Titanium wire, vaping and safety

[TheBloke]

Funny to think of a $60 chinese clone and a piece of expensive German engineering as the most advanced vaping devices of the moment.

Yeah that's why I was so stoked, and amazed, when I realised the capabilities of the SXK - for it to be so on the forefront, at such a silly low price (£10 less than the cost of the legacy dna 40 chip alone ).

It's been sullied a bit by the stupid low resistance issue, but I am confident they will fix that in the coming weeks or worse case, months. Then it'll be amazing again.

I already emailed them to tell them about the low resistance, and at the same time I sung the virtues of NP - I also told them that they are way under-selling it by calling it Nickel Purity. I explained how it's a linear TCR scale and this enables use of many kinds of wires, and that theirs is the only affordable mod to do it. I told them they need to sell it as a mod for all wires. I hope they listen to some extent at least. But just fixing resistance will be more than enough.

Bye the way...remember my rant about Evolv and the Vapor Flask Squonk of yesterday?
I have to correct/restate the issue. After banging my head against the wall and quoting every curse word in every language I could think of I decided to calm down and look at the situation carefully.

First thing I noticed is that the aluminum threads for the battery caps were anodized. Yes, ANODIZED.
This was not true on any Vapor Flask device I have looked at before.

The first thing I did was simply to wipe the threads and brass caps several times with alcohol...to remove whatever organics might have accumulated there. Believe it or not that caused the device to start working. I'm still left with a likely state of fubar negative grounding but at least I can let the bruises on my head heal while I think of ways to improve that stupid Vapor Flask manufacturing change. Apologies Evolv. This time it looks like you were not the problem.

I don't want to make things worse but I'm thinking for some sort of wire brushing or somesuch as a step in the right direction. Does anyone have suggestions?

Duane

Good to hear; about time Evolv wasn't at fault

You really should come read the VF Clone thread - not only because you're now a member of the club, but also because these topics have been discussed ad nauseum. Anodized battery threads and poor ground issues are de rigeur for VF clone devices, especially the new SXK Black. Lots of solutions discussed there. I took a toothbrush and IPA to the battery threads on my Black Waidea, that did the job.

The fix for the grounding on the VF clones is to remove the top plate and sand the mating surface so ti forms a better connection, as the ground path goes from the board and 510 to the top plate.

The same could certainly apply to a Squonk.

Read the last 10 pages or so, there's dozens of posts about this recently including loads of VF pictures and sanding/ground fixing/battery thread fixing posts. You may still have that issue on your silver VF and it may directly apply to your Squonk, even though it's authentic.

There's also several Squonk fans there -whether authentic or home made (@dwcraig1 converted his Kangxin VF Clone into a home-made Squonk.)

 

[druckle]

Yeah that's why I was so stoked, and amazed, when I realised the capabilities of the SXK - for it to be so on the forefront, at such a silly low price (£10 less than the cost of the legacy DNA 40 chip alone ).

It's been sullied a bit by the stupid low resistance issue, but I am confident they will fix that in the coming weeks or worse case, months. Then it'll be amazing again.

I already emailed them to tell them about the low resistance, and at the same time I sung the virtues of NP - I also told them that they are way under-selling it by calling it Nickel Purity. I explained how it's a linear TCR scale and this enables use of many kinds of wires, and that theirs is the only affordable mod to do it. I told them they need to sell it as a mod for all wires. I hope they listen to some extent at least. But just fixing resistance will be more than enough.



Good to hear; about time Evolv wasn't at fault

You really should come read the VF Clone thread - not only because you're now a member of the club, but also because these topics have been discussed ad nauseum. Anodized battery threads and poor ground issues are de rigeur for VF clone devices, especially the new SXK Black. Lots of solutions discussed there. I took a toothbrush and IPA to the battery threads on my Black Waidea, that did the job.

The fix for the grounding on the VF clones is to remove the top plate and sand the mating surface so ti forms a better connection, as the ground path goes from the board and 510 to the top plate.

The same could certainly apply to a Squonk.

Read the last 10 pages or so, there's dozens of posts about this recently including loads of VF pictures and sanding/ground fixing/battery thread fixing posts. You may still have that issue on your silver VF and it may directly apply to your Squonk, even though it's authentic.

