Getting into the mechanical game.

[Adam209]

Hey guys and gals

So, I am about to make the jump from regulated mods into mechanical. I am going to be buying a single 18650 tube mod. I want to make sure that my understanding of ohms law is correct. So here is what I will be running. The battery I will be using will either be a Samsung 25r (4.2v) or equivalent 20a battery (cant seem to find a true 30a continuous battery). I build between 0.4 and 0.3 ohms, usually 0.3. My math (v / r) shows that I'll be pulling 14a (4.2 / 0.3) well within my 20a limit. Is this a correct calculation to insure that I'll be vaping safely on a mech mod? Also any suggestions and tips for someone new to mechs would be greatly appreciated.

 

[daviedog]

Look up Mooch on this forum. He is an expert.
A DMM would be helpful, to test state of charge & continuity.
Steam engine is a great resource for guidance on coil building.
I'd start at first with a higher build till you see which way the wind blows..

 

[Winchester]

Hi, Please be very careful. Have never gone under 1.0 ohms on any of my Mechanical Mods. I think you will find your mod getting pretty hot and you DO NOT want to get a run away battery on your hands.

 

[suprtrkr]

I think I would start at .5Ω and stay there for a while. For mech mods, I recommend the Sony VTC4 cell. This is a native 20A battery, but it can be run to 30A without dangerous overheating. There are a couple 30A CDR batteries, but the capacity is miserable; you're better off with the Sony's. A stand alone Ohmmeter is an absolute requirement if you're building on a mech. There's no other way to test your resistance, and a screw up can be very dangerous. You can buy a cheap one on eBay for $10-15, or you can get a USAOhmmeters good one for $27 plus shipping, but don't skip it. Last, stay away from "faux hybrid" top caps, especially on your first mech. The center pin is a good safety mechanism. Here's a photo; the kind of top cap you want is on the left, the kind to stay away from on the right:

 

[Lessifer]

Hey guys and gals

So, I am about to make the jump from regulated mods into mechanical. I am going to be buying a single 18650 tube mod. I want to make sure that my understanding of ohms law is correct. So here is what I will be running. The battery I will be using will either be a Samsung 25r (4.2v) or equivalent 20a battery (cant seem to find a true 30a continuous battery). I build between 0.4 and 0.3 ohms, usually 0.3. My math (v / r) shows that I'll be pulling 14a (4.2 / 0.3) well within my 20a limit. Is this a correct calculation to insure that I'll be vaping safely on a mech mod? Also any suggestions and tips for someone new to mechs would be greatly appreciated.

Your math is correct. You will also need to get into the habit of:
1. checking the voltage on your battery, you don't want to let them drain too low
2. inspecting your batteries to make sure there are no cuts or tears in the wrap
3. inspecting your mod to make sure everything is correctly in place, so as not to have accidental shorts
4. inspecting your atomizer/build to make sure everything is in place and snug, so as not to have accidental shorts.

What mod are you looking at, and do you know what you'll be putting on top of it?

 

[Adam209]

What mod are you looking at, and do you know what you'll be putting on top of it?

I'll be getting the Beyond Vape Sage V2 and / or the Aria Oros v2. I was planning on using my Indestructible RDA, or picking up a new one such as a Freakshow, Twisted Messes, or Geek Vape's Tsunami. Im not interested in hybrid style top caps.

Each build I do I use my stand alone ohm meter that came with my Coil Master tool kit.

 

[Adam209]

I think I would start at .5Ω and stay there for a while. For mech mods, I recommend the Sony VTC4 cell. This is a native 20A battery, but it can be run to 30A without dangerous overheating. There are a couple 30A CDR batteries, but the capacity is miserable; you're better off with the Sony's. A stand alone Ohmmeter is an absolute requirement if you're building on a mech. There's no other way to test your resistance, and a screw up can be very dangerous. You can buy a cheap one on eBay for $10-15, or you can get a USAOhmmeters good one for $27 plus shipping, but don't skip it. Last, stay away from "faux hybrid" top caps, especially on your first mech. The center pin is a good safety mechanism. Here's a photo; the kind of top cap you want is on the left, the kind to stay away from on the right:

Thanks for the suggestion. I think I'll take your advise and start off with 0.5 ohm build. I'll also pick up some VTC4s. I don't quite yet feel confident with hybrid top caps. Both mods Im looking at are not hybrids and have great bottom locks. I do use my ohm meter from my coil master tool kit and don't rely on what my regulated mod says. But they have read the same so far.

