AGA-T2 issue with center pin

[SilverZero]

Hi everyone, I'm wondering if any other AGA-T users have some suggestions. I recently purchased a slightly used AGA-T2 and built my first ever SS wick and coil for it yesterday. It took a while to get the hot spots out but it's working like a champ (aside from a lack of flavor, but I'm hoping as the wick breaks in that will improve). The issue I'm having is with the center pin.

I'm have been using a Kick 2 in my EA with the AGA-T2 attached. Because the EA has a floating positive post I'm having a problem with that post pushing the center pin up and out of the top of the AGA; as I snug it down the top insulator and the pin start to push out of the deck (and rather easily, I might add). I'm fully aware that with the floating post on my mod there is a risk of damaging the 510 connection on my atomizers, but the only solution I've found has been to just barely snug the mod up (and I do mean barely), but that results in the Kick not making a proper connection and it won't fire correctly. If I tighten things up even a little bit the center pin on the AGA slides up and out. If I remove the Kick and only use the battery I'm still not able to tighten the device down as much as I would like without the insulator and pin moving (there is still a bit of wobble between the top and bottom tube sections where they meet the battery tube), but it will fire perfectly every time when I press and hold the button.

As a contrast, when I use my IGO-L with the Kick I can tighten the mod down completely and it fires perfectly every single time. I definitely don't need to over-tighten it, just snug works great.

My question is this: is there a washer or o-ring or something similar which I can place between the flat bottom of the AGA's center pin (the part that makes contact with the positive post on my mod) and the 510 threads on the AGA so that the insulators won't slide out of their locations so easily?

Thanks in advance.

 

[pdib]

Yep. That's a real bear, that one. The only good solution I ever found was to replace those parts. I needed certain replacement parts, and furthermore, I had to re-shape them a bit to make them work.

It was a 4-40 X 2" machine screw and the nuts and washers that fit it. -OR (I've done both)- a 3mm version of the same.

The pan head screw needs to have its "pan head" ground/sanded/filed flat and until almost all traces of "phillips" are gone. The Flat head screw works ok, and seats surprisingly well, but I prefer the flat bottom of the pan head to the conical bottom of the flat head. All nuts and washers have too big an Outside Dimension and need to be ground down to clear the neg. capture screws on the deck as well as leaving room for the wick setup. I'll dig up some pictures. It (the modding) is a chore; but, of course, I enjoyed every second of it.

 

[pdib]

here's a view of the top with a fuzzy flattened 4-40 pan head in the background.



here's the 3mm flat head, ready (I guess) for install in a dripper. These screw sizes work in lots of attys. . . . . ground-down nuts and washer ↓

 

[Papadragon]

Or you can slide out the pin and place a small o ring of sorts around the post in front on the insulator so your just adding a little more insulator that will keep it from pushing up ! I used a vivi nova post insulator cut the ring off and used

 

[SilverZero]

Damn, I was hoping I could buy a washer that was the same width of the 510 threads on the AGA and call it a day. So much for that.

After paying $10 for my AGA-T2 I think I'll rebuild the coil to achieve a higher resistance and reserve it for use on my VAMO V3. At least with that setup I can loosen the decorative ring on top of the VAMO and effectively lock the AGA in place, thereby preventing the issue from reoccurring. I appreciate the knowledge though, maybe someday I'll be bored out of my mind and give it a shot.

 

[SilverZero]

Or you can slide out the pin and place a small o ring of sorts around the post in front on the insulator so your just adding a little more insulator that will keep it from pushing up ! I used a vivi nova post insulator cut the ring off and used

That's what I was hoping to do, but now that I think about it I can barely get all three nuts locked down on the top of the pin as it is. Moving the bottom of the pin down any farther might end up opening up a different can of worms.

Thanks though.

 

[pdib]

Well, I tried that kinda stuff too, and that can work for sure; but I wasn't happy with the results. Also, one should bear in mind that the next thing with the AGA-T2 (depending on how often you rebuild; give it a month or so) is the little nuts start to strip out and won't hold anymore. So, might as well fix that now, as well.

 

[SilverZero]

Well, I tried that kinda stuff too, and that can work for sure; but I wasn't happy with the results. Also, one should bear in mind that the next thing with the AGA-T2 (depending on how often you rebuild; give it a month or so) is the little nuts start to strip out and won't hold anymore. So, might as well fix that now, as well.

That's good to know. I have a feeling I won't be using it all that much to be honest; it was a package deal with the EA mod and for $10 more it didn't seem to make much sense at the time to pass on purchasing the AGA with it. At least it helped me get a handle on using SS mesh and building Gennie coils, so there's always that.

 

[pdib]

cool . . . . . .

 

[steeledragon78]

another fix might be to find a tiny copper spring and washer that will fit the center pin and make a makeshift ac9/rsst out of it.

 

[SilverZero]

another fix might be to find a tiny copper spring and washer that will fit the center pin and make a makeshift ac9/rsst out of it.