There's also several Squonk fans there -whether authentic or home made (@dwcraig1 converted his Kangxin VF Clone into a home-made Squonk.)

Tom

What is IPA?

Duane

 

[awsum140]

Dremel with a wire wheel, and go lightly and carefully.

 

[druckle]

It amazes me that the vaping industry makes dumb engineering mistakes that even a freshman student would not make. To me it's just unbelievable, but then, it's a fact so I guess it has to be believed.

And Tom...I am reading ...
My problem is that I've been at the computer so much lately that I've got headache from eye strain and I can only tolerate a few minutes at a time without taking a walk for a while.

Duane

 

[TheBloke]

Tom

What is IPA?

Duane

Isopropyl alcohol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It amazes me that the vaping industry makes dumb engineering mistakes that even a freshman student would not make. To me it's just unbelievable, but then, it's a fact so I guess it has to be believed.

Absolutely, this bothers me as well. Some people must think I'm quite negative because whenever I get a mod I have a list as long as my arm of annoyances and grievances. In fact i'm incredibly positive and I love vaping products. But it just bugs me that things that are so easy to get right, can be got so wrong, and time and time again. And I see no reason to settle for less when it's so easy to get it right.

And here I'm not even talking about the low resistance, because I can't comment on how easy that is to get right. But just the myriad little annoyances and stupid bugs that so many devices have. Things that are seemingly just as easy to get right as wrong.

Timely example: the Dicodes mods don't work properly in °F mode. Several owners can't even adjust °F downwards, only upwards. My mod, seemingly an earlier batch (serial number 0032 - first fifty, woo!) doesn't have that issue. But all the mods have a bigger °F problem - whatever temp you set in F, it regulates to about 30°F higher.

What's the significance of 30°F? Well, 32 is the offset used in the °C -> °F calc and back again. So really looks like someone forgot to do add or subtract 32 one of the times the mod converts into/out of °F.

Now that's the sort of problem that can and does happen all the time, every day, in coding. That's not the problem. The problem is it was not caught and fixed in any of the four mods that use this chip, all of which cost $200-$300.

The excuse might be "We're German, we don't use °F" - to which I would say, BS! You put a feature in, you check it works - in any product, but especially a premium product like this.

It's just so needless. That's what bugs me. It smacks of not caring.

Now I'm a software developer and I know things like this can escape into the real world even with the best of intentions - though no the best of processes, which should catch something this trivial in all cases. But we do seem to know that the mods have already had at least two batches - evidenced by the fact that a working °F temp down and others don't - so that really suggests to me a major lack of caring. It says they don't test everything thoroughly, and some things not at all (everyone who bought a 2380 and tried °F noticed these issues within seconds).

Or they do, but they allowed it to release anyway - which is worse.

And there's no excuse for either of those, doubly so when this much money is involved.

It wouldn't be so much of a big deal if it didn't seem to endemic - pretty much every vaping product I've used has something like this, to lesser or greater degrees. It's just a shame.

 

[druckle]

Isopropyl alcohol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Absolutely, this bothers me as well. Some people must think I'm quite negative because whenever I get a mod I have a list as long as my arm of annoyances and grievances. In fact i'm incredibly positive and I love vaping products. But it just bugs me that things that are so easy to get right, can be got so wrong, and time and time again. And I see no reason to settle for less when it's so easy to get it right.

And here I'm not even talking about the low resistance, because I can't comment on how easy that is to get right. But just the myriad little annoyances and stupid bugs that so many devices have. Things that are seemingly just as easy to get right as wrong.

Timely example: the Dicodes mods don't work properly in °F mode. Several owners can't even adjust °F downwards, only upwards. My mod, seemingly an earlier batch (serial number 0032 - first fifty, woo!) doesn't have that issue. But all the mods have a bigger °F problem - whatever temp you set in F, it regulates to about 30°F higher.

What's the significance of 30°F? Well, 32 is the offset used in the °C -> °F calc and back again. So really looks like someone forgot to do add or subtract 32 one of the times the mod converts into/out of °F.

Now that's the sort of problem that can and does happen all the time, every day, in coding. That's not the problem. The problem is it was not caught and fixed in any of the four mods that use this chip, all of which cost $200-$300.

