coil wire spacing vs. touching

[claybuster]

I apologize for I know it has probably been discussed many times prior, but have done a search and a lot of info to sift through...

When I wrap coils for my RBAs, my coils are touching (using 28G or thicker). When wrapping coils for my clearomizer coil heads, my coils are evenly spaced. My question I guess would be, where is the line drawn between when coils should be touching opposed to not touching in an RBA? Is the thickness of the wire the determining factor.

Why I ask... I have been working with and experimenting with various 454 builds. Looking and Steam Engine and some of the thicker wire options, very impractical for the resistance I would like to be at (or my wire is just impractical). So I have some 24G Nichrome 80 wire, in a quad coil build, at 2.5mm, for a .2 build is 13 wraps per coil. .3 is 20 wraps per coil. Now I would really prefer to vape in the .5 to .8 range, and a .8 is 54 wraps per coil. .5 is 33 wraps per coil. Same wire in a dual coil build, the numbers are more reasonable yet still impractical in my range of .5 to .8 (17-27 wraps per coil). Going much thinner to 30-32G Kanthal, now seeing more realistic numbers for a quad coil setup in my resistance range. Should these coils be touching when your going thinner in the 30-32G range. I think I can get by pinching 30G kantal close...but 32??? I think I will be going with single and dual coil setups in this 454 until I can get a better feel for quad builds. I'm by no means opposed to .2 builds, its just not really for me and get a much more pleasurable vape in the .5 to .8 range. My most recent new build is with the 24G Nic, single coil vertical build in a Tobh at about .6 and it Vapes really nice, very pleasurable pulls on that build.

Back to the 454....I think 28G Kantal may be my best option with quad builds. Unfortunately all I have at the moment is 28 nic, not as good of an option. I do have plenty of 30G Kanthal though. A quad build on 2.5mm with the 30G Kanthal is 11 wraps per coil at .8 ....seems reasonable. .6 is a 8 wraps.

Thanks for any input,
Charlie

 

[SLIPPY_EEL]

Touching wraps on a coil dont get distorted as much as a spaced coil that is being pulled about by wick and is especially more so the case when using the thinner wire's.

When i used to use lower power on my mech's & smaller atty's, i suppose around the 15-30w range the closed wraps performed better, concentrating all the heat into that one small area of wick.

Theses days i use a lot more power and much prefer open wrap's or closely snugged as it allows me to take a longer pull without drying out the wick or even burning it. Spaced coils allow me to lower my id which in turn increase flavour.
With the hotter builds im using heavier wire so no worries about distorting the wraps here either.
Less gunking with spaced.


Another differance between the two styles of coil is the finished ohms, if you take two pieces of wire both the same length etc, doesnt matter what id you wrap them on or how many wraps but wrap one with open wraps and the other with closed, if you have two atty's the same it will be good but if not then just test one wire's ohm's after a little dry burn to oxi the wire then do the same with the other wire. I norm always get a dif of .2ohms in the two dif wire's, i've heard some say they've had 0.15 dif, eitherway its a huge dif if say you are using a mech mod and can use it to your advantage on a build to keep your ohms low/hot or the opposite.
The closed wrap will be the cooler if on a mech as the open wrap will be 0.2ohms less.

 

[claybuster]

Good info, thanks!

 

[sedition]

The only factor I go by is that spaced, for me, allows the airflow to cool the coil easier, and as a result I don't ever get dry hits. I take long 5-6s lung hits, and the build keeps itself cool throughout the duration of that. With a touching coil, I'd get 2-3 seconds before the coil heat outruns the cooling and gives a burnt hit. It's worth noting that I use a comparatively restricted draw (Origen V3, largest airhole on single coil, second largest on dual coils). Less airflow = less cooling potential. On something like a Mutation X with big airflow, touching coils can be cooled down much easier.

Regarding Kanthal vs Nichrome.. I'm struggling to find much of a difference. They both taste the same to me, and the reported faster ramp up time of Nichrome is a bit overblown. Others may disagree, but right now I'm finding them pretty much interchangeable.

 

[Sgt.Rock]

Regarding Kanthal vs Nichrome.. I'm struggling to find much of a difference. They both taste the same to me, and the reported faster ramp up time of Nichrome is a bit overblown. Others may disagree, but right now I'm finding them pretty much interchangeable.

I don't notice much difference at smaller diameters but at anything from 24, 22 and up in diameter and even twisted 26- it's a noticeable difference to me (running on a mech).

 

[93gc40]

OK, for me contact vs spaced coils has NOTHING to do with power levels or coil ohms............a .5ohm coil is a .5ohm coil wether spaced or contact It has to do With FLAVOR vs CLOUDS or GUNK vs Less GUNK. BUT, I also vape in a different world than those above. I vape at 1.5ohm or Higher.

The only factor I go by is that spaced, for me, allows the airflow to cool the coil easier, and as a result I don't ever get dry hits. I take long 5-6s lung hits, and the build keeps itself cool throughout the duration of that. With a touching coil, I'd get 2-3 seconds before the coil heat outruns the cooling and gives a burnt hit. It's worth noting that I use a comparatively restricted draw (Origen V3, largest airhole on single coil, second largest on dual coils). Less airflow = less cooling potential. On something like a Mutation X with big airflow, touching coils can be cooled down much easier.

Regarding Kanthal vs Nichrome.. I'm struggling to find much of a difference. They both taste the same to me, and the reported faster ramp up time of Nichrome is a bit overblown. Others may disagree, but right now I'm finding them pretty much interchangeable.

I thought Nichrome was higher resistant and slower and colder than say Kanthal. Only reason I use Kanthal over it is I build spaced coils and Nich is more finicky and deforms more.

 

[SLIPPY_EEL]

OK, for me contact vs spaced coils has NOTHING to do with power levels or coil ohms............a .5ohm coil is a .5ohm coil wether spaced or contact It has to do With FLAVOR vs CLOUDS or GUNK vs Less GUNK. BUT, I also vape in a different world than those above. I vape at 1.5ohm or Higher.



I thought Nichrome was higher resistant and slower and colder than say Kanthal. Only reason I use Kanthal over it is I build spaced coils and Nich is more finicky and deforms more.

kanthal has higher resistance

 

[NathanielFT]

Spaced coils wick much more efficiently, don't gunk up as quick, and they keep cooler then an unspaced build at the same power IME.

 

[93gc40]

kanthal has higher resistance

Your right, I miss-type.

I have always found Nich to need more wraps per ohm than kanthal and was slower and colder when built. IMO, the flavor is a little better with Nich. But it is harder to work with, not much, but enough that I prefer working with Kanthal.