Just curious, I just bought a new mod with all copper contacts. Can any one tell me which contact pins have the best conductivity? Copper, stainless steel, brass, silver plated SS? Which have the lowest voltage drop and how is that determined?
Question about contacts
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http://metals.about.com/od/properties/a/Electrical-Conductivity-In-Metals.htm
check this out it might help you a bit.
more conductive metals = harder better hit.
check this out it might help you a bit.
more conductive metals = harder better hit.
if they did platinum that would probably be the best metal if I'm reading this right.
Silver is the best conductor, followed by copper. Brass is a copper alloy but isn't nearly as conductive. SS would be the least conductive of what you listed. The thing is, it isn't this straightforward for the application of electrical contacts. Solid silver would be great but also prohibitively expensive, so you don't see it often. The conductivity of silver plating is going to depend on its quality, purity, and thickness. The best thing about silver is that its oxide is also very conductive. Copper is relatively cheap, so you can have solid copper contacts, but it also oxidizes easiest which reduces its contact conductivity. The key is to keep it clean and polished to make sure it maintains its conductivity. Brass may be less conductive, but it oxidizes less and is the cheapest. So the truth is, they all are good if high quality and oxidation is minimized. Better conductivity = less voltage drop.
But the thing about voltage drop is that most of it comes from your battery's internal resistance. So getting a battery with the lowest possible internal resistance will reduce voltage drop the most. All of the 20+ amp continuous rated batteries available will minimize this. The more a battery is used, the more its internal resistance increases and so does the voltage drop this causes.
Voltage drop is measured by the voltage parallel to the coil. Subtracting this from the measured battery voltage will give you the drop. The lower the coil resistance, the higher the voltage drop because the battery's internal resistance (and to a lesser extent, the mod contact resistance) becomes more of a factor. The mods with the lowest voltage drop (independent of the battery drop) have the best quality contacts and the most solid positive connections. By "solid", I mean very flat, smooth, and wide connections for the electricity to transfer most efficiently.
I'll leave it up to others to provide specific recommendations and methods.
But the thing about voltage drop is that most of it comes from your battery's internal resistance. So getting a battery with the lowest possible internal resistance will reduce voltage drop the most. All of the 20+ amp continuous rated batteries available will minimize this. The more a battery is used, the more its internal resistance increases and so does the voltage drop this causes.
Voltage drop is measured by the voltage parallel to the coil. Subtracting this from the measured battery voltage will give you the drop. The lower the coil resistance, the higher the voltage drop because the battery's internal resistance (and to a lesser extent, the mod contact resistance) becomes more of a factor. The mods with the lowest voltage drop (independent of the battery drop) have the best quality contacts and the most solid positive connections. By "solid", I mean very flat, smooth, and wide connections for the electricity to transfer most efficiently.
I'll leave it up to others to provide specific recommendations and methods.
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No, platinum would be worse than brass. Not sure how much it oxidizes though.
yeah there are lots of mods with gold plated contacts...very good from what I read
In my experience, nickel plated copper might be my favorite kind of contact. The difference between copper and silver (usually sterling is used, as pure silver is too soft, and sterling is a mix of silver and copper) is un noticeable. Nickel doesn't really oxidize, but silver does (yes, even sterling and silver plating). It's the best hard-hitter for the least amount of hassle and maintenance.
Of course, I also think stainless contacts are doable... I just build my coils a bit lower when I use an all stainless mod.
What can I say, I'm a fan of low-maintenance materials!
Of course, I also think stainless contacts are doable... I just build my coils a bit lower when I use an all stainless mod.
What can I say, I'm a fan of low-maintenance materials!
Hey thanks alot guys that really helps to clear things up for me. This is one of the last things I feel like I need to understand on my quest for vaping knowledge and your replies help alot. I'm feeling this mod with it's all copper contacts hits really hard, but granted they are new. What do i need to do to keep my contacts as clean as possible? Do i need different products for different metals?
Some people use fine sandpaper to remove tarnish, others use a regular pencil eraser. I'm a polishing fan myself. Get some Mothers Mag & Aluminum polish, it'll make those copper pieces shine! Copper oxidizes really easily, and really quickly, so once you polish them and install them, wipe them clean and try not to touch them until it's time for another cleaning (the oils on our hands can help them tarnish quicker).
As for how often to clean them up... I say just do it when you notice a drop in performance. With copper, it'll probably be every two weeks or so.
As for how often to clean them up... I say just do it when you notice a drop in performance. With copper, it'll probably be every two weeks or so.
Gold is less conductive than silver and copper, much more expensive (obviously), but it does not oxidize and is more conductive than brass. It is also very soft, but I am not sure how relevant that is.
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