Confused about mech mods

[j3000]

I really want to get into mech mods, but I'm so confused!!! People talk about ohm law and using a calculator to figure this or that out. I have read post on here and I watch YouTube videos which confused me even more..

I need someone to explain this to me like there talking to a 12yo, or something or is there mech mods out there that is very forgiving.

 

[Baditude]

The primary issue with unregulated mechanical mods, when compared to a regulated electronic mod, is there is no protection circuity to help keep one out of harm's way. As an example, an unintentional continued compression of the fire button while in a pocket or purse can cause a rapid over-discharge of the battery and cause the battery to vent or explode, and in return cause an unvented metal mod to explode like a pipe bomb.

A regulated mod will have, within its protection circuitry, a timed auto-cutoff of the fire button preventing the above. Now, none of us should become so over-confident in this safety feature that we forget to turn off our mods when in a pocket or purse because electronics CAN fail from time to time; but having that feature has probably saved many of us a lot of grief.

With an unprotected mechanical mod, your only safety circuitry is between your ears and an awareness to details. There is no safety chip to help keep you from harm's way.

So with no safety features in a mechanical mod, one must be ever aware of what could cause a battery to hard short. batteries are extremely powerful and when they are abused/misused they tend to get extremely angry. So a mech user must be extremely knowledgeable about not abusing/misusing their batteries.

They need to use the best batteries available (by Lg, Samsung, Sony, and Sanyo), avoid counterfeits by purchasing their batteries from known reputable suppliers, and know the true amp rating (continuous discharge rate) of the battery.

They need to know how many amps (known as the "amp draw) their coil will pull from their battery. This is the "Ohm's Law thing". You don't need to do any math or chemistry equations, just learn to use a calculator..You can easily calculate the amp draw of your coil by using a simple online Ohm's Law calculator.

You type in two known values (for example the measured coil resistance and the voltage of a fully charged battery of 4.2 volts), click calculate, and the value number in the amps (current) window will reveal the amp draw. The amp draw must not be a larger number than the amp limit of the battery or things can go sideways rather quickly. That is battery abuse/misuse.

Please make sure that you understand the below blogs before deciding to get a mechanical mod. Everything you must know is there. If there is ANYTHING that you don't understand, ask someone here to help you understand it. There are no stupid questions where safety is concerned.

A Beginner's Guide to Your First Mechanical Mod

Explain it to the Dumb Noob: Ohm's Law Calculations

Battery Basics for Mods: The Definative Battery Guide for Vaping

 

[AzPlumber]

It's as simple as not exceeding the cdr of the battery you're using. The cdr (continuous discharge rating) is the maximum amps that can be safely drawn from the battery you're using. Amps drawn are calculated using max battery voltage of 4.2v divided by the coil's resistance (ohms law).

 

[j3000]

So do I need to buy a amp reader for my batteries, I do buy good batteries and are very picky of my batteries.

 

[stols001]

You don't necessarily have to have an amp reader for your batteries, we are lucky enough to have a member or two who knows their stuff about batteries, and has tested (most of the authentics and some other batteries). As long as you know your cells are authentic, in good condition, and what their maximum rating is you should be fine. A little light reading if you want to know more:
https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/blogs/mooch.256958/

https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/blog-entry/baditudes-blogs.7609/

You don't have to read everything but Mooch's blog has a table listing his tests of various batteries as well as "approved" vendors. You also want to be sure to keep your battery wraps in good condition, and when they start to show sag or wear, replacing them.

As long as you are using authentic batteries that aren't elderly or damaged, you should be fine using the ratings of the batteries Mooch has tested. Be wary of vape shops (IMO) it's too easy to get rewrapped or "seconds" that come from the authentic manufacturers and are then sold on. I only buy my batteries directly from approved suppliers. You can find some of the approved vendors in the last cell of Mooch's table.. I use IMRbatteries.com and have been consistently happy with price and speed of delivery, etc.

Good luck, and certainly some mech mods are better constructed than others, in terms of safely venting a battery and whatnot, I'm just not much of a mech user. But if there's a mech you are interested in you could certainly list one (or them) and get some opinions from others regarding their safety and other overall issues. Etc.

Hope any of that was helpful

Anna

 

[Baditude]

So do I need to buy a amp reader for my batteries.

I don't believe you can buy an amp meter, if there is such a thing. Best to my knowledge, the manufacturer of the battery sets or determines the amp rating. The amp rating (continuous maximum discharge) is listed on the manufacturer's website, or on the battery supplier's battery specifications for the particular battery.

Sony VTC5A Official Specifications Datasheet

Quick specs:

• Chemistry: NMC
• Max continuous discharge current: 35A (with temperature cutoff circuitry at 80 degrees C)
• Max continous discharge current without temperature cut: 30A

One has to be very careful though, some suppliers either don't know the true specifications or go by "word-of-mouth" information. For example, Li-Ion Wholesale lists this battery Sony VTC5A 30A-35A 2500mAh Flat Top 18650 Battery - Genuine - Wholesale Discount as a 30-35 amp battery, when it is only a 25 amp battery. Mooch's test: Sony VTC5A 2500mAh 18650 Bench Test Results...a fantastic 25A battery!


Then you have some companies who re-wrap other companies' cells who will exaggerate the amp rating to make consumers think that their cells are "better". This is where Mooch's tests become important to dispell their lies.

Are You Using a Rewrap (Rebranded or Aftermarket) Battery?​

Some folks like Battery Mooch have sophisticated bench testing equipment to test batteries and then he draws conclusions from different calculations from his tests to determine the validity of advertised amp ratings. You don't need to do that, leave that to the specialists.

Could you confused between an "amp reader" and an "ohm reader"? If you are going to be rebuilding your own coils (RDA) you need an ohm reader to measure your coil's resistance (ohms).

Ohm reader

 

[AzPlumber]

An amp meter would only measure the amperage drawn by the device. Since we are using a simple circuit we can use ohms law to calculate amps drawn by the device (volts (4.2) divided by resistance = amps drawn). The maximum amp rating of a battery is done through extensive testing by others (Mooch). Only use the numbers established by Mooch.

 

[Erinqua]

There is a good picture about Ohm' law

 

[gpjoe]

How To Calculate Ohm's Law For Safe Vaping - Vaping360

 

[homeuser6]

I don't believe you can buy an amp meter, if there is such a thing.

? are you kidding ? what does the A on your multimeter stand for ?

 

[Ben85]

? are you kidding ? what does the A on your multimeter stand for ?

It stands for Ammeter, not Ampmeter.

Bad is correct, there is no such thing as an ampmeter. However, you can get a meter that measures amps - which is an ammeter.

 

[homeuser6]

ha ha. that's tortured. maybe he meant with a 510, like those cheap ohmmeters sold for vapers. my multimeter has an amp clamp built in. it would be easier to call it the wrong tool, due to the difficulty of setting it up compared to the simple math.

 

[Hawise]

So do I need to buy a amp reader for my batteries, I do buy good batteries and are very picky of my batteries.

The number of amps you'll get depend on your coil's resistance and your battery's charge. The same battery will provide a different number of amps depending on the coil your using. The amps you're using will also drop as the battery discharges - it's one of the downsides of mech mods.

Do you mind if I ask why you're interested in mechs? There are perfectly valid reasons to use them, but a lot of people have heard they can get a better vape from a mech. This is not the case. It was true a few years ago, but regulated mods have undergone a sea-change since then. You can now get as much (or more) power from a regulated mod without having to deal with a cooling vape as your battery discharges.