Simple PG Based Calculator for Printing

[Mostly Sunny]

I created a simple little spreadsheet for my own use that I'd be willing to share if there's any interest and someone will tell me HOW to post it so others can retrieve it.

The concept came about because I got tired of scribbling out the quantities on post-it notes and such and then having to re-scribble if I was only going to do a partial bottle.

This calculator uses percentages and converts to ml. If you use the drops method, this calculator is not for you.

This is a spreadsheet. If you don't know the basics of working with spreadsheets, this calculator is not for you.

The spreadsheet has room for 6 of your favorite recipes each with 5 different quantities on one printable page. The 5 quantities are so you can refill different sized bottles with varying degrees of emptiness. I know that's a little overkill if you always refill the same size bottle when it reaches the same level of emptiness but it is what it is.

Bear in mind, in order to keep it super simple one worksheet everything except VG is considered PG based. On another worksheet the flavorings and nicotine solution are both VG based. This calculator will not work properly if you have VG based nicotine and PG based flavors or vice versa. The nicotine and the flavorings both need to have the same base.

The spreadsheet was made on a Mac using Microsoft Excel and I don't know how it will translate over to a PC or another Mac not using Excel. I'm no computer whiz so please don't ask me if something goes wrong. I am going to try to attach a pdf file which will show you how it prints out from my computer.

If there's interest and I do get around to posting it I'll go into more detail on how to use it. You'd probably be able to figure it out w/o too much trouble anyway. If the pdf does come through, only the Blue cells need be edited. The white cells should stay locked so you'll need to make sure that sheet protection is ON when you open the file on your computer.

Sorry if something like this has already been posted. To tell you the truth, I didn't do a real thorough search. The spreadsheets I did run across kind of made my eyes cross when I opened them so hopefully there's a place for a simple one.

Greg

 

[Mostly Sunny]

I think I've figured out how to share this file. If you do check it out could you please come back here and let me know if and how it comes through? I know some of the files I've previously shared with my PC friends got their formatting screwed up in the Mac to PC translation. Hopefully it comes through looking like the PDF file I posted above.



Steps

Initial Setup:

1) Click this link. It may open up a really oversized spreadsheet with some garbage in a couple of the cells but don't worry just yet. Clicking the "Download" button in the top right will open another page. Click the "Download (62.27 KB)" button and it will download to your computer. I hope the garbage I saw isn't because it got converted to Microsoft format.

2) Locate and open it on your computer.

3) Click in the bottom left cell inside one of the boxes that says "Your Nicotine Solution". If you can't get into this cell we're good, go to step 4. If you click it and you can see a formula in the Edit box then you need to protect the sheet. On a Mac with Microsoft Excel go to the Menu bar and click Tools>>Protection>>Protect Sheet. (I'm not sure how other programs or PC's are set up. It should be similar.) The two most important things here is that allowing user to: "Select locked cells" is unchecked and "Select unlocked cells" is checked. Click "OK"

4) Save file and close window.

5) Duplicate (make a copy of) the file on your computer. This is good to have in case something happens to the original.



Normal Usage:

6) Reopen the file.

7) Select the tab at the bottom that corresponds with your supplies ... either all PG based flavors and nicotine or all VG based flavors and nicotine. Sorry, this calculator is either/or but there is a way to work it if you have just one ingredient that doesn't match the rest.

8) Click the cell to the right of the "Your Nicotine Solution" and input the strength of nicotine you'll be using. Right now it probably says 100 mg/ml. This cell MUST have a number other than 0. If you're doing a "No Nic" recipe you can put any number (besides 0) in this cell because you'll be selecting the Target Nicotine later.

9) Give the recipe a name, if you want, in the top left.

10) Depending on which tab you're in set the "Target" PG or VG.

11) Set the Nicotine Target. This can be 0 or left blank for No Nic recipes.

12) Input the flavors and ratios. I left my recipes populated so you can see what all is needed and try out my favorite recipes if you want.

13) Input the various "Quantity Desired" amounts to match your needs.

14) Delete the worksheet tab you will not be using if you want. (Right Click>>Delete on the unwanted tab will probably do it.)

15) Print and enjoy.

Notes:

It is very important the Protection is set in step 3. If the worksheet is not protected it would be very easy to click a cell and either change or delete a formula. If a formula is changed or deleted something is not going to work right. This isn't to deny you access. It's to prevent inadvertent mishaps. I always run in Protected mode unless I'm editing something. If you want to look at or play with the formulas, first make sure you have a backup copy of a working file. Go through step 3 and instead of saying "Protect Sheet" it should say something like "Unprotect Sheet". Always Protect the sheet when you're done fooling around.

The Blue shaded cells are the only ones you normally need access to.

Use only numbers in the cells that need numbers. You don't need to type % or ml or mg or mg/ml. The cells have been formatted to display the appropriate units.

I chose not to include Drops because I feel they are very inaccurate. The size of the dropper can affect the size of the drop. Also, I sometimes have a hard time counting to 632 or whatever.

There are empty, unlocked cells between the recipes if you want to type in any notes or anything. The exception is the cell directly above the recipe name (top left). This cell is activated if it's not possible to formulate the recipe with the nicotine strength you indicated.

I know that it's a simple spreadsheet. Look at the name of this thread. It is not designed for mixing and matching varying Nicotine, PG and VG levels. Those calculators are out there, this ain't it. I use this to print a handy one page, 6 recipe sheet that I can post in my lab (i.e. my dining room table) I seldom change any of the recipes ... only when my tastes change or I'm trying out a new recipe.

It's not perfect, I know. One tab treats everything except VG as PG. The other tab treats everything except PG as VG. Personally I've only used PGA and distilled water a couple of times and for me, it's viscosity is closer to to PG than VG so that's how I'm going to treat it in my formulations. If I get a VG that's a lot thicker or thinner than the last batch I'll simply tweak the PG/VG ratio a bit and reprint. I know there's a myriad of other minor details out there but unless someone can convince me otherwise, they don't play a role large enough to even notice so this calculator just fine.

If anyone does decide to try it out, I'd be curious to hear how it comes through on a PC and what you think of it.

Greg