SXK's self-branded TC mod - Nebula 50/60; TC with TCR adjustment; Big Screen; C/F temps
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Arrived! And Serial Number 001 - I feel very special! 
Although I do think this means mine has been around a bit, the box was really dirty. I would assume this is particular to mine, not the general batch
The big screen is lovely - so crisp!
Nickel Purity, as expected (here I have set it for a NiFe30 build; default was 70 as usual)
Looks pretty good with my gold-bottomed Aqua SE!
Although I do think this means mine has been around a bit, the box was really dirty. I would assume this is particular to mine, not the general batch
The big screen is lovely - so crisp!
Nickel Purity, as expected (here I have set it for a NiFe30 build; default was 70 as usual)
Looks pretty good with my gold-bottomed Aqua SE!
Very quick first thoughts before I get dinner (full review later):
- As expected it still has low resistance issue, reading identically to my 50W SXK VF - about 0.05Ω low on this particular build (reading 0.22Ω on a 0.27Ω build)
- It is spring loaded, and a very tight spring - something I have learned to appreciate from Dicodes. Very pleased with that.
- Two screws to remove the battery door is not ideal, but I guess that's the same as the Hana? Anyway, they're quick and easy to remove
- Noticeably heavier in my hand with 1x650 than my VF is with 2x650 - but now I am used to the Dicodes, it doesn't feel too bad
- The big screen is really lovely to look at - so crisp
- However it does not show live updating ohms, which was a huge benefit in the small-screen VF
- I am going to email them about this - had it not been for those live updating ohms, I never could have decoded Nickel Purity (at least not nearly as easily, and not until I got my temp probe)
- Nice looking USB cable with chunky rubber holder
- But mine had no manual for some reason - I am sure that's because mine is Serial 001, a freebie unit (the Zero they sent me at the same time had a manual)
so you have the one unit they used for all the stock pictures O.O or they are all 001 perhaps ?
looks nice!
looks nice!
I did wonder whether they might all be 001, but no I checked
The pic on fasttech shows 003, and the 3FVape one is a generic 000. SXK's own pics showed 001 and 002 so yeah they sent me the first of those. So I am pretty sure it's a serial number. When anyone else gets theirs we should know for sure - in the meantime I'm going to assume so anyway
Regarding it reading the ohms to low, is this a big deal or just something to be aware of you you can make suitable adjustments to compensate?
For normal VW vaping (non Temp Control), doesn't really matter.
For TC vaping it can make a big difference. Base resistance is a vital factor in the TC calculations, because it's a multiplicative factor in the calculation the mod performs to convert resistance values into temperature.
For any other mod, it would basically render it inaccurate. However the SXK mods have this new feature called Nickel Purity. It was designed to allow the user to adjust for different qualities of Ni200 - which at first we assumed would only be for poor Chinese wire, but I have now found in UK wire as well. The nominal nickel content of Ni200 is 99.6%, but actually the spec allows it to be as low as 99%. The lower it is, the lower the temperature:resistance association. This association is called the Temperature Coefficient of Resistance.
It turns out that this Nickel Purity feature is actually a simple adjustment of the Temperature Coefficient of Resistance that the mod will use for calculating temperature for a given resistance rise in the wire. Because of this, it means NP can be used not only for poorer Nickel but, much more interestingly, for using different wires for accurate TC - such as Stainless Steel and Titanium.
You can read a lot more about that in my thread on the subject here; the first two posts have an introduction and detailed discussion of Nickel Purity: TC beyond Ni200: Nickel Purity, Dicodes; Ti, SS, Resistherm NiFe30; Coefficient of Resistance
The relevance of this to the low resistance question is that it also allows us to adjust Nickel Purity to compensate for the low resistance. We can't change the resistance the chip thinks the coil has, but we can change the number the mod multiplies that base resistance figure by to come up with its calculations.
In fact, SXK have already adjusted the number to compensate for the low resistance, at least for Ni200. The correct NP figure for proper Ni200 would be 60 (from its TCR of 0.006), but they set NP to 70 out of the box.
If one were to vape on Titanium, one would set NP to about 40, rather than the 35 that Titanium should have (from its TCR of 0.0035).
So setting the NP a bit too high allows for compensating the too-low resistance.
I have been in contact with SXK at some length explaining these issues and they have promised to fix the low resistance. In the meantime, the mod is very usable - and indeed, out of the box for normal Ni200 vaping, one might not even realise there's a problem, because they've already set a default that compensates.
Thank you for the detailed explanation, I'm planning on my first venture into TC and at the moment it's a toss up between this and the eVic VT.
