BSD's vertical hollow core Micro Coil build for ARO, Evod, and Protank heads.

[kgs-wy]

Hey there, PeeWee, welcome to the forums!

I'm happy that my original method for the SI T3 Kanger near-clone worked for WolfeTX, as well! I guess that goes to show that, while very well made, the Kanger was, indeed, intended to have heads that were just replaceable, as opposed to rebuildable -- as I've seen opined on the Internet in a few places -- which makes them more challenging in builds like this.

Now on to my, hopefully helpful, build and pics.

First off, I did get my first Kanger ProTank vertical hollow coil rebuild done successfully yesterday, with 28 ga. Kanthal A1 at just over 1.8Ω. Unfortunately I was very unsatisfied with it. Considering just how satisfied I was with the SI T3 rebuild, I presumed that either A: I wasn't pumping enough voltage/wattage (tried both settings on my MVP v2...) or B: I wasn't packing enough cotton in it. Both were the case, but in experimenting and stuffin' more cotton in, I ended up pushing my coil down enough that it burnt the gasket. First few vapes had me and , then I was all, , and ...

So I tore that head apart, took the gasket from my other head out and proceeded to rebuild it. This is the result!

First pic shows the coil as I ended up wrapping it. 11.5 wraps of 28 ga, came out to a bouncy 1.3Ω to 1.6Ω (I really need to either get a Kelvin add-on for my meter, or cobble one together sometime... ). You may notice the extra length on the ends of the coil proper? That's because I'm using the method normally used when putting a standard horizontal coil into a Kanger-style head...

And there's the positive leg going through the middle of the gasket, then the negative goin' through the outside, with the positive pin ready to go into the gasket after feeding the gasket into the head's body.

There's the coil almost in place, with the drill bit centering it...

...and the coil still in place, showing off the gap between the bottom of the coil and the gap.

After using gentle tugs on the lengths of wire sticking out of the bottom of the atomizer head to get it to the right height, I double checked to make sure the coil was, essentially, still centered in the head.

Burn test, about a second in at 3.8 V, beautiful cherry color. I ended up with a beautiful orange-white glow between 2 and 2 1/2 seconds of firing time, so I was quite satisfied with it.

I forgot to take pics of my cotton pack, but I think it's nearly perfect. A tiny bit of gurgle (especially when it sits for more than about five minutes), but tolerable, especially when weighed against the serious advantages this build offers. That said, I may be putting a bit more cotton in this (the current juice I'm using is, after all, 65/35 PG/VG, so it's a bit thin...), and when/if I do, I'll post a pic for anyone having flow issues to use as a comparison. I might also try to pack it with some hemp twine I had laying about that I was using in my old, horizontal builds, like BSD said he did...

Finally, a double check of the resistance on my MVP v2 (and it's lovely A, er, R for "Resistance"... ). 1.4Ω was a bit lower than I'd originally intended (as I've read/heard in YouTube reviews that the MVP v2 is a bit hesitant to fully exploit anything lower than about 1.5Ω), but it worked out quite nicely. Clean, easy vapor, solid throat hit, and amazing flavor! I'm more than satisfied with this build.

Hopefully these pics -- and my older ones -- will help anyone else that's interested in trying this out.

Thanks once again to BSD for coming up with this and -- perhaps more importantly -- sharing it with us! As soon as my new Kanger heads come in (gonna order some v2 heads, since everything I've read has them being compatible with v1 equipment...), I'm definitely going to replace the stock coils with these. A bit of work to get right, but when you do, it's absolutely amazing, especially considering that it's all from "just a clearo".

Keep on vaping everybody!

-Laters...!
kgs-wy

 

[Big Screen D]

A bit of work to get right, but when you do, it's absolutely amazing, especially considering that it's all from "just a clearo".

Really is amazing that a cheapo clearo can be made to rival and even exceed any vape gear out there.

Great pics again kgs! I'll try to get some pics tonight of how I prepare and pack the hemp twine. Kind of a head scratcher at first for me, so maybe I can save someone else some trouble. Have to say, thus far I'm preferring the hemp. Either I got lucky and just hit on the right amount of hemp to put in, or it could be the hemp is more forgiving than cotton about getting the amount right. Time will tell as I and others build more hemp fills.

I've yet to burn a grommet, and I run em with the coils really close to the grommet. Could be that my coils are a smaller diameter though.

 

[ktazz]

A bit of work to get right, but when you do, it's absolutely amazing, especially considering that it's all from "just a clearo".

Really is amazing that a cheapo clearo can be made to rival and even exceed any vape gear out there.

