The teardown video is up on Youtube now: Step by Step Instructions: How to Open a Puffco Peak. The first piece to be removed is a silicone and ceramic ring. My puffco wont heat up, instead it blinks 5 times, on whichever heat setting i have it on. This is the most confusing part of this disassembly, and I suggest you watch the video starting from about the 1:00 minute mark for a video example. The silicone will lift out from under the shiny metal base of the Puffco. Use your fingers or a pry tool to peel the metal disc off of the bottom of the plastic Puffco Peak base. What's Wrong with My Puffco Peak?
It's only on USB power that the device fails to charge. We're starting off with a standard Puffco Peak base – glass removed. I still have some detective work to do to determine why my Puffco Peak doesn't charge. Lift the entire component out of the silicone well. Checking the voltage supplied to the battery while plugged into USB showed only 4. If that isn't the case, I'll be adding an external battery pack to make up for the lack of internal charge circuit.
I took it apart and cleaned the whole thing pretty well, i thought that would at least solve the connection issue, but it didnt seem to fix it): any tips or any help will be appreciated! Step 1: Remove the Atomizer & Surrounding Components. You may use a guitar pick or some other soft plastic prying tool to start the job if your fingers can't get in there. Step 2: Pry the Shiny Metal Piece Upwards. That's it, your Puffco Peak is open before you. If anyone has input, questions or ideas – I would love to hear them in the comments below or on the Youtube video linked above. Remove all three screws, and your Puffco will almost fall apart in your hands. Use a screwdriver set like this one from Amazon to remove the three screws holding the plastic assembly together. The Puffco lights up, and indicates it's taking a charge when plugged in to USB. The bucket rests directly atop the heating element – extract can glue it in place – and tugging on the element can damage it's fragile connecting wires.
Next steps are to poke around a bit more, and see if rescuing this battery back above it's rated voltage is enough to keep it working. 4v battery pack – unless there were a buck converter somewhere on the battery pack I have yet to find. Let's assume you don't need a hand in figuring out how to remove the glass from your puffco.
It may help to warm this area with a hair dryer or gently using a heat gun. Begin the disassembly process by removing the atomizer, bucket, and surrounding components. It will lift off, and may require a twisting motion or a small amount of heat if it feels stuck. Step 4: Pry the Metal Base Off. This piece is glued in place, and requires a small amount of force to lift. 5v to the battery connection leads – the battery charges and holds its charge.
I just needed to get inside and start probing around with my multimeter. Step 3: Remove the Silicone Boot. I suspect that there is an onboard boost converter that steps USB voltage up to above 7v, and it is defective. If you have done this before it makes sense, otherwise: read on. When removed however, the battery is completely dead and the Puffco shows no signs of life. I assume that this is the case, because when I apply 7.
Note: In my video, I perform step 5 before step 4 – and it really doesn't matter in the end, but I feel it's easier in this order. The adhesive is fairly strong, and so some force is required to remove this piece. This can be removed as one whole piece, or disassembled and removed piece by piece. I was told, "It doesn't charge – it's broken. Ideally, finding out which component has failed; and swapping it for a working one is best – but my electronics skills are limited. Step 5: Unscrew 3 Security Screws.