The "RBA's for Dummies" Thread

[PapawBrett]

What would be more likely to increase TH- Higher resistance or different wicking material ?
My first usable wick was 1.6 ohm with cotton string wicks.
Second usable wick is 2.2 ohm with bamboo wicks.
TH is noticably higher, and not something I would want (sinus allergies).
So is it the coil or the wick ?

 

[hildicat]

What would be more likely to increase TH- Higher resistance or different wicking material ?
My first usable wick was 1.6 ohm with cotton string wicks.
Second usable wick is 2.2 ohm with bamboo wicks.
TH is noticably higher, and not something I would want (sinus allergies).
So is it the coil or the wick ?

Its hard to tell. Did you use both at the same voltage? Same juice and Nic level? In theory (and my practice) 1.6Ω at 3.7v should have more VFT, generally warmer than 2.2Ω at 3.7v.

I prefer cotton over bamboo, but for me its a matter of flavor. My limited experience with bamboo didn't reveal it to give more TH than anything else.

My first guess though, is that if you used both coils at the same voltage, and the 2.2Ω coil seemed 'harsher', then there was a problem with that coil. More than likely a short, possibly a coil touching a post or base of the atty. That can lead to all kinds of head scratching moments.

Might I suggest you eliminate as many variables as possible. Master coil making with one particular wick. Once you can predictably make a good coil, then move on to experimenting with different wicks.

It takes some practice and patience, but then again so does anything worth while.

 

[JC Okie]

I agree with hildicat....eliminate the variables. I don't think either wicking material (cotton or bamboo) would really make any difference in throat hit. The only difference that would be attributed to the wicking between those two would be maybe an initial "taste" (first few hits.) With the bamboo, I can taste a little bit of "earthy" taste; with the organic cotton ball....no taste at all.

Make sure with both of those wicks that you have them totally saturated before you fire the atty. Also, the 1.6 ohm coil should be quite a bit (noticeably) hotter than the 2.2 ohm coil on the same battery. If the 2.2 ohm is giving you a harsher TH, then I'm thinking you may have a short. (Maybe the coil is touching a post or the bottom, like hildicat said.)

You can take the wick out of the coil, dry burn it (pulse it until it burns red hot) and see if there are any black spots on the coil...probably near one of the posts. If one of the coils is black instead of red hot, it may be touching either the post or the floor.
Let us know....we can figure this out together.

 

[Rictic]

Has anyone experienced better flavor with thinner silica strands than the thicker ones? Like, the first successful coil I had was made with three strands of 1mm silica at 2ohms; great vapor and flavor. I just changed it out for another coil that also measured 2ohms, same wire (32 gauge), same drill bit used to make the coil, but this time I ran a single strand of 3mm silica through it. Not as much flavor.... Vapor is still great though. I made sure the air hole was placed right, and I'm using the same setup and wattage just a different size silica wick. Anyone else experience this? Sorry if its been discussed before.

 

[PapawBrett]

I agree with hildicat....eliminate the variables. I don't think either wicking material (cotton or bamboo) would really make any difference in throat hit. The only difference that would be attributed to the wicking between those two would be maybe an initial "taste" (first few hits.) With the bamboo, I can taste a little bit of "earthy" taste; with the organic cotton ball....no taste at all.

Make sure with both of those wicks that you have them totally saturated before you fire the atty. Also, the 1.6 ohm coil should be quite a bit (noticeably) hotter than the 2.2 ohm coil on the same battery. If the 2.2 ohm is giving you a harsher TH, then I'm thinking you may have a short. (Maybe the coil is touching a post or the bottom, like hildicat said.)

You can take the wick out of the coil, dry burn it (pulse it until it burns red hot) and see if there are any black spots on the coil...probably near one of the posts. If one of the coils is black in stead of red hot, it may be touching either the post or the floor.
Let us know....we can figure this out together.

Eight preburns before wicking, all red. Seems like everything close in a hornet to me, seven coils might be a bit much. And, you were right, after the initial four or five hits the TH lessened, now just my juice flavor (Maple Nut Bestie) with an ever so slight earthy taste as compared to cotton. Think I'll try six coils and go back to cotton next coil. Thanks for advice all !

 

[unsure]

What # of wraps determines high and low Ωs?

 

[JC Okie]

What # of wraps determines high and low Ωs?

Gil, it depends on the gauge of wire, and the size (circumference) of the wrap. There's a chart I'll attach to this post that will help you make sense of it. The thicker the wire, the less resistance. The resistance is measured by the inch, so it boils down to how many wraps around something (toothpick, screwdriver, nail, paperclip, silica, etc.) you can get with an inch of wire. Here's a chart that will show you that (e.g.) you will get a coil of about .72 ohms per inch of 30 gauge wire; and 1.15 ohms per inch of 32 gauge wire. From that you start experimenting. I use 32 gauge wire and wrap it about 5-6 times around a little screwdriver, and I usually end up with coils in the range of 1.3 ohms. Here's the chart: Resistance Wire (ohms/in)

If I wanted to shoot for higher ohms, I might add a couple of wraps (go for 6-7) or if I wanted lower ohms, I may go for fewer wraps (4.) OR...I would change the wire gauge down to the 30 gauge wire, then I could get more wraps....maybe as many as 8-10 wraps. There are pros and cons of each, but you get almost the same results either way.