Great pics again kgs! I'll try to get some pics tonight of how I prepare and pack the hemp twine. Kind of a head scratcher at first for me, so maybe I can save someone else some trouble. Have to say, thus far I'm preferring the hemp. Either I got lucky and just hit on the right amount of hemp to put in, or it could be the hemp is more forgiving than cotton about getting the amount right. Time will tell as I and others build more hemp fills.

I've yet to burn a grommet, and I run em with the coils really close to the grommet. Could be that my coils are a smaller diameter though.

My grommets always tend to be scorched with vertical and horizontal coils. ..what I found that works for me 100% of the time is snip the top portion of the grommet with a nail flipper or something so it's further away from the coil and I haven't had a single scorched grommet

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk

 

[look30]

My grommets always tend to be scorched with vertical and horizontal coils. ..what I found that works for me 100% of the time is snip the top portion of the grommet with a nail flipper or something so it's further away from the coil and I haven't had a single scorched grommet

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk

Lol! This is Awesome, was about to post exactly the same thing.
I did that last night and it simplified the assembly a lot and not a hint if rubber taste.

Sent from my Z10 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Big Screen D]

Snipping that end off is a great idea!

 

[look30]

To follow up on ktazz idea use the snipped part as spacer ,like a washer, to increase the length of the center contact pin. This will help in case the contact or center pin doesn’t stay proud in the 510 connector or in my case even in eGo conector the SVD doesn't make proper contact.
I will try this tonight

Sent from my Z10 using Tapatalk 2

 

[kgs-wy]

I was seriously thinkin' about snippin' the top of my gasket, or at least clipping the rounded edge flush with the rest of the gasket, but I found doin' it the 'old school' way works for me in the 'actual' Kanger products (gives me more control over coil placement). Might do that in future builds, though, it all depends. Also, can't wait 'til ya get the pics of a hemp build up, BSD, that stuff's just collectin' dust right now... Though it did serve its purpose very well when I was usin' horizontal coils in my SI T3's, but that's something I'd rather wait for, considerin' your luck with the first hemp build...

Using the gasket clipping as a spacer for the lower part of the positive pin is actually a good idea! I may do that when my new Kanger heads come in, though I'll have to make sure it's not too thick, or -- knowing my luck -- I'll end up with the positive pin unable to grab onto the positive length coming off of the coil...

Keep on vapin', everybody!

-Laters...!
kgs-wy

 

[Yail Bloor]

Okay, I've been testing this build with the twisted 34 gauge Kanthal. Wow. Now I see what the fuss is about. At 1.8 ohms and 4 volts, this thing puts out more flavor and more vapor then I would have thought possible from a clearomizer. It functions much more like a cartomizer and even crackles like a carto in a glass tank. It occurs to me that that is essentially what one is making here, a tiny little cartomizer -a micro carto if you will- inside what used to be a clearomizer. Sir, I doff my hat to you; I am impressed.

Future rebuilds of my girlfriends Protank heads will feature this build from now on.

 

[Big Screen D]

Well late night at work. No hemp build tonight Try again tomorrow night.

Man, I've been itching to try a twisted coil in these Yail. As good as a normal micro is, I can see where a twisted coil could be even better. The little voids in a twisted coil giving the juice a better path to the inside of the coil makes perfect sense.

 

[Yail Bloor]

Well late night at work. No hemp build tonight Try again tomorrow night.

Man, I've been itching to try a twisted coil in these Yail. As good as a normal micro is, I can see where a twisted coil could be even better. The little voids in a twisted coil giving the juice a better path to the inside of the coil makes perfect sense.

My thinking is more or less in line with your logic; to wit, the deviation in coil structure as opposed to a single round piece of wire allows for a greatly increased surface area. That in conjunction with tightly packed cotton quite simply mean more juice to the coil then with a single round wire. Which is interesting because it's the converse effect of a twisted wire wrapped around a wick, but I digress.

Anecdotally, my girlfriend just asked what strength the juice in her Protank was, thinking it to be higher then our usual 18 mg. This may suggest better nicotine delivery? Just a thought.

 

[Big Screen D]

Funny you mention that. I cut my last order of juices from HHV from 18 to 15mg. Been on 18mg for two years.

 

[Yail Bloor]

Well, if you ask Zen, he seems to be of the opinion that airflow alone can greatly effect nicotine delivery. I have to say, after nearly a years worth of experience with the Z-Atty Pro, I'm a believer. I'm not knowledgeable enough to fully understand this phenomenon, but I can attest to it's efficacy.

 

[iGl0]

I just tried building this for about 4 hours on my Kanger pro 2. This is hard as heck! I finally get it running, but then it gurgles and has limited air flow which makes bad vapor production. I don't know what you guys are doing, but its not working for me. I tried putting in less cotton, more cotton, stuffing it, all the above. I am running at 1.4 ohms.

