Help-started smoking again! E-cig not doing it for me!
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I'll put out a few more bucks for the digital multimeter when I get my wicks and wire. Would you mind if I pm'ed you if I have trouble after attempting a few? I just get frustrated and confused reading all the different posts about it, some get way too technical. I like your approach. I think I got it though, except for if out of range:
To Rebuild a 2.4 Ohm Vision Vivi Nova Head:
1) Take apart the head, take note of how it is put together.
2) Take about a 4" length of 32 gauge kanthal A-1 wire and wrap the wire around 4 strands of approx. 2" long pieces of 2.5mm non-fiberglass silica wick 4-5 times (Will look like 4 wraps viewed from the bottom, 5 wraps viewed from the top)(I saw a method with using a machine screw and beading needle that looks easy.) Do NOT cross wires on the coil or will create a "short" and not work!)
3) Insert your newly wound coil into the top of the head running the two wires through the bottom. Pull the two wires somewhat tight so wires do not touch sides of head or cross. One wire goes on the outside of the rubber grommet, one wire on inside of the grommet. Press in center metal piece to secure the wire(s). (You can through away piece of insulation that is in the top of the head around the coil, just make sure wire/coil does touch sides of the head or will create a "short" and make sure NOT to cross any wires inside the head!)
4) Snip ends of wires as short as possible.
5) Set Up Multimeter: Turn your digital multimeter dial to the 200K Ohm setting. Insert Black lead into the "COM -" hole and the Red lead into the "VΏma" hole - This will vary depending on your multimeter. This setting is for the Harbor Freight, Cen-Tech - Item#98025, 7 Function Digital Multimeter ($5.29)
6) Test the resistance of the leads by touching them together and note the reading.
7) Test the resistance of the head (touch one lead firmly to the inside metal "plug", one lead firmly to the outside threads) NOTE: When testing, press the lead pretty firmly when you make your measurements. You'll see fluctuations when you move around or don't make good contact (again, at such low resistances this just happens). Take a few readings, and go by the lowest "sane" (not wildly different from other readings) reading you get. A negative number is ok, it just means you reversed the leads.
8) Subtract the Lead Resistance from the Head Resistance. This is the ACTUAL Head Ohms (For example 2.4 ohm, 2.0 - 2.4 ideally)
9) If reading of 0 indicates you have a short, therefore, repeat steps 1 - 8. If number too low or too high (not the right ohms), repeat Steps 1 - 8 (If too low, add a 6th wrap of the wick? If too high, reduce to 4 wraps of the wick?)
To Rebuild a 2.4 Ohm Vision Vivi Nova Head:
1) Take apart the head, take note of how it is put together.
2) Take about a 4" length of 32 gauge kanthal A-1 wire and wrap the wire around 4 strands of approx. 2" long pieces of 2.5mm non-fiberglass silica wick 4-5 times (Will look like 4 wraps viewed from the bottom, 5 wraps viewed from the top)(I saw a method with using a machine screw and beading needle that looks easy.) Do NOT cross wires on the coil or will create a "short" and not work!)
3) Insert your newly wound coil into the top of the head running the two wires through the bottom. Pull the two wires somewhat tight so wires do not touch sides of head or cross. One wire goes on the outside of the rubber grommet, one wire on inside of the grommet. Press in center metal piece to secure the wire(s). (You can through away piece of insulation that is in the top of the head around the coil, just make sure wire/coil does touch sides of the head or will create a "short" and make sure NOT to cross any wires inside the head!)
4) Snip ends of wires as short as possible.
5) Set Up Multimeter: Turn your digital multimeter dial to the 200K Ohm setting. Insert Black lead into the "COM -" hole and the Red lead into the "VΏma" hole - This will vary depending on your multimeter. This setting is for the Harbor Freight, Cen-Tech - Item#98025, 7 Function Digital Multimeter ($5.29)
6) Test the resistance of the leads by touching them together and note the reading.
