I need a tutorial on vaping with mechanical mods

Status
Not open for further replies.

Equality 7-2521

Moved On
ECF Veteran
Jan 29, 2013
1,056
2,071
oakland ca.
Hey all,
Firstly, I know next to nothing about electricity.After a disapointing journey of trial and errors amid the world of cheap atomizers, poisonous tasting clearomizers,and cortomizers, I knew people were getting great tasting vapes somehow,and I found it in RBA's.I got myself a aga-t+ and have been finding the kind of flavor and performance I was looking for, as well as a tremendous freedom, and fun wrapping different style coils and wicks to tailor and explore diffrent kinds of vapes.I have a little vv spinner I'm using it on.


I am interested in twisted coils, and the durability of mechanical devices, as well as the battery life,but I don't understand how to vape with them.With vv devices I wrap a coil check it on my ohm meter look at a chart that tells me the close sweet spot for that resistance and dial my varitable voltage to the recomended volts simple ( by the way as I said earlier I don't know the difference between a volt, a watt, or a whole in the ground)

But how do you do that with a mechanical mod? do you get say a 18650 battery and wrap only say 1.8 coils or do you wrap a coil and change battery to suit it, and if so how do you figure it out. I mean doesn't the size of your battery really limit the types of coils you can use? also I saw a video where a guy wrapped a .9 ohm coil and then put it on a 4 volt mechanical mod, but it didn't make sense to me I thought that 4 volt would burn a coil like that up.I mean I thought like a 1.5 ohm atty was suited to say a 3.3 volt how can he put 4 volts through a .9 coil.

Another thing I understand that alot of people with mechanical devices, will change their battery if they feel the power has gone down enough to change the quality of their vape too much, I thought that you needed to drain the battery completely before you recharged it, or it would affect the lifespan of the battery. and lastly can you use a .9 ohm coil on a mechanical mod that has a kick in it.or do you have to take the kick out.
As you can see a boat load of stupid in need of a good wind. I'd appreciate any help you can give.
 
Last edited:

Haber

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
May 11, 2013
99
73
BC Canada
I'm quite new to mechanicals as well but when you are using an RBA they have the ability to wick juice a lot better than say ce5 or vivi nova so you are to crank out higher watts and produce much more vapor. As far as batteries go an 18650, 18500, 18350 all will put out 4.2 volts fully charged. They just have different MaH ratings and will last different amounts of time while you are vaping. When you are making coils I would recommend going to ohmslawcalculator.com and punching in your voltage (let's say 4.2 fully charged) and enter the ohms (1.8 what you have right now). Calculate that and you have 9.8 watts drawing 2.33 amps. The lower the ohms the higher the wattage and more vapor production. (My coil right now is 1.4 ohms and is 12.6 watts fully charged pulling 3 amps). Mechanical mods are unregulated as opposed to the provari evic vamo and others which have an amp limit. Some guys are building coils that are sub ohm at .8 or .9 which are putting out 22 watts and drawing 5.25 amps. The provari's limit is 3.5 amps vamo is 5 amps and the evic is 2.5 amps.

Long story short, a mechanical mod will put out a much higher wattage than a regulated one as they have no amp limit. If you plan on going sub ohm be very careful and do your calculations before firing.
 

muriarte

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Dec 15, 2011
339
285
Monterrey, MX / McAllen, TX
In a mechanical, the power is determined by your coil and the volts on the batt. You have to make the coils according to your taste, so it works on a battery that outputs 4.2v at the most and goes down as you use it. As mentioned above, the size of the battery changes how long it lasts, not how much voltage it gives.

Common batteries are rated 3.7v and will give you 4.2v when fully charged. There are batteries that have higher outputs, 5v for example, but those are not so commonly used.
 

Vault

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 12, 2013
234
146
Wellingborough,Northants,UK
I was interested in this as well :) and was curious as to why (and how!) some folk were vaping at greater than 15watts and using sub-ohm coils but now I see. The limiting factor is the switch? Or rather the amps the switch can handle? The rest is down to ohms law and the amount of volts the battery in the mod can supply. Big volts, low ohms and no limit on the amps the mod can handle equals high wattage vaping? :blush:
 

muriarte

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Dec 15, 2011
339
285
Monterrey, MX / McAllen, TX
I was interested in this as well :) and was curious as to why (and how!) some folk were vaping at greater than 15watts and using sub-ohm coils but now I see. The limiting factor is the switch? Or rather the amps the switch can handle? The rest is down to ohms law and the amount of volts the battery in the mod can supply. Big volts, low ohms and no limit on the amps the mod can handle equals high wattage vaping? :blush:

Basically yes, but you have other variables: the mod itself generates a voltage drop on load and the discharge rate (c rating) of your battery. If you use a sub ohm coil on a mechanical and use sub-par baterries, you can overload the batt and have a dangerous venting. It is very important to use safe chemistry batteries, such as aw, panasonics and MNKE.
 

