Switching to mech mod, few questions please

[CMartin]

So far I've been using Evod twist batteries with various clearomizers and even tried couple of small rebuildables, but I am thinking about obtaining a mechanical mod. I am totally clueless about electronics and batteries, and will be thankful if someone clarify things that confuse me.

1.) Regarding batteries for mechanical mods, as far as I understand, as long as we don't use coils bellow 1.0 ohm, and no matter what battery we use, and as long as it's a cell with at least 10A discharge power - than nothing bad will happen to the battery and we are totally safe even if it's ICR unprotected lithium battery. Is that right ?

2.) There is a chart on recommended wattage and voltage which shows high values in red cells which will (as the chart's legend says) burn our e-juice on 10, 12, 15W...
However, occasionally I read someone claims to enjoy wonderful flavors from his 1.8 or 1.6 ohm coil while vaping on 15 wats ! Is the chart wrong, or I am missing something ?

3.) When vaping from mechanical mods without a kick, how do you prevent over discharge ? Do you use protected batteries, or you manually check batteries' voltage from time to time ?

4.) Sometimes I see a sheet on battery's specifications that says its output power for example is 8C. But, how many amperes is the 8C ? What's the formula for output power expressed in C to convert the value to A ? What the "C" stands for anyway ?

Thank you.

 

[Stosh]

1.) Regarding batteries for mechanical mods, as far as I understand, as long as we don't use coils bellow 1.0 ohm, and no matter what battery we use, and as long as it's a cell with at least 10A discharge power - than nothing bad will happen to the battery and we are totally safe even if it's ICR unprotected lithium battery. Is that right ?

NO, an ICR unprotected lithium battery is not a good choice for any mech mod or regulated mod. Simply put, if an ICR battery fails it will vent hot gas and flames....an IMR battery that fails will not vent flames due to a safer chemistry.
With a choice of flames or no flames, I go with no flames every time....

An analogy to this is that a protected ICR is like a gun with the safety switch turned on, and an IMR is a gun someone filled with rubber bullets. Both guns can hurt but one is more hazardous.

If you figure what the maximum amperage you're likely to draw with your topper, and then double it, it's a good value to look for in your battery. A little extra safety margin is a good thing to have.

2.) There is a chart on recommended wattage and voltage which shows high values in red cells which will (as the chart's legend says) burn our e-juice on 10, 12, 15W...
However, occasionally I read someone claims to enjoy wonderful flavors from his 1.8 or 1.6 ohm coil while vaping on 15 wats ! Is the chart wrong, or I am missing something ?

The operative words here are "recommended wattage and voltage", some vapers prefer a much warmer vape, some cooler. The nice thing is you can find your own level, the chart is just an average starting point. The PG/VG ratio, flavor, topper used and your preference will all change what wattage "tastes the best"

3.) When vaping from mechanical mods without a kick, how do you prevent over discharge ? Do you use protected batteries, or you manually check batteries' voltage from time to time ?

With a mech mod, you need to monitor the voltage manually with a meter until you get a feel for the drop off in vapor that a discharged battery will produce. Protected batteries are the ICR type, and not recommended. You can use a VapeSafe fuse to increase the safety factor, but you still need to monitor your own voltages, and how much current your topper is drawing.

4.) Sometimes I see a sheet on battery's specifications that says its output power for example is 8C. But, how many amperes is the 8C ? What's the formula for output power expressed in C to convert the value to A ? What the "C" stands for anyway ?

Thank you.

The C rating is another way of expressing the amperage rating. C Rating * mah Rating / 1000 = Amperage Rating