I have an ohm meter but I should also get this multimeter? Is this used to test the batteries themselves as well?
Mechanicals frustration
- Thread starter ckim111
- Start date
- th_trl_thread_readers 0
- Status
Thank you hodges. If you wouldn't mind can you still post pictures when you have time? I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you
Thank you. Do you have any specific resources you can point me to? I've read what I've found on google.
People are assuming I blindly went into this without doing any research. I already read all about the dangers of mechanical mods and that's why I proceeded with extreme caution.
So let me state this again.
I researched the types of batteries to use, and I purchased Aw imr protected 18650 batteries from reputable store.
I bought decent mods and paid a lot of money for them trying to go for quality vs cost savings.
I didn't even want to try using my own coil setup so I used 1.8 and 1.5 ohm pro tank and iclear30b.
I also made sure I used batteries that were not close to being discharged all the way. They had about half life on them as I took it out of my variable mod.
I know I still have some more learning to do, and I truly appreciate when people post helpful replies to help educate me on things I may have missed rather than telling me to do my research. I did try to research and obviously failed somewhere and that's why I'm reaching out on the forum. Therefore if all you tell me is that I'm lucky my house didn't catch on fire and that I need to do more research, please understand that this is of no help to anyone. I already knew the risks, and before I commit any more errors I came to ask for help. Not to be scolded for not researching anymore.
To those of you who have provided specific help, thank you, thank you and thank you. I genuinely truly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart!
People are assuming I blindly went into this without doing any research. I already read all about the dangers of mechanical mods and that's why I proceeded with extreme caution.
So let me state this again.
I researched the types of batteries to use, and I purchased Aw imr protected 18650 batteries from reputable store.
I bought decent mods and paid a lot of money for them trying to go for quality vs cost savings.
I didn't even want to try using my own coil setup so I used 1.8 and 1.5 ohm pro tank and iclear30b.
I also made sure I used batteries that were not close to being discharged all the way. They had about half life on them as I took it out of my variable mod.
I know I still have some more learning to do, and I truly appreciate when people post helpful replies to help educate me on things I may have missed rather than telling me to do my research. I did try to research and obviously failed somewhere and that's why I'm reaching out on the forum. Therefore if all you tell me is that I'm lucky my house didn't catch on fire and that I need to do more research, please understand that this is of no help to anyone. I already knew the risks, and before I commit any more errors I came to ask for help. Not to be scolded for not researching anymore.
To those of you who have provided specific help, thank you, thank you and thank you. I genuinely truly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart!
a multimeter is a must have if you use mechanicals and rebuildables. it can measure pretty much anything you want, voltage, resistance, amperage, connectivity issues, voltage drop. is just a very versatile tool to have in the house for many purposes.
as for batteries: the higher the AMP limit the safer you are. a 30 amp limit battery is much safer than a 10 amp one.
did it happen on both units, with the iclears you've used before? I would say, since you're new to the mods you have, to go slow and be precise. First, take off the caps and then screw down the atty. Then, attach the caps back onto the mods. With the Nemesis, unscrew the bottom cap, install the battery with the pin up towards the 510, and then install bottom cap. The bottom contact should be tight and not floating...it's not a floater so tighten it down. With the Maraxus, take off the bottom cap and since it's a telescoping, install the battery pin towards the 510, and tighten until it's snug, but not wrenched. Barring any shorts, you should be fine. I, too, have 5 Nemesis and 2 Maraxus and love both of those mods because they're beastly and are workhorses.
Hi Joey,
yes it happened on both units with the iclears which I've used on my ego battery and other vv mod without issue. With my nemesis my battery definitely slides in there. There's a gap so I probably need to remove an extra piece from the mod? Waiting on the other posters picture to see where I went wrong. Thanks!
yes it happened on both units with the iclears which I've used on my ego battery and other vv mod without issue. With my nemesis my battery definitely slides in there. There's a gap so I probably need to remove an extra piece from the mod? Waiting on the other posters picture to see where I went wrong. Thanks!
From the link you post:
"5 Use only protected batteries or better yet, use safe chemistry batteries"
Most people here use IMR or other safe chemistry batteries which are unprotected. When H Hodges said "18650 non-protected high drain 20amp or better" . .I assume he was talking about a safe chemistry battery like an IMR . .not a regular old unprotected Li-On.
I was going to say something informative but Ryedan beat me to the punch. He basically pointed out everything I noted when reading your first post ckim111. I won't reiterate anything he said but I will certainly try to help explain a few extra things.
One of the simplest things you can do right away is purchase some Sony VTC4s. These are 30 amp unprotected 2,000 mAh batteries and considered one of the safest for use in mechanical mods right up there with MNKEs. But batteries alone are NOT enough to just assume your ohms, coil quality, an ultimately the amps you are trying to pull from said battery. Shorts are your worst enemy as I'm sure you're well aware.
It's hard to say why exactly this happened to you. It could have been the protected batteries which generally have a low amp limit. I'm not sure that it was the iClears but I think I may have heard a story or two about such toppers shorting out even stock and pre-built as they are. Actually, it was GrimmGreen's video about the Silver Bullet shorting out on him. Pretty sure he was using iClear 16s? I'd have to check to be sure. Either way, aside from getting quality and trusted batteries known to be safe for mechanical mods[ I would say the next best thing you can do is start building your own coils.
That may sound counter-intuitive but I honestly wouldn't throw any coil on top of my mech that I didn't build myself.
You get a lot of peace of mind knowing exactly what ohms your own coil is, exactly what situation is going on in terms of shorts or more specifically a complete lack thereof.
I think you already know you need to:
~ Always use safe-chemistry, high drain batteries
~ Use your ohm checker religiously
~ Monitor your battery voltages so they stay below 4.2v and above 3.4v
~ Understand Ohm's Law (See Ohm's Law Calculator) i.e. a 1.1Ω coil @ 4.2volts = 16 watts pulling 3.8 amps continuously.
The next step is to start building. Build, build, build.... Only by practicing and honing this skill will you be able to have the experience required to take the plunge into mechanicals.
I just have one question, you said you wanted to bump your vape up to the next level? Mechanicals aren't exactly a step up from stock coils like the iClear30s, per say. They are because you have the ability to fire sub-ohm coils, but even if everything went just fine with your iClears30s it's entirely likely that you would have gotten a better vape off an APV @ 10-15 watts then you would using a mechanical. I just wanted to point that out. I highly HIGHLY suggest you start learning how to build your own coils on your Kayfun.... But fire them on an APV. Low resistance to standard range of 1.2Ω to 2.5Ω and nothing but. If you get a short, your APV will tell you and you know you did something wrong. Simple as that, you can take the coil off and try again.
After you can replicate identical coils as many times as your fingers can withstand coiling them and they all come out to the same ohms within 0.1Ω of each other, THEN you are ready to put that coil on your mechanicals and see what they're made of.
Vape well, vape often
P.S. Sorry for the wall of text! Also I found it wasn't an iClear it was the Vivi Nova that shorted out Grimm's Silver Bullet. His experience sounds almost identical. Check out the video here
One of the simplest things you can do right away is purchase some Sony VTC4s. These are 30 amp unprotected 2,000 mAh batteries and considered one of the safest for use in mechanical mods right up there with MNKEs. But batteries alone are NOT enough to just assume your ohms, coil quality, an ultimately the amps you are trying to pull from said battery. Shorts are your worst enemy as I'm sure you're well aware.
It's hard to say why exactly this happened to you. It could have been the protected batteries which generally have a low amp limit. I'm not sure that it was the iClears but I think I may have heard a story or two about such toppers shorting out even stock and pre-built as they are. Actually, it was GrimmGreen's video about the Silver Bullet shorting out on him. Pretty sure he was using iClear 16s? I'd have to check to be sure. Either way, aside from getting quality and trusted batteries known to be safe for mechanical mods[ I would say the next best thing you can do is start building your own coils.
That may sound counter-intuitive but I honestly wouldn't throw any coil on top of my mech that I didn't build myself.
You get a lot of peace of mind knowing exactly what ohms your own coil is, exactly what situation is going on in terms of shorts or more specifically a complete lack thereof.
