TC vs VW

[afishhunter]

To be honest, I was a bit leary of TC. I did not understand it (still don't for that matter) and worried when I had a TC coil in, the mod went to max watts, regardless of which mod I put it on, that it was going to over stress the batteries.

I switched to TC on one of my mods, when I noticed the coil was NI200, (which is supposed to be TC only) while cleaning a tank to pit a new flavor in.

I like TC. I may not understand it, but it seems to work. I must presume the 100 or 200 watt (depending on if a iLeaf TC100W or Reauleux RX200 mod) is a pre-heat, and not constant. The tanks are running cooler than they were on wattage mode, and the battery charge is lasting 2 1/2 to 3 days, instead of 1 1/2 to 2.I think I am getting a better cloud with TC, as well.

Long story short, I'm trying to find NI200 coils for all my tanks now.
So far, a TC coil for the Aspire Triton/Atlantis (and Vaporesso Gemini, which uses the same coil) and the SMOK TFV4 are proving difficult to find. I found some online for the Aspire tanks, but they were out of stock, of course.
No sign of a TC coil for the TFV4. Does anyone make a TC coil for that tank? Or, for the TFV8, if I decide to "upgrade" to the new version?

 

[GeorgeS]

Greetings,

Given the crapshoot reliability of factory coils (especially for TC) many of us resigned to winding our own. When first introduced TC coils were often times a 2x premium $$ over Kanthal coils (further motivation to wind your own) however over time many of the TC coils are about the same price. (Fasttech and other China direct sites have them for much less than US based sites)

It seems that many of the pre-built TC coils are using some form of SS as they can be used in VW mode as well as TC mode.

I currently have 3 TFV4's in service, 2 have NiFe48 ribbon builds and the other has SS430. All single coil.

While there is theory that TC mode extends battery life but sadly I've never seen it.

 

[sawlight]

Your assumption is correct, the wattage is ramp up watts, or a limit at how many watts you want the mod to exert in total. Most times it's easiest to just max out the watts for quick heating and let the mod sort it out from there. On my Pico I set temp around 400deg and 35w (using SS) and easily get a day out of a single 18650.
Watch one of the TC mod reviews by PBusardo, he does an excellent job of graphing how the TC works. You will see the instant spike for ramp up, then the up and down wattage fluctuations as it adjusts the temperature.
As for your coils, I've seen the SS ones but not Ni. Check MVS and VapeNW.

 

[CRSteve]

The Eleaf coils for the Melo 2/3 are Aspire Triton compatible and are widely available. The do come in a Ni version (as well as Ti). I've used both types with my Melo2 and Istick60. I set Temp around 480 and watts at a 35 and they work great. I get up to three weeks out of them. Ccell Cermaic coils also come in a Ni version.

 

[Jim_ MDP]

I must presume the 100 or 200 watt (depending on if a iLeaf TC100W or Reauleux RX200 mod) is a pre-heat, and not constant.

Not really.
Chainsaw's example is a 75w iStick Pico and that is likely to be mostly harmless to the coil and wick. Especially with a moderate temp of 400F... overshoot is less of an issue.

Not so much with the i100 (120w with update) and certainly not with 200w.
Our budget mods can't be counted on to be quick enough to catch a full power burst going past the set temp... the way an expensive SX chip or DNA mod probably will.

Those are the default MAX wattages of those mods... turn it down.

The RX TC Wattage setting is 4 clicks to adjust.
It's trickier on the i100TC... hold the Mode button and use Up and Down to adjust Watts.

Be aware that updating the firmware on JoyeTech mods (JTech, Wismec, Eleaf) will reset the TC Wattage back to maximum. Surprise.

 

[afishhunter]

Turned the 200's down to 100. Will drop the iSticks to 50? Or would 75 be better?

 

[Jim_ MDP]

For me... it would depend on the build. Ohms and total coil mass.
Fatter, bulkier coils need more oomph or you have too much ramp-up time.

It's personal preference... play with it. Start low(er), build up to what pleases you.

That said... a fresh build or factory head needs a little break-in time. Ease into it.

 

[I'mnotZak]

OP, see below:

Aspire Atlantis Triton Nickel Coils
SMOK TFV4 TF-N2 Nickel Coils
SMOK TFV4 TF-Ti Titanium Coils - Smoktech Coils - Smoktech - Tanks & Coils

 

[GeorgeS]

Turned the 200's down to 100. Will drop the iSticks to 50? Or would 75 be better?

I have most of mine set from 15 - 30W which works for me for single and dual coil builds. Start low and then work your way up.

My personal "rule of thumb" is it should take < 1 second to reach temperature. With TC mods I generally hit the fire button when I grab the mod off the table, not mere seconds before wrapping my lips around the drip tip!

 

[Bobw1951]

Turned the 200's down to 100. Will drop the iSticks to 50? Or would 75 be better?

If you are using pre-built coils, then do not put wattage over max recommended, and temp should really be below the value that the wicking will burn at for something like an RDA, not so much of a problem with tanks

 

[I'mnotZak]

If you are using pre-built coils, then do not put wattage over max recommended, and temp should really be below the value that the wicking will burn at for something like an RDA, not so much of a problem with tanks

Great point and very important. OP, the link below is for SMOK TFV4 coils. Please note the wattage range for each coil within the specs.

TFV4 Big Family - SMOK® Being with you for all great vaping time!

 

[afishhunter]

Stopped at a vape shop in Ithaca, NY. They did not have the TC coils I needed for the Aspire Atlantis/Triton/Vaporesso Gemini.
I bought a third Uwell Crown (no TC coils for it, either. But, my co-driver bought a Crown tank, he does not use TC, so I swapped him a ,2 for the TC coil that came with his. Now all 3 of my Crowns have a TC coil. Have them mounted to a Reauleux RX200, set TC NI 175 watts, 440° F.
Reset them to 175 watts after playing with them. Almost no lag on the draw. I press the bitton when the tip meets lip, and start the draw then, stop the draw just after letting go of the button. No gurggeling that way.
Both my TFV4 tanks are semi-retired. I'll run them on the TC100's I have, until I can find the coils. All four RX200's are set for TC now. The one with the eGo One Mega tank is set for the same watts, but 530° F, since they recommend 500 to 550° for their NI TC coils.

I'm an over the road truck driver, make it home once or twice a year, so mail order/buying online is not really an option. Even if I have things sent to the office, I only get there maybe 4 or 5 times a year.

 

[Bobw1951]

The steel SS316L coils that come with both the Crown and Atlantis/Triton/Melo/Vaporesso can be used in either power or TC mode, not all mods support SS in TC mode but both your iStick TC100w and the RX200 do.

 

[Jim_ MDP]

I'm an over the road truck driver, make it home once or twice a year, so mail order/buying online is not really an option. Even if I have things sent to the office, I only get there maybe 4 or 5 times a year.

I occasionally go long period full-time RV-ing, so I understand the mail order difficulty.

Excellent that they're up and running, and I'll just add something to Bob's comment about the Crown's coil heads.
All of the Crown's non-Nickel heads are 316SS coils... with nickel legs.
An accepted technique usually seen with smaller BCC atomizer coils. For reference it's NR-R-NR (non-resistance/res/non-res) and it reduces hot legs in Power Mode usage.
They can be a roll of the dice for TC, though I never had an issue using mine that way.
If you do, don't let it influence your opinion of TC... it's an outlier.

Right then... get yer TC vape on.