About mechanical mods

[Crothux]

Hi guys.

So the LG 18650's for example have a maximum of 20A continuous discharge current and a maximum impulse current of 30A. These are the batteries I use. I know all about Ohm's law etc. and also use mechanical mods from time to time, however I'm unsure about whether vaping is a continuous or impulse current, safe to say I haven't gone over 20A. My friend laughed at me and said I could easily go up to 35A on a mech mod. What is your opinion on this? Is my friend crazy? My question is: Am I being overly careful not going beyond 20A or am I correct by not going above 20A? My friend says anything under 3 seconds is impulse.

I also wanted to know with what battery I could achieve the highest 'safe' amps? So more than say 20A continuous discharge current or more than 30A impulse discharge (If vaping belongs in that category). So maybe a battery that is safe to vape with 40A.


Thanks in advance guys.

 

[Eskie]

Your friend is crazy.

The other issue is what are you building that could possibly need 40A.

 

[Lessifer]

Hi guys.

So the LG 18650's for example have a maximum of 20A continuous discharge current and a maximum impulse current of 30A. These are the batteries I use. I know all about Ohm's law etc. and also use mechanical mods from time to time, however I'm unsure about whether vaping is a continuous or impulse current, safe to say I haven't gone over 20A. My friend laughed at me and said I could easily go up to 35A on a mech mod. What is your opinion on this? Is my friend crazy? My question is: Am I being overly careful not going beyond 20A or am I correct by not going above 20A? My friend says anything under 3 seconds is impulse.

I also wanted to know with what battery I could achieve the highest 'safe' amps? So more than say 20A continuous discharge current or more than 30A impulse discharge (If vaping belongs in that category). So maybe a battery that is safe to vape with 40A.


Thanks in advance guys.

There is no battery industry standard definition for a "pulse" so a pulse rating is somewhat meaningless.

Take some time to read Mooch's(our resident battery expert) blogs and educate yourself. He also does extensive battery testing so you can see what batteries perform well at what amps.
Battery pulse ratings are useless! | E-Cigarette Forum

I think there are some 30A CDR batteries, but I haven't really looked at them. If you feel you need to go that high in power perhaps you should be looking for a regulated mod, or a dual battery mod.

 

[Topwater Elvis]

It is never safe or smart to exceed the CDR of any cell.

There are no 18650 cells with more than a 30a CDR, the LG HB series are 30a CDR / 1500mah.

 

[suprtrkr]

Your friend is crazy. 20 amps max on those batteries. And I'd personally give (at least) a 10% safety margin below that figure.

 

[sonicbomb]

My friend laughed at me and said I could easily go up to 35A on a mech mod.

A mechmod is a battery tube and a button, what dictates the maximum usable amps is the battery you put in it. Your friend is worse than clueless, don't listen to him/her. Stick with a 20 amp battery as this gives the best balance of run-time and power, and as stated if you need more amps than that you are probably better using a multiple battery device.

Here's the equation for calculating how many amps you are pulling from your battery at a given resistance in case you need reminding. Or you can use steam-engine.

I = amps V = volts R = resistance P = watts

To find the amp draw use I=V/R
Eg. divide 4.2v by 0.5Ω = 8.4 amps

To find the wattage use P=V²/R
Eg. 4.2v multiplied by 4.2v divided by 0.5Ω = 35 watts

 

[Gramdogg]

For sure a group of people that build crazy stuff but don't be one of them. Mooch does pulse tests you "could" refer to but he don't suggest using them nor do most. He says stay above 0.2 ohm and you should be fine. If its the 3000 mAh brown LGs they are only 18A so maybe 0.25 ohm to be safe. I'd usually say go higher because ohm readers could be off a bit and batteries age.

 

[Imfallen_Angel]

Another vote for your friend as being clueless and an accident/news story waiting to happen.

Seriously, people need to get off the uber low sub-ohm phase... you can vape just fine at a very safe ohm level.

 

[Tintreach]

Another vote for your friend as being clueless and an accident/news story waiting to happen.

Seriously, people need to get off the uber low sub-ohm phase... you can vape just fine at a very safe ohm level.

To add to this.....

Always run your build against ohms law if in doubt or you just don't know, and then cross check it with the CDR!!!
You can also do more with less. Understand how wire gauge relates to coil temperature too. Pretty much, smaller gauged wire can produce a desired temperature with less fire time at a higher resistance.

If you must use super low resistance, really high wattage and/or exotic coils, best to put them on a regulated device to keep your face intact.

 

[Zutankhamun]

I'll add. Bad advice to give somebody unsure.
I never exceed cdr and wouldn't advise it.

Just don't push your luck. Picking between an exploding 18650 next to your face when vaping and smoking related diseases from cigarettes is a bit of a 'Sophie's choice'

Stay safe, vape on

 

[Kickingthesticks]

I still get paranoid every time I use my mechs, don't know how peeps can stand building under .4 on a single 18650. Your swapping out batts like crazy.

