.28 gauge Kanthal & The Aga-t2

[GuataLOOP]

Interesting... I have never heard of your problem before. But as far as i know, people have used 28awg on mechs without any problem.

Perhaps the wick and wire setup is too close to the deck? But if only the switch and bottom gets hot, or at least they get hot first of all, then there may be something wrong with the battery or/and some kind of resistance in the switch... Im no expert, just speculating.

Either way, good luck with it.

You know I thought it could actually be the battery but these things are brand new, I really dont know because I can't sit there and fire it and tinker with it cause it will definately start melting. TBH it's only the second time this has ever happened with the .28 gauge wire. I've gone through a ....load of coil/wick setups on my aga with .28 gauge just seems to fail or go out way too soon.

.32 gauge I can set those up first try they just seem to decline after about a couple days, the vapor production slowly goes down. The coil accumulates .... and gets nasty.

I have an RSST on the way we will see if it has the same problems, I could atleast eliminate the atty from the possible suspects then.

 

[GuataLOOP]

Is the Adam new? I've had some issues with brass contacts being pretty corroded and it'll get hot to the point where you think you have a short. Maybe try cleaning the brass contacts. It'll fix it right up if that's the problem. The lower resistance will amplify the problem so maybe that's why you're not getting it with the 32 gauge.

The Adam is about 3 months old but I use it like a 2$ russian ......, and everyone at my work comes up and uses it as well. The contacts look brand new though.

 

[Kanj.nguyen]

You know I thought it could actually be the battery but these things are brand new, I really dont know because I can't sit there and fire it and tinker with it cause it will definately start melting. TBH it's only the second time this has ever happened with the .28 gauge wire. I've gone through a ....load of coil/wick setups on my aga with .28 gauge just seems to fail or go out way too soon.

.32 gauge I can set those up first try they just seem to decline after about a couple days, the vapor production slowly goes down. The coil accumulates .... and gets nasty.

I have an RSST on the way we will see if it has the same problems, I could atleast eliminate the atty from the possible suspects then.

The accumulating gunk is most likely from being underpowered. It is possible with 32awg, having suvh high resistance.

Maybe try switching out the batteries? Really, 28 is near standard for a mech-RBA set up.

 

[GuataLOOP]

I know .28 is standard which is why I want to use it, and I have for a long time, then I got my oddy and basically ignored my other RBAs for months.

But i need to get away from Silica and cotton, that stuff wrecks my stomach after a while.

 

[-brandon-]

The Adam is about 3 months old but I use it like a 2$ russian ......, and everyone at my work comes up and uses it as well. The contacts look brand new though.

The AGA's are touchy around the center pin at the 510 connector. Offending part shown below. Make sure it is not getting mashed against the side when it is connected to the Adam. You don't need to tighten the atty strong at all - two fingers gently should be plenty.

I have two AGA's and run them no problem in the .8-1.1ohm range.

 

[Oktyabr]

I've said it before and I'll say it here one more time. A fair digital multi-meter is only like $25. Buy one, learn how to use it, test the AGA, test your switch, even test your batteries. For someone that is building lots of coils and tinkering with mech mods it's a *must have*, at least in my humble opinion.

 

[Jshill520]

I do agree with oktyabr's multimeter idea. I don't use mine to necessarily test resistance so much anymore but they are the best way to troubleshoot problems. Or to find voltage drops and other things. Either way for a rebuilder they are pretty much a must have.

 

[GuataLOOP]

View attachment 194448

I always back my center pin on my mod all the way out, then screw on the atty all the way. Then screw in the center pin till it makes contact. Making sure that its just enough to make contact and not to over tighten.

 

[Ryedan]

So I have an Adam mod with an Aga-t2 and whenever I put .28 gauge coils on it, it fires but it straigh up melts my battery and mod. The coils light evenly and cape extremely well. But after 10-15 seconds my switch gets super hot and my bottom cap does as well.

I throw some .32 gauge on there and it doesn't cape as well and takes way more time to rid the hotspots but it doesn't melt my ..... I'm bummed man, I see everyone using .28 on their genesis.

.28 gauge: .8-1.1 resistance
.32 gauge: 1.8-2.2 resistance

thanks

I have an AGA T but am not yet using it on a mechanical mod at low resistance. My mech mod should be here in the next week and then I'll be right into it too.