True, but on the RSST I think that spring/washer combo have something to push against; on the AGA-T2 the pin will push the bottom insulator up into the tank if you tighten it down on your mod too much.

Thanks for the suggestion, I think tomorrow I'll pull it apart and see if I can do some brainstorming with the ideas from you guys.

 

[Papadragon]

True, but on the RSST I think that spring/washer combo have something to push against; on the AGA-T2 the pin will push the bottom insulator up into the tank if you tighten it down on your mod too much.

Thanks for the suggestion, I think tomorrow I'll pull it apart and see if I can do some brainstorming with the ideas from you guys.

You can run it with only 2 nuts on it . You don't have to have 3 at all !if u have a old cartomizers Cartrage take it apart use the plastic insalator in that for the added o ring for the center pin of the aga-t

 

[pdib]

I did use a pen spring and washer setup as well, papaD. That was good. True, tho, that just adding spring and washer actually helps pull the darn stem up more. Ultimately, what I had was (from bottom up on the deck end) insulator/gasket, washer, nut (snugged tight!), spring, washer, nut. If I remember correctly. This was with all new/modded parts. I had another that still used three nuts. There, with the newer/bigger nuts, I also ground down their thickness.

 

[icucme2]

I have that problem also, i replaced the isolators and im good to go.. But now for some reason i do a 3/4 wrap of 30gauge kanthal and im reading 9ohms and it goes down and up... Whats going on here..

 

[steeledragon78]

oddly enough i just had a similar issue to the op, my k101 pushed my post too high, and wouldn't fire. went into my box o' vape.... and was looking for my rsst spares bag when i saw an aga t spares bag. it had an extra top insulator. so i pulled the tank apart, cleaned all the juice out of the center tube (there was half a ml in there!!!) and popped the old insulator out. pressed the new top in, pressed the center pin back in place and checked everything for fit. the pin sits proud of the 510 connection just a bit and the top doesnt lift all that much. so i redact my previous statement on rsst hack and suggest this.

 

[SilverZero]

OK, so I wanted to rebuild the coil on my AGA-T2 to achieve a slightly higher resistance and ended up taking the entire atty apart to clean it and season the wick a bit. As I was putting it back together I had an idea and wanted to run it by you guys before I start vaping it again.

When I received the AGA the top insulator was positioned so that it could be inserted and removed from the top side of the deck; the lip of the insulator was resting on the top of the deck when it was pushed all the way in. This caused the insulator to slide up and out of the deck each time i tightened down the atty on my mod. I got curious, and ended up inserting the insulator from the underside of the deck, like this:

Now the lip of the insulator is inside the tank so it can't be pushed outward if pressure is added to the center pin from the 510 positive post on my mod.

So here's my question, in two parts:

1. Is this the way the insulator is supposed to be installed? And if not,
2. Will this cause any leaking or grounding issues that I need to worry about after I fill up the tank and start vaping with it?

Flipping the insulator upside down is the only change I've made to the atty. It does seem to allow me to tighten down my EA mod much better; tightening it down onto my mod enough so there was no longer any movement in the mod pushed the positive pin up slightly, but after tightening the nuts on the top of the pin it seems to be mounting perfectly even if I remove and reattach it multiple times. Any thoughts?

 

[icucme2]

wow im so going to try this.. from the looks of the pic (nice pic btw) it looks like the "negative" deck is being insolated by the insolator.. "positive" post should be seperated by it.. thumbs up

 

[SilverZero]

wow im so going to try this.. from the looks of the pic (nice pic btw) it looks like the "negative" deck is being insolated by the insolator.. "positive" post should be seperated by it.. thumbs up

Yeah, I think it should work OK. I actually wrapped a coil for it a couple of days ago but haven't vaped with it yet, I still need to work out the hot spots and tinker with it first. I've been enjoying my IGO-L too much to bother with it. After I snugged it down onto my mod and tightened down the nuts on the center pin it feels like that's the way it should be put together.

 

[zipflint]

Just thought I'd pop in here and ask if anyone knows a source for loads of the little translucent o-rings that go with the bottom of the atty's 510 connector. Is that making sense? The tiny little shallow one. I've overtorqued a few of my attys and chewed up a few of those, so I need some spares, or some kind of simple/quick DIY solution.
Halp!

 

[emus]

Just thought I'd pop in here and ask if anyone knows a source for loads of the little translucent o-rings that go with the bottom of the atty's 510 connector. Is that making sense? The tiny little shallow one. I've overtorqued a few of my attys and chewed up a few of those, so I need some spares, or some kind of simple/quick DIY solution.
Halp!

I have used heat shrink tube on a few atties and it lasted months; never failed. Can double tube to make pin protrude to eliminate chance of hard short on some mods. I heat tube then trim excess w/ razor. Of course heat shrink won't function as a seal so not good for all applications.

I would like a source for UD hot pin o-rings as well?