7) Test the resistance of the head (touch one lead firmly to the inside metal "plug", one lead firmly to the outside threads) NOTE: When testing, press the lead pretty firmly when you make your measurements. You'll see fluctuations when you move around or don't make good contact (again, at such low resistances this just happens). Take a few readings, and go by the lowest "sane" (not wildly different from other readings) reading you get. A negative number is ok, it just means you reversed the leads.
8) Subtract the Lead Resistance from the Head Resistance. This is the ACTUAL Head Ohms (For example 2.4 ohm, 2.0 - 2.4 ideally)
9) If reading of 0 indicates you have a short, therefore, repeat steps 1 - 8. If number too low or too high (not the right ohms), repeat Steps 1 - 8 (If too low, add a 6th wrap of the wick? If too high, reduce to 4 wraps of the wick?)
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I got out my car at the library and almost stepped on a brand new bag of American Spirit Tobacco with papers! Waited a couple weeks before I dipped into it.
Perique blend
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Sounds about right, Jane. Adding and removing wraps only adjusts the resistance a little bit. If it's way off, you'll need different-gague wire. But no worries, 32g kanthal wrapped 4.5 times is going to be about right.
Really, once you do a couple it's not as complicated as it seems. A lot of the "tips" people give are things most people can just reason on their own, you know? I could describe loading a dishwasher in a way that would make it sound complicated and rife with danger, but after it's all said and done it's just putting dishes in a box.
Likewise, deep down this is just wrapping wire wround a wick and attaching it to the head. The details mostly work themselves out.
Really, once you do a couple it's not as complicated as it seems. A lot of the "tips" people give are things most people can just reason on their own, you know? I could describe loading a dishwasher in a way that would make it sound complicated and rife with danger, but after it's all said and done it's just putting dishes in a box.
Likewise, deep down this is just wrapping wire wround a wick and attaching it to the head. The details mostly work themselves out.
There's a video or 2 on youtube about rebuilding T3 heads and Evod heads, his username is snaredrummer something or other. He made it look so easy I tried it. I can't really see very well, even with trifocal glasses on, so I'm going to have to get a standing lit magnifying glass, but I can honestly tell you, if I can do it then you'll be acing it on the first try!
Also saw a video of wrapping coils on a 4-40 machine screw, so I bought 10 of them for $1 at Lowes one day, I'll try that next time.
Good luck!!
Also saw a video of wrapping coils on a 4-40 machine screw, so I bought 10 of them for $1 at Lowes one day, I'll try that next time.
Good luck!!
I kinda knew that after taking one apart except the whole multimeter thing was throwing me because it would get too complicated and they want to me understand what I'm doing.
Thanks, bazmonkey! (Fingers crossed until I actually do it.) I guess mine are the "I don't want to know more than I have to instructions".
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Most likely it's the whole tobacco alkaloids (WTA) many of which are MAOIs.
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Adding more wraps INCREASES the resistance of the coil. So if "the number" is too low...add a wrap.
Of course, as you said, zero ohms is a short.
Of course, as you said, zero ohms is a short.
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Thanks, I probably should burn the manufacturing oil off the coil too. Forgot to put that in my instructions.
Your struggles Is exactly why I can not have ONE. One will lead me back too 2 packs a day. It is tooooo easy to start right back up for me. My husband could have a few while drinking and then not smoke again for months. I can not. I quit for three month years ago and hit a stressful time and have one and then two and I was back to two packs a day.I think even if I get to zero nic, I will keep a pv and some Nic handy just in case. It would be so easy for me too start back up.
I think you need to have a long conversation with yourself. What are your triggers?
Can you have one or two and vape on?
Do you want to stop smoking and vape?
Vape to quit smoking?
Stoping vaping and go no Nic?
Be honest with yourself and your triggers. Think about what you want and what you need.
I think you need to have a long conversation with yourself. What are your triggers?
Can you have one or two and vape on?
Do you want to stop smoking and vape?
Vape to quit smoking?
Stoping vaping and go no Nic?
Be honest with yourself and your triggers. Think about what you want and what you need.
