Multimeter Confusion in Paradise

[tA71ana]

I wrap perfect coils on screws. for more turns with tighter coils (micro coil) I use a .256 screw. for bigger coils for less turns I use a 4-40 screw. for my rba i used a drill bit the same size as the wick hole.

That's a great idea!
I am a bit short on screws, I have plenty of knitting needles, crochet hooks and some large sewing needles..have to dig out my sewing box. Those might just work.
I think pretty much every nail and screw that I possess is in use, lol
Just occured to me I also have some juice needles that may work as well..
I have to put in my air conditioner ('tis the season), but I will be back at it as soon as I'm finished

 

[tA71ana]

FOR GODS SAKE YES!
A hotspot with a measured resistance of 0.3 ohms can burst close to 13 amps through that little 18350....
Maximum continuous discharge rate is only 6 AMPS!
that's the main reason everything is getting hot... your pulling more current than that battery wants to!

get an 18650 mod to setup your coils... your batteries will thank you, and the fire department will thank you.

regardless of what your setup is, a short in the coil will always spike your amperage, play it safe and keep a high amp battery for setups. Keep your fingers crossed while you still have them.

That's an okeedokee...perhaps I will use my Vamo in 18650 mode (that's my usual setup). All I have right now is my Zmax, VariMax and a Vamo.
Just out of curiosity (and lawd I'm not trying to start anything), would a Provari be the best rig to test stuff like this out on, or does it not really make a difference? I notice that Pbusardo tests a lot of his RBAs on his Provari.
(I was thinking about getting a Provari in the next couple of months anyway)
I certainly don't want any interactions with the Fire department or Emergency Services

 

[BuzzKilla]

My provari can read and has fired on a 0.8 ohm coil just fine.... it does it in the 3.3 v range. So not ideal for the setups I run.
But I currently use a z-atty pro @ 1.6 ohms and enjoy it that way.

My friends like their z-max, does what my provari does, never cared to do an actual performance test. I just prefer the feel of the provari. I also prefer the menu system as well.

I don't personally know anyone with a varimax or vamo, so can't really offer insight as compared to a provari.


Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[E_DeCastro]

that is nice that the provari can fire .8ohms. my SID won't fire below 1.4ohms.

 

[BuzzKilla]

i did that only just to see its limits, before the dreaded E2 code would pop up.
even at 0.8 ohms, i coulnt get the voltage high enough to enjoy the vape. YMMV

the Provari wouldn't read the 0.6 ohm setup i have on my dripper.

I wouldnt trade the Provari for any of the mods currently on the market...
but who knows i may be surprised one day.

 

[tA71ana]

Ok.. I worked it and this is what is going on now.
I ditched the skinny double wick idea and unfurled one of the wicks, inserted a small length of silica wick inside of it and rerolled the wick until it was big enough to fit in the wick hole without any open spots around it.
I did a five wrap with the 32g kanthal.
It has tested out as 2.3 ohms on my MM and the Vamo and 2.4 ohms on my Zmax (I think the Zmax is habitually off by a point...I noticed this when comparing batt charge left and device readings between all of the other mods compared to the Zmax).
So, using my Vamo at 3.0v on an 18650 batt that was at 3.7v, I started to pulse.
And I pulsed.
And I pulsed.
It is getting hot but not yet seeing the glow, and the batt end of the mod gets a little warm still..
Is it my device?
Do I need to pulse at a higher voltage setting?
How long on average do you guys have to pulse a newly wrapped Rba?
When I check out the YouTube videos they seem to fire up relatively fast, much faster than mine is.
Somebody needs to invent a doodad that will do that for you...screw it in to the doodad and set it to Pulse.
When it's done it beeps or something and shuts off, lol
Wish I had some comprehensive knowledge of electronics, I'd invent it but I'm not even at the Electronics for Dummies stage yet, lol

 

[tA71ana]

that is nice that the provari can fire .8ohms. my SID won't fire below 1.4ohms.

