CLAPTON WIRE (26G/30G) (GR. 430 SS)

[PJReid]

I ordered a spool of this wire from AVS and made a coil that is 2.5mm with 6 wraps - .0.388Ώ on Steam Engine. I had a little trouble until I realized that my mod (a Tesla Steampunk) needed to be in TCR mode to read the coil. The default for TCR on my mod is 0.00700 so I left it there. The vape tasted harsh, so I searched for appropriate TCR values for SS430. The consensus seems to be 0.00138. That was too low, so I just played with it until I got a vape I was happy with at 450°F (0.00200.) I am using an OBS Engine Nano wicked with organic Japanese cotton.

The purpose of this post is two-fold. I wanted to report on the wire, which I like. The vape is smooth and flavorful. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this wire. I can't say it is better than 316L but is certainly very good. We will see how it stands up over the next few days.

I do have a question about reading the TCR values on Steam Engine. Nowhere on the Wire Wizard could I find where those values appear. TC control results are at the top of the page and all of that info is Greek to me. If someone can explain it, that would be helpful. Otherwise, I will figure out what works for me when I roll a coil of a different size or number of wraps.

 

[Cosmic_Glaze]

I ordered a spool of this wire from AVS and made a coil that is 2.5mm with 6 wraps - .0.388Ώ on Steam Engine. I had a little trouble until I realized that my mod (a Tesla Steampunk) needed to be in TCR mode to read the coil. The default for TCR on my mod is 0.00700 so I left it there. The vape tasted harsh, so I searched for appropriate TCR values for SS430. The consensus seems to be 0.00138. That was too low, so I just played with it until I got a vape I was happy with at 450°F (0.00200.) I am using an OBS Engine Nano wicked with organic Japanese cotton.

The purpose of this post is two-fold. I wanted to report on the wire, which I like. The vape is smooth and flavorful. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this wire. I can't say it is better than 316L but is certainly very good. We will see how it stands up over the next few days.

I do have a question about reading the TCR values on Steam Engine. Nowhere on the Wire Wizard could I find where those values appear. TC control results are at the top of the page and all of that info is Greek to me. If someone can explain it, that would be helpful. Otherwise, I will figure out what works for me when I roll a coil of a different size or number of wraps.

Wire Wizard scroll down. Enter your coil settings and on the left it will tell you the tcr. It is 138...but.. it all depends on your mod..they can be all different. The best way to figure it out is to do a cotton burn test using the tcr settings and adjust the setting to your mod. I've messed around with TC for a while. Personally I find it to much of a PITA to deal with for what you get out of it. (Have had the same issues your having too hot too cool) Too many mods and tanks are finicky with way too many variables of why it's not working correctly. I know I'll get some feed back on this topic but I just use SS & kanthal in wattage mode on my OBS Nano.

 

[PJReid]

Wire Wizard scroll down. Enter your coil settings and on the left it will tell you the tcr. It is 138...but.. it all depends on your mod..they can be all different. The best way to figure it out is to do a cotton burn test using the tcr settings and adjust the setting to your mod. I've messed around with TC for a while. Personally I find it to much of a PITA to deal with for what you get out of it. (Have had the same issues your having too hot too cool) Too many mods and tanks are finicky with way too many variables of why it's not working correctly. I know I'll get some feed back on this topic but I just use SS & kanthal in wattage mode on my OBS Nano.

Thank you. I will say that the configuration with the 430SS wire coil is one thirsty monster. I refill three times as often as I do with a kanthal build in wattage mode. It was an experiment to see what I was missing. The jury is still out.

 

[PJReid]

@Cosmic_Glaze - thanks for the tips on Steam Engine. I get it now. It isn't intuitive or at least, not for me. Everything else about Steam Engine is easy to understand but the TCR settings were not. I appreciate it.

 

[Eskie]

Here's a simple table that can make things easier,

 

[PJReid]

Thank you, @Eskie. That is a very helpful table. I saved it to my computer.

 

[ShowerHead]

Welcome to the SS430 user group.
I use only this wire (ok I play with NiFe52).
Why? Because it has higher TCR value than other SS wire. That gives your mod’s chip more to work with when it is looking at changes as you fire it.
That you have to move the TCR so far from the actual value to get a good vape does concern me.
Either there is a problem with the connection, a problem with the mod’s TCR function, or the wire is not really SS430.
I’m currently using a Tesla Wye and find it to be an excellent TCR device, spot on. I don’t know if the chip is the same in your mod.
I have an OBS Engine on right now and have used the Nano earlier. Neither had an issue with AVS pre-made SS430 claptons.
Is it likely the wire is actually a different alloy? I’d hope not, AVS has always done well by me, but if they were supplied bad wire, it could be.
Do you have another TCR capable mod to try the coils on?

