Edited my post because I forgot how to read before answering someone.
Note to self: read the whole post carefully before replying
Note to self: read the whole post carefully before replying
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I gave the vertical a go awhile back but I wasn't impressed, but I may have done something wrong, the draw was WAY to tight and vapor was low
I definitely used enough cotton to slide througn the coil, there was the slightest bit of tension pulling it through. I have a good idea of how much would be too little for the 1/16in coil. Thanks for the suggestion though
But in the mean time, I took the coil back off and the shaft off, and took 2 very tiny pieces of cotton and stuck those on top of both ends of the wicks where they come out of the coil - these pieces don't go over the top of the coil though. Hopefully this fixes the leak for now
^^ This seems to have fixed the leak, for now. I'll see how it vapes
I'll still have to give the vertical coil a go - the other part that intrigues me is that you leave the microcoil on it hollow, and pack the cotton around the coil only, almost like a cartomizer-(tank)!
^^ This seems to have fixed the leak, for now. I'll see how it vapes
I'll still have to give the vertical coil a go - the other part that intrigues me is that you leave the microcoil on it hollow, and pack the cotton around the coil only, almost like a cartomizer-(tank)!
Good to hear that the leaking has stopped.
And when I did a vertical I put my drill bit thru the hole while I packed the cotton in so it was open all the way but the draw was still to tight
Hmmm, after reading a bunch of the Vertical thread, it seems it all really relies on getting the perfect cotton density around the coil, for your specific juice.. Did you try packing less cotton around that coil, maybe that would loosen the vape? I'm excited to try it out sometime soon
But as for my current situation, the 1/16in micro with NO flavor wick is vaping very nicely now!! Lots of flavor, lots of vapor at only 5 watts (1.9ohm coil, I start them off at a low wattage and work up)..
I did have to stick a tiny piece of cotton on both ends where the wicks come out, to stop the leak. I think next time, I'll try using a slightly longer cotton wick, and fluff it upwards so it doesn't leak without a flavor-wick
But as for my current situation, the 1/16in micro with NO flavor wick is vaping very nicely now!! Lots of flavor, lots of vapor at only 5 watts (1.9ohm coil, I start them off at a low wattage and work up)..
I did have to stick a tiny piece of cotton on both ends where the wicks come out, to stop the leak. I think next time, I'll try using a slightly longer cotton wick, and fluff it upwards so it doesn't leak without a flavor-wick
You should try it the way it's normally installed. I've never seen any benefit from flipping it. It'd also keep you from having to add cotton to the ends, as the cap tightens the wick up a little just at the point of entry into the head.
Here is what I've discovered to be the best vape on protanks for me.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/atomizer-mods/490211-dual-micro-coils-protank-2-a.html
Easy to build and not too difficult to rewick with cotton as long as you dont let it get completely gunked up.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/atomizer-mods/490211-dual-micro-coils-protank-2-a.html
Easy to build and not too difficult to rewick with cotton as long as you dont let it get completely gunked up.
Ducks in a row. They're not my tidiest, and they may actually have a smidge too much cotton (I fluffed each side after sliding it through, so maybe not), but they should work just fine after I nudge that middle one to be right over the air hole. I knocked these out while I was having my morning coffee (which says a lot about how easy they are to do once you have your technique, I'm always a bit shaky before coffee). The rightmost one is a bit darker because I had torched the wire before wrapping as well as while compressing.
Very nice, vdaedalus! I think the middle coil looks the nicest.. So since I added a tiny piece of cotton to each side where the wicks come out, it has been vaping very nicely, without a flavor wick!! And this is the 1st time since I started rebuilding, that I don't see a little drop of juice on my battery's 510-connection, after vaping a few hours! I will try putting the silicone cup back in it's original position, and ditching the extra cotton. Thanks guys!!
.... About to go snowboarding for the day
.... About to go snowboarding for the day
Yeah, so did I. After seeing them up close like that, I took out the wicks from the ones on each end, fired them up on a battery and squeezed them a bit tighter while they were still hot, AND got a bit of the skew out of the leftmost one. Easier after coffee! Using the rightmost one right now, working a treat.
