Can You Explain Temp Control Vaping to an Old Fart ?

[ScottP]

That is why I like dna boards so much for TC. I have a 0.48ohm spaced 316L coil set at 30W and 435F. The way the dna works is it uses the 30W to ramp up temp until is hits the desired temp (really quick at this resistance). Then it reduces the wattage to whatever it takes to maintain that temp (maybe 9 - 11 watts). Some devices work like the pic pufZepplin posted where it uses the watt setting and turns it on and off to try and maintain the temp and that is never going to be as smooth as a full range power adjustment device.

I have never had a Pico so I can't say which way that device works. I would suggest watching a PBusardo review (or maybe DJLsb) of the Pico that you have and skip to the section where he hooks up the oscilloscope and tests it in TC mode to see how it works.

 

[ScottP]

Here I found the vid and have it set to start at the appropriate time stamp to see how it does TC:

 

[BigEgo]

I am sure dozens of others have already answered, but here goes.

Not saying I am going that way, but I have questions ....
1) Has to be some kind of newfangled electronic chip involved. So it means don't drop it, or get it wet, or use in high-dust environments, and so on ?

Will be the same as any other mod with a circuit board inside it. How durable it is will depend on the enclosure, not the board.

2) I am guessing there are several TC mods. What would be the better electronic chip ?

Evolv DNA chips are the best (made in Ohio), but there are some very good boards out there from China.

3) Who makes the most durable TC Mods ?

Tough to say. There's tons of TC mods out there. Pretty much every regulated mod has TC these days.

4) I am an M-T-L Vaper who stays around 10 or 11 watts. Is there TC mods for my style of vaping ?

TC can work for any style of vaping. All it does is estimate the temp of the coil and keep it steady throughout the duration of the draw.

5) I prefer squonking over tanks. Is there such a thing as a Bottom-Feed TC Mod ? (and who makes them ?)

Yep, you can find squonkers. I know there are DNA squonkers out there.

6) I build my own coils, not a problem here. But I have to use something other than A-1 Kanthal ?

No you cannot use Kanthal. It's not a big deal, though, because stainless steel (316) feels almost the same as Kanthal when building. It's just as easy to wrap and build with.

7) Would I need a new atomizer, or could I use, say... a Chalice III ?

Atty doesn't matter. All that matters is the type of wire.

8) Can I still choose my wattage preferences even at lower temperatures ?

Yes. However, the mod will adjust the wattage down if you go over your temp setting. Depending on how "hot" you've vaped in the past, you might notice a bit of a cooler vape depending on your temp setting.

9) Don't take this the wrong way, but can I stay under $300 ?

You can get a good TC mod for $50. If you want to go with the best (DNA), you will likely end up around $100-$200 depending on the mod you choose.

So, a quality water and dust resistant TC Mod (preferably a squonker) that would be good for a Renaissance Vaper (dislike the term Tootle Puffer) for a decent price (but not cheap).
Quality and Durability mean more than lowest price available to me.

Go with a DNA squonk box, then. They are out there.

Maybe I should just stay with my dinosaur gear. I am happy there....

Nothing wrong with that, but at the same time, TC vaping will make you as safe as possible as far as avoiding the nasties that form at high temps. And you'll never again get a dry hit even with an empty tank.

 

[tokarev]

First of all a disclaimer...I don't have a Pico, but I do have a bunch of TC mods.

The way I like to think of it is that you are adjusting the amount of heat and vapor with the temperature setting and the wattage setting controls how fast it gets there. That may be oversimplified but it is easy for me to understand it that way.

You do need to set the wattage to something reasonable or you will be constantly hitting temp protection and the quality of the vape will suffer. I set my wattage to about what I would if I were vaping with the same coil ID and number of wraps using kanthal. Then I start low with the temperature and increase it until I get to the sweet spot.

 

[PapawBrett]

HEY ! I made the Championship Game in my Pay n Play Fantasy Football League !
but I lost
But that's OK, I might have missed out on the $300 Championship, but I still won the $150 Second Place
Now it is time to seriously think about that Lost Vape Therion 75C Bottom Feed Mod

Anyone ever tried a vendor called Element Vape before ? $119 for the Therion BF 75C...
Also, would my AW IMR 18650 button top batteries be sufficient, or should I try the 300mAh batteries offered (LG, Sony, Samsung) ?