Hope that answers what you're asking....

Jan

 

[unsure]

Gil, it depends on the gauge of wire, and the size (circumference) of the wrap. There's a chart I'll attach to this post that will help you make sense of it. The thicker the wire, the less resistance. The resistance is measured by the inch, so it boils down to how many wraps around something (toothpick, screwdriver, nail, paperclip, silica, etc.) you can get with an inch of wire. Here's a chart that will show you that (e.g.) you will get a coil of about .72 ohms per inch of 30 gauge wire; and 1.15 ohms per inch of 32 gauge wire. From that you start experimenting. I use 32 gauge wire and wrap it about 5-6 times around a little screwdriver, and I usually end up with coils in the range of 1.3 ohms. Here's the chart: Resistance Wire (ohms/in)

If I wanted to shoot for higher ohms, I might add a couple of wraps (go for 6-7) or if I wanted lower ohms, I may go for fewer wraps (4.) OR...I would change the wire gauge down to the 30 gauge wire, then I could get more wraps....maybe as many as 8-10 wraps. There are pros and cons of each, but you get almost the same results either way.

Hope that answers what you're asking....

Jan

Thank you...very easy to understand.

 

[JC Okie]

Thank you...very easy to understand.

I teach Technical Writing.....I ain't a teacher fer nothin'.....

 

[unsure]

Just an observation...I just put a new coil in my reomizer (VVW) @1.8Ω @5Vs. I'd never would pop in a regular LR atty @ that voltage for the obvious reason it would die quickly but with a RBA it seems to not be a problem. I've done this before and the only reason I replaced the coil was because taste not that it died. So I ask you "Technical Writing Teacher" please explain.

 

[Commie]

There's a big and very scary thread about "watts don't matter". The summary of that thread is:

If you make a 1ohm coil with 28ga wire, and use it at 4volt, it will taste and function very different compared to a 1ohm coil made out of 34ga wire at 4volt. More importantly, it would also survive longer than a split second before melting.

 

[hildicat]

20+ watts are not unheard of in the RBA world. I can't explain why, all I know is I run these things much hotter than I would ever dream running a standard atty.


Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Tapatalk

 

[JC Okie]

Just an observation...I just put a new coil in my reomizer (VVW) @1.8Ω @5Vs. I'd never would pop in a regular LR atty @ that voltage for the obvious reason it would die quickly but with a RBA it seems to not be a problem. I've done this before and the only reason I replaced the coil was because taste not that it died. So I ask you "Technical Writing Teacher" please explain.

That's not a Technical Writing question.......it's an electrical question. Commie and Hildicat have it covered. Personally, I don't have a clue.

 

[JC Okie]

Just an observation...I just put a new coil in my reomizer (VVW) @1.8Ω @5Vs. I'd never would pop in a regular LR atty @ that voltage for the obvious reason it would die quickly but with a RBA it seems to not be a problem. I've done this before and the only reason I replaced the coil was because taste not that it died. So I ask you "Technical Writing Teacher" please explain.

That's not a Technical Writing question.......it's an electrical question. Commie and Hildicat have it covered. Personally, I don't have a clue.

 

[PapawBrett]

Where's a good place to get a lighted magnifier ? Does WalMart carry such things or should I look in a Hobby Lobby/ Michaels store ?

 

[unsure]

Where's a good place to get a lighted magnifier ? Does WalMart carry such things or should I look in a Hobby Lobby/ Michaels store ?

I got mine here Amazon.com: Professional Jeweler's Lighted Magnifier Visor - 5 Lenses 1.0X to 3.5X - Weighs Just 2 oz.: Home & Kitchen

I added this with another order so shipping was free.

 

[PapawBrett]

Thanks unsure, appreciated. I got my 2.0 yesterday, got it working pretty good this morning. Althoug it seemed a little 'airy' at first. Is that just me or has anyone else noticed this ?

 

[ancient puffer]

I find mine to be just slightly more airy than the disposables I'm used to (VK 1.8 ohm). I'm not particularly enamoured of an airy draw, and some of the RBA's I've tried needed modification to be acceptable, but with the REOmizer 2.0, it's not enough difference (on mine, at least) to worry about. I couldn't BE more pleased

 

[PapawBrett]

Another question- I'm sure this has been answered elsewhere, but, who makes a good short protection device for a mini 14500 or a mini 2.1 ? I've heard of a Short-Stop but don't know the first thing about them. Also, do they come in different sizes for different batteries ?
I think I'm getting closer to saying goodbye to cartos. These 2.0's Rob made are addictive!

 

[garyinco]

Here's one place that sells them (never bought anything from them, the place I got my from isn't listing them so I guess they're out of stock):


There is another brand but I can't remember the name of it. My Short-Stop did detect the only short situation I've had.

They are about the diameter of an 18xxx battery. I haven't ever seen another size. Good investment, if you ask me...