And it's beautiful once you get the cotton right and you see your battery post doesn't get that little dewdrop of juice, right?
By the way, be careful with those temperature changes while you're out with Protanks. Coming in from the cold and vaping without letting the tank/coil/juice warm up might give you some flooding; happened to me last week, now I always let them come back to room temp.
Very nice, vdaedalus! I think the middle coil looks the nicest.. So since I added a tiny piece of cotton to each side where the wicks come out, it has been vaping very nicely, without a flavor wick!! And this is the 1st time since I started rebuilding, that I don't see a little drop of juice on my battery's 510-connection, after vaping a few hours! I will try putting the silicone cup back in it's original position, and ditching the extra cotton. Thanks guys!!
.... About to go snowboarding for the day
Congratz gentlemen on the excellent builds. And your successful mutual assistance. It becomes easy as you are able to duplicate an effort. Anything less is experiment.
So in that spirit of confirmations, a reconfirmation of the common 1/16" wind ; and, another unique low at 1.75.mm. Both in the last day.
30AWG, 8/7 1.58mm i.d. microcoil = 1.81Ω √
30AWG, 8/7 1.75mm i.d. microcoil = 1.85Ω √
Some pics of the latter build and a description of the wind technique.
The first a snapshot confirmation of the low for the latter which I found interesting because of the proximity although a very tight wind. And that the 1/16 wind has been confirmed by me so many times along with others on this thread. I expected closer to half a tenth or more difference between the diameters. And what this is telling me is tighter builds may impact the tables I've built so far. The second pic is just a snap of the initial set alongside one of the new grommets from Lightning Vapes. I've yet to do a final burn in on this coil as I caught a burr and caused a lift of an end turn as I centered. No biggie as corrected by burn-in. Just a nuisance.
The reason for the above is that my methodology for the wind has changed in recent weeks as I began to wind under induced tension. Prior I used this technique to stabilize the coil for an initial short burn right on the screwdriver bit. However, recently I've begun to draw the wire from the forceps under as much tension as the wire will sustain while rotating the screwdriver, in this case producing a clockwise wind (rotating away). It took me a bit to find the balance because I did break a few wires initially. Adding the tension though ensures that you have a tight contact coil from the outset. And by overwinding then de-winding excess unjoined end turns you can torch an already completely touching element right on the drill bit. From there a first quench and subsequent if needed burn/s under compression on a medical tweezers. The "hang up" for me has been irregularities on the surface of the various driver sets I use. I've tried to work them out but have to mic so that the work doesn't end up underdimension or misformed. I likely wouldn't see it, but the result might be baffling. A needed effort as I keep catching these snags. For a higher quality set I'm getting ready to hit either
Otto Frei Call 1-510-832-0355 For Watch Parts
Esslinger Watchmaker Supplies Jewelry Tools Watch Parts & all Watch Bands
And this particular item as it includes four of the most common dimensions I might use on tanks or other RBA's. However, apart from the leverage of the grip it takes quality Horotec tips of other diameters...
Precision Swiss Screwdriver Set with 4 Straight Flat Head Straight Blades Standard Pocket Sized Mini
Just thinking out loud here.
Point being, it's rather easy for a beginner to use this technique, no jig, no other tools, to produce a quality contact coil. And it improves the chances that even without torching the coil may be initially sufficiently coherent that it can be completed by simply firing the bare coil dry on the mod.
Because it's effortlessly simple I've adopted this technique across the board and can knock a half dozen of these out in literally minutes to line them up for assembly. Please let me know if you try this and how it worked out.
Enjoy the vapes fella's and
Good luck!
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Here's how I've been tightening my coils up. I have a RDA, the IGO-L, and after wrapping a "kinda tight" coil, I'll leave the leads long and hook them up to the IGO so the coil hangs just over the side and I can get it with the needle nose. I'll do a couple gentle practice squeezes so I'll know what tight looks like, then I'll hold the coil against one side of the needle nose "mouth" (leave the other side clear) and fire it until it just turns red. Release the button and squeeze gently again, hold for a few seconds. It'll likely be tight after the first time, no more than two.