I think you already know you need to:
~ Always use safe-chemistry, high drain batteries
~ Use your ohm checker religiously
~ Monitor your battery voltages so they stay below 4.2v and above 3.4v
~ Understand Ohm's Law (See Ohm's Law Calculator) i.e. a 1.1Ω coil @ 4.2volts = 16 watts pulling 3.8 amps continuously.
The next step is to start building. Build, build, build.... Only by practicing and honing this skill will you be able to have the experience required to take the plunge into mechanicals.
I just have one question, you said you wanted to bump your vape up to the next level? Mechanicals aren't exactly a step up from stock coils like the iClear30s, per say. They are because you have the ability to fire sub-ohm coils, but even if everything went just fine with your iClears30s it's entirely likely that you would have gotten a better vape off an APV @ 10-15 watts then you would using a mechanical. I just wanted to point that out. I highly HIGHLY suggest you start learning how to build your own coils on your Kayfun.... But fire them on an APV. Low resistance to standard range of 1.2Ω to 2.5Ω and nothing but. If you get a short, your APV will tell you and you know you did something wrong. Simple as that, you can take the coil off and try again.
After you can replicate identical coils as many times as your fingers can withstand coiling them and they all come out to the same ohms within 0.1Ω of each other, THEN you are ready to put that coil on your mechanicals and see what they're made of.
Vape well, vape often
P.S. Sorry for the wall of text! Also I found it wasn't an iClear it was the Vivi Nova that shorted out Grimm's Silver Bullet. His experience sounds almost identical. Check out the video here
Last edited:
I was not trying to say you did not know any thing about Mechanical mods. More like the first time you get to drive alone and suddenly have something unexpected happen. Things go sideways fast and the brain suffers overload. Decisions become random rather than logical.
With time and experience, we look back and wonder how it ever happened.
When I am checking out a New mod, first thing I do is check every part. Threading, sections, switch parts, head assembly. Literally every detail. This is for my safety.
Next I will install a fresh battery and use my Multimeter to make sure the mod is firing AND releasing. A Mod stuck in the fire position is a very bad thing.
Next, I grab an atomizer to test with. May be a RBA, a dripping atomizer or even a Protank.
I Check the Resistance. This way I know what to expect when firing the mod.
If using a higher ohm atomizer, I know it may take a few seconds to reach vaping temperature on an unregulated mod.
A Low ohm coil will react much quicker
No production over 2-3 seconds and there is a problem. Not may be - IS
Since I have already tested the Mod all the way to Firing output I can begin my search with the 510 connections and atomizer coil
These are things that develop over time, not just from some research. However research helps establish a foundation to work from.
Your Ohm meter and a good Multimeter will become your reliable tools to measure and verify things are as you wish them to be. When things go wrong they will assist in troubleshooting.
I'm preparing to Rebuild one of my Ithaka tanks, cleaned and drying now. I have done these several times each. I am comfortable with my build skills. Still, by the time I am done. I will have verified Ohms reading 4-5 times, including just before final attachment to Vape once filled.
It is just safe habit.
With time and experience, we look back and wonder how it ever happened.
When I am checking out a New mod, first thing I do is check every part. Threading, sections, switch parts, head assembly. Literally every detail. This is for my safety.
Next I will install a fresh battery and use my Multimeter to make sure the mod is firing AND releasing. A Mod stuck in the fire position is a very bad thing.
Next, I grab an atomizer to test with. May be a RBA, a dripping atomizer or even a Protank.
I Check the Resistance. This way I know what to expect when firing the mod.
If using a higher ohm atomizer, I know it may take a few seconds to reach vaping temperature on an unregulated mod.
A Low ohm coil will react much quicker
No production over 2-3 seconds and there is a problem. Not may be - IS
Since I have already tested the Mod all the way to Firing output I can begin my search with the 510 connections and atomizer coil
These are things that develop over time, not just from some research. However research helps establish a foundation to work from.
Your Ohm meter and a good Multimeter will become your reliable tools to measure and verify things are as you wish them to be. When things go wrong they will assist in troubleshooting.