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

HEY ! I made the Championship Game in my Pay n Play Fantasy Football League !
but I lost
But that's OK, I might have missed out on the $300 Championship, but I still won the $150 Second Place
Now it is time to seriously think about that Lost Vape Therion 75C Bottom Feed Mod

Anyone ever tried a vendor called Element Vape before ? $119 for the Therion BF 75C...
Also, would my AW IMR 18650 button top batteries be sufficient, or should I try the 300mAh batteries offered (LG, Sony, Samsung) ?

Element is a good vendor. I've picked up a few tanks from their clearance section. The only shipping option was priority mail, so a little steeper out the door. Their regular prices are full internet retail. Less than B&M pricing but not bargains.

 

[Letitia]

HEY ! I made the Championship Game in my Pay n Play Fantasy Football League !
but I lost
But that's OK, I might have missed out on the $300 Championship, but I still won the $150 Second Place
Now it is time to seriously think about that Lost Vape Therion 75C Bottom Feed Mod

Anyone ever tried a vendor called Element Vape before ? $119 for the Therion BF 75C...
Also, would my AW IMR 18650 button top batteries be sufficient, or should I try the 300mAh batteries offered (LG, Sony, Samsung) ?

106.95 at fasttech if your not in a hurry. They usually have a New Years coupon.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

HEY ! I made the Championship Game in my Pay n Play Fantasy Football League !
but I lost
But that's OK, I might have missed out on the $300 Championship, but I still won the $150 Second Place
Now it is time to seriously think about that Lost Vape Therion 75C Bottom Feed Mod

Anyone ever tried a vendor called Element Vape before ? $119 for the Therion BF 75C...
Also, would my AW IMR 18650 button top batteries be sufficient, or should I try the 300mAh batteries offered (LG, Sony, Samsung) ?

Forgot to answer your other question. The button top will probably be a bad physical fit, but in terms of capability any of Mr. Wang's 18650's would be up to your needs as a "renaissance vaper."

 

[PapawBrett]

Upon further review, not a fan of the Threion. Removing the bottle(and feed tube) to access the battery could eventually lead to an expanded tube at the 510 connector, and leak.
Now the Lost Vape Drone seems to be constructed much better....

 

[PapawBrett]

I think I finally have this right on my Pico. 8 wrap of 316ss, spaced, is registering 0.72 ohms. At 11W the mod is not 'racing' to set temp (400*F) like it was with a compressed (touching) coil. Of course, with my style of vaping, the temp rarely goes above 350*. Spacing my coils did the trick.

 

[DaveP]

I recently ordered the Eleaf Invoke for $32.95 (mod only) on sale from www.VapeShop.com. It's still on sale. The center mounted 510 socket will take atomizers up to 27mm without hangover. So far It's my favorite small mod. The invoke also has a preheat setting among many other features. It's smaller than the Pico 75W. Temp control and Wattage mode both work really well and it features a really sharp OLED display.

Eleaf Invoke 220W TC

 

[Eskie]

That is a nice mod! Decent runtime with 2 batteries and it’s git a nice look to it. Especially at that price. $30 and change for a nice looking small mod seems like a no brainer. I would certainly take this over say an Alien. Thanks for the heads up, looking forward to hearing how it works out for you.

 

[PapawBrett]

Here I found the vid and have it set to start at the appropriate time stamp to see how it does TC:

THIS - actually started happening once I spaced my coils. At least now I know it is imperative that the coils do not touch for the proper readings inside the mod for true Temp Control

 

[PapawBrett]

I recently ordered the Eleaf Invoke for $32.95 (mod only) on sale from www.VapeShop.com. It's still on sale. The center mounted 510 socket will take atomizers up to 27mm without hangover. So far It's my favorite small mod. The invoke also has a preheat setting among many other features. It's smaller than the Pico 75W. Temp control and Wattage mode both work really well and it features a really sharp OLED display.