The excuse might be "We're German, we don't use °F" - to which I would say, BS! You put a feature in, you check it works - in any product, but especially a premium product like this.

It's just so needless. That's what bugs me. It smacks of not caring.

Now I'm a software developer and I know things like this can escape into the real world even with the best of intentions - though no the best of processes, which should catch something this trivial in all cases. But we do seem to know that the mods have already had at least two batches - evidenced by the fact that a working °F temp down and others don't - so that really suggests to me a major lack of caring. It says they don't test everything thoroughly, and some things not at all (everyone who bought a 2380 and tried °F noticed these issues within seconds).

Or they do, but they allowed it to release anyway - which is worse.

And there's no excuse for either of those, doubly so when this much money is involved.

It wouldn't be so much of a big deal if it didn't seem to endemic - pretty much every vaping product I've used has something like this, to lesser or greater degrees. It's just a shame.

I am not negative either but I share absolutely the same views. I know how hard it can be to approach a perfect product but to produce a product where even the most simple due diligence isn't applied is just incredible.

Tom:
I hadn't heard of the F issue with Dicodes. That would REALLY piss me off. I have this image of German engineering as the top of the heap but I bought a Svoe Mesto Semovar a year or so ago that started smoking the first time I pressed the fire button. It's not a mater of nationality or even capability it seems. Now it appears to be a matter of "We just don't care" as you say. I'm almost glad I'm old. I don't want to see how much further things deteriorate in the next years.

Duane

 

[TheotherSteveS]

I'm almost glad I'm old. I don't want to see how much further things deteriorate in the next years.

Duane

I love that and feel the same way sometimes...Hopefully we will both survive long enough though!!!!

 

[druckle]

I love that and feel the same way sometimes...Hopefully we will both survive long enough though!!!!

Yes me too. Getting old isn't great but it's a lot better than the alternative.

 

[Quantum Mech]

It amazes me that the vaping industry makes dumb engineering mistakes that even a freshman student would not make.
Duane

I think things like over spray in the battery tube threading is more of a QC issue than a mistake something SXK should pick up on

Its likely that the case making is out sourced along with the painting

Those painting the case I suspect have little knowledge of its intended use & do not realise the importance to us that the threads remain clean

Then at SXK its likely those assembling do not have a technical background either, especially someone installing battery caps on the production line

They may well have but I doubt its not a job requirement

 

[druckle]

I think things like over spray in the battery tube threading is more of a QC issue than a mistake something SXK should pick up on

Its likely that the case making is out sourced along with the painting

Those painting the case I suspect have little knowledge of its intended use & do not realise the importance to us that the threads remain clean

Then at SXK its likely those assembling do not have a technical background either, especially someone installing battery caps on the production line

They may well have but I doubt its not a job requirement

I spoke with Charlie about the Vapor Flask thread anodizing. I personally believe that it is the responsibility of the designer/customer to specify what should and what should not be masked. If the customer doesn't specify, who will?
Previous Vapor Flask devices (at one time) were properly masked.

Duane

 

[Quantum Mech]

I spoke with Charlie about the Vapor Flask thread anodizing. I personally believe that it is the responsibility of the designer/customer to specify what should and what should not be masked. If the customer doesn't specify, who will?
Previous Vapor Flask devices (at one time) were properly masked.

Duane

yeah good point

 

[tchavei]

Isopropyl alcohol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Absolutely, this bothers me as well. Some people must think I'm quite negative because whenever I get a mod I have a list as long as my arm of annoyances and grievances. In fact i'm incredibly positive and I love vaping products. But it just bugs me that things that are so easy to get right, can be got so wrong, and time and time again. And I see no reason to settle for less when it's so easy to get it right.

And here I'm not even talking about the low resistance, because I can't comment on how easy that is to get right. But just the myriad little annoyances and stupid bugs that so many devices have. Things that are seemingly just as easy to get right as wrong.

Timely example: the Dicodes mods don't work properly in °F mode. Several owners can't even adjust °F downwards, only upwards. My mod, seemingly an earlier batch (serial number 0032 - first fifty, woo!) doesn't have that issue. But all the mods have a bigger °F problem - whatever temp you set in F, it regulates to about 30°F higher.

