A7 - op provari errors

[dirfm]

Okay...i have kayfuns, phoenix, reomizer, a9, etc. Been building coils for almost a year. I got an a7 yesterday and have built 7 coils for it and each one errors out. All of this with 32k and silica wick. Need some help...

Coil 1...4/5 tied to screws
Coil 2...4/5 through post holes
Coil 3...5/6 tied to screws
Coil 4...5/6 through post holes

Tightened posts took it all apart and cleaned.

Coil 5...3/2 tied to screws
Coil 6...3/2 through post holes

Took everything apart, rebuilt 7th coil 4/5 which should be about 1.7 on everything else i build. Still op provari errors. Any ideas?

 

[WillyB]

What does your multimeter say? Are the ohms holding steady? Have you checked for continuity between the posts and to the center connector, shell etc?

 

[dirfm]

Okay...I have two a7s, the one I have been building on and a stock one as shipped. It seems that one of the posts to the terminal does not have continuity on both of the a7's and also post to post does not have continuity. I do see that one of the posts has an insulating ring on it, but the other does not. The post without the insulator is the one that causes a reading on non continuity...(essentially, the multimeter goes bonkers and will not level out and jumps to the higher ohm testing range).

 

[WillyB]

Well post to post you want NO continuity, an 'open' circuit.

 

[dirfm]

That is the problem definitely. I have both of them apart right now, and cannot figure out how to isolate the second post without modification...I am going to contact the seller.

 

[dirfm]

I am wondering if I got a bad batch after the Chinese new year...I am not slow, but something is definitely wrong since I cannot get continuity with any set-up, with or without a coil...

 

[dirfm]

And I am sorry for potentially using the wrong wording for continuity...I cannot get a zero ohm reading on the a7 prior to a coil build no matter what I do. It always shows random numbers and sometimes off the chart...infinity style.

 

[Commie]

A7 is known for a wobbly positive connection screw (in the 510 connector). The simplest way to fix it is with a little strip cut from a carto condom. Take out the screw, put the silicone strip there, and pit the screw back in. That will insulate it from the negative side.

 

[dirfm]

I will give that a shot tomorrow - thank you both! At least I know it is not me now, thought I was going crazy.

 

[dirfm]

After thinking about this...

I want to use this as a bf. Sealing up the post will make it a great dripper, but i already have 2 phoenix. Darn...i need to find a chalice.

 

[Thompson]

Could the bottom plate be lacking contact? I didn't know you could screw the whole thing out until a few weeks ago (and I've had them since December or around that).

 

[Randy C]

You mention that only one of your posts are insulated... This is the way it's supposed to be. The non-insulated post is the ground, the insulated post is hot.

There isn't much that can go wrong with the A-7's. Either the positive post isn't properly insulated and it is is grounding, or the center pin is wobbly and it is grounding itself out, possibly only when tightened down- not making it visible upon inspection.

Inspect the positive post insulator; make sure that it isn't split or ripped. If it appears ok, just install the post and don't over-tighten it. Over-tightening it will cause the insulator to fail and allow the positive post to ground.

Take Commie's recommendation about insulating the center post. The center post (which is hot) should not come in contact with the 510 connection surrounding it (which is ground). If it is allowed to touch it will be short circuited. Unlike Commie, I like to cut a thin strip from a PET juice bottle, wrap it around the center pin, then tighten the center pin so it barely protrudes (by a hair) from the connection.

The A-7 will work just fine on your Provari as it is. I recommend a few mods to the A-7 if it's going to be used EXCLUSIVELY on a bottom feeder: Drill a 1/16" hole in the cover (at the exact height of the coil), stabilize the center pin with the home-made bushing discussed earlier, and seal the mounting surface with a 10mm X 12mm buna-n O-ring.

 

[Commie]

After thinking about this...

I want to use this as a bf. Sealing up the post will make it a great dripper, but i already have 2 phoenix. Darn...i need to find a chalice.

If you're planning to use it for a bottom feeder, then, as you are stabilizing the positive screw, you need to leave gaps to allow air in. Maybe someone can explain that better, I'm not one with my engrish this morning.
Or, alternatively, you can go with Randy's suggestion of drilling air hole in the side. I tried and failed Stainless steel is a royal pain to drill.

