Is a digital multimeter enough?

[cramptholomew]

Or, do I HAVE TO buy a new expensive mod with all the doohickies (I just have a bunch of Spinners and Twists), just so I won't ruin things, and/or hurt myself? I have a spool of kanthal on order, and I plan to start rebuilding my coils. I have a digital multimeter to check the coils and heads once they're built. I don't see why that shouldn't be enough, and I'm pretty sure that a lot of people haven't felt that they NEEDED a MOD before rebuilding things. I just wanted to check and make sure. Thoughts?

Thanks ECF folks!

 

[The Ocelot]

What resistances do you plan on building?

 

[Ryedan]

A DMM is fine for what you will be doing. With Twists and Spinners, I would stay over about 2.0 ohms. You can go lower, but a short will take you into the battery protection which is not a safe thing to be doing. Check out the RBA forum on ECF for lots of great info on coil making and safety. Best of luck with it!

 

[ducker74]

a multimeter works just fine. Just remember to test the leads before and subtract that number from your reading to get the correct ohms

 

[AttyPops]

A multimeter is fine if you also:
1) Consider using a vapesafe fuse --- assuming you are shooting for an amp range that's workable for it
2) Understand point #1 AKA know ohms laws
3) Use a well vented mod and safer batteries

(That's for an all mech mod...sorry...reread your post...for eGos & spinners and such, DMM is fine for checking coil builds)

 

[Rickajho]

DMM is all you really need right now - check your ohms and check for shorts. I agree with Ryedan - with your batteries keep things at 2.0 ohms or above. You probably can go slightly lower, but basic eGos, Spinners et al are not built for low resistance. The lower you go the faster you will wear out those batts. Or possibly trip the internal protection and render them useless.

Ok, having said that if you need an APV depends on where you are going with this. If you just wanna rebuild coils STOP! - you are fine. If you want to push the low resistance envelope you would be better off with a PV built to better deal with LR devices.

 

[kimbo55]

I'd look for quality contacts and switch components. Voltage drop is pretty important for best results.

 

[kimbo55]

I'd look for quality contacts and switch components. Voltage drop is pretty important for best results.

I've been re-buidling my EVOD coils around 1.3 to 1.7 without any problems on my twists. Happy with the results I'm looking for so far.
I have a cheapo mech mod coming. (on a slow boat from China!!!) it seems. Just like the feel of a bigger grip and some extra battery life.

 

[Bill's Magic Vapor]

Been said, bottom line, you cannot safely vape from rebuildable coils that you don't know the exact resistance on, before you hit the fire button....period. A digital multimeter is all you need now for your application.

 

[Moogle]

A basic DMM is OK but not all that accurate. Do some research. There are a lot of video reviews on YouTube. I got a Fluke that I use for other hobbies. I highly recommend them but if all you use it for is resistance and continuity then it's a glorified tool. I just don't trust a 5-20$ multimeter with anything. There is a 20-25$ dollar device for measuring coils specifically but it alsways seems to be sold out everywhere. You might want to spend more than 5$, A few suggestions for not much more Equus 3320, Innova 3320, Craftsman or of course used Fluke. Fluke is among the very best, period.

 

[cramptholomew]

Thanks everybody. I have a dmm that I found at work. I've tried testing my stock evod coils, just to make sure it works, which it does. I only plan on going down to 1.8 ohms. Will testing the ohms also let me know if there's a short?

 

[cdub_edmond]

Understanding ohm's law is a critical factor in when venturing into rebuild-able atomizers. A multimeter or a VV/VW mod will assist you greatly in ensuring you are building your coils to the proper resistance.

 

[cdub_edmond]

Thanks everybody. I have a dmm that I found at work. I've tried testing my stock evod coils, just to make sure it works, which it does. I only plan on going down to 1.8 ohms. Will testing the ohms also let me know if there's a short?

If there is a short you will not see a consistent resistance.

 

[cramptholomew]

If there is a short you will not see a consistent resistance.

That's what I thought. Thank you for verifying!

 

[amiga]

you`ll also find dmm helps but once you have a wrapped head the way you like it ohm wise after a while you`ll know how many wraps with what grade of wire and will probably use the dmm a lot less.

 

[AttyPops]

But if you're using a mech (he isn't in this case) ALWAYS check with a DMM no matter what. And it's a good idea even with a non-mech. Some like to "go poof" and not work anymore if you have a short you didn't see.