My Zmax shows Low Load after 1.4 ohms too

 

[BuzzKilla]

Even at 3.0v it should glow.
when you hold the button down, do any coils glow? try doing it in a dimly lit room.
maybe the coil is glowing, but its not visible, due to low voltage and a very well lit area.....

do you see a very faint spark near the top coil when you press the button, or any other indication of a shorted hotspot?

i do the pulse method on a mechanical, i dont like doing that on my Provari, E1 codes anger the blood. lol

 

[niczgreat]

when it jumps around like that you don't have good contact. when testing something as small as an atomizer or cart you need three hands. ask someone to hold it for you and then test just as you were.

Not necessarily
I built a better mousetrap
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...494-diy-atomizer-cartomizer-tester-meter.html

 

[tA71ana]

Well I think I may have got this licked...
I unwrapped once for a total of four wraps and now all four coils are glowing...maybe there was one too many wraps there, lol
I have a resistance of 1.8ohms.
Is there anyone here running an RSST on their Vamo or a SigZmax? If so how did you set yours up?

 

[tA71ana]

And just out of curiousity...is it better to use something like an RSST with a mechanical mod?
Or does that not really matter?
I have never had one but have seen a couple that I am interested in.

 

[tA71ana]

I am relieved to announce that I am now happily vaping Dkang Peach on my RSST
EUREKA!!!!
Thanks to all of you! You all rock!!!!

 

[BuzzKilla]

the general outlook is that , yes a lot of people prefer rebuildables on mechanical mods.

but that is because some of us, myself included, run super low resistance (SLR) coils.
i dont advise this to people just getting into rebuildables.
Once you get comfortable with rebuildables, and do some more reading up, i encourage a try.

Be warned... once you try SLR coils, everything else becomes obsolete....

 

[tA71ana]

the general outlook is that , yes a lot of people prefer rebuildables on mechanical mods.

but that is because some of us, myself included, run super low resistance (SLR) coils.
i dont advise this to people just getting into rebuildables.
Once you get comfortable with rebuildables, and do some more reading up, i encourage a try.

Be warned... once you try SLR coils, everything else becomes obsolete....

Super Low Resistance - that is like, less than 1.5 ohms? How low can one go on resistance before a mech device says "no bueno"?
I know the limit for my Vamo and Zmax seem to be around 1.4ohms.
Does it not matter because the mech has no controlling settings (like a Vamo)?
I have heard of people running coils at less than 1 ohm O.O
What is the performance like? More vapor? (I am a clouds fanatic, lol)
Doesn't running low - ohm coils drain the batt faster?
I must apologize for my ignorance, lol
I have learned more about electronics/electricity since I started vaping than I have in my entire life (and that has been a mighty long time, lol)

 

[BuzzKilla]

You can go as low as your mech + battery allow you to.
Mech. mods have their own internal resistance that shows as a voltage drop from battery to coil.
my mod drops the voltage of the battery by 0.2v.
but the largest contributor to how low of a coil you can make is determined by your battery amp rating.
all that info is usually supplied by the manufacture.

You can figure out the amp draw of a coil by doing some math with ohms law... there are many online calculators that make it easy, and all you have to do is plug in two variables. the calculator then figures out the rest.

as for battery drain, a 2000mah 18650 battery lasts about 3.5ml of juice....

my RSST(tank) is currently being run @ 0.7ohms
my ERA(dripper) has a dual coil that ohms out to 0.4ohm
which is still in the "safe" zone of the batteries that i use.

drilling out the air hole is also preferred by SLR users, as it counteracts the heat, and helps keep everything cool.
so to go SLR you would really have to dedicate a setup too it, as drilling out the air hole is a very drastic thing, and you may not like it otherwise.

NOW, i don't recommend doing this unless you do your research and practice caution, and better yet, have someone with you that runs these kinds of setups next to you. As an experienced pair of eyes can catch mistakes that a video wont be able to warn you about.

there is a reason that safety fuses and regulated mods cant run SLR coils, and that is something to always be aware of.

if you want to ask anything else, just IM me, and ill be happy to answer as best i can.

Just remember, the best vape setup is the one that keeps you off the stinkies.