Conflicting info: am I safe?

[jakelakecake]

Hi all! Geez I'm getting so confused and I have information from sources that's just messing me all up haha! So I'm decent with ohm's law and I'm very good at telling if my rda is going to blow up. Common sense tells me that if it's getting hot (my rda or my mod) that I'm in danger zone. Right now I'm running a single coil on a PlumeVeil rda, 7/6 wrap of 24ga kanthal A1 round on 2.5mm jig. Just a standard easy coil, nothing fancy. My battery is an LGabc21865 (18650 3.7v) 2800mah l-ion, and it's all on a SMPL mech tube mod, copper and unregulated.
The battery has a 20A max discharge rate but I can't find a continuous discharge rate anywhere.
So here's the question: running that coil seems pretty good for me, battery life all day long and doesn't get hot or even very warm. My voltmeter clocks the coil at 1.3 ohms. But when I type that into the steam-engine calculator, it tells me that I would need 16 wraps to get that reading! I honestly just don't want to die and don't want anything exploding in my hands.
Does that sound like a pretty normal setup, or does it sound dangerous? I'm mostly happy with the performance (could maybe use a little more cloudiness) and I don't think I can run dual coils with 24ga on this battery, just too little current to get them cooking without venting the battery. So, will I die or am I safe?
Thank you kindly for your responses, I've been tearing my hair out reading so many threads that just almost kind of tell me with no solid answer.....

 

[Izan]

Coil wrapping CLICK/TAP HERE

Your coil is ~.6Ω

If you have questions about your battery:
Select a new one from the chart in Bads' post below and pick it up from a trusted vendor.

 

[Baditude]

There is a huge difference in 18650 batteries. Make sure you are using the right chemistry.

Deeper Understanding of Mod Batteries Part 1

• For those who want to learn the differences between IMR, IMR/hybrid, ICR, and LiPo batteries. What do those numbers and letters on batteries mean? What's an amp rating and why is it more important than the mAh rating when choosing a battery for vaping?

From what I can tell, the LGABC21865 is not a safe chemistry, high drain battery. It may well be an ICR battery. If it is, DON'T USE IT. It will not have enough amps to fire a coil safely. The only info I could find on this battery is it is Li-ion chemistry battery (probably an ICR), and I couldn't find a continuous discharge rate for it on multiple sites.

You want to be using an IMR or INR battery, as shown in the following picture:

In addition, to my knowledge the SMPL mechanical mod is a direct battery, or faux hybrid, mod. This specific specialty-type mod does not have a 510 center pin and requires an extended center pin in the juice delivery attachment, or it can cause the battery to hard short into thermal runaway. Please read up on direct battery mods at the end of this blog:

A Beginner's Guide to Your First Mechanical Mod

That's 2 strikes against your choice in vape gear. Consider yourself lucky to still have your teeth and an intact roof of your mouth. Today was your lucky day to be asking your question.

 

[Rickajho]

In general LG makes relatively low capacity batteries and the LGabc21865 series are no exception. Even the guy who tests them cannot find any specifications or application data. I suspect these are made for power tool battery packs.

Test of LG 18650 C2 2800mAh (Orange)

It is not a high current drain battery and is not considered to be safe for vaping applications, especially since no one can track down the battery chemistry going on here.

 

[jakelakecake]

Thank you both very much for your replies. My rda is adjustable center-pin, I keep it safely about 2mm out to avoid shorting. As far as the battery, that definitely scares me; I have a computer store here that mines them from laptop batteries and sells them to me at $.75 each; thought it might be too good to be true, and I will stop using them immediately. One last question, and I will be satisfied:
Why is my voltmeter reading 1.3 ohms whether I test at the terminals or at the screws themselves? It's quite new and was pretty damned expensive at $65....

 

[Baditude]

Why is my voltmeter reading 1.3 ohms whether I test at the terminals or at the screws themselves? It's quite new and was pretty damned expensive at $65....

I honestly don't know the answer to your question, but I'll let you know that $65 is not considered expensive for a digital multimeter. Flukes go as high as $3000.

 

[AzPlumber]

Found this (I wouldn't put it anywhere near my face)

LG Chem LG AB C2 18650 High Capacity 2800mAh Li-Ion 3.8v Rechargeable Replacement Battery

• Size : 18.10mm x 64.60mm

• NominalVoltage : 3.80V

• Nominal Capacity : 2800mAh

• Charging Method : CC/CV 4.20-4.35V

• Discharge Voltage : 2.7V (Average Cut Off)

• Charging Current CC : 1000mA

• Rapid Charging Current : 2700mA

• Continuous Discharge Current : 2.8A

• Max. Short Discharge Current : 5.6A

• Weight: 48 gr . max

• Colour : Orange

• Version : Flat Top

• Protection : No

 

[Izan]

Thank you both very much for your replies. My rda is adjustable center-pin, I keep it safely about 2mm out to avoid shorting. As far as the battery, that definitely scares me; I have a computer store here that mines them from laptop batteries and sells them to me at $.75 each; thought it might be too good to be true, and I will stop using them immediately. One last question, and I will be satisfied:
Why is my voltmeter reading 1.3 ohms whether I test at the terminals or at the screws themselves? It's quite new and was pretty damned expensive at $65....

native resistance.
Squeeze the probes (Short) together and subtract that from the 1.3Ω.

 

[AzPlumber]

Thank you both very much for your replies. My rda is adjustable center-pin, I keep it safely about 2mm out to avoid shorting. As far as the battery, that definitely scares me; I have a computer store here that mines them from laptop batteries and sells them to me at $.75 each; thought it might be too good to be true, and I will stop using them immediately. One last question, and I will be satisfied:
Why is my voltmeter reading 1.3 ohms whether I test at the terminals or at the screws themselves? It's quite new and was pretty damned expensive at $65....

Multi-meters and leads have inherent resistance. Touch the leads together and note the reading, this must be subtracted from any reading.

 

[jakelakecake]

Thank you all SO much! Ordering new gear tonight, including a voltmeter specifically for testing my builds (one of the screw-in types). And thank you all for not making me feel dumb or like a "noob", that goes a long way and I truly appreciate it. Have good evenings, thanks for saving my face!

 

[Susan2014]

I have been vaping for two years now and I still ask what I call dumb questions. We never learn if we don't ask. Also the people here have always been very nice to me also.
Susan