port of the charging module.

The Lavabox is compact, very carefully finished, aesthetically sober (in black), not too heavy: 200g. The buttons are arranged offset (1mm) from the plastic coating (transparent smoked) which protects the electronics and the screen. This is the only place that is a bit prominent for the prints and, no pot, this is where you will put your fingers most often. I had to find a little something not cool, but really that will be all, as far as the box is concerned. It seems well assembled, and the leaks of juice will only affect the electronics if they manage to infiltrate the buttons, a recurring thing and common to any box.

Functional features

  • Type of chipset used: DNA
  • Connection type: 510
  • Adjustable positive stud? Yes, through a spring.
  • Lock system ? Electronic
  • Quality of the locking system: Excellent, the chosen approach is very practical
  • Features offered by the mod: Display of the charge of the batteries, Display of the resistance value, Protection against short circuits from the atomizer, Protection against reverse polarity of the batteries, Display of the current vape voltage , Display of the power of the current vape, Display of the vape time of each puff, Display of the vape time since a certain date, Variable protection against overheating of the atomizer resistors, Temperature control of the resistors of the atomizer, Support firmware update, Support customization of its behavior by external software, Clear diagnostic messages
  • Compatibility: LiPo 11,1V
  • Does the mod support stacking? No
  • Number of batteries supported: 1
  • Does the mod retain its configuration without batteries? Yes
  • Does the mod offer a recharge feature? Charging function possible via Micro-USB
  • Is the recharge function pass-through? Yes
  • Does the mode offer a Power Bank function? No power bank function offered by the mod
  • Does the mode offer other functions? No other function offered by the mod
  • Presence of air flow regulation? Yes
  • Maximum diameter in mms of compatibility with an atomizer: 28
  • Accuracy of the output power at full charge of the battery: Excellent, there is no difference between the requested power and the real power
  • Accuracy of the output voltage at full charge of the battery: Excellent, there is no difference between the requested voltage and the actual voltage

Vapelier's note regarding functional characteristics: 5 / 5 5 5 out of stars

Reviewer's comments on functional features

We will dwell on an important functional feature which fortunately you will not often have the opportunity to worry about, I want to talk about the LiPo battery and its replacement.

Battery: LiPo FullyMax FB900HP-3S 11,1 V (DC) replaceable with 3 cells of 900mAh each, - 30C (27A maximum continuous discharge current) and 60C (54A peak discharge over 3 seconds maximum).

LavaBox-replacement-battery

The object is replaceable by following the steps as follows: take a simple Phillips screwdriver (Phillips 1 bit) and start by removing the four screws that hold the grip.

STEP1

You will now unscrew the two long screws that secure the cover that you can remove.

STEP2

You will now have to remove the battery, making sure to keep the side protection foam that you will use. The operation is done using a cutter blade, proceeding on the metal side (if the foam proves to be adhesive on this side), before attempting to extract the battery from its housing.

Lavabox foam

You can now separate the battery from the box by removing it from the back, and remove the foam.

STEP4

Two connectors are then visible, a yellow for the positive and negative contacts and a white for the DNA functionalities. The yellow is removed very easily. For white, you will have to tilt the female connector (yellow) a little in order to grasp the male part (white) of the battery, by all the wires coming out of it.

STEP5 

Pull vertically, it must come, nothing is clipped. You will now proceed in reverse with your new battery and reconnect the connectors, by relying on the yellow [+] symbol (equipped with a keying device) as well as on the white keying. Also replace the foam laterally against the same side on the battery, house the battery and screw the different parts (cover and grip) back on, it's over.

The features of DNA 200 are multiple and perfectly detailed in Papagallo's review, here. I will therefore give you the technical specifications and those visible on the screen. 

  1.  Variable power from 1 to 200W
  2.  Variable voltage between 0,5 and 9V 
  3.  Continuous output current at 50A.
  4.  Output current peak at 55A.
  5.  Temperature control between 93 ° C and 315 ° C.
  6.  Resistances from 0,02Ω
  7.  Crystal Clear HD OLED screen, 2 brightness phases, turns off after 30 seconds

Direct reading on screen

  1. Power in W
  2. Battery charge indicator
  3. Max temperature setting (NI200)
  4. Voltage
  5. Atomizer resistance value

Error messages

  1. "Check Atomizer" : the atomizer is not detected, short-circuited, or the resistance value does not correspond to the tolerated range.
  2. “Shorted”:  the atomizer is short-circuited.
  3. "Weak Battery”: the battery needs to be recharged, the box can continue to operate on powers below 50W, the message continues to appear flashing a few seconds after the puff.
  4. "TProtected emperature"  : when the temperature setting is reached by the pulse, the box will continue to supply the coil but at a lower power.
  5. "Ohms Too High : the resistance value is too high for the requested power, the box continues to work but regulates with less power.
  6. "Ohms Too Low"  : the resistance value is too low for the power requested, the box continues to operate but regulates to an appropriate power. These last two messages continue to flash a few seconds after the end of the pulse.
  7. "Too Hot"  : The internal temperature of the electronic components is too high, the internal sensor then cuts off operation until the box returns to normal operating temperature    

A fuse protects the battery, it is located on the PCB near Terminal B +, it is named fuse  and should not snap under normal use.

The securities are listed in the fixed protocol, I will not come back to it. If you have the courage, you can download the Escribe software published by Evolv from their website. You will find its user manual in English, as well as the technical documentation of the chipset.

