AGA T+ Need Help Stopping the red spot

[lebeatnik]

I have built several really good coils but not good enough as the top of the coil (the part of wire that goes from the wick to the post) Always ends up getting a hot spot? I have fiddled with it a lot i have yet to pull the wick closer to make that lead shorter. Any help Would be appreciated?

Now on another small subject slightly related as they relate to the AGA-T+, First is how large do you all make the center hole in your SS mesh wicks? Do you use a Straw Like Wick or a Solid Wick. (mine was rolled on a paperclip so it has a very small center hole.)

I am asking this because Of the way it preforms. I believe i am getting that metallic taste from the coils red spot? Could my Wick be contributing to it. Next wick i roll for it i will try out some of the other methods i have seen. Maybe making a "P" Wick will make the top of the wick larger and make the lead smaller? I may even make that a dual wick (Dual SS Mesh Straws one inside the other) I have no rolling paper and unless someone really convinces me to i don't think ill be trying that method.

Lastly This is how i roll my coils. I use Q tips lol. I cut the cotton off each side. then the stick is the PERFECT size for the AGA much better than the drill bit I can get a Coil that is much easier to work with.The only problem with this method is it is disposable as the paper wrapped q tips (if you have juice in the tank will soak up juice slowly and become too soft to use) Anyway...

So I know many of you have perfected your AGA-T+ and i would love to know how to stop that top lead from getting so hot I would almost pay for a YouTube video I have yet to even see one about the AGA-T+ only the AGA-T and AFAIK the wick hole is slightly closer on the T+ all i have seen is washers to fix this. (i just don't think i could fit more than one washer on the center post as the AGA-T+ also has different center pin nuts they are all the same the AGA-t had a smaller one at the base and the top 2 were larger but the + model they are all large) Also about my specific AGA the top nut does not screw down all the way. The threads are messed up or something and it only screws on as like a top cap and i usually use the center nut to tighten down my lead I will be buying another "KIT" for it maybe the nut that comes with it will fit better ( already lost one LOL dropped it on the ground and i know its within 10 feet of m right now LOL) I need to get a STRONG MAGNET and Sweep the floors. I don't have carpet so it could have rolled anywhere. (second time i dropped it i found it the first time.)

So sorry for the long post i really want to get this working well as it vapes like a champ but the metallic taste from the coil ruins it. Also one last thing. I find the air hole a little bit too small I would like it one size larger if anyone knows what size bit i should buy i would like to know. Sadly i only have a hand drill so its going to be a slow process but i will do it to bore that out just a little. It makes soo much vapor i feel that the small air hole is making me not be able to draw it all. (idk if its because of this or not but the top cap always had juice condensation on it (its colored) I have no way to open the any other holes because they are too much metal for my hand drill.

Sorry for the obscenely large post of babble all I really want is to fix this hot spot issue. (any comments on what else i posted feel free to I don't mind it. I would like to know.

 

[eHuman]

If you can stomach the read, http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...nyone-tried-aga-tiamat-plus-w-glass-tank.html covers most all of the fixes to common problems as well as how to avoid them.

 

[stauglocal]

I have the same hot spot issue with the AGA-T. Tricks? Tips? Help??

 

[FunkyVapes]

If you can stomach the read, http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...nyone-tried-aga-tiamat-plus-w-glass-tank.html covers most all of the fixes to common problems as well as how to avoid them.

This is a good suggestion, lol.

I'm also going to chime in with some tips specific to your woes:

First, drip some juice on the wick, put on the cap and take a vape. If it tastes 'metalically' right off the hop, you've got a short (I'm almost certain you've got a short).

With the AGA series (they all more or less perform the same) you need to ensure that the bottom of the wick does not come in contact with the base of the tank. Try as we might, there is almost no way to ensure that the bottom of a wick is free of burrs, and thus free of potential to short out the coil. If the coil isn't shorting out at the bottom of the tank, the next likely culprit is the sides of the wick hole itself.