From the reading I have done so far, if your switch is getting hot, it is likely because of high resistance through it. I had a look at the Atom and it seems like there are a few contact points in the switch and bottom cap assembly that could cause this. If this is the issue, I would try talking to the people who make the Atom and work things through with them.

If the heat is coming from your battery, it is likely because the draw (amps) is too high for it. I would think you should be able to tell where the heat is coming from by taking the battery out quickly after firing for a few seconds and checking parts for temperature. A 10 amp battery is more than enough to drive a mechanical mod. 0.8 ohms at 4 V will draw 5 amps.

You have more than 5 posts now, so you can head over to the rebuildable forum for some much better advice than I can give you. Best of luck with it!

 

[XfooYen]

If the button or bottom is getting hot, that's a sign of a conduction problem in the button assembly and probably a short in the coil. You'll run into that when you're pushing high amps through a circuit that has a weak point in one of the connections. Remove the button and take it apart. Clean ALL contacts with 1000 grit sandpaper (the tip of the firing pin, the center post, and the positive pin). Clean the threads of the button and the threads of the body with lighter fluid (that really gets any gunk off better than anything I know of). Once everything is totally clean, treat the button parts and all the threads with a conductive lubricant. I recommend NoOxId "A-Special". Don't use Noalox. That's made specifically for aluminum and contains zinc to make it conductive. The lubricant in Noalox is not conductive. NoOxId is conductive grease but contains no metal in it. It will protect the brass from oxidization and improve conductivity between connections. Only use AW IMR or MNKE IMR batteries if you're doing ultra low res coils. Test your coils with a multimeter to make sure the resistance is stable. If there's a small short, the resistance will drop and fluctuate randomly. That's what's sending overload to the switch and making it hot in the first place. Obviously there's a few factors going on here, but you need to get a handle on all of them to be safe. To summarize: Build good coils and check them with a multimeter. Clean your mod connections often, especially the button housing and the + - posts. Use batteries rated for very high drain like AW or MNKE if you're doing sub-1ohm coils.

 

[GuataLOOP]

If the button or bottom is getting hot, that's a sign of a conduction problem in the button assembly and probably a short in the coil. You'll run into that when you're pushing high amps through a circuit that has a weak point in one of the connections. Remove the button and take it apart. Clean ALL contacts with 1000 grit sandpaper (the tip of the firing pin, the center post, and the positive pin). Clean the threads of the button and the threads of the body with lighter fluid (that really gets any gunk off better than anything I know of). Once everything is totally clean, treat the button parts and all the threads with a conductive lubricant. I recommend NoOxId "A-Special". Don't use Noalox. That's made specifically for aluminum and contains zinc to make it conductive. The lubricant in Noalox is not conductive. NoOxId is conductive grease but contains no metal in it. It will protect the brass from oxidization and improve conductivity between connections. Only use AW IMR or MNKE IMR batteries if you're doing ultra low res coils. Test your coils with a multimeter to make sure the resistance is stable. If there's a small short, the resistance will drop and fluctuate randomly. That's what's sending overload to the switch and making it hot in the first place. Obviously there's a few factors going on here, but you need to get a handle on all of them to be safe. To summarize: Build good coils and check them with a multimeter. Clean your mod connections often, especially the button housing and the + - posts. Use batteries rated for very high drain like AW or MNKE if you're doing sub-1ohm coils.

I think it's more than likely the interaction between the coil and wick. I know all of your points are valid and I've never had a problem like this with any other atty or coil set up. Ill tinker with it more tonight see if I can't get a more stable connection. It's probably more than likely a short in the coil that I can't notice right away because the mod gets to hot before I can see a hotspot.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

I've said it before and I'll say it here one more time. A fair digital multi-meter is only like $25. Buy one, learn how to use it, test the AGA, test your switch, even test your batteries. For someone that is building lots of coils and tinkering with mech mods it's a *must have*, at least in my humble opinion.

I agree 100%. One of those must have tools for every vaper even if not rewicking. I find it really useful testing cartos and heads as they're usually not the ohms advertised.

 

[XfooYen]

I think it's more than likely the interaction between the coil and wick. I know all of your points are valid and I've never had a problem like this with any other atty or coil set up. Ill tinker with it more tonight see if I can't get a more stable connection. It's probably more than likely a short in the coil that I can't notice right away because the mod gets to hot before I can see a hotspot.

