I'd like a definitive answer once and for all: do amps matter?

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AzPlumber

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The watts are identical so both examples produce the exact same amount of heat (BTU's). If you were able to build the coils identical to each other, same gauge, same number of wraps and the only difference is resistance the BTU's would be identical. The higher voltage draws less amps so would be more efficient.
 

Stosh

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The quality of your vape depends more on the quality of your topper than the voltage or amperage supplied, you can't taste electrons.

When I started vaping high power vaping was done by stacking batteries, 6.0 volt or 7.4 volt was common, using 3.5Ω - 5.0Ω atomizers. RDAs didn't exist, except for the Bulli-Smoker and boost circuits were limited to low amperage, low wattage compared to today. A low-res atty or carto was in the 1.5Ω - 1.8Ω range, that was all a single battery could handle without a lot of voltage drop. The quality of the vapor didn't suffer, the equipment was just different, mostly cruder than today.
 
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skoony

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The coil design is not a constant. Coils can be made in many ways to achieve the same resistance.



You are right that you might be wrong about this. To increase resistance you can increase the length of a given wire gauge, so more surface area, or go to a thinner gauge of wire, so less surface area.

Build is everything.

most of the resistance in a coil comes from how many coils at what diameter,spaced how far apart,plus the resistance in the wire itself which is usually listed in foot lengths.most of the resistance is in the coil. most builds require one to keep the lead lengths as short as being practical to the build. measure the resistance in a three inch straight wire. now build a coil and compare.

the OP used two different reference voltages and two different resistances that both produced 65 watts of power. if the gauge of the wire is the same the load that is 12 times smaller than the other load is producing more heat. for the sake of arguement turn the burner on your stove on high. now light a small propane torch. for this assume they are both producing the same amount of BTU's.which one is hotter?

if the resistance of the coils is the same voltage determines power consumption. if voltage remains constant resistance determines power consumption.
we a talking about two different reference voltages and resistance values producing the same power out put but have different heat profiles.
:2c:
regards
mike
 

skoony

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Nope. If we have the same watts we have the same heat production. Simple.
Heating elements are characterized by wattage, not by coil length.
As for vapor production – it could be a bit different story, it can depend on configuration of coil, but which setup is more effective I have no idea. Short coil – more concentrated heat, long coil – it is a bit more distributed.

space heaters are rated in wattage so you as a user can make sure the outlet your using has a sufficient rating. one may need a 20 amp fused circuit as opposed to a 10 amp circuit.
one can have 2 1500 watt heaters with different BTU outputs depending on the design of the coil. BTU's are also listed on the device. of course any control circuitry has to be account for also.

assuming the wire used in the OP's original post is the same gauge and type wire the heating profile would be hotter in the smaller coil as it is releasing the same amount of power in a twelfth of the space.
:2c:
regards
mike
 
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dr g

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most of the resistance in a coil comes from how many coils at what diameter,spaced how far apart,plus the resistance in the wire itself which is usually listed in foot lengths.most of the resistance is in the coil.

As mentioned earlier, if you want to for example increase resistance you could both increase length or decrease wire diameter, which would have opposite effects on the wire mass/surface area. This is what the discussion about heat density is about starting in post #2 of the thread and stated in laymans terms several times subsequently by those including myself who have said it all depends on the specific build.

However, one thing you seem to be doing is confusing heat density with total heat. The total heat energy at the same wattage is the same. Density depends on the coil. Depending on wicking that may or may not translate into a difference in temperature in the coil/wick package; if a wicking package can keep up with the feed requirements the temperature will stay in a similar range regardless of the coil. Note that doesn't necessarily mean the two builds would "vape the same."
 
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imsoenthused

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This is one of those perfect world vs real world questions. In a perfect world, no, amps would not matter. In the world we all live in, there is no way to make the OPs two coils with identical dimensions and widely variant resistances. If we could, there would be no difference as long as the watts were the same. Amps matter because of the tools we are working with.
 

skoony

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As mentioned earlier, if you want to for example increase resistance you could both increase length or decrease wire diameter, which would have opposite effects on the wire mass/surface area. This is what the discussion about heat density is about starting in post #2 of the thread and stated in laymans terms several times subsequently by those including myself who have said it all depends on the specific build.

