Coil Help....

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xan13x

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So, I've been through about a foot of 32g kanthal trying to build a coil. I've been using 2 inches for each one, which should be around 2 ohms(right?) and a couple of things:

1) my multimeter doesn't seem to want to read it. It goes from 50 ohms to .1 and everywhere in between.
2) can't get a single one to read on my provari, get the "Lo" designation.

Am I missing something here? What could possible be wrong? Am I shorting it or something? Could the wire be bad? Any help would be appreciated :blush:
 

ClippinWings

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Are your coils touching?
If so did you torch the wire first?

If the wire's not oxidized and the coils are touching... This could cause a short that would dramatically reduce the resistance.

A similar issue... What material are you using for wick? Because steel mesh that's not properly oxidized can do funny things too.

My only other idea, based on the info provided.... Are you sure it's 32? I use 28 and 2" of 28 lands at about 0.9 which will error out on a provari

To get better suggestions:

Wick material(silica, cotton, mesh, cable, etc)
Type of coil(micro, number of wraps, etc)

Sent from my mobile, using Tapatalk... so ignore the typos. ;)
 
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SurphKid11

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i forgot to add, if your multimeter doesnt have auto configuration it will have an internal resistance, touch the two leads together and hold them there till u get a good steady reading and subtract that from whatever ohm reading you get from your atomizer. not sure if a provari will read anything below 1.3 although 32g shouldnt be 1.3 ohms unless you twist it like ive been doing which is amazing if you want to vape LR or sub ohms.
 

xan13x

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some venders have been caught accidentally mislabeling things in the past. usually just a mix up and not deliberate.

with 2 mm i would double it and throw 5 wraps on it and should be around 1.8-2.1 ohms.

like others said there may be a short somewhere..........

I guess my question is then, why isn't the multimeter picking it up like every other device I have? Seems strange. Tried 3 inches, got it up to about 1.5 ohms. Still seems really low, that had to be 10 wraps....
 

donnah

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So, I've been through about a foot of 32g kanthal trying to build a coil. I've been using 2 inches for each one, which should be around 2 ohms(right?) and a couple of things:

1) my multimeter doesn't seem to want to read it. It goes from 50 ohms to .1 and everywhere in between.
2) can't get a single one to read on my provari, get the "Lo" designation.

Am I missing something here? What could possible be wrong? Am I shorting it or something? Could the wire be bad? Any help would be appreciated :blush:

"LO" means that your coil is under .8Ω All of my provari's will read .8Ω and above (which is as low as I ever want to go anyway) and if I'm using a silica wick, they will run it if I stay at 2.9v I never measured out my wire, I gauge the resistance by wraps. Try more wraps to get your resistance higher. Once you have your resistance where you want it, make sure you have complete wick to coil contact or you'll get a burnt taste. If there is even a tiny part of your coil that isn't in contact with your wick and thus able to get wet with juice, it will dry out when you put power to it and give the burnt hit that so many complain of.

I learned mesh rbas on a provari so it can be done, you just have to have your mesh (if that's what your using) oxidized enough or the provari will read it as a short and give an E1 code.

edit... just read where your using silica and not mesh but the same principles apply... more wraps equals higher resistance.
 

ClippinWings

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I guess my question is then, why isn't the multimeter picking it up like every other device I have? Seems strange. Tried 3 inches, got it up to about 1.5 ohms. Still seems really low, that had to be 10 wraps....

3 inches. 1.5Ohms

Sounds to me like 28 gauge.
.45-ish/inch

Ignore everyone suggesting anything about the size of the wick, or number of wraps... It's all irrelevant.

Your issue as described is about the measured resistance not matching the expected resistance for 32 gauge.

If you measure the resistance of a straight piece of wire... it is what it is... Wick or coil design is irrelevant.

Sent from my mobile, using Tapatalk... so ignore the typos. ;)
 

vapdivrr

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3 inches. 1.5Ohms

Sounds to me like 28 gauge.
.45-ish/inch

Ignore everyone suggesting anything about the size of the wick, or number of wraps... It's all irrelevant.

Your issue as described is about the measured resistance not matching the expected resistance for 32 gauge.

If you measure the resistance of a straight piece of wire... it is what it is... Wick or coil design is irrelevant.

Sent from my mobile, using Tapatalk... so ignore the typos. ;)

do like he, above said. just measure a straight piece of wire and check the resistance, in your case measure the 3 inch section then compare it to the finished coil. if they differ its a short, if not you either have the wrong gauge wire or you need more wraps or you need a thicker wick, or somehow the mm is wooky
 

supertrunker

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i'd get a better multimeter, but you can pre-measure your wire before you even make a coil as vapdivrr says - 3 inches of wire. Start at one end and when you have a piece you are confident you can fit in an atty hole - bend it on the meter test lead. Then move the other lead till it hits the resistance you want and bend it again.

That bit in the middle is what you will use as a coil.

So wrap that around whatever wick you like - there are about a million ways of doing this, but your enemy is a dead short - and it is usually a bad coil that is in some way hitting the metal of an atty and to be avoided at all costs.

Always test your coils before you use them - if you have widely variable readings - throw them away and start again.

T
 

Seiggy

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Sometimes it's your multimeter leads. I'd reconnect your test leads if they are not hardwired. If they are a bananna type connections, spread them a little so they make a better connection into the meter. Check the probe ends also. Some test leads get loose connections between the test wire and probe tip. Then try to Zero out your meter by touching your test leads. If you can't get it to Zero out (0 ohms), Meter or test lead(s) may be bad.
 

xan13x

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3 inches. 1.5Ohms

Sounds to me like 28 gauge.
.45-ish/inch

Ignore everyone suggesting anything about the size of the wick, or number of wraps... It's all irrelevant.

Your issue as described is about the measured resistance not matching the expected resistance for 32 gauge.

If you measure the resistance of a straight piece of wire... it is what it is... Wick or coil design is irrelevant.

Sent from my mobile, using Tapatalk... so ignore the typos. ;)

Update! This man is correct. I was ordering supplies, and wanted to get some new wire, but didn't want to order the same thing if it wasn't going to work. Went to the site I ordered it from to look at my order history and it was in fact 28g. They had it listed as .32mm, which caused confusion :p

Did a quick spot of math and realize it is .45 ohms per inch.... In short, I'm not crazy, or a coil failure lol. Ordered some ACTUAL 32g that should be much better. Thanks for all the help and suggestions!
 
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