 

[kgs-wy]

I just tried building this for about 4 hours on my Kanger pro 2. This is hard as heck! I finally get it running, but then it gurgles and has limited air flow which makes bad vapor production. I don't know what you guys are doing, but its not working for me. I tried putting in less cotton, more cotton, stuffing it, all the above. I am running at 1.4 ohms.

Hmmm... I'm no expert, but from what I've gathered when it comes to troubleshooting my own vertical coil builds, there's several factors that can cause issues. Here's some questions, and hopefully some ideas with them that will help ya out (also, I apologize ahead of time if this is rambly, I'm a bit tired, lol...):

• How big was your coil, in comparison to the center hole of the positive pin? A smaller coil than the positive pin will restrict flow, ranging from a little bit to a whole lot. With my SI T3 clones/cousins the 1/16^th drill bit I use as a coiling die fits a touch loosely, and with the ProTank heads it just fits, so I have my coils at almost a perfect size in relation to the airholes. However, as the saying goes, your mileage may varry.
• How well centered is your coil, in comparison to the center hole of the positive pin? I know it sounds blatantly obvious, but without the utmost care to keep it as centered as possible, it can throw off your draw every time. I've actually forgotten to make one last check before putting the air pipe back onto the atomizer head, and had to take my clearo apart, remove the air pipe and reposition my coil a couple times when changing cotton (only one tank currently, and several flavors I'm bouncing between... ).
• How well centered was the Did you get any cotton down underneath the coil, or above it? I know I've had serious issues with this, which comes down mostly to pack tightness. And, yes, it's a pain in the ... to get right, but well worth it, IMO anyway.
• How much are you tightening it on your mod, and what is your mod? I have an MVP v2, and with my clearos down all the way, airflow can be an issue since it's coming from the thread portion, as opposed to the device proper (like a Genesis style atomizer).

On that last point, remember that draw of any device -- especially clearos -- is a delicate balancing act between many factors, such as airflow from your mod into your carto/clearo/etc., airflow from the bottom to the top, the restrictions designed for the venturi effect that draws e-liquid into the wick, atmospheric pressure, humidity, even ambient temperature! It also affects juice delivery, even in this mod, which is what amounts to a micro-carto tank. As an example from personal experience, today I recoiled an MT3 (one I bought just for for experimentation purposes) and promptly flooded each and every draw. I had to drill out the holes on the base of the MT3 to 1/32^nd, and might move up to 3/64^ths! However, it's very close to perfect (for me, mind), so I might just drill out one of them. As a different example to my personal experience, in a recent PBusardo YouTube video he explained how, when tightened down all the way on the iTaste VTR, his Aspire BDC was almost impossible to draw from. There could be something similar happening with you and your mod.

Basically, what I'm saying is that some mods don't have good airflow if the carto/clearo/atomizer is tightened down too much.

And sorry if that did get rambly, just tryin' to help a fellow vapor out with what has been an awesome build for me, at least when I get things right. I sincerely hope you succeed at it, but if ya don't, well, at least you tried, which is more than many people can say.

At any rate, keep on vapin', everybody!

-Laters...!
kgs-wy

 

[Big Screen D]

I just tried building this for about 4 hours on my Kanger pro 2. This is hard as heck! I finally get it running, but then it gurgles and has limited air flow which makes bad vapor production. I don't know what you guys are doing, but its not working for me. I tried putting in less cotton, more cotton, stuffing it, all the above. I am running at 1.4 ohms.

KGS covered it well.

When put together, can you see clearly through the coil through the mouthpiece?

When first primed, shake out the excess juice so you can see thru the coil, and see how the draw is off of the mod. Should not be overly restrictive.

The draw on a ProTank is normally a bit on the airy side with a stock head. Should be the same with a 1/16" coil, and slightly less airy with the 18ga I recommend. 18ga is the smallest diameter that works. Any smaller, and problems begin.

Pics help!

4 hours It gets easier to do. About twenty minutes once you have some practice, and we figure out where the build issue is here.

 

[Big Screen D]

Jeez, trying to make a 34ga Nichrome twist micro is kicking my behind. Can't get it to stay stiff and hold it's shape. About to throw in the towel, and whip out the 30ga. Maybe even the 28 lol.

Any twist experts out there wanna give old BSD some advice here?

 

[Yail Bloor]

1. I use a pair of Channel-lock vise-grip thingies (yeah, real technical I know) to hold two ends of the wire, then hold the other two ends with pliers. I let the vise-grips dangle and then spin it with my free hand. You want the wire twisted TIGHT, like guitar-string tight. Properly twisted, the wire should want to hold it's shape MUCH more then a single wire would.
2. Torch the newly twisted wire before wrapping.
3. After wrapping hold the coil compressed with the pliers and torch till red-hot, then quench in water. Repeat 3 more times.

