Phoenix + provari headache

[DantesInferno]

Anyone else have issues with a Phoenix RA on the provari? I can build a solid coil on these suckers and still have issues. Using 100% cotton mesh and 32AWG with about 4-5 wraps. I have 2 of these and it happens on both. Wrap around a 1.5ohm atty and run it at 3.7v. Now if I get it firing and leave it on the provari it'll run til the cows come home BUT if I say swap to my tank and then go back to the Phoenix it'll throw OP errors at me. I'll take it off, put it back on. Remove the battery etc, eventually it'll run again but just like before it'll only run until I take it off and go back to it then I'm back to OP errors. From the best I can tell OP is for open or ohms pending meaning I have a break in the circuit somewhere. There's no break in this circuit. Any ideas?

 

[Got-Ta-Go]

Happens to me all the time.

Have you put the Phoenix on another mod during the switching back and forth? When I do so, the other mod pushes the bottom post of the Phoenix in to where the Provari isn't making a good contact; then I get the OP errors and it won't fire.

Push the bottom post back out and it works on the Provari fine then.

 

[TBinAZ]

Yep, happened to me a few times and I ripped out perfectly good coils. It was truly a 'duh' moment when I realized what was going on.

Happens to me all the time.

Have you put the Phoenix on another mod during the switching back and forth? When I do so, the other mod pushes the bottom post of the Phoenix in to where the Provari isn't making a good contact; then I get the OP errors and it won't fire.

Push the bottom post back out and it works on the Provari fine then.

 

[Got-Ta-Go]

Nope, the bigger "Duh" moment is when I pried and pried the bottom post of the Phoenix to get it down; to the point of one of mine didn't "pry down" but instead the post pulled out. "Duh" when I found out that you could easily push them down from inside of the base.

This was after I ripped out perfectly good coils while debugging.

Yep, happened to me a few times and I ripped out perfectly good coils. It was truly a 'duh' moment when I realized what was going on.

 

[DantesInferno]

Well I'll be damned. Ya I was storing these on an ego at times to keep them upright. Is there an easy way to get that pin back down. I don't see anywhere in the floor of the atty to get to it.

 

[TBinAZ]

The shiny half-moon looking thing when you look down into the well is basically the positive post. Push down on it with a small screwdriver, give it a good push, but not when you have the 510 connector against a flat surface. You will see the difference when done.

Edit: If you ever get the gumption to disassemble one of these, you will see how it all works. I would say don't be so hasty, as the silicone insulator below the positive post is a real bugger to get back in correctly along with the positive post unit. It's doable, but a PITA. There is a video out there where eshots pulls one all the way apart.

Well I'll be damned. Ya I was storing these on an ego at times to keep them upright. Is there an easy way to get that pin back down. I don't see anywhere in the floor of the atty to get to it.

 

[rondasherrill]

The shiny half-moon looking thing when you look down into the well is basically the positive post. Push down on it with a small screwdriver, give it a good push, but not when you have the 510 connector against a flat surface. You will see the difference when done.

Exactly. Under that halfmoon part is a silicon insulator. What looks like the bottom when you look down into it isn't actually the bottom.

 

[DantesInferno]

Awesome. Fixed. Thank you, thank you, thank you. So simple and yet had never crossed my mind. Anyone tried using a 510 to 510 adapter on these to prevent this?

 

[TBinAZ]

Excellent. Actually, I find that a shorty 510/510 adapter makes it a lot easier to thread on and remove these attys on my ProVari. I don't dedicate one to each atty.

Awesome. Fixed. Thank you, thank you, thank you. So simple and yet had never crossed my mind. Anyone tried using a 510 to 510 adapter on these to prevent this?

 

[DantesInferno]

Excellent. Actually, I find that a shorty 510/510 adapter makes it a lot easier to thread on and remove these attys on my ProVari. I don't dedicate one to each atty.

Ya I think I'm gonna throw on one of my 510/510 adapters and see if that stops the twist from pushing that pin up. Glad it was so simple to fix. Although after fighting with it for 2 days I can probably assemble a nearly factory grade coil in about 2 minutes. Lol.

 

[TBinAZ]

Haha. You and me both, bro. I have it down to a science now. 2.0 ohms and the exact same length of wick, every time. Scads better than the factory coils though. Those sucked big-time.

Edit: Ya know, if you're just trying to keep them upright, then you don't even have to screw them down until contact is made. Yes?

Ya I think I'm gonna throw on one of my 510/510 adapters and see if that stops the twist from pushing that pin up. Glad it was so simple to fix. Although after fighting with it for 2 days I can probably assemble a nearly factory grade coil in about 2 minutes. Lol.