To optimal feeding and minimal potential potential of wick-hole shorting, you should always ensure that your wick is significantly slimmer in diameter than the wick hole. Not only does this allow juice to flow around the sides of the wick when tilted, it minimizes the potential contact points and thus shorts. Furthermore, as you place the wick in the hole, there are fewer points for friction to occur and knock off your layer of carbon from burnt juice and torching.

It seems like you are using the "Petar K" method, which most folks are calling the drill-bit method, which is problematic on its own. Now, I played a part in this, as I shot a tutorial and strongly advocated the method. The problem is that you should really have a strong foundation in coil building - don't take shortcuts until you learn the basics. The "Petar K" method, whether with a drill-bit, Q-tip or crochet needle forces you to have a wick that is EXACTLY the same diameter as the wick hole, and the pre-made coil. This means that as you feed the wick into the coil and then the wick hole, you've got two chances to scrape off that carbon and the possibility grows exponentially when you figure in that sometimes you need to 'wiggle' the wick after you get past the coil and towards the wick hole. You will almost certainly knock off some crucial carbon.

You should consider slightly 'bending' the wick towards the positive post, but it really isn't necessary - and can cause loss of carbon layers. Check the negative contact and make sure the wire makes as little contact with the base of the deck as possible.

I also noticed that you alluded to making coils with juice in the tank. Big no-no. Juice will hide shorts (whether in the tank, wick-hole, base of the deck or otherwise) and make it so that they appear later. Juice acts as a slight insulator, and if there is even a small amount of it, it makes it easier for the short to go un-detected. There is nothing worse than wasting a half tank or so of juice to a shorted set-up. Make all coils from bone-dry atomizers. If you go 'all-out' and ensure that every coil you make is dry, it will seem like you get more coils and hot-spots at first, but you'll be a more proficient genesis builder in the long run.

I hope this helped a bit, dude.

Best of luck and Vape Groovily!

 

[Rule62]

Easiest solution to the AGA-T top lead hot spot: Take your AGA to Ace Hardware, or any small hardware store that has a lot of "drawer hardware" (Lowes and Home Depot don't). Find the smallest stainless steel, metric flat washers that will fit on the positive post. Put 2 of these washers between the 1st and 2nd nut. Connect the top lead in between the 2 washers. The washers will lessen the free distance the top lead has to travel, between the wick and the center post connection point.

 

[dam718]

With the AGA series (they all more or less perform the same) you need to ensure that the bottom of the wick does not come in contact with the base of the tank.

Bah... I never thought of it shorting against the bottom cap! LoL...

I have my wick shoved into the groove that's machined into the bottom cap, cause I thought it was more like a channel that was designed for the wick to be in...

But this makes more sense why I'm still getting shorts after everything else I've tried to fix it... I'll pull this wick out a bit and see how it works

 

[Kamoch]

If you can empty the tank like FunkyVapes mentioned first, then pull your wick out & torch the top part over your stove a bit. Do a quick juice burn before you pit it back in your AGA. Good luck & don't give up, you will be pleased when its vaping as it should.

 

[lebeatnik]

I will have to read that post but i never thought about it shorting from touching the bottom!!
Also how do you recommend wrapping the coil?
You said the "Petar K" is bad as when you insert and remove the wick it removes some carbon.
Should i wrap it on the wick? then check to coil just with everything dry?
Should i try their cigarette paper method??


I know from this i need a thinner wick so i will be doing that soon. (should i use fresh mesh or just unwrap and trim the one i got?)

Does the center hole on the mesh wick (like i said i rolled mine on a paperclip)

Sadly I made a bad coil i thought was good so i put in some juice and didn't want to waste it is the only reason why i was rolling with juice in the tank.
After i make a coil should i just drip some juice on it to test it before filling the tank. The coil looked perfect then when i added the wick it would be fine until i noticed the hot spot and i am pretty sure i had a short too cause my battery didn't like it every once and a while.

Ill try to save as much juice as i can (never thought about shorting on the bottom) And i will do some reading. I just don't know how to wrap a coil without something to wrap it on? So yeah that's where i am at a loss right now i know i need to make my wick smaller in diameter make sure it touches nothing but the coil (i thought the carbon layer would insulate it) So i have a feeling i should be wrapping my coil on a dry wick as that's the only way i know to not have the coil and the wick hole scrape off the carbon?