Vault

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 12, 2013
234
146
Wellingborough,Northants,UK
Got that thanks muriarte. And I guess the reasons the coils don`t pop with such low ohms is the fact that most mods use RBA`s or drippers that wick a lot better and it`s the juice that keeps the coils from popping?

just realised I`ve hi-jacked the thread from the OP... sorry :facepalm:
 
Last edited:

muriarte

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Dec 15, 2011
339
285
Monterrey, MX / McAllen, TX
Got that thanks muriarte. And I guess the reasons the coils don`t pop with such low ohms is the fact that most mods use RBA`s or drippers that wick a lot better and it`s the juice that keeps the coils from popping?

just realised I`ve hi-jacked the thread from the OP... sorry :facepalm:

Usually you would use thicker wire, like 28gauge, to get low ohms with less wire; that helps not to pop the coil.
 

mtdewfreak

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jun 30, 2013
272
134
Texas
ok, i have a question. i am awaiting the arrival of my first mech mod.

until i buy, try, build and get into sub-ohm RBA's can't i just use a bottom coil clearo like the protank or T3 or Evod?

with a 2.2 ohm head
3.7v-4.2v/2.2ohm = 6.2w-8.0w

with a 2.5 ohm head
3.7v-4.2v/2.5ohm = 5.5w-7.3w

with a 1.8 ohm head
3.7v-4.2v/1.8ohm = 7.6w-9.8w

wouldn't this work just fine or am i not understanding something? obviously the 1.8ohm head should give the best cloud...



another question... i just bought some AW IMR 18350 batteries. i know those will work. my question is about my 18650 batteries that came in kits. my zmax v3, which is in route to me, comes with IMR, but the 18650's that came with my Lavatube are ICR. Should I qvoid using the ICR's in a mech mod or are they ok?

thanks from a mech mod newbie

:thumbs:
 

supertrunker

Living sarcasm
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Oct 12, 2012
11,151
52,106
Texas
The limiting factor is in fact the battery. It's typical to make your coil to suit the power you have available (4.2v usually) but it's also based on taste. I find that going much below 1 Ohm resistance is a hot vape that is very close to frying my juice. Serious cloudhounds might well like it.

I use IMR batteries because they are considered chemically safer, which means they are less likely to go out of control when they are stressed. Only mechanical mods can effectively use sub Ohm coils - the circuitry protection in other devices will mean they will shut off or refuse to even fire; but it also means that when you use such coils the onus is on you to make sure you know what you are doing and that you do not exceed the limits of the battery.

I don't recommend that inexperienced users use them, which is not to be patronising but just to stress the 'keep safe at all costs' mantra.

T
 

Thrasher

ECF Guru
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Oct 28, 2012
11,176
13,741
Madeira beach, Fla
until i buy, try, build and get into sub-ohm RBA's can't i just use a bottom coil clearo like the protank or T3 or Evod?
sub ohm is not needed on a mech 1 to 1.4 ohm coils will work great. sub ohm needs caution and a deep understanding of how hard you really are pushing everything and can be seriously dangerous if you use the wrong equipment or batteries, and is a strange fad to me.
The limiting factor is in fact the battery. It's typical to make your coil to suit the power you have available (4.2v usually)

the problem with this is the battery wil only be in the 4.2 range for about 10 minutes or so. they are made to be charged that high but the actual holding level is 3.6 3.7 area and they will stay in that range for some time.
what i have always found interesting is a coil that taste too hot at 4v on a VV will taste fine usually on a mech at 4v.
you can use just about ANY device on a mech. the real issue is finding premade heads and equipment with low enough resistance to make the battery fire it hot enough for an enjoyable vape once the battery starts to drop off some.

if you can get heads say lower then 1.6 they will work ok for a while. if you rebuild heads make one around 1.2 or so and it will work on a mech great.
but in the mean time while you wait for whatever you are going to permanently use a fresh battery will fire a 1.8 evod just fine. i just wouldnt expect it to do it for very long.
 
Last edited:

AttyPops

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Jul 8, 2010
8,708
132,402
Hc Svnt Dracones - USA EST
ok, i have a question. i am awaiting the arrival of my first mech mod.

until i buy, try, build and get into sub-ohm RBA's can't i just use a bottom coil clearo like the protank or T3 or Evod?

with a 2.2 ohm head
3.7v-4.2v/2.2ohm = 6.2w-8.0w

with a 2.5 ohm head
3.7v-4.2v/2.5ohm = 5.5w-7.3w

with a 1.8 ohm head
3.7v-4.2v/1.8ohm = 7.6w-9.8w

wouldn't this work just fine or am i not understanding something? obviously the 1.8ohm head should give the best cloud...

another question... i just bought some AW IMR 18350 batteries. i know those will work. my question is about my 18650 batteries that came in kits. my zmax v3, which is in route to me, comes with IMR, but the 18650's that came with my Lavatube are ICR. Should I qvoid using the ICR's in a mech mod or are they ok?

thanks from a mech mod newbie

:thumbs:

Standard coils (those ohm ranges) work on mech mods just fine. And your battery will last a LOT longer than with sub-ohm stuff. There's little need for sub-ohm...but it's an option for experienced vapers (that have multi-meters and know about ohms law).

I'd suggest a multi-meter for all mech-mod users even when using standard coils.

And note that any coil, standard, sub-ohm, RBA, or stock can short. So know safety precautions, do research, and check into one of these particularly if you are in the standard ohm/amp range:
Smoktech VapeSafe Fuse
 

mtdewfreak

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jun 30, 2013
272
134
Texas
cool, thanks for the responses everyone.

first off, i do own a multimeter and know how to use it. i understand the basics of ohms law and how i could create danger by not creating a coil with the correct resistance.

what i guess is new to me is the sub-ohm vaping and most of you feel it's more dangerous than the performance results dictate. so i have no problem staying away from sub-ohm. i will focus on building 1.0 to 1.6 ohm coils when i get to that stage in my vaping career ;)

Attypops, i already have the vapesafe fuse in route, thanks ... :thumbs:


also glad to hear i can get some good rips off on my existing 1.8 ohm heads.

thanks again ;)
 

Thrasher

ECF Guru
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Oct 28, 2012
11,176
13,741
Madeira beach, Fla
yea i would play with subohm once you are comfortable just building standard equipment. as it can be dangerous and you need to feel sure of what you are doing.
if you already understand electricity then im sure you realize subohm vaping is pretty much close to taking a battery and directly shorting it out with a piece of wire. and with a 10 amp sustained release and an 18 amp peak thats some serious power to release from a battery when you press a button.
while designed for high release think of the cycle stress going from 0 to 9 amps constantly all day its only a plastuc tube lol

while im not saying its a bad vape the only people i really see doing this are cloud chasers. i run 1 to 1.3ish ohm coils all day on my mech and have no problems with vapor output for several hours with out anything getting overly heated up/.
 
Last edited:

donnah

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Aug 22, 2010
4,470
4,463
Albemarle, North Carolina
My experience is ... subohms is only needed with mesh on a mech. If I'm using a genesis rba with mesh on a mech, it has to be .8 or .9 to be good (for me) for any length of time. I'm in the process of switching from mesh to silica in my gennys.. silica doesn't have to be subohms to get a good, lasting vape on a mech like mesh does. I've been using a .8 coil in my rsst on a mech for months.. taking it to work and all I need is for something to go wrong while I'm stealth vaping in the bathroom stall (I work in a hospital) :blink: sooo I'm getting away from having to use mesh and subohms on a mech and be able to use higher (and maybe safer) resistance on a (safer) provari and not have to worry that smoke is going to start coming out of the bathroom stall and I'll never be able to show my face at work again LOL.

Silica in a genny works great at higher resistance and I'm not restricted to using my gennys just on mechs.
 

AttyPops

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Jul 8, 2010
8,708
132,402
Hc Svnt Dracones - USA EST
yea i would play with subohm once you are comfortable just building standard equipment. as it can be dangerous and you need to feel sure of what you are doing.
if you already understand electricity then im sure you realize subohm vaping is pretty much close to taking a battery and directly shorting it out with a piece of wire. and with a 10 amp sustained release and an 18 amp peak thats some serious power to release from a battery when you press a button.
while designed for high release think of the cycle stress going from 0 to 9 amps constantly all day its only a plastuc tube lol

while im not saying its a bad vape the only people i really see doing this are cloud chasers. i run 1 to 1.3ish ohm coils all day on my mech and have no problems with vapor output for several hours with out anything getting overly heated up/.

^^^^ That.

Basically, as ohms ---> zero, stress ----> battery limit or beyond. The SLR stuff moves the battery very close to it's limits even when configured properly (within limits). There's new battery tech all the time. As soon as new amp limits come out, the cloud changers add more coils (4 coils, 8 coils, etc.). lol. So you have to know what you are doing!

This is also why a shorted coil = total stress = flame potential. Always check vents too. Vapesafe fuse has an amp/watt limit, but IDK what it is off the top of my head because I don't use mech mods and have other protection in-circuit.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread