In the recent years, wax cartridges have made an impressive stance in the cannabis community. This simple way of dabbing on the go became very popular. Now, getting your hands on some disposable wax cartridges is very easy. Just make sure you are getting legit cartridges, and not cartridges from unverified sellers on the black market. Anyways, besides needing a cartridge, you also need a battery. Batteries typically cost less than the cartridge, and are also easy to come by. For example, I purchased mine from my local smoke shop.
Some may be able to get ahold of a wax cartridge, but maybe not a battery. There are many cases of a stoner not being able to get high because they only had a cartridge, and no battery. Or, even worse (this happened to me once), you have a cartridge and a battery, but the battery died and the charger stopped working. Now that’s worse, and just tormenting. However, I do have a method of using a cartridge without a battery. With a few household items, you can still get high! You will need the cartridge regardless, though, as I know of no way around that.
First, a word is a warning. As long as you follow the steps correctly, then there is no danger and everything will be fine. However, if you are not careful, you could harm yourself during the process. If you are worried about something going wrong, then do not attempt this at all. Please just go buy a battery instead. But if you aren’t afraid, and just want to get high, then try this method below.
A Wax Cartridge?
First you should know exactly what a wax cartridge is. If you already know, go ahead and skip to the next section. If not, here’s a quick explanation.
Wax refers to a cannabis concentrate. It is much more potent in THC (and/or CBD) compared to regular cannabis buds. Wax cartridges are disposable cartridges filled with this cannabis wax. Each cartridge typically contains 100 hits, and can deliver a nice high in only a few puffs. Using these cartridges are also quite discreet, as wax does not leave behind the strong smell associated with cannabis.
To learn more about wax cartridges or concentrates altogether, check out some other posts:
What You’ll Need
In order to smoke a wax cartridge without a battery, you are going to need a few household items. Here’s the list:
- One USB cable
- Scissors
- Nail clippers
First, you’ll need a USB cable. Use one that you will no longer need for anything else, ever again. You will be cutting it. That’s where the scissors come in; make sure you have a pair of these. Lastly, grab some nail clippers. These act as cheap wire strippers. Alternatively, if you do happen to have a wire stripper, you can use that instead.
How To Do It
Again, here’s a word of warning before you begin. Please carefully read the directions as you complete the steps. This is a fairly simple process, however one mistake could cause harm or damage to you or your surroundings. If you do follow each step correctly, you will be fine, and high!
Step 1: Cut the cable
Before you even do anything, make sure the USB cable is unplugged. Once it is, grab your scissors and cut the cable open. Cut the side opposite of the USB end. For example, if you are using a phone charging cable, cut off the end that you would plug your phone into. You can cut the cable so that it is very short, or keep most it there so it is long. The choice is yours, but I do recommend keeping it longer.
Step 2: Cut the wires right
Once you cut the initial top part off, continue cutting around the wires. Do not cut the wires off, but cut off the rubber around them. There should be two wires: one red and one black. If you cut the rubber down correctly, you should be able to move around and separate each wire. Cut the rubber down one inch from the tip of the wires, and each wire should be about 1 cm in length.
Step 3: Reveal the copper
Now, it’s time to use those nail clippers (or wire strippers). You need to use them to take the colored part off of the copper within. To do so, take both colored wires and gently grip the tip of them with the nail clippers, then pull up. While doing so, be very gentle, as not being gentle could result in clipping the wire too short and starting all over. Once you do it correctly, the copper from within should be revealed. Here’s how it should look:

Step 4: Use it as a battery
Now you can finally use the cut-up cable as a battery! First, plug the USB side of the cable in. I have never experienced this, but I have heard that it is better to plug it into a computer or laptop, as some have experienced outlets getting burned out. Once you plug it in, take the red wire and put the copper area in the hole of your cartridge. Take the black wire and touch the copper to any metal on the bottom of the cartridge. Once you touch it, the cartridge should begin hitting perfectly!
Did it work? It should have. If not, reread our steps, cause this truly does work. Now you don’t need to go out and buy a battery. You can use an old, unused USB cable to run electricity (or power) to your cartridge and begin the heating. Thanks for reading!
Source: https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-hit-a-1-gram-cartridge-without-a-battery
FAQ: Wax Cartridge
A: You will need a compatible cartridge, a dab tool, and a heat source such as a lighter, torch, or dab rig.
A: Yes, it is safe to use a wax cartridge without a battery as long as you follow safety protocols and use a suitable heat source.
A: First, make sure your cartridge is compatible with the heat source you are using. Then, use a dab tool to place a small amount of wax onto the coil. Use your heat source to heat the wax until it melts and vaporizes. Inhale the vapor and enjoy!
I only have a red white and green wires
For some reason it won’t work is there something wrong with my cart maybe ?
Possibly, could also be a problem with the usb cable. Are you using one that is new or used?
Yo this shit saved my life bruh ?
Didn’t work.
Is there a way to do this with cords that have 4 wires in them? I’ve got up a ton of cords but I can’t find any that just has the 2 🙁
Hm, what color is each cord?
green and white cords are usually for data not power so you can ignore them. Though usually the copper in those types of wires are super cheap so it might not work
i tried many different chargers and nothing seems to work , does this method even work on simpsons?
Holy crap!! Lmao I got a wax cart today and didn’t have a battery at home. Used a lil ok android charger lying around and I’m puffin ??
That’s awesome! Glad it worked!!
Does it matter if the wired (black and red) on the inside are silver?
If you still have the two wires then go ahead and try it, but if it doesn’t work then use a cord with red and black wires.
Mine started to crest smoke from the bottom and then it started oozing out, is it not gonna work?
I wouldn’t use it then. May be a faulty cord. Try a newer one and follow all the precations in my post please.
Certain types of chargers won’t work
Mine did this too! Did you guys ever find a fix? It’s literally getting do hot and I’m trying to draw off of it while it’s plugged in. I tried the wires both ways. The cart is still half full and it worked in the battery before the battery broke. Idk what I’m doing wronggg
So the red wire goes inside the hole? & black touching the outside?
Yes!
So i have been trying this method as this has worked for me before but now it doesnt. I cut up 2 wires already and it seems to warm up a little sometimes but nothing else? Idk what to doooo
Hm, if it worked before than it could be the wires itself. They may have gone bad and you’ll need a new cord to fix this issue.
Came here cause the wire rig i made wasn’t working and found out i was putting the colored wires in the wrong places lol. Thanks for the help!
No problem, glad we could help!
Didn’t work. It definitely heated the cartridge (it was literally boiling within 15 seconds), I still couldn’t actually use it. I spent 45 minutes destroying a charger and all I got was burned fingertips.
Hm, I wonder what went wrong. Care to send some photos via email? (admin@reeferposts.com)
Very good written information. It will be beneficial to everyone who usess it, as well as yours truly :). Keep up the good work – for sure i will check out more posts.
I had the same issue with my battery. Freakin’ charger just went out on me after like 3 uses. Now I have this near-new battery that’s no good. Oh well, I’ll try this method out ?