So i know i already said it but i think i am going to re wrap this wick and give it another burn then with everything dry i will wrap the coil and then check for that hot spot maybe ill bend the wick it i have to. I have been able to wrap some good coils now lol after all this so unless my coils are the blame the hot spot on.

 

[StaircaseWit]

I've owned my AGA-T2 for a week or so and I'm finally able to build a wick and coil and eliminate all hot spots and have a good-running unit in short order.

I started oxidizing the wick in the way Scott on youtube (igetcha69) does, wrapping the coil on the unit, and having a go. Instant hot spots, and never did get it working. Then I tried the Petar K method, followed by the Petar K / Bluegrasslover's hybrid cotton method suggested by EDO. I struggled a bit with that, but eventually got it running well. (Video here.)

The Petar K method doesn't include oxidizing the wick, so I've been trying to use either barely-oxidized wicks or just burning off machine oil with a light flame pass. This surprisingly works, and works well.

The biggest thing that helped me build coils with no hot spots is Mike Zen's advice: every coil is a good coil. It just needs to be coaxed into working well. Pulse the power while adjusting the coil. Do the adjustments to the *hot* coil. Suddenly your hotspots will disappear and the coil will burn evenly.

Here's what works for me on the AGA-T2:

• 500 mesh at 1-5/8" x 3", lightly flame-passed to burn off oils, wrapped into a solid wick. Fold over the edge that will end up "out" on the wick. It should fit semi-loosely in the wick hole. This requires quite a bit of squeezing/wrapping/squeezing to accomplish, but it wicks brilliantly and is easier to wrap the coil on because it's solid. You can lightly oxidize the top half of the wick in a hot flame, but I've been doing without. Insert the wick and verify that it's 1-2mm off the bottom of the tank. It *cannot* contact the bottom of the tank (edit: it's been pointed out to me that people run these fine with the wick touching the bottom, but I have to test this with an un-oxidized wick)
• 32ga Kanthal. It's the easiest to get a 1.8-2ohm coil with 4 wraps, which is a good starting point. Anneal it first by passing it through a flame so that it glows red briefly. This will remove most of the "springiness" and make it easier to wrap the coil without it springing back.
• Counter-clockwise around the negative screw, towards the wick. Tighten the screw. The coil will go counter-clockwise around the wick. Don't *wrap* the coil around the wick; rotate the device and simply *guide* the wire around the wick. There should be very little tension between wick and wire. At the top bring the wire between the wick and center post and wrap it clockwise around the post between the nuts. Tighten well.
• Set your device to its lowest voltage/wattage setting, or use a nearly-expired battery on a mechanical mod. Everything should still be dry at this point.
• Pulse the power. If you have instant hot spots, take a toothpick/pin/needle/syringe and prod lightly at the coils, moving them up/down the wick slightly. Pulse the power, adjust the coil. It may seem hopeless that there's one hotspot at the top leg, but you'll get rid of that. Keep pulsing power and adjusting the coils.
• You'll see at some point that the coil will start to glow towards the middle. Keep pulsing/prodding/pulsing.
• Rather suddenly you'll have an even-glowing coil. Pulse some more to verify, keep an eye out for hotspots, and (if possible on your device) slowly raise voltage a bit (0.1V at a time).
• Check the resistance of the coil if your device is capable. It should be 1.8-2.2ohms, and the reading shouldn't bounce around.
• Any other issues, pulse and prod.
• Only when it's running clean, with zero hot spots and nice even coil, add juice to the tank, watch it wick up to the coil while tilting the device, and fire. You should now have a clean-running coil and wick.

I've done this build a few times now, and it's becoming routine to set up a nicely running wick and coil in short order. I don't use washers or bend the top of the wick; in fact the top leg off the coil to the center post is quite long, but it doesn't produce any hotspots. I'm vaping right now on this setup and it barely even requires the "genny tilt" to wick.