Cheers
Cheers
FT fixed the weight of the silver version so I assume it would also apply to the black as seen on 3F, so it should say around 98g instead of the whopping 250g for the brass version.
The thing that bothers me about the Nebula....is the DAMN screws to get at the battery. Still on the fence about this one......
Yeah it's not ideal. I wish it had magnets. However, in practical terms, I find it's no slower to get it open than it is to get one battery out of either of my VF (Vapor Flask clone). The screws turn very quickly, and you don't need to do them really tight because there's two. A couple of quick turns, times two screws, and it lifts right up. It does mean I need a screwdriver, where for the VF I could use a coin - but in practice I tend to use a large flat head screwdriver for the VF as well.
So I find it's more of a case of it looking particularly inconvenient, rather than it being more inconvenient than many other mods. If you're already used to turning one or two battery caps, this is no worse so long as you have a screwdriver to hand. And the advantage versus a magnet door is there's no chance of it ever coming loose (I have one magnet door, the HCigar HB40, and it does sometimes slip a little.)
I'm not saying it's a good way of getting access to the battery. But in practice I'm not finding it terrible either.
The main downside I see at this point is the risk of losing screws - doesn't seem like any spares are provided. Certainly wasn't with mine, and I can't see any sign of them in the unboxing pictures on 3F or elsewhere either. I'm sure they're a very standard screw size (haven't measured yet), but I think they should include a couple of spares.
Someone earlier talked about installing your own magnets. You definitely could do that - the inside of the door has a cut-out, you can see it here in 3F's unboxing photo:
It would be possible to glue a couple of magnets to the black area on the mod itself, and then as long as they were the right thickness, they would stick to the cut-out area of the inside of the door. I believe that would make a usable magnet door. The downside is you'd still have two empty screw holes which wouldn't look so great - not sure what could be done about that. But it'd be more convenient at least. Looks like neodymium magnets are very cheap on eBay - like £1.50 for 10 small round ones.
According to @TheBloke the discrepancy from the low resistance problem can be patched a bit by the NP feature. Personally I really don't find this to be a huge issue to me, to which I can understand for most it would/will be. I rotate between 3 mods atm so I know I'll have a good idea what it should be at despite the problem. Anyways, I do like the fact that the 2 other colors have reduced the weight considerably that from the brass version. So to those still worried about its weight I think you might find some comfort in that!
So, how are you getting on with the nebula? It's pay day here tomorrow and I'm very tempted to pull the trigger on this!
Cheers
Chris
Cheers
Chris
I have a VS clone with the same chip and the same low res problem and it isnt a problem! Just pull the trigger. Its a good deal. They may never get around to fixing it anyway!
Can't wait to give mine a go. So hopefully it'll ship out the 27th and have it in after the 4th. Almost purchased the VS lookalike from SXK but I was a little more interested in this version. Besides I have much love anyways for my rDNA!
I have not been on forum for a few days & just caught up last night. I had not seen Nebula until I read your post. I really like the looks of it. Especially since SXK branded it because I think they make good products. But u said heavier than flask? I guess I thought it would be lighter with only one 18650. Never held a HANA they must be solid. Anyway, going to order another mod. when I make up my mind. Either Nebula, SXK Zero or IPv4. Don't you have all 3? Which one of these do you like best after using them? Thanks! Ok I now see why it is heavier... brass. So I believe the black should be considerably lighter.Very quick first thoughts before I get dinner (full review later):
- As expected it still has low resistance issue, reading identically to my 50W SXK VF - about 0.05Ω low on this particular build (reading 0.22Ω on a 0.27Ω build)
- It is spring loaded, and a very tight spring - something I have learned to appreciate from Dicodes. Very pleased with that.
- Two screws to remove the battery door is not ideal, but I guess that's the same as the Hana? Anyway, they're quick and easy to remove
- Noticeably heavier in my hand with 1x650 than my VF is with 2x650 - but now I am used to the Dicodes, it doesn't feel too bad
- The big screen is really lovely to look at - so crisp
- However it does not show live updating ohms, which was a huge benefit in the small-screen VF
- I am going to email them about this - had it not been for those live updating ohms, I never could have decoded Nickel Purity (at least not nearly as easily, and not until I got my temp probe)
- Nice looking USB cable with chunky rubber holder
- But mine had no manual for some reason - I am sure that's because mine is Serial 001, a freebie unit (the Zero they sent me at the same time had a manual)
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The Back and silver are considerably lighter at around 100 odd grams
Decent youtube review on this from VapnFagan. A couple issues he points out, but seems like a pretty solid device for the money.
Oh, so the 001 is either not a serial number, or else they made a whole bunch of 001s to send out
To save me sitting through a VapnFagan review, did he mention the lack of Low Battery message?
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