So excited! Built my first coil!

[ashes to batteries]

Oh my gosh! A few days ago I came here with tons of questions because I wanted to graduate from my basic, generic starter ego and knew NOTHING. So anyway, people educated me and helped me select a kanger subox mini. I loved it but it kept leaking. The guy decided it was the OCC coil and told me to go home and put the other one in.

Frustrated, I looked at some YouTube videos and MADE MY First COIL! Granted, it was a prefab COIL for the rba deck, but whatever. Baby steps! I did it! And even though the OHMs and wattage read the same the vape is SO MUCH more intense!


Thank you all so much for everything I'm learning!

 

[Darth Omerta]

Great to hear it! Just remember as you venture into the world of coil building safety first!

+1 on how much better the vape is with a rebuild! I never knew how good vaping was until I picked up the Dark Horse and started wrapping coil after coil. Ive had my RDA for almost a month now and Ive built almost 2 meters worth of coils, not out of necessity, just because I could! Have 2 more RDAs in the mail! I have caught the bug and I cant stop! I even got my RTA up and running(though Im not big on the airflow for it, gotta figure something out)

 

[suprtrkr]

I remember the thread. Glad to hear you're making progress. Keep up the good work. However, @Darth Omerta is right: safety first. Keep it up above .5 ohms-- .7 or .8 would be better-- until you are more comfortable and understand Ohm's law better. And just what kind of battery are you using in it?

 

[Darth Omerta]

If memory serves I believe the advice was for a VTC4...drumroll please?!?!?!

 

[Deryan3]

Good Job! Ashes. Keep safety on your side as well

 

[ashes to batteries]

It reads at exactly 0.5 OHMs, as did the occ. Did I do something incorrectly? I'm using an 18650 battery. Or did you mean brand? Efest?

 

[ashes to batteries]

Thanks, I'm trying to walk before I run to stay safe. That's why I used the RBA coils they gave me in the kit, just to learn how to wick and be comfortable taking apart the deck.

 

[Darth Omerta]

Swing and a miss! Guess it was another thread that I was remembering. Efest is fine for now, but I would advise keeping the builds in the .7 and up range until an upgrade in batteries and more understanding of Ohms Law!

For the record, I used Efest on .5 ohms without incident for a long time, knowing what I know now, I wouldnt do it again. Not that Im saying its unsafe, I just know better batteries that I like alot more.

 

[ashes to batteries]

What would a better battery be? I need to get a second one anyway.

 

[Darth Omerta]

Grab a couple of VTC4s(make sure they're from a reputable source), you wont be disappointed. Also good are LG HE4s and Samsung 25Rs. Those all test well and deliver what they claim. Check out @Mooch bench tests, very thorough and accurate!

 

[Marc411]

Either of these would be good

18650 Sony US18650VTC4 2100mAh High Discharge Flat Top - Batteries - Batteries, Chargers, and PowerPax Carriers

18650 Samsung INR18650-25R 2500mAh High Discharge FLAT Top

Buy a pair and get a free case.

 

[suprtrkr]

It reads at exactly 0.5 OHMs, as did the occ. Did I do something incorrectly? I'm using an 18650 battery. Or did you mean brand? Efest?

No, nothing incorrect. I'm just trying to keep you safe. This is why I am telling you not to go below .5 until you are comfortable and more knowledgeable. As Darth says, I am not fond of Efest, although I started there too, and used them safely on .5 for a long time. Here's a link to @Mooch 's latest effort, a chart for battery safety. Next time you buy batteries, look at it first would be my suggestion. He's one of our resident experts on the subject around here. Here's another handy link, to Ohm's Law Calculator. If you plug in the Ohms of you coil, in this case .5 where it measures, and the watts you have set on the Mini, it will tell you the amps it is drawing from the battery (minimum, plus losses on the board, but never mind that) plus what voltage it is applying to the atty to give you the watts you want. If you are contemplating a different coil, this calculator will help you figure out how badly you are stressing your mod and battery. Another handy thing to have is the Steam Engine coil calculator. It will help you figure out how many wraps of what kind of wire you need around how big a mandrel to achieve the designed resistance you want in your coils.

Bottom line, you have done nothing wrong. Keep up the good work. We're proud of you. And come and talk to us when you're ready to start winding your own

 

[suprtrkr]

Thanks, I'm trying to walk before I run to stay safe. That's why I used the RBA coils they gave me in the kit, just to learn how to wick and be comfortable taking apart the deck.

Good. Best to start small and ease into it. You'll gain confidence with experience. I did.

 

[ashes to batteries]

You guys are an awesome fount of.knowledge! Thank you!

 

[ashes to batteries]

What tools should I have to wind.My own?

 

[suprtrkr]

What would a better battery be? I need to get a second one anyway.

Sony VTC4s or Samsung 25Rs or LG H6Bs for extreme use, but the latter has sucky capacity, only 1500mAh.

Edit: I also suggest a stand-alone battery charger, an Xtar or Intellicore.

 

[Mooch]

Good suggestions...
Toss the LG HD2 into that pile...great performer. But the 25R is probably a lot less expensive.

 

[ashes to batteries]

I have a dumb question.

When my coil starts tasting like it needs replacing, do I always change the wire and the cotton, or just the cotton?

 

[Bigolac]

Congrats - I caught the rebuild bug as well - it's easy enough with some practice..... and more practice.....

 

[suprtrkr]

What tools should I have to wind.My own?

Here's one I just pinged on eBay. That doesn't mean it's the best or best value, I just linked the one on top. Needlenose, wire cutters, a coil winding jig (or drill bits, something of various diameters to wind them on), tweezers, a screwdriver with several tiny points. Plus some wire and wicks, of course. I also find a pencil butane torch handy to anneal the wires.