 

[BrotherBob]

Hi guys.
So the LG 18650's for example have a maximum of 20A continuous discharge current and a maximum impulse current of 30A. These are the batteries I use. I know all about Ohm's law etc. and also use mechanical mods from time to time, however I'm unsure about whether vaping is a continuous or impulse current, safe to say I haven't gone over 20A. My friend laughed at me and said I could easily go up to 35A on a mech mod. What is your opinion on this? Is my friend crazy? My question is: Am I being overly careful not going beyond 20A or am I correct by not going above 20A? My friend says anything under 3 seconds is impulse.
I also wanted to know with what battery I could achieve the highest 'safe' amps? So more than say 20A continuous discharge current or more than 30A impulse discharge (If vaping belongs in that category). So maybe a battery that is safe to vape with 40A.
Thanks in advance guys.

Could look at:
18650 Battery Buying Guide for Vapor Users – Wake and Vape Blog
(9) Battery Basics for Mods; the Ultimate Battery Guide | E-Cigarette Forum
Calculating battery current draw for a regulated mod | E-Cigarette Forum
Battery Safety: Will You Marry Me? - Mt Baker Vapor

 

[Crothux]

Wow thanks a lot guys. All of this confuses me though. When I see all the cloud chasers blowing huge, massive clouds on their mechs, I just wonder: how? What am I doing wrong? I have all my mechs at around 0.2 ohms, as stated earlier I'm a coward and I quite like my face. I don't care whether or not the wire is fancy, I would just like to learn how to get those massive clouds they get at these competitions.


Again thanks ever so much, I'll show this to my mate and hope he packs it in.

I'll be taking a look at all the links you sent and try and educate myself.


Cheers lads and lasses.

 

[Continuity]

Your friend is indeed wrong - CDR is all that matters. Personally, I think that building to the very limits of the CDR isn't wise, as those batteries are only rated for that limit when they are fresh out of the box - as they age they become increasingly unable to safely meet that output. I like to use a safety margin of at least 25-30% when I work out my battery requirements.

The whole thing of using mechs to chuck massive clouds at high power came about before regulated mods that could output high power were available - these days, if you want to chuck massive clouds, use a regulated mod.

I sometimes use single 18650 mechs, but I'm an MTL flavour-chaser, so I'm using them with single coil tanks with 1Ohm or so coils.

 

[Crothux]

I also have MTL set-ups. (Pico+nautilus 2, pico + ELF) However, I also like to blow some clouds. So apart from wattage and therefore ohmage and high VG liq, what would you recommend for a lot of clouds? I have a Wismec rx300, rx200s, combo rdta, guos rdta, Zenith mod by ijoy, mad dog dripper and some limitless tanks. (I work in a vape-shop so I get discounts ) I already use max VG and I feel like my clouds just never amount to anything close to those of the cloud chasers.

Any tips?

 

[Izan]

Do you bend down, blow into your atty and then inhale ferociously while you stand up and flex backward?
If you don't have the proper technique it won't matter what mod your using, the clouds won't come. (tongue firmly in cheek)

The RX300 and the mad dog, set up properly should allow you to chuck clouds like a sir.

Have fun
I

 

[sonicbomb]

 

[Smoke_too_much]

Hi Crothux & welcome
I can't add much to the battery comments other than to suggest you abide by them and warn your friend to do so also. There's little point in looking to a 30 amp CDR battery because they have very little capacity, only about 1500 mAh so you'd have to be recharging it constantly. Extra power does not necessarily add to your cloud size, it can help but help only. The size of the cloud depends on how much juice is vaporized which is a function of a number of variables and not just power.

If you want to chuck clouds I would do a search for vape tricks and cloud chuckers to get their insights into it. I can make one simple suggestion and that is back light your cloud because that will make it appear much larger.

 

[Crothux]

Wow thanks guys,

Do you bend down, blow into your atty and then inhale ferociously while you stand up and flex backward?
If you don't have the proper technique it won't matter what mod your using, the clouds won't come. (tongue firmly in cheek)

The RX300 and the mad dog, set up properly should allow you to chuck clouds like a sir.

Have fun
I

I don't quite understand, why would I blow into my atty? Are there any videos of the proper technique?

 

[Crothux]

Hi Crothux & welcome
I can't add much to the battery comments other than to suggest you abide by them and warn your friend to do so also. There's little point in looking to a 30 amp CDR battery because they have very little capacity, only about 1500 mAh so you'd have to be recharging it constantly. Extra power does not necessarily add to your cloud size, it can help but help only. The size of the cloud depends on how much juice is vaporized which is a function of a number of variables and not just power.

If you want to chuck clouds I would do a search for vape tricks and cloud chuckers to get their insights into it. I can make one simple suggestion and that is back light your cloud because that will make it appear much larger.

It's just sometimes when I use my combo rdta on the zenith, i sometimes get huge clouds and then i try again and get smaller clouds. And about the amount of juice being vaporised, that was clear to me, but to vaporise more juice you need more power right? or am I missing something?