Mech mod clouds

Status
Not open for further replies.

BunkerVape

Full Member
Aug 19, 2015
27
6
32
Alright guys. I have tried several different builds ranging from .4 to 1 ohm l, single and dual coil, trying to get a cloud off of my Fuhattan with several different rda's and wire gauges. I just put a dual 26g six wrap on a Alliance V2 and I'm not getting the cloud production I want. I'm using a Sony VTC5 18650 30 amp battery.

So my question is: what am I missing or doing wrong? Is it the mech? rda? Me? Lol.

Anything helps! Thanks all!!
 

Two_Bears

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jul 4, 2015
7,045
16,673
Northern Arizona
Alright guys. I have tried several different builds ranging from .4 to 1 ohm l, single and dual coil, trying to get a cloud off of my Fuhattan with several different rda's and wire gauges. I just put a dual 26g six wrap on a Alliance V2 and I'm not getting the cloud production I want. I'm using a Sony VTC5 18650 30 amp battery.

So my question is: what am I missing or doing wrong? Is it the mech? Rda? Me? Lol.

Anything helps! Thanks all!!
Some mech mods suffer from a voltage drop.

High VG juices produce more vapor than high PG JUICES.

Thicker gauge wire is more surface area and more clouds.
 

Two_Bears

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jul 4, 2015
7,045
16,673
Northern Arizona
How can I test the voltage drop?

Most resistance meters have two connections. One to test the resistance of the coil(s) the other tests the mod. Screw the mod and press the Fire button.

If memory serves an 18650 fully charged should give 4.2 volts.

Most if the time voltage drop occurs with the spring in the fire button. And occasionally with the toptge atty screws into.

The clones of the Hammer mech mod suffers over 1 volt voltage drop from the top and the spring.

You may want to switch to a magnetic switch instead of a spring loaded switch.
 

sonicbomb

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Feb 17, 2015
8,362
23,817
1187 Hundertwasser
The Sony VTC5 has a 20 amp CDR, not 30. Getting big clouds is an art, and usually requires significant personal experimentation using all the tips list above. There is no majik formula.
The mod will drop some voltage but the main loss is usually caused by the voltage sag in the battery. You test by using a multimeter positive probe to positive post on the atty, and negative probe to the negative post. Do this while firing the mech with a coil installed. Subtract this value from the voltage measured on your battery using the multimeter before you installed it in the mech. The lower the resistance of the coil the greater the drop will be, so the value you measure is only really significant (in my opinion) for either comparing one mech to another in your own collection using the same atty. It's also useful if you are trying to improve the drop in any given mech by modifying it, or to see the difference a good clean makes :).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hans Wermhat

suprtrkr

ECF Guru
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jun 22, 2014
10,410
15,048
Cowtown, USA. Where the West begins.
It's not easy to get big cloud on a mech, or at least contest winners. Still worse, what makes cloud is coil surface area and, by the time you get enough surface area for it, you've got a massive coil; and thus significant ramp up time on a power-limited mech. Ever seen a cloud competition? Those guys have the same problem, and they all use mechs because the rules require it. If you watch, they push the button, wait a couple secs, then exhale into the atty-- both to empty their lungs for the best draw and to make sure the coils are hot by blowing vapor out the air holes-- and only then take a draw. If you want big cloud on a mech, that's your future. If, however, you are not a competitor, the solution is to buy a high watt regulated mod. This allows you to build lower and they can put more watts on the coil faster to reduce ramp time. Don't get me wrong: I love mechs, and use them all the time. I have a copper FUhattan, and I love it; my only gripe is the vent holes in the top cap let bottom air drippers weep juice on to my battery, which is messy. But mechs are what they are; and one of the things they are not is the best cloud machines around. Or not any more, anyway.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sonicbomb

Hans Wermhat

Vaping Master
Jun 9, 2015
3,426
3,413
Texas
Have you tried nichrome wire? It's lower resistance and heats faster than kanthal. Some folks complain about a light metallic taste, but I've never noticed it. It works better for me on a mech than kanthal when I'm building for clouds instead of flavor. I use 24G. Resistance wise, it's similar to 22G kanthal, but it heats up about 4 times as fast.
 