However, one thing you seem to be doing is confusing heat density with total heat. The total heat energy at the same wattage is the same. Density depends on the coil. Depending on wicking that may or may not translate into a difference in temperature in the coil/wick package; if a wicking package can keep up with the feed requirements the temperature will stay in a similar range regardless of the coil. Note that doesn't necessarily mean the two builds would "vape the same."
i am assuming the Op is using the same gauge and type wire in both the examples.
why would one do other wise? any ways 3 ohms is 3 ohms is 3 ohms no matter the gauge wire.
using the same voltage on three three ohm loads made from three different gauge wires would dissipate about the same amount of heat though as you say the vapor may have a different quality to it.

having a three ohm coil and a one ohm coil made of the same gauge wire at a given voltage the one ohm coil is hotter as its releasing more energy per coil turn.
this works in the OP's original example as even though the voltage used on the lower resistance coil was less,
the amperage was 3 and a half times greater per coil turn.

:2c:
regards
mike
 
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VapoJoe86

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You are right that you might be wrong about this. To increase resistance you can increase the length of a given wire gauge, so more surface area, or go to a thinner gauge of wire, so less surface area.

Build is everything.

Of course that's how resistance is determined, but what I am saying is that the same amount of power going through two different resistance coils could produce a different vaping experience. Strictly theoretical but imagine a .05 ohm coil set to 14 watts compared to a 3 ohm coil set to 14 watts (same gage wire). While they may be producing the same amount of heat, the heat is dispersed over a greatly larger surface area in the 3 ohm coil as opposed to originating from one concentrated point like it would in the .05 ohm coil.
 
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dr g

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i am assuming the Op is using the same gauge and type wire in both the examples.

Not a good assumption, it is not specified and for good reason -- you can build a coil any way you like. Once you lose that assumption nothing about the performance can be assumed. Build is everything.

Of course that's how resistance is determined, but what I am saying is that the same amount of power going through two different resistance coils could produce a different vaping experience.

The important word there is could, yes it could. Or it could not. And that's the bottom line, build is everything.

So the correct answer is amps don't matter, the build matters.
 
In the world we all live in, there is no way to make the OPs two coils with identical dimensions and widely variant resistances. If we could, there would be no difference as long as the watts were the same. Amps matter because of the tools we are working with.

You could vary the material of the wire. For example,Gplat, Kanthal and Nichrome all have different resistances.
 
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skoony

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ok folks i think i got this.

using 28 gauge kanthal 1,round wire using a 2mm coil wrap.
for simplicity this is with 0 leg length.

3 ohm build.
wire length 167.5 mm
wraps 20.17
voltage 13.85
amps 4.62
watts 63.94 (since the difference in total power is negligable make this 64 watts for all intents and purposses.)

.25 ohm build.
wire length 14 mm
wraps 1.68
voltage 4
amps 16
watts 64

to figure power disapation for each wrap of coil would be wrap 1 plus wrap 2 plus wrap three etc.. .

therefore the three ohm build is generating 3.17 watts of power per wrap.
the .25 ohm build is generating 38 watts of power per wrap.

i am betting on the the .25 ohm build being hotter.

:2c:
regards
mike
 

imsoenthused

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You could vary the material of the wire. For example,Gplat, Kanthal and Nichrome all have different resistances.

Yes, but you would literally have to build one coil and then make a custom alloy resistance wire to make the other. Here in the real world, we just approximate with available materials, and as a result the vapes will be different. It's a cliche but the difference between theory and reality is that, in theory, there is no difference.
 

skoony

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Yes, but you would literally have to build one coil and then make a custom alloy resistance wire to make the other. Here in the real world, we just approximate with available materials, and as a result the vapes will be different. It's a cliche but the difference between theory and reality is that, in theory, there is no difference.

one can factor lead length into the equation too. this is very necessary when doing sub ohm builds.
proportionately even with lead lengths factored in there would still be more power per coil wrap
in the .25 ohm build than the 3 ohm build.

more power per wrap more heat per wrap. heat is the largest factor when considering vapor production.
granted you can get a different quality of vapor using different styles of builds but quantity of vapor is
mostly the result of heat applied. in the case as i put it the quality would be quite different. the smaller coil would probably be unusable
as its to small and couldn't get enough juice supplied via the wick. the larger build would be to big for most applications.
by adjusting the gauge of the wire one could come up with a more real world example. the math would still be the same.
:2c:
regards
mike
 

VapoJoe86

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The important word there is could, yes it could. Or it could not. And that's the bottom line, build is everything.

Actually I would go as far as to say a .05 ohm coil and a 3 ohm coil set to the same power output will *always* produce a different vaping experience. Any big differences in surface area will consistently produce differences in the vaping experience.
 

skoony

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ok folks i think i got this.

using 28 gauge kanthal 1,round wire using a 2mm coil wrap.
for simplicity this is with 0 leg length.

3 ohm build.
wire length 167.5 mm
wraps 20.17
voltage 13.85
amps 4.62
watts 63.94 (since the difference in total power is negligable make this 64 watts for all intents and purposses.)

.25 ohm build.
wire length 14 mm
wraps 1.68
voltage 4
amps 16
watts 64

to figure power disapation for each wrap of coil would be wrap 1 plus wrap 2 plus wrap three etc.. .

therefore the three ohm build is generating 3.17 watts of power per wrap.
the .25 ohm build is generating 38 watts of power per wrap.

i am betting on the the .25 ohm build being hotter.

:2c:
regards
mike
ah i can see the problem now.

unless temperature increase increases volume of vapor at a logarithmic rate,the rate must be linear.
in that case the accumulated volume of vape per coil when added up should be the same.

one hot and concentrated,the other voluminous and smooth.

doe!,and correct me if i am wrong regards,mike
 

dr g

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Actually I would go as far as to say a .05 ohm coil and a 3 ohm coil set to the same power output will *always* produce a different vaping experience. Any big differences in surface area will consistently produce differences in the vaping experience.

There doesn't have to be a big difference in surface area between the two. That's the point. All the last few posts have accomplished is nothing. Those numbers are meaningless because they are not based in any reality. There is NOTHING requiring you to build any two coils using the same wire.

It's more than a little ridiculous that it's so hard for people to grasp this.
 
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imsoenthused

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There doesn't have to be a big difference in surface area between the two. That's the point. All the last few posts have accomplished is nothing. Those numbers are meaningless because they are not based in any reality. There is NOTHING requiring you to build any two coils using the same wire.

Other than reality, and not having a setup to run off custom resistance wire in our garages? The whole point is that different gauges of wire vape differently even if the watts are identical. Different numbers of wraps vape differently even if true wattage is the same. The only way the whole "only watts matter" argument holds up is if we could make two coils with the same gauge and the same number of wraps but radically different resistance. We can't reasonably do that. So, again, in theory only watts matter, but we don't live in perfect theory land.
 

dr g

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Other than reality, and not having a setup to run off custom resistance wire in our garages? The whole point is that different gauges of wire vape differently even if the watts are identical. Different numbers of wraps vape differently even if true wattage is the same. The only way the whole "only watts matter" argument holds up is if we could make two coils with the same gauge and the same number of wraps but radically different resistance. We can't reasonably do that. So, again, in theory only watts matter, but we don't live in perfect theory land.

Sounds like you haven't actually tried this. You can indeed achieve similar results with a smaller gauge wire as long as you build it to.

But really, it's irrelevant. Because it doesn't make the statement any more true. The results may differ but exactly HOW they differ is ENTIRELY related to the build and not the power or amperage. As I am now mentioning for at least the third time, with two given resistances, it's possible for them to differ in size in completely opposite ways depending on the builder's choices.
 

imsoenthused

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Sounds like you haven't actually tried this. You can indeed achieve similar results with a smaller gauge wire as long as you build it to.

But really, it's irrelevant. Because it doesn't make the statement any more true. The results may differ but exactly HOW they differ is ENTIRELY related to the build and not the power or amperage. As I am now mentioning for at least the third time, with two given resistances, it's possible for them to differ in size in completely opposite ways depending on the builder's choices.
Keep beating your dead horse and acting like you know more than anyone else while implying that anyone who disagrees with you doesn't have any experience. It's so very, very charming. It's not going to make a low ohm build vape the same as a high ohm one at the same wattage, but why let a little thing like observable reality get in the way of your genius?
 
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