Very frustrated with my AGA T2... Need advice

[tcgenius]

Hello everyone. I have an AGA t2 that I have been using for a couple of weeks. I am having trouble with it. I am creating the wicks with 500 SS mesh. I am making them out of 2x2 inch pieces. I am thoroughly oxidizing them. I have tried using 28, 30, & 32 gauge kanthal. I keep getting very low resistances between .8 - 1.5. After I fire it a couple of times the resistance drops below 1. It doesn't seem to matter how many coils that I make or what wire I use, I can't get the resistance up. I know I am probably doing something wrong. Could it be something to do with the wick itself? I could really use some advice.

 

[pdib]

Your finished wick should be 1.5" tall, not touch the positive post or the top cap. Is this how you have it?

 

[martydmb]

One or more of your coils are touching the negative screw and what pdib said.

 

[pdib]

One or more of your coils are touching the negative screw and what pdib said.

Oh . . . . . .really? ↑ its a good point, but . . . . . people do that?

 

[tcgenius]

The wick looks like it is the right size. It doesn't look like a coil is touching the negative post. Here are some pics of it's current setup. I can wash it and start fresh with a new wick and 32 gauge kanthal.

 

[pdib]

Your wick does look a bit tall. Are you getting the same readings regardless of top cap being on/off? If so, time to start looking at

1; wrapped WAY too tight?

2: connections between atty and device, insulators (top and bott of pos. post) 510 connection, clean, dry, pos pin not too high. Atty not screwed down CRAZY hard onto device

 

[pdib]

the photo angle doesn't show, but it does look like your wick is leaning, and your bottom 2 coils are very clean. sure you're not touching the neg. screw head there?

 

[tcgenius]

The bottom two coils are close that could be the problem. When you say wrapped to tight, do you mean the wick or the coil around the wick? Also, The readings are the same with and without the cap on. I usually trim the wick down a little, but it is not touching the cap regardless. I want to start over. If the wick being wrapped to tight is an issue I would like to know so I can loosen it before I begin.

 

[pdib]

TOO tight would mean you had some serious problems during set-up, getting an even coil glow with a dry wick. so if you didn't have a nightmare with that, you're probably ok.

 

[tcgenius]

Cool... Everything is clean and dry. I am going to put it back together and see what I come up with. I want to get to about 2 Ohm. What gauge kanthal do you think I should use... 32? i also have some 28 here.

 

[pdib]

32gauge for 2 ohm. Haven't used that forever . . . . . 5 wraps?

 

[tcgenius]

Sorry this is taking so long.... bear with me, I was having some technical difficulties then my dog got sick on the carpet.... Almost finished.

 

[pdib]

that's nothing. my bee died on a flower petal.
←

 

[tcgenius]

LOL!!! OK, so after going through about 2 feet of wire, I think that my problem was that I was wrapping the wire to tightly around the wick. I have a clean glow all the way down and the Ohm are holding steady at 2.4 Ohm. I assume that if I remove a coil it will drop down to 2 Ohm. The only thing that I don't like is that the coil seems pretty easy to pop. I can say that because I popped about five of them before I realized the problem. I do have some 28 gauge sitting here. Do you think I could get 2 Ohm out of that on this thing?

 

[Mylkshake]

the coil seems pretty easy to pop. I can say that because I popped about five of them before I realized the problem. I do have some 28 gauge sitting here. Do you think I could get 2 Ohm out of that on this thing?

I had the same problem with 32 gauge, especially using 32 gauge nichrome (didn't try 32g kanthal) but I wrap my coils with 28g kanthal and found my sweet spot to be at about 1.5 ohms using a 7/8 wrap (I think, it's pretty gunked up, shame on me lol) so yes, you can definitely reach 2 ohms with maybe a 8/9 wrap depending on how thick your wick is of course. If I'm way off I apologize, I'm very novice when it comes to RBA's, as I am currently using only my 2nd working build ever, but quite happily so

 

[pdib]

Getting 2Ω out of 28 requires quite some doing. (10-12 wraps or something). If your wire is popping at the top leg, it's too tight at the top wrap. When you go to attach to the pos. connection, leave some slack. Better a little too loose, it'll taste metallic, but you'll be halfway there. Once you succeed with too loose, go a BIT tighter til you find the middle ground. If you are using a variable voltage device. Start by "pulsing" in your coil with short button bursts on a VERY low voltage setting. Once coil is glowing evenly, slowly adjust voltage up while pulsing. When all looks good at, say, 4.2 (4.5) volts, juice it up and toot away.

 

[Mylkshake]

When you go to attach to the pos. connection, leave some slack. Better a little too loose

Great advice. I did this and when I got my coil looking pretty, save for a little too hot glowing top leg, I simply took my screw driver and pushed on it gently giving it a slight kink in the top leg and then it was, dare I say, perfect!

 

[tcgenius]

OK... I will try that now... Have to rewrap yet again... popped it when I was experimenting (duh)

 

[Mylkshake]

OK... I will try that now... Have to rewrap yet again... popped it when I was experimenting (duh)

I feel your pain! I went through at least 2 feet of kanthal wire before I got my first working build. But if it makes you feel any better, once I started using 28g kanthal I haven't popped a coil since. The thicker wire really makes all the difference to me. It's a lot more forgiving for trial and error. Just stick with it. I was about ready to give away my AGA T2 but my stubbornness made me keep trying and I'm very happy I did.

 

[Kanj.nguyen]

Too tight a coil means hotspot means dropping resistance.