Flat Wrap/Zig Zag Heating Element

[bsidb]

I like it...

 

[BobC]

The idea is probably that all of the wire is facing the airhole as opposed to just the front, top & bottom of a coil.
More air hitting more wire in contact with juice should equal more vapour.
I've stopped tinkering with fancier coils since trying that dragon nano-coil thingy - it was actually too powerful and too much upkeep to keep as my standard setup so I've reverted back to the trusty microcoils, but for people who like rebuilding you might as well give everything a try?
I'd push the parallel lines of wire closer together like a microcoil if I were to try this build but maybe that's hard to do because it's flat and the bends are going to want to spring back while you repeatedly heat and compress.

Have you tried coils positioned directly over the air hole?

 

[grindle]

Have you tried coils positioned directly over the air hole?

My micros are always a gnat's pube away from the airhole. I've tried coils built sideways with the air running through the centre of the coil too, but that little bit of extra time needed for the rewick negates any performance boost, much like the dragon nanos.

 

[BJ43]

Give away Marlboro lighter I modded into an emergency dripper a long time ago..

 

[VIAWOL]

You should see how it performs if you push all the zigzags together and make like a micro coil sheet

This post was found in an ancient ruin, possibly left by aliens.

 

[propofokgov]

I was actually thinking about doing something like this the other day, even pressing them together like VIAWOL suggests or doing some sort of flat coil wrap (albeit they would be small).

 

[kgs-wy]

I was actually thinking about doing something like this the other day, even pressing them together like VIAWOL suggests or doing some sort of flat coil wrap (albeit they would be small).

Only problem I can see with that is that too tight of a bend radius might weaken the resistance wire. Based solely on personal experience with round Kanthal A-1 (used in a Protank vertical coil like in BSD's "Vertical Hollow Coil" thread in the main modding section), if you have a bend radius that's too tight it can be the weak link in your coil/heating element. As an example, one of my coils was a bit too tight at the top, and during regular vaping with some moving around, it started acting funky, sometimes hitting, sometimes giving me a 'non' on my iTaste MVP 2. When I took my atomizer head apart and unpacked the wick to dry fire it as a test, the 'negative' leg popped at the bend. I think the expansion and contraction of what a wire in a heating element goes through -- along with the regular movement during the day -- all contributed to that breakage. Kinda similar in concept to bending water pipes for plumbing or hard lines in hydraulic systems, but with much tighter bend radii usable with the resistance wire than you would dare with the former.

It seems, however, that so long as the bend radius is approximately the same diameter or even a little bit smaller than that of the resistance wire, everything's golden. That said, bending them close enough to touch might not be impossible, as I might've just had bad luck with that particular bend on that particular coil (I might've nicked it with the edge of my jeweler's pliers, etc.).

As to the surface area, I can see where some questions about that could come up. On the surface of it (pardon the pun), a flat heating element is just the wire spread out in a zig-zag over the wick, while a coil/microcoil heating element has wicking material all along the inside (ala 'traditional' coils) or around the outside of it (ala vertical and nano-dragon coils). However, a bit of logical observation -- not to mention Akya's video -- seem to counter that thought (hope you don't mind me copying your attachment, Akya... ):

View attachment 284887

As can be observed in the pic, almost the entirety of the element is touching the cotton wick, and indeed, is slightly submerged in e-liquid. Essentially, the flat element is getting as much contact with the wick as the microcoil, if not more due to the slight sumbersion (in my experience, though, even microcoils with internal wicks have e-liquid migrate to the outside of the coil through capillary action and post-vape condensation). Presuming the length of the wire used for a flat element is the same as that used in a microcoil of the same resistance (can you confirm this one way or the other, Akya?), one should have the same surface area touching the wick as with a microcoil. The flat coil (and the nano-dragon coil) would probably act to pre-heat more of the juice within the wick than a traditional, internally wicked coil (micro or otherwise). This would likely lead to easier vaporizing of the liquid (hotter liquids are closer to their vaporization point) and slightly better wicking (warmer juice has a lower viscosity). Another thing I think a flat element build might offer would be a warmer vape; the open design of the flat element would radiate heat not just into the wick and juice on top of the wick, but heat the air and already vaporized liquid above it as well. Akya, can you confirm the 'warmth' of the vape in comparison to a 'regular' microcoil (or a nano-dragon coil, if you've used one)?

Speakin' of nano-dragon coils, I managed to shoehorn a dual nano-dragon (1Ω final with 28 ga Kanthal) into my Russian RBA, with room for the wick and with nothing touching the build deck or the chamber wall, so a single or dual flat element should be doable. While the dual nano worked pretty damn alright, I didn't keep it too long since my MVP 2 just doesn't have the juice to drive it as safely as I'd like (I was worried about over-stressing the electronics or the batteries). Since I prefer regulated devices, I can see a DNA 20 or 30 based device (or maybe the Invictus, if it lives up to its hype) in my near future, I just know it...

Hopefully this post is actually helpful and not too ignorant or pretentious sounding... At any rate, keep on vapin', everyone!

-Laters...!
kgs-wy

 

[Akya2120]

That was a good analysis of the build lol. It does seem like a warmer vape, but maybe with less throat hit. I haven't used a build like this in a while. After I did this I started making nano dragons and recently I've been doing a tri coil which is kinda like a diamond coil but 3 bends instead of four. I did it like that so I could run it on a mech. It's been working well. A little more TH than other builds I've done which is nice after a couple drinks. Still plenty of fog though. I think I will try making another flat wrap this weekend.