Need a good 18650 mod to run low ohm atomizers

[ormandj]

Hi,

I build DID/DUD style atomizers. I enjoy them! What I do not enjoy is my ego-t upgrade mod switch shorting out in the CLOSED position, meaning every time I attach a tank, it's heating coils (this is a regulated 3.3v mod). Thankfully, I'm running some Panasonic batteries that are safe chemistry, and that I noticed the flaw by having a hot wire cut through a finger instead of a battery blow up in my face.

I'd love something VV, that can handle decent amperage (these batteries are good for 10A, I generally run @6-8 watts, but low resistance heads). What are my options for 18650 battery sized mods? VW sounds great on paper, but in the end, it's no different than VV for the end-user, as you pick a # for the liquid/atomizer you use, and that's what you go with. Wake me up when temperature and surface area start to come into play when it comes to those type of devices. Yes, I know about the Provari, but it seems extremely expensive for a terrible UI (click a single button a ton of times), and very simple circuitry. I've written off the Zmax after seeing a friend deal with one, no thanks.

 

[bruiser]

I've got a Young June Lava Tube 1.5, and use 1.5 ohm cartos on it with no problem. It'll run them all the way up to 6 volts, but the liquids I use find that to hot. And, so do I!

Got the kit here: Variable Voltage 1.5 Mod Kit - Smoke Anywhere For Penny's, LLC Store

 

[ormandj]

I've got a Young June Lava Tube 1.5, and use 1.5 ohm cartos on it with no problem. It'll run them all the way up to 6 volts, but the liquids I use find that to hot. And, so do I!

Got the kit here: Variable Voltage 1.5 Mod Kit - Smoke Anywhere For Penny's, LLC Store

What's the limit (amps/ohms/resistance) at which it cuts off, assuming it has a cutoff? My friend's Z-Max won't even run some of the tanks I've built, but it also reads them at VERY different ohm ratings than my multimeter (I measure a 1.6ohm resistance with a good quality MM, and his Z-Max says it's 1.1ohm). It seems to limit based on ohm rating (which is off).

Oddly enough, my ego twists are doing fine. I just want something that takes 18650 batteries to do the same job as the twists (and with a higher amp limit, would be nice).

 

[GIMike]

You know, with VV or VW, you no longer have to have LR. LR was created for standard non-changable 3.7 volt devices, to give you that extra heat you couldn't get out of a higher ohm device. With VV or VW, you should use a higher ohm device, and then bump up the voltage/wattage. You don't have to use LR anymore, and frankly, they're not made for it. So if you want to stick to a single voltage device, then LR is the choice of item for a hotter vape. If you want VV, use higher resistance devices for the exact same effect, and likely an even better effect.

Check this for confirmation of what I said above:

http://imageshack.us/f/689/unled66.jpg

 

[ormandj]

You know, with VV or VW, you no longer have to have LR. LR was created for standard non-changable 3.7 volt devices, to give you that extra heat you couldn't get out of a higher ohm device. With VV or VW, you should use a higher ohm device, and then bump up the voltage/wattage. You don't have to use LR anymore, and frankly, they're not made for it. So if you want to stick to a single voltage device, then LR is the choice of item for a hotter vape. If you want VV, use higher resistance devices for the exact same effect, and likely an even better effect.

With SS mesh coils, it seems like lower resistance wire shorts less often. I'm certainly open to trying new things, so what are the best not-quite-so-low-resistance VV/VW/VT mods that don't fail in an closed state?

 

[bilboda]

eGo Variable Volt/Watt APV V2 (Only Body) [D-B4 APV] - $39.00 : Healthcabin Electronic Cigarettes - Wholesale and Retail

 

[Rader2146]

....
(I measure a 1.6ohm resistance with a good quality MM, and his Z-Max says it's 1.1ohm). It seems to limit based on ohm rating (which is off).
....

Did you subtract the resistance through the leads and meter?

 

[ormandj]

eGo Variable Volt/Watt APV V2 (Only Body) [D-B4 APV] - $39.00 : Healthcabin Electronic Cigarettes - Wholesale and Retail

Isn't that just a Z-Max in disguise? I'm worried about handling high amp-draw, that looks like Z-Max v2 circuitry in a cheap body. My friends with Z-Max devices read my coils as 1ohm and can't even fire them up, yet my multimeter reads them at 1.6ohm and my ego-twist has no problem with them (and neither did the ego-t upgrade until the switch stuck closed).

 

[ormandj]

Did you subtract the resistance through the leads and meter?

No? What magic are you speaking of now? (Half-joking, I'm curious what you mean)

 

[GIMike]

If you see the link I added in my post above, you'll see that the higher the resistance, the safer you are with vaping at higher voltages. The lower resistance, the lower the voltage has to be to be considered safe. This may be why you've run into so many issues running low voltages on some devices. They have safety software/hardware what not in place to keep you from vaping at unsafe resistances. So I honestly couldn't say what devices works best at the highest voltages with the lowest resistance devices, because I don't personally don't use them, because to me, it doesn't make sense to do so, as I can't vape the voltage/wattage I want. I normally use 2.4 and up, preferrably as close to 3 ohms as possible. But that's just me, and I'm sure somebody will be along soon with more information for you. So consider this a bump for better info, and good luck to you and your search!

 

[GIMike]

Isn't that just a Z-Max in disguise? I'm worried about handling high amp-draw, that looks like Z-Max v2 circuitry in a cheap body. My friends with Z-Max devices read my coils as 1ohm and can't even fire them up, yet my multimeter reads them at 1.6ohm and my ego-twist has no problem with them (and neither did the ego-t upgrade until the switch stuck closed).

That's actually the device I use. It's not a z-max, a bit better from what I read. It's much cheaper, and less confusing, with the same features.

 

[ormandj]

If you see the link I added in my post above, you'll see that the higher the resistance, the safer you are with vaping at higher voltages. The lower resistance, the lower the voltage has to be to be considered safe. This may be why you've run into so many issues running low voltages on some devices. They have safety software/hardware what not in place to keep you from vaping at unsafe resistances. So I honestly couldn't say what devices works best at the highest voltages with the lowest resistance devices, because I don't personally don't use them, because to me, it doesn't make sense to do so, as I can't vape the voltage/wattage I want. I normally use 2.4 and up, preferrably as close to 3 ohms as possible. But that's just me, and I'm sure somebody will be along soon with more information for you. So consider this a bump for better info, and good luck to you and your search!

Thank you. I'm well aware of Ohm's law, I was just aiming for a 3.3v device with my previous coils, since I had a 3.3v regulated mod. The unfortunate piece of going with a higher resistance is I need to increase (reduce diameter) wire gauge (a few more coils won't bring 30 awg nichrome up to 3 ohms resistance) which leads to more difficulty with avoiding shorts in a SS mesh wick DUD setup. Sounds like I need to figure this out, regardless.

So that bit understood, what devices should I be looking at, if running low ohm atomizers isn't a requirement? Obviously a Provari is on the list as being solid, anything else?

 

[Rader2146]

No? What magic are you speaking of now? (Half-joking, I'm curious what you mean)

From another thread (http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/tanks/338684-checking-resistance-coil-using-multimeter.html)....

Don't forget to subtract the resistance through the leads and meter. Touch the probes together and subtract that reading from the reading of the coil. Or if your fluke has a Zero function, touch the leads together and press "Zero", then measure your coil.

Flukes with good leads are usually pretty low, .01-.02 ohms, but I also have a cheap meter that is .6 ohms. Imagine building a a perfect 1.8 ohm coil that is actually 1.2 ohms.

 

[GIMike]

I have used a 1.8 ohm device on my VAMO, the one mentioned on page 1 for $39. That's the lowest resistance device I've tried though. Couldn't bump it up very high before it started tasting burnt. It does basically everything a provari does, just made in china instead of here. I believe the zmax 2 could work for you, but at it's cost of around $90 I believe, you could probably get a used provari Just one piece of advice, stay away from the smoktech gripper. I can show you scary pictures of what can happen to them lol.

 

[ormandj]

From another thread (http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/tanks/338684-checking-resistance-coil-using-multimeter.html)....

Non-issue, I'm using a calibrated meter. Thank you for clarifying, but that wasn't the issue at least in this case. I knew I was putting a 1.5ohm (1.6 measured, I figure it'll change a bit with use) head on, and that's apparently too much for an ego-t upgrade mod with panasonic cgr18650ch 2250mAh batteries. Had no issues until I put in the different batteries, and suddenly it was always-on.

 

[Rader2146]

Non-issue, I'm using a calibrated meter. Thank you for clarifying, but that wasn't the issue at least in this case. I knew I was putting a 1.5ohm head on, and that's apparently too much for an ego-t upgrade mod with panasonic cgr18650ch 2250mAh batteries. Had no issues until I put in the different batteries, and suddenly it was always-on.

Having a calibrated meter does not null out the inherent internal resistance. You must still subtract the resistance or zero the meter. If you touch the leads together and it says anything other than 0.0, you're doing it wrong. The error could make all the difference between a safe coil and mod, or a failed switch.

I know you are asking about mods, and not about coils and resistance...but I believe you are discarding a good mod for reasons that have nothing to do with the mod. It has a safety feature to prevent use with resistance that is too low. A measurement error will easily put you under that threshold.

 

[ormandj]

Having a calibrated meter does not null out the inherent internal resistance. You must still subtract the resistance or zero the meter. If you touch the leads together and it says anything other than 0.0, you're doing it wrong. The error could make all the difference between a safe coil and mod, or a failed switch.

I know you are asking about mods, and not about coils and resistance...but I believe you are discarding a good mod for reasons that have nothing to do with the mod. It has a safety feature to prevent use with resistance that is too low. A measurement error will easily put you under that threshold.

Absolutely agree re: safety. I'd much rather deal with a button not working than part of my face being missing. When I said calibrated meter, I meant that I had already sorted out lead resistance prior to measurement, and verified this against known resistance stock. It's reading true ohm resistance at this point.

I can stick a 2.4ohm Vivi Nova on the ego-t upgrade mod right now and it lights up without touching a button. The circuit for the button is either stuck or fried, either way, it's in closed position, unfortunately. I wouldn't be discarding it if it wasn't in always-on mode, I was very happy up until that point. The failure mode bothers me (always on) with the ego-t upgrade, and the scenario also bothers me.

 

[Infinite]

I too like to vape with thicker wire (twisted 28/32 or 36 or single 30 gage). I have personally given up on vv devices as they can't really handle the amps required to give me a 10-17 watt vape that I prefer at 3.7 Volts. With a 3 amp limit, it makes it impossible to get the upper range of my watt scale. Anyway, truly mechanical mods can deliver the goods. Sure there are a lot of beautiful, yet super expensive mechanical mods out there, but I personally am planning to purchase the Xcalibur from Smoke Revolt next week. I have (2) Smoke Telescopes that I love, but the reason I have two of them is because they have a wire that connects the battery terminal to the 510 connector (STUPID!!!!) there is no reason that it couldn't just be one solid unit. Probably cheaper without needing the labor to solder!! Burnt the first one out, bought another then fixed the first one. Anyway, The Xcalibur is pure mechanical and is a steal at $42 IMHO!!!

Check it out if you are into a telescopic Mod that that can use a variety of batts and is completely mechanical
http://www.smokerevolt.com/The-XCalibur-Mechanical-Mod_p_348.html

Good Luck

 

[bilboda]

That Xcalibur is made by Youde technology in China also known as simply UD, That is the TEC model. I went with a different one in the last CoOp but there is one in the planning stages right now, very attractive price and some very nice SS rba's, 3 different ones in fact. Worth a look.

 

[ormandj]

I too like to vape with thicker wire (twisted 28/32 or 36 or single 30 gage). I have personally given up on vv devices as they can't really handle the amps required to give me a 10-17 watt vape that I prefer at 3.7 Volts. With a 3 amp limit, it makes it impossible to get the upper range of my watt scale. Anyway, truly mechanical mods can deliver the goods. Sure there are a lot of beautiful, yet super expensive mechanical mods out there, but I personally am planning to purchase the Xcalibur from Smoke Revolt next week. I have (2) Smoke Telescopes that I love, but the reason I have two of them is because they have a wire that connects the battery terminal to the 510 connector (STUPID!!!!) there is no reason that it couldn't just be one solid unit. Probably cheaper without needing the labor to solder!! Burnt the first one out, bought another then fixed the first one. Anyway, The Xcalibur is pure mechanical and is a steal at $42 IMHO!!!

Check it out if you are into a telescopic Mod that that can use a variety of batts and is completely mechanical
http://www.smokerevolt.com/The-XCalibur-Mechanical-Mod_p_348.html

Good Luck

The only thing I worry about with a mechanical mod is the change in output as you continue to run down the battery. It's going to be really hot at first, then get really cold by the end. Some liquids deal with that 'ok', but some of my liquids taste horrid when you go too high or don't have flavor when you go too low. That was the appeal of a regulated voltage device (or VV/VW device). I'm with you on low gauge wire, but I only need 5-10 watts max. 17 watts! You're crazy!