I'm preparing to Rebuild one of my Ithaka tanks, cleaned and drying now. I have done these several times each. I am comfortable with my build skills. Still, by the time I am done. I will have verified Ohms reading 4-5 times, including just before final attachment to Vape once filled.
It is just safe habit.
Last edited:
Thank you Enoch. I really appreciate the thoughtful, and VERY helpful advice here.
One point I want to add is that what I meant by bumping up my vape to the next level is to use my RBAs with microcoils. Since I would then be vaping at sub ohms, that is why I knew I had to buy mechanicals. Sorry about the confusion. Nevertheless this was very helpful. The only bit of confusion I still have is you stated the sony batteries are unprotected, yet I read many times that you only want to use protected batteries on the mechanicals.
One point I want to add is that what I meant by bumping up my vape to the next level is to use my RBAs with microcoils. Since I would then be vaping at sub ohms, that is why I knew I had to buy mechanicals. Sorry about the confusion. Nevertheless this was very helpful. The only bit of confusion I still have is you stated the sony batteries are unprotected, yet I read many times that you only want to use protected batteries on the mechanicals.
I was going to say something informative but Ryedan beat me to the punch. He basically pointed out everything I noted when reading your first post ckim111. I won't reiterate anything he said but I will certainly try to help explain a few extra things.
One of the simplest things you can do right away is purchase some Sony VTC4s. These are 30 amp unprotected 2,000 mAh batteries and considered one of the safest for use in mechanical mods right up there with MNKEs. But batteries alone are NOT enough to just assume your ohms, coil quality, an ultimately the amps you are trying to pull from said battery. Shorts are your worst enemy as I'm sure you're well aware.
It's hard to say why exactly this happened to you. It could have been the protected batteries which generally have a low amp limit. I'm not sure that it was the iClears but I think I may have heard a story or two about such toppers shorting out even stock and pre-built as they are. Actually, it was GrimmGreen's video about the Silver Bullet shorting out on him. Pretty sure he was using iClear 16s? I'd have to check to be sure. Either way, aside from getting quality and trusted batteries known to be safe for mechanical mods[ I would say the next best thing you can do is start building your own coils.
That may sound counter-intuitive but I honestly wouldn't throw any coil on top of my mech that I didn't build myself.
You get a lot of peace of mind knowing exactly what ohms your own coil is, exactly what situation is going on in terms of shorts or more specifically a complete lack thereof.
I think you already know you need to:
~ Always use safe-chemistry, high drain batteries
~ Use your ohm checker religiously
~ Monitor your battery voltages so they stay below 4.2v and above 3.4v
~ Understand Ohm's Law (See Ohm's Law Calculator) i.e. a 1.1Ω coil @ 4.2volts = 16 watts pulling 3.8 amps continuously.
The next step is to start building. Build, build, build.... Only by practicing and honing this skill will you be able to have the experience required to take the plunge into mechanicals.
I just have one question, you said you wanted to bump your vape up to the next level? Mechanicals aren't exactly a step up from stock coils like the iClear30s, per say. They are because you have the ability to fire sub-ohm coils, but even if everything went just fine with your iClears30s it's entirely likely that you would have gotten a better vape off an APV @ 10-15 watts then you would using a mechanical. I just wanted to point that out. I highly HIGHLY suggest you start learning how to build your own coils on your Kayfun.... But fire them on an APV. Low resistance to standard range of 1.2Ω to 2.5Ω and nothing but. If you get a short, your APV will tell you and you know you did something wrong. Simple as that, you can take the coil off and try again.
After you can replicate identical coils as many times as your fingers can withstand coiling them and they all come out to the same ohms within 0.1Ω of each other, THEN you are ready to put that coil on your mechanicals and see what they're made of.
Vape well, vape often
P.S. Sorry for the wall of text! Also I found it wasn't an iClear it was the Vivi Nova that shorted out Grimm's Silver Bullet. His experience sounds almost identical. Check out the video here
Thank you very much crex. This post too was extremely helpful for me, and I really wanted to let you know how much I appreciate it!