Good luck.

 

[4matic]

I've owned my AGA-T2 for a week or so and I'm finally able to build a wick and coil and eliminate all hot spots and have a good-running unit in short order.

I started oxidizing the wick in the way Scott on youtube (igetcha69) does, wrapping the coil on the unit, and having a go. Instant hot spots, and never did get it working. Then I tried the Petar K method, followed by the Petar K / Bluegrasslover's hybrid cotton method suggested by EDO. I struggled a bit with that, but eventually got it running well. (Video here.)

The Petar K method doesn't include oxidizing the wick, so I've been trying to use either barely-oxidized wicks or just burning off machine oil with a light flame pass. This surprisingly works, and works well.

The biggest thing that helped me build coils with no hot spots is Mike Zen's advice: every coil is a good coil. It just needs to be coaxed into working well. Pulse the power while adjusting the coil. Do the adjustments to the *hot* coil. Suddenly your hotspots will disappear and the coil will burn evenly.

Here's what works for me on the AGA-T2:

• 500 mesh at 1-5/8" x 3", lightly flame-passed to burn off oils, wrapped into a solid wick. Fold over the edge that will end up "out" on the wick. It should fit semi-loosely in the wick hole. This requires quite a bit of squeezing/wrapping/squeezing to accomplish, but it wicks brilliantly and is easier to wrap the coil on because it's solid. You can lightly oxidize the top half of the wick in a hot flame, but I've been doing without. Insert the wick and verify that it's 1-2mm off the bottom of the tank. It *cannot* contact the bottom of the tank.
• 32ga Kanthal. It's the easiest to get a 1.8-2ohm coil with 4 wraps, which is a good starting point. Anneal it first by passing it through a flame so that it glows red briefly. This will remove most of the "springiness" and make it easier to wrap the coil without it springing back.
• Counter-clockwise around the negative screw, towards the wick. Tighten the screw. The coil will go counter-clockwise around the wick. Don't *wrap* the coil around the wick; rotate the device and simply *guide* the wire around the wick. There should be very little tension between wick and wire. At the top bring the wire between the wick and center post and wrap it clockwise around the post between the nuts. Tighten well.
• Set your device to it's lowest voltage/wattage setting, or use a nearly-expired battery on a mechanical mod. Everything should still be dry at this point.
• Pulse the power. If you have instant hot spots, take a toothpick/pin/needle/syringe and prod lightly at the coils, moving them up/down the wick slightly. Pulse the power, adjust the coil. It may seem hopeless that there's one hotspot at the top leg, but you'll get rid of that. Keep pulsing power and adjusting the coils.
• You'll see at some point that the coil will start to glow towards the middle. Keep pulsing/prodding/pulsing.
• Rather suddenly you'll have an even-glowing coil. Pulse some more to verify, keep an eye out for hotspots, and (if possible on your device) slowly raise voltage a bit (0.1V at a time).
• Check the resistance of the coil if your device is capable. It should be 1.8-2.2ohms, and the reading shouldn't bounce around.
• Any other issues, pulse and prod.
• Only when it's running clean, with zero hot spots and nice even coil, add juice to the tank, watch it wick up to the coil while tilting the device, and fire. You should now have a clean-running coil and wick.

I've done this build a few times now, and it's becoming routine to set up a nicely running wick and coil in short order. I don't use washers or bend the top of the wick; in fact the top leg off the coil to the center post is quite long, but it doesn't produce any hotspots. I'm vaping right now on this setup and it barely even requires the "genny tilt" to wick.

Good luck.

thank you for simplifying this rather "complicated" technique!!

 

[Thompson]

Bah... I never thought of it shorting against the bottom cap! LoL...

I have my wick shoved into the groove that's machined into the bottom cap, cause I thought it was more like a channel that was designed for the wick to be in...

But this makes more sense why I'm still getting shorts after everything else I've tried to fix it... I'll pull this wick out a bit and see how it works

Mine touches the bottom without issue. It has no ss threads hanging off of it or anything. I think with a properly oxidized wick it doesn't matter. Mine have always touched the bottom, actually, and I can vape the tank dry holding it vertical with no dry hits.

Using #500 rolled tightly. Believe it was only 1.5" as that is all I had left.

 

[st0nedpenguin]

Torch, roll, torch, wrap.

That's all I do and the most that's needed is a little adjusting of the coils with a micro screwdriver to get rid of any hotspots.

 

[lebeatnik]

OK after making a smaller wick i am puffing on it right now and it kicks ...... I am already through the harshness you get at the start which i thought was another shorted coil (but it had no metalic taste like the shorted wrap i did had) so before i tossed it i decided to do some more "research" and one of zens videos on you tube he said they are always a bit harsh at first then ..... ohh yeah it becomes like it is now perfect. Although i still need to do the tilt... is that my coil or just the nature of the beast lol?

 

[shortyjacobs]

{snip}
Here's what works for me on the AGA-T2:
{snip}

Very nice summary. That's my current method too, although I don't worry about it touching the bottom of the tank, (there's no insulator in the top cap, so the wick is already pretty well grounded against the top cap).

 

[eHuman]

Mine touches the bottom without issue. It has no ss threads hanging off of it or anything. I think with a properly oxidized wick it doesn't matter. Mine have always touched the bottom, actually, and I can vape the tank dry holding it vertical with no dry hits.

Using #500 rolled tightly. Believe it was only 1.5" as that is all I had left.

^This x 100

 

[eHuman]

...Here's what works for me on the AGA-T2:...

Awesome summery of THE technique. Drill bit method was a stepping stone for me.

 

[dam718]

I've been fortunate enough to have documented on video all of the mistakes I made... LoL

I just put up a video review of the AGA-T+ on my YouTube channel and basically skipped over the entire oxidization and coil build... You do get to see the first fire of the first ccoil I did in the video though... And it popped instantly.

I have some new mesh coming in and I plan to build a wick using these methods. I'll be documenting that one as well, and if all goes well I'll be posting a video of that wick prep, and coil wrap.

The end goal being for my youtube channel to be "one stop shopping" for correct methods on all things Genesis RBA's...

Right now, it's all doodoo... LoL! It does show what not to do!

 

[Viper8695]

It has been mentioned, but I was able to get the hotspot from the wick to the center post to go away with a small washer. I got them at radioshack.

 

[k_s_]

To eliminate my top leg hot spot problem, I used a washer from my vivi nova heads, check out my post on reddit:

http://www.reddit.com/r/RBA/comments/17cqqc/agat_setup_psa_vivi_nova_washers_are_a_perfect_fit/

 

[StaircaseWit]

Very nice summary. That's my current method too, although I don't worry about it touching the bottom of the tank, (there's no insulator in the top cap, so the wick is already pretty well grounded against the top cap).

Thanks. You're right from an electrical standpoint -- it shouldn't matter that it touches the bottom of the tank because it's already contacting negative at the wick hole. I've had issues with wicks that touch the bottom, so I'll have to do my next build with a wick that touches bottom to sort out that point. Do you "oxidize" the bottom of the wick? Mine's basically the raw metal with a light flame pass to burn off oil.

Awesome summery of THE technique. Drill bit method was a stepping stone for me.

Thanks. Trial and error and a lot of good advice here. I'm so glad to have an un-frustrating method.

It has been mentioned, but I was able to get the hotspot from the wick to the center post to go away with a small washer. I got them at radioshack.

Honestly, that's a band-aid on an electrical short problem between your coil and wick. Yes, it will work, but with a proper setup wick and coil it isn't necessary.

To eliminate my top leg hot spot problem, I used a washer from my vivi nova heads, check out my post on reddit:

http://www.reddit.com/r/RBA/comments/17cqqc/agat_setup_psa_vivi_nova_washers_are_a_perfect_fit/

I probably replied on reddit, but that washer has to come from a generation 1 VN head. It's either that or you had a knock-off head that happened to have that washer. None of the common heads around today use that washer (I have a bunch from different sources), they use a cup-shaped thing that isn't appropriate for this use.