As a lifelong sufferer of depression (genetically runs in my family), and spending years trying all the meds, combos, and absolutely refusing the ECT's, and giving up on them all together, I came across this book (I was lucky and the Kindle version was free for a short time):
Amazon.com: Could It Be B12?: An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses (9781884995699): Sally M. Pacholok, Jeffrey J. Stuart: Books
Tried several different brands of b12 supplements with no success. Until I ran across these - they are protected against the stomach acid which destroys the b12 before it can be absorbed:
Andrew Lessman Vitamin B12 Complex Supplement - 60 Caps at HSN.com
I take 1 in the morning and 1 at night (total of 1000mg) and no other medications. Perfect solution? No, but I take no other meds, and it helps tremendously.
Amazon.com: Could It Be B12?: An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses (9781884995699): Sally M. Pacholok, Jeffrey J. Stuart: Books
Tried several different brands of b12 supplements with no success. Until I ran across these - they are protected against the stomach acid which destroys the b12 before it can be absorbed:
Andrew Lessman Vitamin B12 Complex Supplement - 60 Caps at HSN.com
I take 1 in the morning and 1 at night (total of 1000mg) and no other medications. Perfect solution? No, but I take no other meds, and it helps tremendously.
There is a lot more than just nicotine that hooks people to analogs and the addiction to nicotine and keeping different blood levels (when and how you used analogs) also plays a part. If there were not other factors, a piece of gum or a patch would be winners and everyone that wanted to stop smoking would now be non smokers. This could be a matter of your 'smoking' habits changing as you moved farther away from analogs and they started to change to fit vaping and those changes started to be enough that your body and brain woke up and said 'oops he is not giving us that fix we are used too' even though you were getting enough nicotine.
Vaping, and prescribed nicotine inhalers, work well because they also play to the other factors in a smoking addiction - the mechanical addition, the oral fixation and so on. With vaping you get to keep the same levels of nicotine in your body that it was used to from your analog experience - unlike the patch which feeds a steady amount with no ups and downs or gum which is taken so many times a day but not necessarily in answer to what your body is sued to having in peak and trough levels of nicotine.
Recent reports have started to show that there are other chemicals in analogs that when combined with nicotine during combustion have an additional addicting factor - this probably is what leads some switching to vaping still need a analog or two a day - for that other addition chemical mixture. It probably also explains why those that are finally over the analog addiction and are fully vaping notice that when they get separated from their PV or run out of e-juice for a period of time the nicotine jag is nowhere near what it was back when they smoked analogs and ran out. That. of course, should not be your problem as most people seem to kick the need for the additional chemicals pretty quickly so I doubt those are driving you back.
Since you have done well so long - almost a year - of vaping before tossing away your PV you might want to try some things. First an foremost if you absolutely slip back to some analog use don't beta yourself up - its a hard multiple level addiction to kick and beating yourself up over it makes it worse. And never throw the PV away - any time you can forego the analog for the PV is one time you are being healthier.
I would suspect that pat of this is that somehow your vaping is not mimicking the blood level up and downs you once got from analogs and you might be missing that 'good place' you go when you bump that level up from al lower amount in you blood. This is probably because you can vapin in more places and perhaps more often (if just because it costs less) then when you smoked analogs and have now artificially moved to a more even level of nicotine in your blood then the lows and highs which is a 'fun' and 'satisfying' part of the analog experience.
If you did not smoke much or at all during an 8 hour work day - your body was used to low levels during that time, and the high surge of nic it got when you left work and lit up, and then continued through the evening. If you don't smoke indoors, you body was used to ebbing levels until you stepped outside and tanked it back up. You may have to think through your old behavior and when you would have nicotine highs and lows and mimic that to see if it helps. But don't do it by just moving to higher nicotine levels.
for example you probably want to use 24 mg when you wake up and maybe once more in the morning and then switch to a low nicotine vape (6-18) during the day (if that is when you smoked the least) or treat your PV like you did analogs and don't use the PV until a smoke break time when you can step away from work, etc. Afterwork, zip that level back up with a few 24mg vapes and then go to a lower nic level in the evening if you don't want to withhold vaping like you had to when you would have to go outside.