It's true that it is probably starting with the coil. Take in mind that the point of greatest resistance will heat up. When you're using higher resistance coils, your coil heats up, restricts the current from the button, and the lower amps flow smoother from mod switch. When you move to low res wire the current will heat up the next point of greater resistance. Apparently this is your button. So while you may have a good coil, the switch may have a connection which can't handle the high currents, and starts to heat up. That's why it's good to look at both solutions. Mesh wicks are finicky beasts. The slightest conductivity shift between the wire, the mesh, and the deck can cause a small short and a rapid drop in resistance at the coil. We're not talking a hard short that will blow up your bat, but enough to heat up the negative connection in the mod. You don't see this kind of thing in silica RBAs because the mesh is taken out of the equation and the coils are inherently more stable. Good luck, be safe, and have a good vape.

 

[GuataLOOP]

So I got home from work, and carefully flipped my wick and recoiled. The wick is unoxidized 500 ss mesh and the wire is .28 gauge Kanthal from steammonkey as well. My switch remains cold, as well as my brass switch contact that houses my spring, and spring. Battery is cold and center pin is cold. There are no hotspots, I also pulse-fired it for about 10 mins to make sure it eased in. Starting at 3.0v, 3.5v, and 4.2v. Then stress tested the setup at 6.0v dry-firing for about 30-35 seconds. Coils remained intact and glowing red.

I think I'm safe and good to go as my VV mod didn't explode or get hot in anyway. The vapor production is good but could always be better. Thanks for all the help, cheers!

 

[-brandon-]

Seems like you're making good progress. I personally would trim the top of that wick a little - don't want it touching the cap. Also your coil is very loose which is going to effect performance. I also run mine with the fill hole screw out - helps wick better.

 

[TattooedSkin]

Realistically, you shouldn't use a coil that is below 1.1ohms for safety reasons and possibly turning your mod into a pipe bomb. The simple facts; 28ga has a lower res per foot compared to 32ga. If you prefer 28ga as I do, you need atlest 5 wraps and 6 would be better for the 28ga. The 32ga you should be fine with a 4-5 wrap to get into the safe zone.

Your device could be heating up because your coil resistance is simply to low. Also, you might have short due to; improper oxidized wick, wick is touching the center post in the tank, or simple as 2 or.more coils touching.

 

[TattooedSkin]

That is a purdy coil.

 

[XfooYen]

Realistically, you shouldn't use a coil that is below 1.1ohms for safety reasons and possibly turning your mod into a pipe bomb. The simple facts; 28ga has a lower res per foot compared to 32ga. If you prefer 28ga as I do, you need atlest 5 wraps and 6 would be better for the 28ga. The 32ga you should be fine with a 4-5 wrap to get into the safe zone.

Your device could be heating up because your coil resistance is simply to low. Also, you might have short due to; improper oxidized wick, wick is touching the center post in the tank, or simple as 2 or.more coils touching.

I vape at 0.7-0.8 ohms consistently on my mech. With a good coil, a bat with a high c-rating, and a solid device, nothing should be heating up except the coil. You're pushing a maximum of 5.5 amps with that setup. AW IMR 18650 can handle that current no problem. MNKE can handle twice that. Sure, ultra-low res isn't for the novice but with good safety practices and a bit of experience, the vape is unbeatable.

 

[GuataLOOP]

Seems like you're making good progress. I personally would trim the top of that wick a little - don't want it touching the cap. Also your coil is very loose which is going to effect performance. I also run mine with the fill hole screw out - helps wick better.

Can't run without the full hole open. I put it in my pocket and stuff. I use a 70/30 pg/vg liquid with a solid 500 mesh wick. I don't have any problems wicking. My coil isn't lose enough to have the wick slide around but you could pull the wick trough with some tweezers if you really needed to, or turn it in the coil.

I vape at 0.7-0.8 ohms consistently on my mech. With a good coil, a bat with a high c-rating, and a solid device, nothing should be heating up except the coil. You're pushing a maximum of 5.5 amps with that setup. AW IMR 18650 can handle that current no problem. MNKE can handle twice that. Sure, ultra-low res isn't for the novice but with good safety practices and a bit of experience, the vape is unbeatable.

Not experiencing my button getting hot anymore. I just rewrapped my coil and was more weary of the heat problem. My coil is at 1.0 ohm currently.

 

[XfooYen]

Not experiencing my button getting hot anymore. I just rewrapped my coil and was more weary of the heat problem. My coil is at 1.0 ohm currently.

Glad you got it worked out. Best to leave it alone if it's working good. Check the resistance from time to time to make sure it's staying put.