Twisted coil help needed

[oplholik]

Ok, first of all, I'm an electrical/electronics dumb azz.
What I'm trying to accomplish is getting a good vape using a single coil rda in the larger sizes that are appropriate for a 22mm mod. My single strand, single coil coils just don't cut it.
I did get a 2 strand, twisted coil with 30g, 5/64" dia.,6 or 7 wrap that meters 1.7Ω, and by adjusting volts./wattage on my Provari, I get a good vape. So that's good, however, I'll be danged if I can duplicate it for some reason.
I've been looking at Steam Engine's program, and I'm still trying to get my head around that as far as twisted coils go.
So, that's my story, and I need some help, dumbed down for me.

 

[Dampmaskin]

Why can't you duplicate it? What's wrong with the "duplicates"?

 

[oplholik]

The ohm reading on the coil is way off when I meter it. I can barely get 1 ohm coil with the 6 or 7 wraps.

 

[V43L1N]

Did you twist more 30g? Are you building with wire that was twisted at the same time? My guess is your first coil wasn't twisted as tight as the others.

 

[oplholik]

Yes, still using 30g, and no this is not using wire that was twisted at the same time.
I'm thinking also that the # of twist in the length of wire is a factor. I twist the wire using a drill motor, and I made one length of wire with 15 turns of the drill chuck, and one with 25 turns of the drill chuck, and the difference in ohms wasn't much. Hmm, maybe I should try 50 turns of the chuck.

 

[oplholik]

Jeez, I went up to approx. 70 turns on the drill chuck, and 8 wraps on the coil, and I'm only at 1.11Ω's. I need to get a little higher. Not sure where to go from here, and that seems like a lot of wire to heat up.

 

[MotoMudder]

When I make twisted wire, My drill spins hundreds of times. Dont go by drill rotations. Go by the distance between twists. Or your finished wire, distance between one strand and the next. Twist pitch is what steam engine calls it.

 

[thekill]

I'm a coil inventor and incorporate many twisted wires in my builds. Spin the wire until it breaks at either the chuck or the pliers at the other end. Then, I usually set it up again and spin it until it breaks once more. That insures consistenty and tight raps. Make sure u are holding them tight with no slack, and that there are no kinks. It helps if u straiten both pieces of wire u are using first, then twist them. That will allow more raps and virtually destroy the possibility of kinks and overlapping

 

[oplholik]

Well, the above replies would answer a question I had been thinking about. How much is too much, or not enough twists?
When twisting, I have been cutting a length of wire, say 12" long, then bending it in half, sticking the two ends in pliers, and hooking the other end over an Allen wrench chucked up in the chuck, pull the wire taut then spin the chuck.

 

[oplholik]

This morning I twisted up a length of wire by running it in the drill chuck till it broke, then wrapped 10 wraps, put it in my IGO-W and it meters 1.2Ω. If this will be repeatable, I can live with that. I would prefer a little higher Ω's, but really don't want to add another wrap. As it is, I don't know what the battery run time will be on this yet on my AW 18490's.

 

[Tom Forde]

When you're twisting wire, let the chuck spin. Hold down the other end with pliers, and you'll notice it starts to pull inwards and the overall length of the wire will get shorter. It should look really fine with 30g, the twists will be tiny. Once you feel it start to pull the wire in, keep going until you see the twists getting smaller and smaller. It should appear to be one riveted looking wire when you're finished.

 

[edyle]

I think you should just keep it simple for starters.

Get some 28 gauge
aim for between 5 and 10 wraps on a 2 to 3mm diameter
single coil

 

[oplholik]

I've tried my usual single coil builds with 30g but for the larger chambered caps there is just not enough vapor or anything else. Last nite I did get a 1.4Ω coil two strand twisted, 11 wraps, and on my Provari at 4.2v it's working well.
Didn't think I had any 28g, but just checked, and I do have some, so will be giving that a shot also to see how it is.

 

[oplholik]

@edyle , good idea. I wrapped 8 wraps on a 2.5mm mandrel with 28g, and on my IGO-W it's appox. 1.5Ω. That's in the ball park of where I wanted to be, and much easier than messing with 2 strands.

 

[coilburner]

Simple solution, twist all the wire you will need for how many coils you will wrap all at once.

 

[thekill]

I have done that before and it's much harder then with shorter wire. I made a Clapton with twisted 32 g so I needed a long single peice. It was...difficult.

 

[coilburner]

I have done that before and it's much harder then with shorter wire. I made a Clapton with twisted 32 g so I needed a long single peice. It was...difficult.

its difficult to take two long pieces of wire and put them in a drill and twist them together? I must be gifted.

 

[yuseffuhler]

its difficult to take two long pieces of wire and put them in a drill and twist them together? I must be gifted.

Maybe if you're making 6 feet of it.

 

[pls0138]

Do you straighten the wires before you twist them? This is an important step and ensures that the wires twist even. I think how tightly you twist them also affects the resistance, which is why it can be a pain for some people (myself included) to get consistent readings. I no longer twist my own wire, I just buy the pre twisted "roll coils" by UD Tech, a little more expensive but it saves you the trouble of doing it yourself and since they are machine twisted, I know they are going to be more consistent and even they I could personally get them on a regular basis. They are also very easy to work with and give a very consistent resistance reading. Vapor DNA and Vape NW both have them, I've gotten most of mine on ebay, just search twisted kanthal wire and a couple sellers should come up. A ten meter roll is like six or seven bucks, which IMO is reasonable considering the convenience and consistency factors.