I'm brand new to the world of RTA and I have not built one as of yet. I got some wonderful advice on a good RTA and what pre coiled coils to purchase. I'm not ready to start building my own coil yet from wire, far from it, but eventually that would be my goal. I would just like to know how everyone selects what coil they're going to use for their RTA. I mean I understand that it needs to fit but other than that I really don't know. Like with pre-made coils how do you decide which coil to put in your RTA? Other than not fitting the deck is there a way to have a wrong coil and if so what happens? Or is it just a matter of preference? If it helps the general discussion I prefer mouth to lung type of vaping but I'm really just looking for a general overview on how people choose what's going to work for their device
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I can only share my own experience. I would watch some YouTube tutorials or reviews and go from there as a start point. From there I would find what I liked with some trial and error. I'm the kinda guy who rarely ends up doing what is oft suggested, but I can begin there.
Other than that I'd suggest starting with the basics. Single round wire coils and cotton, maybe Japanese pads. If you can't get the basics right, using expensive cotton and funky dooda coils won't get you there.
Other than that I'd suggest starting with the basics. Single round wire coils and cotton, maybe Japanese pads. If you can't get the basics right, using expensive cotton and funky dooda coils won't get you there.
Just to add a bit to what @Tabac man said.
Depending on the RTA;
28 or 26 AWG coils with a 2.5mm-3.0mm ID, since you are using a variable watt device, aim for resistances between .75Ω and 1.0Ω.
SS316 wire can be used in wattage mode or Temperature control.
Pro tip: wrapping and mounting coils is the easy part, proper wicking is the hard part.
Cheers
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Usually people who are New to RTA's try to Mimic the type Coil they are using currently.
So if you are using a Tank and it Tastes Best with 0.6 Ohm SS Coil Head, that is what they shoot for.
This site can help you do "What If's"...
Coil wrapping | Steam Engine | free vaping calculators
A good place to Start is with a 3mm ID and the default 5mm Leg Length.
I highly recommend rayon cellucotton instead of real cotton. Other than that I will leave the coil stuff to the pros
Thank you for that suggestion I was wondering if that would be a method that would work. And what's even funnier is that you actually hit the nail on the head because I do use .6 ohm in my little aio. So most of this is really personal preference so long as it is able to be handled by your mod of course and fit in your deck is that correct?
Yeah... Personal Preference is about 80% of Coil Building.
So it is going to take some Experimentation to find what you Like the Best.
I tell People (who are doing Single Coil Builds) who are new to Start with a 3mm ID. And to go with 5 ~ 8 Wraps. Andy less than 5 doesn't work well for Me. And any More than around 8 and I can start to get Fit Issues.
Then I tell them to Poke Around on the Steam Engine site and see what type of Wire Types and Gauges would work for a 3mm ID with 5 ~ 8 Wraps at a given Ohms.
I think SS is a Great Choice for Wire Type. Because it can be used in Both Wattage and TC Mode. But Wire is Pretty Cheap. So when you start, getting a Handful of small spools of Kanthal and SS and NiChrome in Different Gauges usually isn't going to set you back a pay check.
Note: if you are going to Build on a Dual Coil RTA, then Each Individual Coil needs to be Twice the Ohms of the Final Build.
So if you want to end up with a 0.6 Ohm Dual Coil Build, you need to put Two 1.2 Ohms Coils into you RTA.
Resistance on a regulated device has little value. You set the power based on preference. 50 watts into 0.6 ohms is no different than 50 watts into 0.3 ohms. Because both resistances are using the same amount of power, current draw from the battery will also be the same. The time it takes each coil to heat up will be determined by the coils mass - and vapor production will be determined by the amount of power used and the coil’s surface area, which is also influenced by the coils mass.
Take 0.6 ohms as a goal, using 24 awg wire will result in 2x the mass as using 26 awg wire of the same metal. In order to achieve the same temperature within the same duration, the 24 awg will require 2x more power. Sans any influence airflow may have. Both coils have the same resistance, but require different power settings which could influence the quality of the vape.
Resistance on a fixed voltage device does play an important roll – Ohms law tells us that if voltage is static, resistance will dictate the power output.