What all that does is give back to your body/brain the ups and downs of nicotine that it enjoyed and was actually part of your analog addiction. I found all this out because I and several people I know when through the same thing when our vaping went from the same style and analog use to just vaping all day long - a bit here and there - and the blood levels flattened out - even though the nicotine was there the brain wanted ups and downs of it so it acted like it was not getting enough or any at all.
You might very well do much better using less nicotine until the urge becomes great to pick up and analog and then pick up the e-juice with a higher nic level in it to satisfy that urge rather then just using a high nic level around the clock. using the same level around the clock the body can associate that with a 'base' level and at times want it to spike up. Not getting those spikes is why patch and gum users often fail to switch or go back to analogs because they constant level of nicotine they get does not meet the need so they grab an analog or an extra piece of gum, and then start thinking that if they have to use an analog sometimes might as well be all the time and just assume the patch or gum is not giving them enough nicotine.
The other thing to consider is your mechanical use and oral fixation needs. No one, especially men it seems, like to admit that hand to mouth action and playing with an analog was a satisfying part of the addition. The mechanical part of it most people satisfy, unconsciously when vaping, by switching devices around during the day or from day to day, getting involved in re-building or maintenance instead of disposable everything and so on. This is probably why some people don't feel as satisfied with a tank as they do with dripping even though they get the same amount of nicotine .. dripping is a involved mechanical action that a person goes through that alerts the brain to 'nicotine coming' much like handing and lighting a analog. You might notice this if you watch a lot of analog smokers and see some that will actually play with it before even lighting it - production of removing it from the pack, tamping, moving it about in fingers - a bit of a production before lighting it and inhaling for the first time.
The oral fixation aspect which tags on to the whole thing can also wane a bit the longer you vape. As you adjust to your device you may not be using the tip as you did in the beginning like an analog or bringing to your mouth as often and your brain has noticed a more recent change.
There is nothing wrong with your vaping being totally different from how you handled an analog but its just good to know that often that 'urge' for an analog is just because your brain has not trained as fast as your body may have to a replacement of one for the other. You may have to think back on what changes you might have made recently or around the time you wanted to pick the analog back up and analyze if that was enough of a difference that you're now thinking about an analog as an answer.
Just because you feel the need for an analog now and then I would not give up your PV. In the short term if you have to give in while you figure out what works best for you thats better then going back to full time analog use. Everytime you avoid an analog for the nicotine is a time you avoid all the other crap that comes with it and the better off you are.
I hope you can figure it all out, especially given all the time it did work for you completely does say it can and will with a bit of adjustment. Just try and remember that analog addiction has almost a life of its own does not give up easily - thank the tobacco companies for finding a way to hold on to people for years after they initially (or finally) are able to quit.
And to take a suggestion out of another vaper's book on what to do if you feel a really crushing needs for an analog - go watch any vaping video or video's you can find where the video blog vapes on video.. vaping a long with someone seems to help many people for get wanting that analog.
Vaping, and prescribed nicotine inhalers, work well because they also play to the other factors in a smoking addiction - the mechanical addition, the oral fixation and so on. With vaping you get to keep the same levels of nicotine in your body that it was used to from your analog experience - unlike the patch which feeds a steady amount with no ups and downs or gum which is taken so many times a day but not necessarily in answer to what your body is sued to having in peak and trough levels of nicotine.
Recent reports have started to show that there are other chemicals in analogs that when combined with nicotine during combustion have an additional addicting factor - this probably is what leads some switching to vaping still need a analog or two a day - for that other addition chemical mixture. It probably also explains why those that are finally over the analog addiction and are fully vaping notice that when they get separated from their PV or run out of e-juice for a period of time the nicotine jag is nowhere near what it was back when they smoked analogs and ran out. That. of course, should not be your problem as most people seem to kick the need for the additional chemicals pretty quickly so I doubt those are driving you back.
Since you have done well so long - almost a year - of vaping before tossing away your PV you might want to try some things. First an foremost if you absolutely slip back to some analog use don't beta yourself up - its a hard multiple level addiction to kick and beating yourself up over it makes it worse. And never throw the PV away - any time you can forego the analog for the PV is one time you are being healthier.
I would suspect that pat of this is that somehow your vaping is not mimicking the blood level up and downs you once got from analogs and you might be missing that 'good place' you go when you bump that level up from al lower amount in you blood. This is probably because you can vapin in more places and perhaps more often (if just because it costs less) then when you smoked analogs and have now artificially moved to a more even level of nicotine in your blood then the lows and highs which is a 'fun' and 'satisfying' part of the analog experience.
If you did not smoke much or at all during an 8 hour work day - your body was used to low levels during that time, and the high surge of nic it got when you left work and lit up, and then continued through the evening. If you don't smoke indoors, you body was used to ebbing levels until you stepped outside and tanked it back up. You may have to think through your old behavior and when you would have nicotine highs and lows and mimic that to see if it helps. But don't do it by just moving to higher nicotine levels.
for example you probably want to use 24 mg when you wake up and maybe once more in the morning and then switch to a low nicotine vape (6-18) during the day (if that is when you smoked the least) or treat your PV like you did analogs and don't use the PV until a smoke break time when you can step away from work, etc. Afterwork, zip that level back up with a few 24mg vapes and then go to a lower nic level in the evening if you don't want to withhold vaping like you had to when you would have to go outside.
What all that does is give back to your body/brain the ups and downs of nicotine that it enjoyed and was actually part of your analog addiction. I found all this out because I and several people I know when through the same thing when our vaping went from the same style and analog use to just vaping all day long - a bit here and there - and the blood levels flattened out - even though the nicotine was there the brain wanted ups and downs of it so it acted like it was not getting enough or any at all.
You might very well do much better using less nicotine until the urge becomes great to pick up and analog and then pick up the e-juice with a higher nic level in it to satisfy that urge rather then just using a high nic level around the clock. using the same level around the clock the body can associate that with a 'base' level and at times want it to spike up. Not getting those spikes is why patch and gum users often fail to switch or go back to analogs because they constant level of nicotine they get does not meet the need so they grab an analog or an extra piece of gum, and then start thinking that if they have to use an analog sometimes might as well be all the time and just assume the patch or gum is not giving them enough nicotine.
The other thing to consider is your mechanical use and oral fixation needs. No one, especially men it seems, like to admit that hand to mouth action and playing with an analog was a satisfying part of the addition. The mechanical part of it most people satisfy, unconsciously when vaping, by switching devices around during the day or from day to day, getting involved in re-building or maintenance instead of disposable everything and so on. This is probably why some people don't feel as satisfied with a tank as they do with dripping even though they get the same amount of nicotine .. dripping is a involved mechanical action that a person goes through that alerts the brain to 'nicotine coming' much like handing and lighting a analog. You might notice this if you watch a lot of analog smokers and see some that will actually play with it before even lighting it - production of removing it from the pack, tamping, moving it about in fingers - a bit of a production before lighting it and inhaling for the first time.
The oral fixation aspect which tags on to the whole thing can also wane a bit the longer you vape. As you adjust to your device you may not be using the tip as you did in the beginning like an analog or bringing to your mouth as often and your brain has noticed a more recent change.
There is nothing wrong with your vaping being totally different from how you handled an analog but its just good to know that often that 'urge' for an analog is just because your brain has not trained as fast as your body may have to a replacement of one for the other. You may have to think back on what changes you might have made recently or around the time you wanted to pick the analog back up and analyze if that was enough of a difference that you're now thinking about an analog as an answer.
Just because you feel the need for an analog now and then I would not give up your PV. In the short term if you have to give in while you figure out what works best for you thats better then going back to full time analog use. Everytime you avoid an analog for the nicotine is a time you avoid all the other crap that comes with it and the better off you are.