Eleaf Invoke 220W TC

That does look like a good mod. Can I ask what kind of atomizer you will be trying ?

 

[coolerat]

That does look like a good mod. Can I ask what kind of atomizer you will be trying ?

I played with a Therion at a shop. Nice mod but that battery/bottle situation is just to stupid for me.

Element is a good place.

The Drone is a nice mod. Uses a DNA chip which I hate and the chip went tango uniform after a couple months. Its a brick. Weights about 5 pounds.

Based on this thread I started playing with TC again. I prefer the way Yihi does TC to all others. Fired up my SX Mini's in TCR mode and was in love. Single battery annoyed me so I grabbed a V-Boy (from Element as a matter of fact) which is a cheap but nice mod that has dual batteries and a Yihi chip.

Way (and by way I mean WAAAAY) over your innerwebz winning but the holy grail of TC squonkers is the Rebel vape Yihi chipped dual 20700 mod. I had a Rebel squonker with a DNA chip that was the best ever until the chip puked.

 

[PapawBrett]

I also dislike the Therion battery placement. Really like the way the Drone looked, but hard to find at a decent price.
Now that I have finally got my Pico working properly, thought I'd look at the Eleaf Invoke linked above. Watched a couple of videos, both on the mod and on a few tanks. As a squonker, I really don't know much about tanks at all.
Going to try the Eleaf Invoke, the Vandy Vape Berserker, and the DigiFlavor Siren 2. The tanks are supposed to be MTL, which supports my vaping style. The Mod, hopefully, should provide the TC protection I am looking for.

Don't know if any of this will replace my Reos Mods. Probably still carry the Grand to work as they are practically indestructible. But a nice mod for relaxing at the end of the day would be cool.

 

[DaveP]

That does look like a good mod. Can I ask what kind of atomizer you will be trying ?

I ordered the Invoke mod only instead of the kit that comes with a tank.

I vape Kayfun lite plus V2 90% of the time. The ones I'm vaping now have dual air intakes to prevent whistling noises when you take a hit. All Kayfuns are pretty good MTL atomizers. I have a box full of various types and brands that I vape here and there and I keep coming back to Kayfun.

 

[PapawBrett]

I vape Kayfun lite plus V2 90% of the time. The ones I'm vaping now have dual air intakes to prevent whistling noises when you take a hit. All Kayfuns are pretty good MTL atomizers. I have a box full of various types and brands that I vape here and there and I keep coming back to Kayfun.

I've got a KFL V2+ (HCigar clone) from a few years back that I Have cleaned up and am using on my Pico. It seems to do alright with the TC settings.

 

[DaveP]

THIS - actually started happening once I spaced my coils. At least now I know it is imperative that the coils do not touch for the proper readings inside the mod for true Temp Control

You know the coil is right when the resistance measured cool on a voltmeter is about the same as it reads on the mod when hot. Closely spaced compressed coil turns can warp and touch under heat and change the resistance of the coil. TC likes repeatability in a coil.

FWIW, the coil I wound for one of my Kayfuns an hour ago measured .61 cool on my coil reader and now reads .68 hot on the Kayfun (using the Eleaf Invoke mod). Some of that difference may be due to accuracy in different devices. What's a few hundredths of an ohm, anyway.

 

[DaveP]

That is a nice mod! Decent runtime with 2 batteries and it’s git a nice look to it. Especially at that price. $30 and change for a nice looking small mod seems like a no brainer. I would certainly take this over say an Alien. Thanks for the heads up, looking forward to hearing how it works out for you.

It's a nice fit in a pocket. I used to put up with the Alien and pocket carry just because battery life was so good. So far the Invoke is giving me vape time from 8am the first day until mid morning the next day on two Sony VTC5's or VTC 6's that are about a year old. My Alien would go a little farther on two 18650's. I'm testing it now on 30Q's that just came in last week. I'm hoping I can get most of two days from a pair. So far I've vaped 12 hours and the battery gauge shows about half charge. The actual voltage of each according to the info/battery reading right now is at 3.72v and 3.73v. They were 4.13 and 4.17 after charge this morning.