Take 0.6 ohms as a goal, using 24 awg wire will result in 2x the mass as using 26 awg wire of the same metal. In order to achieve the same temperature within the same duration, the 24 awg will require 2x more power. Sans any influence airflow may have. Both coils have the same resistance, but require different power settings which could influence the quality of the vape.
Resistance on a fixed voltage device does play an important roll – Ohms law tells us that if voltage is static, resistance will dictate the power output.
It would be very helpful to know what wattage you use to help suggest a suitable setup.
On a regulated device the end resistance is not really important.
What is important is that the coil mass (amount of metal) matches the power range that you like to vape at. If you vape at a low wattage range then you need a very low mass coil or there will not be enough power to bring it quickly up to heat.
If you are using higher power levels then a coil will need to be higher mass to withstand the higher power levels.
Example 1- A 12 watt cigalike will probably have a 1.5 ohm coil made of very thin wire, using say 30 guage wire.
Example 2 - An average MTL set up may use say 26 guage wire and 50 watts.
If you used the first example at 50 watts , the coil would probably melt and if not the vape would hideously harsh.
If you used the second example at 12 watts, the coil would barely get hot and almost no vapour would be produced.
At the end of the day if you are using a regulated device it's going to be quite forgiving of what coil you use. You start at a low wattage and increase the power until it makes you happy. If the coil requires too much power and is harsh then it is too small. If you are unable to put enough power into it to make you happy its probably to large.
Like most things there will some experimentation required to get it right for you as we are all different. You mentioned DTL so I'm going to guess that you are going to be in the ballpark of my second example.
It absolutely comes down to personal preference, pick the best size coil to go in at whatever ohms you would like then wick. And Happily Vape
Thank you that was great info and I like how you gave examples! Right now I am preferring right around 30 to 35 Watts and that's with a commercial coil that gave me a rating way higher than that as a suggested wattage but I don't like it that high.
It depends on the RTA and how good your wicking is, but a good starting point for that wattage would be -
Dual coil - 6 or 7 wraps of 26 guage kanthal or stainless steel.
Dual coil - 6 or 7 wraps of 26 guage kanthal or stainless steel.
Sorry but I do not agree. My favorite wire gauge is 26 and I vape at 14-18 watts. I can produce plenty of vapour at 12 watts although it is on cooler side it is still warm vape. For warm flavorful MTL or RDL 20 watts is maximum neccesary. If I would set my wattage to 50 I would probably melt my coil or get dry hit in no time. I have used over dozen different RTA for more than a year and I never vaped at more than 30 watts. I see no point in vaping above 20 watts.
It is your opinion he mention DTL. Fact is he mention MTL and I do not know any MTL user who vape at 50 watt.
I see @sonicbomb post as describing the physics behind a coil and how mass can dictate the needed power. I do not see it as a definition of MTL vaping is performed at 50 watts – was just an example given.
I've wound and vaped 28ga SS316L coils with rayon wicks at 10W for years. It's my sweet spot for MTL vaping. I've never wanted clouds, although it's easy to create more vapor than a cigarette at that level (with a clean coil and fairly new wick. 10 wraps of 28ga SS on a 2mm coil jig yields a coil in the range of .7 to .8 ohms +/-.
Here's an example of my 2mm coil using SS316L wire for a .8 ohm coil. You can play with the numbers to achieve any single coil with a diameter and resistance that you want.
Coil wrapping | Steam Engine | free vaping calculators
On the bottom right of the page you will see heat flux and suggested wattage/voltage settings. Those are your clues for whether your coil will work at the settings you normally use. I vape the settings in the link above at around 10W. Steam Engine suggests 17W for that coil, but I like a cool vape.
I was going to use multiquote to save you time and effort of actually reading what people have been posting in this thread, but I couldn't be bothered.
It's down to personal preference. You are disagreeing with my intentionally vague suggestion because it does not match your own preference? Plus it was an example used to demonstrate a point, not a suggested setup.
If you go back and read the OP he specifically mentioned MTL.
If you are spoiling for an argument rather than actually trying to add some value then go elsewhere please.
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