I hope you can figure it all out, especially given all the time it did work for you completely does say it can and will with a bit of adjustment. Just try and remember that analog addiction has almost a life of its own does not give up easily - thank the tobacco companies for finding a way to hold on to people for years after they initially (or finally) are able to quit.
And to take a suggestion out of another vaper's book on what to do if you feel a really crushing needs for an analog - go watch any vaping video or video's you can find where the video blog vapes on video.. vaping a long with someone seems to help many people for get wanting that analog.
Got my stuff today and rebuilt 2 heads! My wick material is too thick, but I can work with it. The first head I vaped for about 10 puffs and it died? The 2nd, I'm getting dry hits, but I removed a strand of wick and it's better. I maybe wrapped the wick too tightly. Am I wrong, but since the thickness of the wire determines the ohms, don't I only need to test for a short? My cheap multimeter swings wildly and is almost useless. I was able to sort of guess at its reading only because I tested a new head.
Now I need to find a flavoring supplier (the one I was using isn't carrying my flavors anymore. Also, will be searching for a new battery system. Reading some bad stuff about the Vamo and almost ordered it from fasttech. I don't like the 10 sec. cut-off, are they all made that way now? Uses unprotected batteries (thought protected was important?)
Here we go again!!! But happy about the head issue being resolved! THANKS!
My wick material is too thick, but I can work with it. The first head I vaped for about 10 puffs and it died? The 2nd, I'm getting dry hits, but I removed a strand of wick and it's better. I maybe wrapped the wick too tightly. Am I wrong, but since the thickness of the wire determines the ohms, don't I only need to test for a short? My cheap multimeter swings wildly and is almost useless. I was able to sort of guess at its reading only because I tested a new head.Now I need to find a flavoring supplier (the one I was using isn't carrying my flavors anymore. Also, will be searching for a new battery system. Reading some bad stuff about the Vamo and almost ordered it from fasttech. I don't like the 10 sec. cut-off, are they all made that way now? Uses unprotected batteries (thought protected was important?)
Here we go again!!! But happy about the head issue being resolved! THANKS!
Jane, your situation sounds a lot like the one I've been going through recently. I actually just made a post telling my story and some of the things I have ordered that I am confident will help me kick the analogs for good (link posted below). I'm still waiting on most of it, but I have already received my Kanger ProTanks and they are working great. Have only had 1 analog a day since receiving them (compared to 3-4 before that).
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/general-e-smoking-discussion/431642-ready-roll-big-boys-girls.html
I like the Vamo 10 second cutoff, if the button gets pressed in my purse [happens to me a lot] I don't accidentally fry the clearomizer. Also, the protection is built in the Vamo so no need for protected batteries. I'm new to it, but it has absolutely opened my eyes to the vv/vw world. Here all this time I was using a regulated battery and some pretty crappy cartomizers, wondering why it was so hard to quit! Read up on the subform for Vamo if you're interested in it.
By the way, I knew you would ace coil-wrapping 101. Good for you!
By the way, I knew you would ace coil-wrapping 101. Good for you!
Just placed an order for a Vamo from Fasttech along with a bunch of eliquids to try. Took all day though. Keeping fingers crossed that I don't get a dud. (Previously ordered from Health Cabin and did not go well.) If this all goes well, I may order a Kanger bottom coil tank.
Y'all sucked me back into the cult!!!
(I think I only smoked one cig today!)
Y'all sucked me back into the cult!!!
(I think I only smoked one cig today!)
I quit smoking after 38 years and started with the ego and a 510 battery and that wasnt working just like you. I was almost ready to give up the ecigs and go back to smokes but figured I would try a VV e cig as a last resort, I got a old buzz VV and it was great. The VV did the trick for me, try one befor going back to smoking. I have a few vamos from fasttech all work great and for around $30. you cant go wrong
Good luck.
Good luck.
My trigger is that I'm nervous. I always need to be sticking something in my mouth!
I'm either smoking, vaping, eating, or drinking. I've known that for years but can't seem to get over it. Triggers are pretty much constant.
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