 

[PJReid]

Thanks for the reply, @ShowerHead. Yes, I have other mods to test the OBS Engine Nano with the SS430 build. Honestly, the fact that I had to fiddle with the TCR values didn't really bother me but I will test it on another mod - Alien or a different Steampunk and see what happens.

 

[PJReid]

I tried the OBS Engine Nano with the SS430 build in one of my Alien mods (I need to sell two or three of these) and it is tricky to set on that mod. There is no TCR mode but I finally decided that choosing SS in TC mode, then selecting TC-SS with a value of 0.00138 was as close as I can get with the Alien. With a temp of 550°F, the vape was almost non-existent. If I take it up to 0.00170, the vape is decent. Maybe the wire is not SS430 but it would be a first for AVS in my experience. I got a decent vape on the Steampunk at 450°F (0.00200.) IDK what the problem is but it doesn't appear to be mod related. Admittedly, the Alien is not the best test mod for TC but that is the best I can do for now. I could try it on an old Coolfire lV TC with the internal battery. I will do that when I have some playtime.

 

[Eskie]

I don't know if you have the A or B version of the Alien, but the recent 1.3.2 update on the A version made TC sorta work, but still nothing to write home about. The different TCR is likely a matter of "fooling" the mod into doing something with the power output. AVS is very reliable, and I doubt you have bad wire. It's a case of bad mod. Which is OK, I have an Alien and an AL85, and just use both in wattage mode only.

 

[PJReid]

I don't know if you have the A or B version of the Alien, but the recent 1.3.2 update on the A version made TC sorta work, but still nothing to write home about. The different TCR is likely a matter of "fooling" the mod into doing something with the power output. AVS is very reliable, and I doubt you have bad wire. It's a case of bad mod. Which is OK, I have an Alien and an AL85, and just use both in wattage mode only.

Thanks. All of my Aliens are up to date - my verdict is that it is not a great mod for TC. If they introduce more updates, I will figure out some way to update the software. My house has only Macs and the software is PC only.

 

[VapNMirrors]

The oddball TCR you have could also be the result of bad initial resistance lock from the coil being above room temp Not sure how the Tesla handles that.

 

[PJReid]

The oddball TCR you have could also be the result of bad initial resistance lock from the coil being above room temp Not sure how the Tesla handles that.

I don't know either. I will play with it when I have some playtime and see if a different SS coil reads correctly. If it does, maybe I need to roll an SS430 coil bigger or smaller or position it differently. As I said, playtime.

 

[ShowerHead]

I don't know either. I will play with it when I have some playtime and see if a different SS coil reads correctly. If it does, maybe I need to roll an SS430 coil bigger or smaller or position it differently. As I said, playtime.

Don't know if it is the same chip, but I'm vaping SS430 on a Tesla Wye and it is accurate in TCR mode.
I have 3.5mm ID coils for 0.27 ohms for the pair, though right now they are single wire, not claptons.

 

[PJReid]

Don't know if it is the same chip, but I'm vaping SS430 on a Tesla Wye and it is accurate in TCR mode.
I have 3.5mm ID coils for 0.27 ohms for the pair, though right now they are single wire, not claptons.

I plan to make more coils with this wire in different sizes. The only 430 wire I have is fused clapton. It is a worthwhile experiment. I made some claptons in 316L and though I was using one in wattage mode, I switched it over to TCR mode with the recommended .00098 and it is vaping nicely. The coil is 0.27 ohms for a single coil atty and the chart recommends over .5 if I am reading it correctly. That might a difference with the 316L.

 

[Eskie]

I plan to make more coils with this wire in different sizes. The only 430 wire I have is fused clapton. It is a worthwhile experiment. I made some claptons in 316L and though I was using one in wattage mode, I switched it over to TCR mode with the recommended .00098 and it is vaping nicely. The coil is 0.27 ohms for a single coil atty and the chart recommends over .5 if I am reading it correctly. That might a difference with the 316L.

That 0.5 ohm thing is mostly to make it "easier" for the board to handle the low resistance changes that come with 316L. However, on a mod with good SS TC, I've ended up as low as 0.2 ohm builds without an issue.

 

[PJReid]

Thanks, @Eskie. I really do like the SS coils even in wattage mode.