Don't hold it past "just turning red" or the coil may distort. Don't ask me how I know . . .
Don't hold it past "just turning red" or the coil may distort. Don't ask me how I know . . .
Not too much cotton (in retrospect). I was gonna reply to M that the fuzzy wuzzy in the middle takes the beauty contest for sure. But the beauty on the right is just perfect. So it doesn't surprise me that you torched it prior. I was noticing the difference in coloration. Were the other two strictly dry burned on the mod? Also this looks like 29 AWG, right? What was the wind dia., 5/64"? How did you stabilize? Just curious v. LMK.
Thanks.
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Indeed, the amount of cotton end up being just fine. The other two were torched between tweezers after winding, whereas the more-oxidized one on the right, I torched the length of kanthal before winding, then torched between tweezers. And then I always tighten it up by pulsing and compressing once they're in the head, hooked up to my VAMO or eVic.
It's 30AWG, I experimented with 28 but found that the coil is a smidge too wide for my taste since in addition to being thicker wire, I have to add 3-4 extra wraps to reach a resistance I'm comfortable with (usually in the 1.3-1.6ohm range, preferably 1.4 to start (since they drift upwards eventually with use). Shorts are a lot more common, and getting the grommet up into the hole is considerably harder on the grommet with the 28 (shredded a couple). 1/16" bit. 'Standard vdaedalus build' now is 7 wraps, 30AWG on the 1/16" bit. The 5/64" winds I've tried in the past often flooded, but I might revisit them now that I have the amount of cotton right. I currently have little incentive to do it, though, since these are just working so well for me. I get several days per wick with lighter juices, and one dark juice in particular I get pretty much one tank fill before the middle of the wick and coil are gummed up, so I just swap out the wick when I fill the tank, takes only a few seconds more.
Thanks. It must have been a bit of the fish-eye effect from the camera, how close. Or, me just being blind. The coils looked big and impressive. On a side note, 5/64" won't drop all the way down the slot on the KPT. Which is unfortunate as it's the closest to 2mm. I mangled more than my fair share of silica 2mm coils sticking' needles through 'em to stabilize 'em 'till they looked like curly haired girls on a windy day. I'd love to do 2mm wicks in the Protank. But right now with the last build I did above, Nextel on 1/16" is blowing away every other device I have including the drippers on cotton or Eko…in a Protank. It was running better at 1.8mm (1.78, 3/43") but 3M has apparently made the weave a little tighter with more recent supplies than when I started using it. My reserves of the older material are running out. And the the last three batches from SnG are a lot closer to 1/16". It is an incredibly easy feed though even into this significantly smaller diameter.
Getting back to yours, the tightest wind I could build on your spec was — 30AWG, 7/6 1.58mm i.d. (XC-132), microcoil = 1.57Ω. And that was a new low I got using the method I described in my last post above just within the last week or so(?). That's the spec assembled, not bare coil. That's a fine result you're getting my man.
Thanks for the come back and good luck.
Maybe my eVic and VAMO are reading a bit low? I'm getting a 510 ohm meter this week hopefully, so I'll re-meter some of my coils, but yeah, they come in between 1.4-1.5 today, already wicked with cotton and soaked with juice (they'll occasionally meter 0.1ohm lower when I plug in the bare coil on the head in preparation to compress on the device). I'm using Kanthal A, not A1, you reckon that matters? I don't think it would make a significant difference.
And they definitely do look a bit chubbier all up-close due to the fish-eye. I guess what they say is true, the camera adds -2 AWG...
I have two generic desktop ecig meters and five variables (right now) to cross check. Since, my exchanges with M earlier in the thread, I'm spot checking more on the desktop's and ordering two of the usb powered because I think these little batt units can go wonky when the batt's get low. I also experience read variations on all of the eVic's, usually to the low side. So that gets the motor running…and me changing batteries often. LOL Because I build a lot of these v. But no sense trying to build a data set for myself, and that others might benefit from, if the info's half-baked.