That's how I did it anyway, lord knows I'm no expert though...

 

[iGl0]

Hmmm... I'm no expert, but from what I've gathered when it comes to troubleshooting my own vertical coil builds, there's several factors that can cause issues. Here's some questions, and hopefully some ideas with them that will help ya out (also, I apologize ahead of time if this is rambly, I'm a bit tired, lol...):

• How big was your coil, in comparison to the center hole of the positive pin? A smaller coil than the positive pin will restrict flow, ranging from a little bit to a whole lot. With my SI T3 clones/cousins the 1/16^th drill bit I use as a coiling die fits a touch loosely, and with the ProTank heads it just fits, so I have my coils at almost a perfect size in relation to the airholes. However, as the saying goes, your mileage may varry.
• How well centered is your coil, in comparison to the center hole of the positive pin? I know it sounds blatantly obvious, but without the utmost care to keep it as centered as possible, it can throw off your draw every time. I've actually forgotten to make one last check before putting the air pipe back onto the atomizer head, and had to take my clearo apart, remove the air pipe and reposition my coil a couple times when changing cotton (only one tank currently, and several flavors I'm bouncing between... ).
• How well centered was the Did you get any cotton down underneath the coil, or above it? I know I've had serious issues with this, which comes down mostly to pack tightness. And, yes, it's a pain in the ... to get right, but well worth it, IMO anyway.
• How much are you tightening it on your mod, and what is your mod? I have an MVP v2, and with my clearos down all the way, airflow can be an issue since it's coming from the thread portion, as opposed to the device proper (like a Genesis style atomizer).

On that last point, remember that draw of any device -- especially clearos -- is a delicate balancing act between many factors, such as airflow from your mod into your carto/clearo/etc., airflow from the bottom to the top, the restrictions designed for the venturi effect that draws e-liquid into the wick, atmospheric pressure, humidity, even ambient temperature! It also affects juice delivery, even in this mod, which is what amounts to a micro-carto tank. As an example from personal experience, today I recoiled an MT3 (one I bought just for for experimentation purposes) and promptly flooded each and every draw. I had to drill out the holes on the base of the MT3 to 1/32^nd, and might move up to 3/64^ths! However, it's very close to perfect (for me, mind), so I might just drill out one of them. As a different example to my personal experience, in a recent PBusardo YouTube video he explained how, when tightened down all the way on the iTaste VTR, his Aspire BDC was almost impossible to draw from. There could be something similar happening with you and your mod.

Basically, what I'm saying is that some mods don't have good airflow if the carto/clearo/atomizer is tightened down too much.

And sorry if that did get rambly, just tryin' to help a fellow vapor out with what has been an awesome build for me, at least when I get things right. I sincerely hope you succeed at it, but if ya don't, well, at least you tried, which is more than many people can say.

At any rate, keep on vapin', everybody!

-Laters...!
kgs-wy

Thank you for the informative response! Sadly i use a 1/16 drill bit that fits perfectly into my pro tank positive pin. So alignment wasn't an issue. Maybe the wires need to be closer to the positive pin? Its pretty close as is, and it looks just like the first post with the top coils reaching midway of the side wick openings.

Thanks for the great suggestions. So far I have given up, but maybe tonight ill try again. I ended up going back to using the horizontal micro coil. Which has wicked for me wonderfully, never a dry hit, never a gurgle, smooth vaping! Might need to look into putting some air holes in, i think that would really help.

 

[Big Screen D]

1. I use a pair of Channel-lock vise-grip thingies (yeah, real technical I know) to hold two ends of the wire, then hold the other two ends with pliers. I let the vise-grips dangle and then spin it with my free hand. You want the wire twisted TIGHT, like guitar-string tight. Properly twisted, the wire should want to hold it's shape MUCH more then a single wire would.
2. Torch the newly twisted wire before wrapping.
3. After wrapping hold the coil compressed with the pliers and torch till red-hot, then quench in water. Repeat 3 more times.

That's how I did it anyway, lord knows I'm no expert though...

Thanks Yail. I'll try again with the 34 this weekend. I never ran a twist before, so that helps a lot.

Did wind up making a 28ga 1/16" 13 wrapper that rocking some HHV Vaping Chimp.

 

[Big Screen D]

Well did another hemp fill tonight. This one a 28ga Kanthal on a 1/16" bit for a airier draw. The hemp twine once again is working really well, and is easier to get the fill right than cotton. I think because it doesn't compress as much as cotton, so it is harder to over pack, yet still wicks great so long as you don't strangle it at the fill holes. I just gently tamp in the little pieces I cut off of the twine as shown below. Total amount used was about twice as seen in the pic after cutting.