Oh I feel the pain, we all went through those motions hehe. It's not like all the good info is right there for you to see and it can definitely be a headache to figure it all out for the first time. In practice it's really quite simple. Habitual maintainence, check, check, and triple checking and just keeping aware of the best and safest ways to go about it.
But you don't need to go sub-ohm to fire a micro coil... the VAST majority of micro and nano coils I've built have all been exactly 1.3Ω coils so I could use them with my APVs.
Even puffing on my nemesis with .8Ω twisted kanthal micro coil I know I can just as easily grab my MVP v2 with 1.3Ω nano and get a vape that's damn near close.
I really encourage you to start out rebuilding on APVs. It's safe, a very great way to learn, and you can build some stellar performing micros just the same.
Last edited:
The guide you pointed to stated protected OR safer chemistry. I don't know who else may have been helping guide your journey into sub ohm bliss, but somewhere you got it into mind that if one or the other is good enough, a battery that is both should be even safer!
However, as you no doubt have observed with your recent mishap, that's not necessarily the case. The protection circuits they add to lithium batteries are not an upgrade for our purposes. It wouldn't actually surprise me if they were the cause of your problem to begin with. Making matters worse, they add length to the battery, and none of the popular mechanicals are built for the size battery resulting from this.
Best thing you can do is realize that unprotected high drain IMR batteries are the best food for your mech.
If you don't feel that the safer chemistry and higher amperage draw rating are enough of a safety buffer, an external safety fuse is a much better option than the safety circuits that get included in those other batteries.
4 pages and I'm still trying to figure out what the OP did wrong. Unless we can pinpoint the cause of the short, this whole thread is for nought.
So lets start over with a simple question; did it short out on it's own, or only when you pressed the switch?
My first guesses were thinking about switch adjustment, or putting nipple top batteries in positive end down. One way or another I got the impression of both mods firing while at rest. Also the spring in my HCigar Chi You was pretty soft when I got it, and it wouldn't have taken much for it to fire on it's own when sat on a table without using the locking ring.
But shorts never happen without a cause, so lets figure out the source of the short. (esp. since it happened twice)
So lets start over with a simple question; did it short out on it's own, or only when you pressed the switch?
My first guesses were thinking about switch adjustment, or putting nipple top batteries in positive end down. One way or another I got the impression of both mods firing while at rest. Also the spring in my HCigar Chi You was pretty soft when I got it, and it wouldn't have taken much for it to fire on it's own when sat on a table without using the locking ring.
But shorts never happen without a cause, so lets figure out the source of the short. (esp. since it happened twice)
Last edited:
You are quite welcome and wish you the Best with your Mods.
Now, after rewicking my Ithaka I feel like an Idiot. (I'll get over it)
I built the coil, set the wicks and assembled everything carefully. Tweaking and prodding things into place carefully as I went. I double checked the bottom Seal as these can leak like a funnel of misaligned.
Took my resistance readings, perfect @1.8ohms
Installed the chinmey and Tank section, Filled with e-liquid and checked Resistance once more.
All was good.
As I was attaching it to the Mod, I realized I had not dry fired and confirmed Good Coil heat up.(Center out)
Well, with the chimney still closed I did about 10 short pulses to at least burn in the coil and hope not to need a immediate rebuild.
Once more on the ohm meter and still 1.8, whew.
Thank goodness it is Vaping Excellent and I'm off the hook.
It is just that easy to get distracted and miss a step.
Now, after rewicking my Ithaka I feel like an Idiot. (I'll get over it)
I built the coil, set the wicks and assembled everything carefully. Tweaking and prodding things into place carefully as I went. I double checked the bottom Seal as these can leak like a funnel of misaligned.
Took my resistance readings, perfect @1.8ohms
Installed the chinmey and Tank section, Filled with e-liquid and checked Resistance once more.
All was good.
As I was attaching it to the Mod, I realized I had not dry fired and confirmed Good Coil heat up.(Center out)
Well, with the chimney still closed I did about 10 short pulses to at least burn in the coil and hope not to need a immediate rebuild.
Once more on the ohm meter and still 1.8, whew.
Thank goodness it is Vaping Excellent and I'm off the hook.
It is just that easy to get distracted and miss a step.
- Status
Similar threads