I found I've built a lot to the low-side and far more often than not there is an incidental ground somewhere. And it shows up later in the life of the build with resistance changes on mod. I always start on a variable, then go mech. Anything suspicious behavior, I switch the device back to a variable and if I note any discrepancy between my noted bare wire resistance and final build or operational resistance. I'm noting both in my logs. It's not perfect v, I've excluded a lot I've built in a hurry mostly for walk around vapes on eVic's (or that on occasion I wasn't too proud of). You know the kind…oh tha'll last a tank if I'm lucky, variety. Just sayin'…*it happens.
Hehe, well that does appear to be true. I was impressed.
I also use the cotton from CVS.... I use the organic though. I like it better than the silica wick.
I do too. Thanks for kicking in. Silica disintegrates tragically in clearo's, often the top wick falls apart and to the sides of the coils queering the airflow. Then flooding, resistance issues. Cotton's hard to get right in a small coil but worth it. Silica scorches easily and fast with thicker juices; and in falling apart itself its contact with the coil is fouled as resistance is compromised. When the top wick collapses shorts to the cap can result affecting resistance and performance. If in practice you're going to have to fiddle with the wick so constantly what's the advantage? Might as well use cotton and a flavor improvement for the day or two that it performs well. Just getting the density right is the challenge as we all have a different sense of what tastes right and feels right with respect to vapor.
I use the CVS organic too among others. Do you wash yours A? And have you tried any of the yarns?
I've tried to steer this thread in the direction of simple repeatable building approaches for the rest of us. Lots of great experimentation going on here at ECF by a lot of creative imaginative people but I struggled to understand why we're redesigning the wheel every time. I discovered the hard way that to get to the great vape one needs to first identify the basic criteria, starting with resistance, then a coil and build method which can be easily repeated.
An important part of that is the wick media that works for you and can be easily integrated into the coil/build approach. If you're going to suggest something, a description of the media of how you feed it would be helpful.
To all, post your favorite Protank contact coil (microcoil) build design here including — wind mandrel or guide and its diameter, wire gauge and wick spec.
Thanks and good luck!
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happened across this thread today...
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/reos-mods/469696-wire-wrapping-coils.html
through that, i happened across this video... 20131023_000425.mp4 - YouTube
i thought to myself, that's a pretty simple tool that could be made at home.
so i mic'd out a paper clip within .03mm of the same diameter as my 1/16" drill bit (the mandrel end).
then i mic'd out a wire hanger within .02mm of the diameter of my 5/64" drill bit. (again, the mandrel end)
found myself a 3mm cap head screw, 2 3mm (m3) flat washers and 2 m3 nuts and got to bending the paper clip around them in between the washers. cap head screws have narrow heads that wouldn't bite the paper clip and hold it just right. then put the extra nut on and voila!!! easy 1/16" micro coil. just needs cotton pulled through.
but i didn't have anything easily found that would suffice for the larger diameter.
so i went to lowes. in the hardware section i found m5 bolts and nuts. just over a dollar and 20 minutes later.... voila!!!! easy 5/64" micro coil.
just make sure you count your wraps if you're going by them and slowly release the first sprung wrap when you release the coil. then count the rest as you remove them slowly. easy peasy.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/reos-mods/469696-wire-wrapping-coils.html
through that, i happened across this video... 20131023_000425.mp4 - YouTube
i thought to myself, that's a pretty simple tool that could be made at home.
so i mic'd out a paper clip within .03mm of the same diameter as my 1/16" drill bit (the mandrel end).
then i mic'd out a wire hanger within .02mm of the diameter of my 5/64" drill bit. (again, the mandrel end)
found myself a 3mm cap head screw, 2 3mm (m3) flat washers and 2 m3 nuts and got to bending the paper clip around them in between the washers. cap head screws have narrow heads that wouldn't bite the paper clip and hold it just right. then put the extra nut on and voila!!! easy 1/16" micro coil. just needs cotton pulled through.
but i didn't have anything easily found that would suffice for the larger diameter.
so i went to lowes. in the hardware section i found m5 bolts and nuts. just over a dollar and 20 minutes later.... voila!!!! easy 5/64" micro coil.
just make sure you count your wraps if you're going by them and slowly release the first sprung wrap when you release the coil. then count the rest as you remove them slowly. easy peasy.
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