  • Like
Reactions: suprtrkr

BunkerVape

Full Member
Aug 19, 2015
27
6
32
Thanks for all the info guys!

Glad to hear that it is more the mech than myself. Honestly, I was hoping for some big, dense clouds but I'm assuming it's an either or thing with mechs. I have a couple box mods, IPV3 and snow wolf 200w, that I love but I was hoping to be able to get something around that vapor production.

Thank you guys for all your help!
 

Bunnykiller

ECF Guru
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Nov 17, 2013
17,431
77,270
New Orleans La.
If you read anything about vaping... its all bad for us.
Exploding batteries, toxic nicotine, poisonous metals in the coils, hydrogen peroxide in the wicks, formaldehyde in the juice, popcorn lung from the flavors... all of this terrible stuff and no one has yet died from vaping.... some have got hurt, but most of that is due to user error... driving a car at 100mph into a bridge support will hurt too, but that would be considered user error.
 

BunkerVape

Full Member
Aug 19, 2015
27
6
32
If you read anything about vaping... its all bad for us.
Exploding batteries, toxic nicotine, poisonous metals in the coils, hydrogen peroxide in the wicks, formaldehyde in the juice, popcorn lung from the flavors... all of this terrible stuff and no one has yet died from vaping.... some have got hurt, but most of that is due to user error... driving a car at 100mph into a bridge support will hurt too, but that would be considered user error.

True story. I hadn't heard a couple of those yet but thanks for the info!! lol. Not that its going to bother me much. I work in a plastic molding shop, not too worried about the vaping minus the whole nickel thing. I still trying and build with nickel but it just doesn't seem to give me results and it's way too finicky. I have a buddy that builds a little with SS and loves it so far. So I might go that route soon or even try Titanium.

Probably just going to rebuild a couple chimney 28g coils and go with that for the mech. It worked decent the last time I did it but I was hoping to expand into different gauges.
 

Hans Wermhat

Vaping Master
Jun 9, 2015
3,426
3,413
Texas
Nichrome is different from Nickel. It's sold as "Royal Wire" and a couple of other branded names. It has nickel in it, but it's an alloy.

You can get big, dense clouds out of a mech, but it takes practice and patience and a lot of experimentation. It's about a balance of the surface area of the coil to the power available, and then you have to factor in the airflow of the atty.

If you want to stick with your 28G kanthal, try a parallel coil. A 3mm 2 strand 28G with about 6 or 8 wraps will make some pretty decent clouds. Something like this:
paralel plume veil.jpg
 

Layzee Vaper

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 27, 2015
422
980
52
It's not easy to get big cloud on a mech, or at least contest winners. Still worse, what makes cloud is coil surface area and, by the time you get enough surface area for it, you've got a massive coil; and thus significant ramp up time on a power-limited mech. Ever seen a cloud competition? Those guys have the same problem, and they all use mechs because the rules require it. If you watch, they push the button, wait a couple secs, then exhale into the atty-- both to empty their lungs for the best draw and to make sure the coils are hot by blowing vapor out the air holes-- and only then take a draw. If you want big cloud on a mech, that's your future. If, however, you are not a competitor, the solution is to buy a high watt regulated mod. This allows you to build lower and they can put more watts on the coil faster to reduce ramp time. Don't get me wrong: I love mechs, and use them all the time. I have a copper FUhattan, and I love it; my only gripe is the vent holes in the top cap let bottom air drippers weep juice on to my battery, which is messy. But mechs are what they are; and one of the things they are not is the best cloud machines around. Or not any more, anyway.

Pretty much spot on, mechs have been overtaken by high power regulated mods. Much easier and probably safer, to get large amounts of vapour.
I love my mech, its simple, tough and just keeps on working, but you are likely to be underwhelmed by the vapour production when comparing it to a 150 or 200W device. Its about selecting the right tool for the job.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread