Ohm Meter Question; Regulated Mod Reading Good Enough?

[Glenn_K]

Greetings; I've just ordered my first rba (Kayfun 3.1 clone), and i'm really looking forward to using it. I don't plan to do any sub Ohm stuff, at least not at the start, but I understand that I still need to be careful about testing the resistance levels of any coils that I build.

My question is this; is it ok to rely on the Ohm meter built into a regulated mod, or is it necessary to have a dedicated Ohm meter? Does anyone test their coils on a regulated mod only?

If I like the results I get from the KF, then I would definitely get an Ohm meter, but in the meantime, i'm wondering whether it's ok testing coils on a Vamo or an SVD.

Regards
Glenn

 

[Thrasher]

it should be fine as long as they are within the range of the device. In the end a coil is a coil, if they didnt work you couldnt trust them for prebuilt stuff either

 

[VaPreis]

I can't speak for other mods, but I've found that ohm reading on my SVD is fairly consistant with my multimeter.

 

[tnt56]

A fantastic question that I'm very glad to hear asked.
I did a simple test one day. Had a (cheap) rechargeable ohm meter from work that I was reviewing. Also have the one that RTD Vape sells. Cartomizer and Atomizer Ohm Meter - Meters - Accessories
I also have a Fluke 73 III. Used it in the factory as a tech. The Fluke I've trusted with my life. Literally. On a dead test the fluke was spot on. Lead to lead. The cheap one was .4 ohms off. The one from RTD was .2 off. Not much worries if your over 1.8 ohms. Below that.. Spend the cash and get a GOOD DMM. Not from sears or walmart. Buy quality and be happy. Other wise your taking a chance that you really shouldn't. I build around 1.0 ohms (well at least these old eyes and hands try to.). I've done some 0.5 ohm and they turned out to be 0.3 ohms. Big difference.

 

[Glenn_K]

Greetings; Thanks for the post, tnt56. It's a good lesson.

This is an unrelated question, but what are you doing to hit 1.0 Ohms (i.e. wire gauge and # of wraps)? When I get my rba, i'd like to aim for 1.0 and change -- but i'll try this after I buy a good Ohm meter!

Regards
Glenn

 

[Bimini Twist]

I agree with tnt56 regarding sub ohms and a quality meter. I haven't calibrated my old Fluke 77 in a long time, but I still trust it over my cheap Radio Shack DMM or a Chinese mod. The ProVari does very well, but it was built to Milspec standards.

As to 1 ohm (at least for microcoils), I think 9 wraps of 28g results in 1-1.4 ohms, depending on the length of your leads. My last build was 8 wraps and it's reading 0.9 ohms in a vertical orientation on a Kayfun Lite+. Technically sub-ohm, but still in the range for my regulated PVs.

ETA: I wrap my microcoils with a 1.6mm inner diameter.

And I meant to include a link to a thread that is a good source for microcoils, http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/reos-mods/446263-micro-coils-ohms-description.html . Ancient puffer recently put it into a spreadsheet for us.

 

[Rickajho]

Keep in mind too that with any of these APV's like a Vamo they have built in protection that won't display a reading below about 1.3 ohms and all you will get is "Lo" instead with a safety cutoff. That, and they only display a reading one position right of decimal point. So if your build is below 1.3 ohms the likes of a Vamo won't tell you anything. And if your build is 1.3 ohms or 1.38 ohms it all displays as "1.3".

 

[dw'struth]

A Vamo will indeed display lower ohm builds, they just won't fire them. The lowest that I have ever built was .5, and my Vamo gave me a reading for it..