 

[dirfm]

Okay...a little clarification. The center post is...the positive post is? I think I know what to do, but want to make sure and clarify...

I build coils in minutes and have been doing it for almost a year, never had to question positive, negative, center, etc.

 

[FeistyAlice]

In order to ensure proper air flow through the holes in threaded post (just like normsl production 510 holes) use two pieces of condomn for insulating center positive post. Cut them just short enough to leave a gap where air holes are. That way you don't have to be so careful about how tall they are.

Feisty Alice

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Commie]

Okay...a little clarification. The center post is...the positive post is? I think I know what to do, but want to make sure and clarify...

I build coils in minutes and have been doing it for almost a year, never had to question positive, negative, center, etc.

Ok, now that I'm properly awake, I think I can explain better.

Regardless of the posts, on the bottom of A7 there's a 510 connection. The outside tube of it is negative connection, the center screw is positive. A7 is plagued by a loose screw there. In some cases, it wobbles and can come in contact with the outside tube, shorting your mod. This short will have nothing to do with your coil, and will melt safety springs, etc.

To prevent it from touching the outside connection, you need to provide some insulation between the screw and outer 510 thread. That can be done with a part of carto condom, LDPE bottle, or teflon plumber's tape. However, you need to keep in mind that the same connection provides your atomizer with air. So you would need to make sure to leave some channels for air in there. I did that by using 2 pieces of carto condom, jammed on two sides of the screw, leaving the air paths to the two little air holes in the sides of the 510 connection.

You can also get air to the coil by drilling the side of the atomizer cap itself. But the steel is pretty hard to drill without a drill press. I've tried, and after 40 minutes and 3 broken bits, all I had was a small dent

 

[dirfm]

Okay - tried teflon tape and carto condom. Still does not give continuity. It seems that no matter how I try to insulate, the positive post or the center screw is shorting it out. About tired of trying to fix this - it really should not be this hard.

 

[FeistyAlice]

Okay - tried teflon tape and carto condom. Still does not give continuity. It seems that no matter how I try to insulate, the positive post or the center screw is shorting it out. About tired of trying to fix this - it really should not be this hard.

No, it shouldn't be that hard. Sounds more and more like you have a dud. Gently unscrew the insert that holds the coil posts, to check that all parts sre there. It's easier to unscrew the first time If you immerce whole bottom in hot water to loosen any machining residue. Make sure coil posts are screwed in all the way but don't over tighten, and center positive post is screw in, then, using the posts gently unscrew the insert counter clockwise. Do this over a table with towel under so if anything comes off it won't bounce and be lost. See if it looks like this.

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

[dirfm]

Thank you westamyx - that is exactly what mine looks like (I was going to post a picture). I have taken it completely apart and tried teflon tape on different components, the condom on the positive "screw" and truly about every other combination I can think of. When apart I test for continuity and no matter what I do, the uninsulated post is generating a short in connection with the bottom (screw in or out). I cannot see any tears in the insulating material, I have taken the whole innards apart, cleaned, and rebuilt. Ironically, I ordered two of these from a new batch that had just come in stock at a respected ecig website, and even when they were stock, there were shorts. I am thinking that these are a bad batch and I bit it.

My everyday mods are kayfuns, odys, penelope, phoenix's, all rebuildables. I know I am not crazy as I can do this in my sleep. It just seems odd that the short cannot be removed no matter what I do.

 

[Commie]

That sounds like a defective (or rather, badly assembled) atomizer.

The posts unscrew from their base. The uninsulated one (left in Amy's picture) is supposed to have short threaded portion that screws into the top metal part of the "innards". The insulated post (right in Amy's picture) should have long threaded portion that goes through the insulator of the top metal plate, through the plastic plate, and screws into the bottom metal plate. The same bottom metal plate that has threads for the positive screw connection on the bottom.

Based on what you're saying, my guess is that manufacturer managed to put the uninsulated post to screw into the bottom plate, making contact with everything on the way.