To lock the settings, a long press on the [+] and [-] buttons simultaneously, the same operation will then unlock them. Switching off or on the box is done by pressing the switch five times in less than seven seconds. When an atomizer is cold assembled, the box calculates the resistance value. To lock the calculations, simultaneously press the switch and the [+] button for two seconds, to unlock do the same operation.

Six preset profiles are possible and you don't have to start over each time. When changing ato you will be asked if it is a new coil (with the corresponding value). By Yes or No, you will select the correct option.

One last precision, it concerns the chipset and recharging the battery. Each cell is managed separately, which gives the operation a safety aspect and a notable efficiency, you can thus note a possible imbalance of the load cell by cell. Reloading on a PC will take longer than with the charger provided in the package, as the hubs of the computers generally output at 500mA while the supplied equipment outputs at 1A. It is desirable to charge the battery always at the same capacity, to preserve its chemistry and keep it for a long time. Between 150 and 250 charge cycles are generally possible with a LiPo. 

 

Evaluation of the packaging

  • Presence of a box accompanying the product: Yes
  • Would you say that the packaging is up to the price of the product? Yes
  • Presence of a user manual? Yes
  • Is the manual understandable for a non-English speaker? No
  • Does the manual explain ALL features? Yes

Vapelier's note on packaging: 4 / 5 4 5 out of stars

Reviewer's comments on conditioning

The package consists of the box with its battery, a charger (you can not do anything outside the US unless you have an AC adapter to make it compatible with European standards ennes), a USB / microUSB cable for PC charging, a manual in English, four short screws for attaching the grip and a warranty card. All this in a cardboard box on two floors.

Lavabox 200 VolcanoPackage

Proper packaging, but we do not expect to have to get an adapter to use the charger, it may be that the next batch for Europe are better suited, it would be desirable.

Appreciations in use

  • Transport facilities with the test atomizer: Ok for an external jacket pocket (no deformations)
  • Disassembly and cleaning facilities: Super simple, even blind in the dark!
  • Easy to change batteries: Not applicable, the battery is only rechargeable
  • Did the mod heat up? No
  • Has there been any erratic behavior after a day of use? No
  • Description of situations in which the product has experienced erratic behavior

Vapelier's rating in terms of ease of use: 4.5/5 4.5 5 out of stars

Reviewer's comments on the use of the product

In use, it is comparable to all boxes equipped with this high quality regulation, the DNA 200 has the same properties regardless of the shell. Unsurprisingly, the vape is stable and smoothly, to all the powers tested on the different montages that I've used, the performances are there.

Evolv logo

The high-definition OLed screen is a pleasure to look at through the protection's smoked filter. It brightens up during the puff (that is, when you can't watch it 😉) and the brightness fades after releasing the switch. The "stealth" mode allows you, once the settings have been made and stored, to turn off the screen while the box is operating to save the battery. The chipset turns out to be a little energy intensive, computation complexity requires, but it is very responsive in terms of the response to the switch. The battery is efficient in autonomy, as in discharge capacity. At 0,22Ω, I had a good day at 70W with puffs of six seconds on average and fifteen good milliliters steamed, nothing heated except the juice ...

The box is also ergonomic and comfortable to use for a hand of man. I only have to hope that it will hold the shock of manipulation. In any circumstance that I m'appréte to submit to him, because I must say that I will crack, so it is reliable and my hand.

Recommendations for use

  • Type of batteries used during the tests: LiPo 11,1V, 900mAh 35C
  • Number of batteries used during the tests: 1
  • With what type of atomizer is it advisable to use this product? Dripper, Dripper Bottom Feeder, Classic fiber, In sub-ohm assembly, Genesis-type rebuildable
  • With which model of atomizer is it advisable to use this product? Open bar, with 510 connection
  • Description of the test configuration used: Mirage EVO 0,22ohm - Goblin mini 0,67ohm - Royal Hunter mini 0,45ohm - Origen V3 0,84ohm
  • Description of the ideal configuration with this product: A dripper between 0,1 and 0,8 ohm, or your favorite ato.

was the product liked by the reviewer: Yes

Overall average of the Vapelier for this product: 4.7 / 5 4.7 5 out of stars

Link to a video review or blog maintained by the reviewer author of the review

The mood ticket of the reviewer

Four non-stop days that I use this marvel of technology. Already six different atos have been mounted with sub-ohmic values from 0,2 to 0,8Î ©. I do not find any faults. Without wanting at all costs extreme performance for the vape that I practice every day, I consider this device as a tool allowing as much the measure as the quiet vape. For a hardware tester itâ € ™ sa boon.

The temperature control is currently taken into account by default on the box and on Escribe with the Ni200 resistive, but it's a safe bet that Evolv is offering in the near future an “upgrade” of its DNA to interact directly. on the box and equal the Chinese, ahead in this area. You can still download all the configurations of all TC compatible resistive wires, available in English at Steam Engine (thanks to Mizmo from Vapor Gate for the info) to set up the line A â € "Load CSV on Escribe and store them. You will find the settings later in the profiles on the box, depending on the detection it will operate on your assembly, you will apply the desired profile.

To all those who want to afford a beautiful high-performance, scalable and reliable object, I say, go for it!

See you soon.

(c) Copyright Le Vapelier SAS 2014 - Only full reproduction of this article is authorized - Any modification of any kind is totally prohibited and infringes the rights of this copyright.

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About the Author

58 years old, carpenter, 35 years old of tobacco stopped dead on my first day of vaping, December 26, 2013, on an e-Vod. I vape most of the time in mecha / dripper and make my juices ... thanks to the preparations of the pros.