 

[DantesInferno]

Haha. You and me both, bro. I have it down to a science now. 2.0 ohms and the exact same length of wick, every time. Scads better than the factory coils though. Those sucked big-time.

Edit: Ya know, if you're just trying to keep them upright, then you don't even have to screw them down until contact is made. Yes?

Even better I took some 1/2 inch foam pipe insulation and cut me off some pieces. So I can just sit them on the counter in these and they can't fall over.

 

[DantesInferno]

What kind of wick you using TB? I think I actually prefer just plain ole 100% cotton mesh gauze. Not the rolled kind, it gets kind of messy but the 2x2's are great. Tried ss mesh and tried cotton rolled inside the ss mesh. Tried the ce2 style silica.

 

[TBinAZ]

Actually, for these little monstrosities, I went back to Kanthal 32 4/5 wrap and the silica 1.5mm wick, doubled, until I get it placed and trimmed, and then unwind it at the ends. The coils are fairly loose as I use a post thicker than a beefy paper clip, maybe 1mm thick, to provide the proper spacing. Trim the wick before unraveling. Push the coil up a bit with a small straight blade before stuffing the strands into the bowl. I tried the cotton route, and it wicks a treat, but it's too easy to burn. The vertical wire mesh is too prone to misplacement and shorting for me. When that works good, it's awesome, but I can't flush with water to clean without short failures later.

What kind of wick you using TB? I think I actually prefer just plain ole 100% cotton mesh gauze. Not the rolled kind, it gets kind of messy but the 2x2's are great. Tried ss mesh and tried cotton rolled inside the ss mesh. Tried the ce2 style silica.

 

[DantesInferno]

Actually, for these little monstrosities, I went back to Kanthal 32 4/5 wrap and the silica 1.5mm wick, doubled, until I get it placed and trimmed, and then unwind it at the ends. The coils are fairly loose as I use a post thicker than a beefy paper clip, maybe 1mm thick, to provide the proper spacing. Trim the wick before unraveling. Push the coil up a bit with a small straight blade before stuffing the strands into the bowl. I tried the cotton route, and it wicks a treat, but it's too easy to burn. The vertical wire mesh is too prone to misplacement and shorting for me. When that works good, it's awesome, but I can't flush with water to clean without short failures later.

Ya I totally agree with the ss mesh. The silica gives an off flavor to me. It goes away but I'm not patient enough to break it in. Now the rolled cotton, that stuff got kind of burnt for me too. This 2x2 cotton I have now is great though. I'll see if I can find an exact link to it. It's almost like thick paper towel or something. It hasn't burned at all and I like to run low resistance. No flavor either. I use about a 1/2 inch x 3/4 inch piece and roll it up. Then I use a 20 gauge needle (cut the point off)...eh it's prolly just a tad bigger than a paper clip and wrap a tight 4-5 wrap coil that gives me right around 1.5ohms. And now that I have my frickin OP error fixed I won't have to make as many. Lol.

 

[Got-Ta-Go]

I liked the calling them "these little monstrosities" cause I did cuss them initially. But when they work, they are a thing of pleasure.

I'm running mine 2 different ways successfully. One is with a vertical coil like http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...oenix-chalice-vertical-cotton-wick-setup.html shows. Using #4 cotton yarn for a wick, I love it.

I've got a second one using the cotton yarn through a hollow heavily oxidized SS wick sitting horizontally above the posts. 5 wraps of 32 awg nic wire is giving 1.6 ohms. Tastes great and you ought to hear it pop & crackle. It is a little thin on the vapor side but gives a nice TH.

 

[TBinAZ]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I still use cotton and mesh from time to time, when I have the time to futz with it. The cotton is a bit too volatile for me, and the mesh too fiddly. I have 5 of these things, but still like to trade off juices readily, which I found is kind of detrimental to those setups. The silica, and a looser coil, is the least problematic for me. Dry burns after a flush are not as worrisome. I have yet to run into that 'off flavor' myself.

 

[Got-Ta-Go]

I'll try the silica wick instead of cotton next rebuild.

I do like the taste and sizzle of mesh w/cotton, but I can't get enough vapor out of it.

Bottom line though is that I'm super impressed with the Phoenix (but the moving post is a PIA).

 

[DantesInferno]

I use a fairly thick wick of cotton and actually pull the coil fairly tight around it. I know supposedly this cuts down on its ability to wick but having the cotton all around like 80% of each lil wire as it kinda cuts in to the cotton produces a ton of vapor. Like a freaking steam engine.

 

[DantesInferno]

You guys seen this RBA from Empiremods? Looks nice. Not in stock right now but I'm gonna watch for one of these. They're only 18$

http://www.Empiremods.com/product_p/v3reb.htm