 

[Spencer87]

For me it went from Regulated ---> Mech ----> regulated... once the higher power ones started coming out...
See a mech mod is cool but there is too much shineyitis... and I dont have this thing people talk about called willpower (I think its some sort of super power)

So I spent a fair amount for me... and then jumped in to the regulated game. there is a bit more of a safety with Regulated.

 

[Baditude]

Read my Beginners Guide to Your First Mechanical Mod in my blogs @Baditude. I go over a large variety of topics relevant to the title. @Mooch has a great blog on batteries, too,

 

[Adam209]

Read my Beginners Guide to Your First Mechanical Mod in my blogs @Baditude. I go over a large variety of topics relevant to the title. @Mooch has a great blog on batteries, too,

What an awesome blog post Baditude. Thank you! Perhaps I'll keep using my Sigelei 150w box a bit longer while I get more educated. I thought I had a firm grasp on mechs, I guess not.

Thanks again

 

[suprtrkr]

Thanks for the suggestion. I think I'll take your advise and start off with 0.5 ohm build. I'll also pick up some VTC4s. I don't quite yet feel confident with hybrid top caps. Both mods Im looking at are not hybrids and have great bottom locks. I do use my ohm meter from my coil master tool kit and don't rely on what my regulated mod says. But they have read the same so far.

Excellent. Enjoy. Mechs can be frustrating at first. There's no other way to adjust the vape than rebuild the topper. You'll find yourself on Ohm's Law Calculator a lot, figuring high and low battery voltage to determine the wattage range they will vape as the battery discharges (at .5Ω you'll be between 25 and 35 watts, usually); you'll have to build to give yourself the vape you want across that band. Pay careful attention to the heat flux figures in Steam Engine; this is going to determine the cloud and warmth you can expect.The good news is, once you make it through the learning curve, you'll be a lot better builder.

What mechs are you looking at?

 

[conanthewarrior]

First things first-safety.

I gather you own an Ohm reader, you will definitely want one of these to start using mechs.
Battery wise, the 25R is a good choice, make sure you don't exceed it's CDR.

To start with, I suggest not building super low (I don't actually suggest that at any time really), until you get a feel of what is going on, when to pull your batteries, ETC.

Ensure that when you build, that you leave room for both the edges of the RDA, AND any potential metal that could make contact when you put the top of your RDA on-you really do not want a short to occur.

Your calculations will be for a perfect case scenario, without voltage sag, the conductivity of your mod and its contacts, in likelyhood you will be pulling a little less than what you calculate-but don't compensate for this by building lower. Not yet.

Mechs are fun, and do have a certain charm to them, and I enjoy them myself, but in all honesty, I do find a regulated mod to be better for my needs-constant power, not needing to pull batteries at around 3.7V, and also TC I find are great benefits over mechs-then you have the added safety features a regulated device offers.

On a mech, I am sure you know this-there is none of that. It is you, and you alone, that ensure the device is safe.

Steam engine is a great place to calculate for your builds-if you are using a mech though, ideally I would say that you know the calculations yourself for ohms law-I always calculate them myself first, and then double check on steam engine, even after a long time vaping.

There has been some great advice in this thread, enjoy your mech if you are ready with knowledge and also FEEL ready, and safe to use a mech, but above all, be safe .

 

[Adam209]

Just as an update. I took the leap and bought a Noisy Cricket. I talked to a couple different shops and had them quiz me as to my understanding of ohms law and battery safety. All of which said that I had a firm grasp of all of it. It's not like they were just trying to sell me something, because I was going to buy a more expensive tube mod.

So, here is my current setup. Noisy Cricket with the Indestructible RDA, 0.9 ohm build. Rocking around 80 watts, and 10 amp battery pull with two married LG HG2 20 amp batteries.

I also bought a multimeter to keep an eye on my battery voltage.

 

[Lessifer]

Just as an update. I took the leap and bought a Noisy Cricket. I talked to a couple different shops and had them quiz me as to my understanding of ohms law and battery safety. All of which said that I had a firm grasp of all of it. It's not like they were just trying to sell me something, because I was going to buy a more expensive tube mod.

So, here is my current setup. Noisy Cricket with the Indestructible RDA, 0.9 ohm build. Rocking around 80 watts, and 10 amp battery pull with two married LG HG2 20 amp batteries.

I also bought a multimeter to keep an eye on my battery voltage.

Just be mindful of the "hybrid" connection, so check your atomizer center pins.

 

[Adam209]

Just be mindful of the "hybrid" connection, so check your atomizer center pins.

Yes, thank you. The atty I have on there is made for the Noisy Cricket and has a real nice protruding 510 connection center pin.