What's the significance of 30°F? Well, 32 is the offset used in the °C -> °F calc and back again. So really looks like someone forgot to do add or subtract 32 one of the times the mod converts into/out of °F.

Now that's the sort of problem that can and does happen all the time, every day, in coding. That's not the problem. The problem is it was not caught and fixed in any of the four mods that use this chip, all of which cost $200-$300.

The excuse might be "We're German, we don't use °F" - to which I would say, BS! You put a feature in, you check it works - in any product, but especially a premium product like this.

It's just so needless. That's what bugs me. It smacks of not caring.

Now I'm a software developer and I know things like this can escape into the real world even with the best of intentions - though no the best of processes, which should catch something this trivial in all cases. But we do seem to know that the mods have already had at least two batches - evidenced by the fact that a working °F temp down and others don't - so that really suggests to me a major lack of caring. It says they don't test everything thoroughly, and some things not at all (everyone who bought a 2380 and tried °F noticed these issues within seconds).

Or they do, but they allowed it to release anyway - which is worse.

And there's no excuse for either of those, doubly so when this much money is involved.

It wouldn't be so much of a big deal if it didn't seem to endemic - pretty much every vaping product I've used has something like this, to lesser or greater degrees. It's just a shame.

Cool. Now you guys know how I felt when Evolv crapped on the Celsius Mode. Back then most were saying... Oh, no big deal, we don't use C mode anyway blah blah. Glad it's now the other way around


Ok, that was just mean but funny at the same time


Regards
Tony

Sent from my keyboard through my phone or something like that.

 

[Madnapali]

Wow, so many posts in here, lots of info. Can anyone quickly point me to a reliable source in the US for grade 1 Ti wire? I'm only finding 24g and bigger, which is too thick for the atomizers I would be building on.

 

[druckle]

Wow, so many posts in here, lots of info. Can anyone quickly point me to a reliable source in the US for grade 1 Ti wire? I'm only finding 24g and bigger, which is too thick for the atomizers I would be building on.

Pure Titanium Wire 100% Guarantee Specific by UnkamenSupplies

 

[Madnapali]

Pure Titanium Wire 100% Guarantee Specific by UnkamenSupplies

You are the best.

 

[mrmonday]

Would this be okay to build with if I washed it off? Titanium Wire Grade One 50 mm Round 50 ft Genuine Pure Titanium | eBay

 

[Madnapali]

Would this be okay to build with if I washed it off? Titanium Wire Grade One 50 mm Round 50 ft Genuine Pure Titanium | eBay

I can't really comment on it's purity, seems like it would be fine. But keep in mind that is 24g so make sure the atomizer you plan on building with it can handle wire that big.

 

[mrmonday]

I can't really comment on it's purity, seems like it would be fine. But keep in mind that is 24g so make sure the atomizer you plan on building with it can handle wire that big.

Thanks, what is the sweet spot resistance wise for titanium, should I be shooting for .1-.2 ohm like with nickel or .3-.5 ohm like kanthal?

You are the best.

What awg did you end up ordering? I will be building in the zephyrus so I was thinking 28 awg which would ohm out around .4 which should be fine.

 

[Quantum Mech]

Thanks, what is the sweet spot resistance wise for titanium, should I be shooting for .1-.2 ohm like with nickel or .3-.5 ohm like kanthal?


What awg did you end up ordering? I will be building in the zephyrus so I was thinking 28 awg which would ohm out around .4 which should be fine.

I have ordered the Zephyrus

The plan is to build 2x 0.30-0.40ohm 3mm with 26awg

Yours will depend on your device TP build limts, for me the M class which this build will suit

Ti has higher resistance than Ni200 & builds fit in attys better I think

 

[mrmonday]

I have ordered the Zephyrus

The plan is to build 2x 0.30-0.40ohm 3mm with 26awg

Yours will depend on your device TP build limts, for me the M class which this build will suit

Ti has higher resistance than Ni200 & builds fit in attys better I think

I doubt you will fit anything larger than 2.5mm in the zephyrus. I ordered a 26 awg and 28 awg titanium and plan on building in the same range as kanthal.