Charge, runtime and battery health

Charge is not capacity

Charge level describes what remains between charges. Capacity retention compares the cell with its new condition. Comparable runtime describes how long a stated operating pattern lasts. Replacement budgeting asks when an owner plans to buy a replacement. These are related questions, but one indicator cannot answer all of them.

An illustrative 80%-capacity cell can still indicate fully charged. The model's 80% threshold is a budgeting convention. It cannot establish whether an individual cell is safe, damaged or due for replacement.

Read the units before drawing a conclusion

Amperes measure current. Volts measure electrical potential difference. Watts describe power, while watt-hours describe energy. Multiplying a nominal 2.55 Ah by 3.7 V gives 9.435 Wh. Multiplying a 5 V charging rating by 1 A gives 5 W at that rated input. Neither arithmetic result is a measurement of heater power.

The historical Sunshine manual is a model-specific source lead. Its revision must match the device before extending those numbers to operation or compatibility. An operating device connected to USB does not, by itself, establish that USB bypasses the battery. The circuit and manufacturer guidance are separate evidence needs.

Record comparable runtime

Use observations from an already chosen routine. Note battery age, temperature setting, start conditions, session duration and the normal low-battery stopping point. Keep a cold restart separate from a warm continuation if they affect comparability. A measurement from an older cell must not be labeled a new-cell reference.

A few observations can describe that unit under those conditions. Record their count, spread and limitations. Do not present them as a population lifespan. The local ownership log can hold these notes without an account.

What the calculator assumes

The corrected owner record is one charge with 68 selected timer-minutes, including cleaning-related heating. The earlier breakdown was ten six-minute and two four-minute blocks. With the owner's correction, that means twelve blocks: nine vaping and three cleaning. Their exact order and individual purpose durations were not logged.

Approximately nine six-minute vaping sessions supplies a derived 54-minute vaping subtotal. Subtracting it from 68 gives approximately 14 cleaning minutes. These are reconciled approximations, not separately measured tests, continuous inhalation, actual heater-on time or wall-clock battery charging duration. No equal-energy-per-minute assumption follows across settings or workloads.

The editable example has six cycles per fresh bowl and one bowl/day, or 36 selected vaping minutes/day. Its vaping-budget proxy is 36/54, about 0.67. A total-heating reference of 68 requires explicit corresponding cleaning demand; missing cleaning demand leaves dependent calculations unknown. The report does not establish a recurring cleaning schedule.

The illustrative capacity model subtracts a cycle term and calendar term from initial health. It uses the same purpose-matched reference denominator as the cell ages. Replacement resets the current-cell account but does not reset whole-device ownership or historical spending. The original-cell line ends at the configured threshold.

The calculator lets you change these assumptions independently and inspect the numbers in a table. A changed temperature or restart pattern flags the measurement as unmatched until you confirm comparability. No automatic pass-through wear penalty or temperature-to-lifespan multiplier is supplied.

Price and compatibility are separate checks

On 28 September 2026 the Smono replacement-battery listing showed EUR 16 including tax, with shipping extra, and named Sunshine and Balu compatibility. That is a dated manufacturer listing, not independent validation of every cell carrying an 18650 label. Confirm the exact manufacturer's approved profile for the exact revision.

The listing also says to keep contacts dry, avoid damaged cells and store spares individually so their terminals do not meet keys or coins. Follow matching manufacturer instructions and obtain manufacturer help for a fault. A plotted health percentage must never reassure someone about a visibly damaged cell.

A full charge does not establish a new cell

The owned Sunshine was bought in September 2026, exact day unknown. That does not establish when its cell was manufactured or its initial capacity. The model's initial-health fraction of one is an editable illustrative reference, not a measurement of this unit. Runtime scaled by the aging curve is another model output, not an observed timer reading. The original-cell and replacement curves keep their hypothetical status visible.

A repeat record should state its normal stopping boundary, exclusions, start condition and whether warming or cleaning was included. Record an interruption as an interruption rather than extending a cycle until a desired total appears. Do not bypass the ordinary cutoff or force restarts. Comparable existing observations may later support a distribution with a sample count and spread; one aggregate cannot.