WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?!?!?
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Unregulated, 2mm and about .21, nudge rda, about 30 mins, and yessir
Hmm. You know, I’m not sure why it’s doing that. The only thing I can think of off hand is that 2mm might be a bit small for .21ohm. You might not be able to get enough wick in there to keep up with juice use. I suppose you could drop a wrap and increase the diameter to 3mm which will allow you to use a good bit more cotton. It’s only a guess though. Mech rdas aren’t radically complicated. There may still be something you’re missing like you’re letting your wick dry out by not dropping enough. I just dunno. Sorry I can’t be more help :/
Yeah, I was just dealing with the same issue. More than likely your ID(Inner Diameter) is too small. You're getting the hot spots out right? If so, then yeah, it's the ID. Go for a 3mm ID or larger.
Welcome and glad you joined.
I suspect 3 mm inner coil diameter is a good place to start. Might look at Rayon too.
One more question. What gauge wire are you using?
ETA: Never mind ... I got my answer from your first post.
I call these brain farts
OK, so I entered your info into the Steam Engine coil building page and I got a result that I think indicates a very cool vape at around the 60'ish watts you're probably getting with a reasonably fresh battery. Here is the page with the data entered as I thought correct from your info above.
I'm assuming two coils, each with two 24 gauge twisted Kanthal wires, with a final installed resistance of 0.21 ohms.
It says each coil has 8/9 wraps. That seems a bit high to me, but some people do use a lot of wraps. Is it correct?
The build at 60'ish watts is very cool at a heat flux of 80 and I would think it should be easy to get it to wick fast enough not to burn. It will also have some noticeable heat up time. Then again, if your cotton is burning, it's definitely not wicking fast enough and going to a bigger coil inside diameter is one thing that is going to help. Keeping the air flow open on the rda and inhaling reasonably quickly is also going to be a plus.
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Sometimes it ts tough to get all the hot spots out of a twisted coil. 2mm ID is small especially if you have a lot of wraps. The juice will have a tough time getting to the wicks in the center of a coil that big. 3mm coils with fewer wraps would probably work a lot better. You may also try spaced coils instead of contact coils if they aren't wanting to glow evenly.
I skipped through all the replies, sorry if this has been answered.
You're building to 0.21 using a kanthal twisted dual coil build. That's like trying to power a city bus with a moped engine. It's possible your juice isn't vaporizing, but closer to boiling.
Have you ever put something in a sauce pan on the stove and let it heat? The bottom gets thick and sticky. I think this is what is happening to your coils.
For these kinds of builds I find it better to use it on a regulated mod and push the voltage over 4.2V by quite a bit, maybe 4.7V or something like that.
This is also why we usually don't recommend mechs. You need to understand the different variables when it comes to vaping and understand what happens when you play with them. In the future you should build on a regulated mod. Try vaping at 3.7-3.9V to get a decent idea on how it should vape on a mech. Once you got a good build you move it over to the mech. It's a learning process.
You're building to 0.21 using a kanthal twisted dual coil build. That's like trying to power a city bus with a moped engine. It's possible your juice isn't vaporizing, but closer to boiling.
Have you ever put something in a sauce pan on the stove and let it heat? The bottom gets thick and sticky. I think this is what is happening to your coils.
For these kinds of builds I find it better to use it on a regulated mod and push the voltage over 4.2V by quite a bit, maybe 4.7V or something like that.
This is also why we usually don't recommend mechs. You need to understand the different variables when it comes to vaping and understand what happens when you play with them. In the future you should build on a regulated mod. Try vaping at 3.7-3.9V to get a decent idea on how it should vape on a mech. Once you got a good build you move it over to the mech. It's a learning process.
Let's take a look at some practical examples. Here are 4 builds I have on hand. I used 3.9V not to measure safety, but so we get an idea on what we can realistically expect as a vaping experience. Calculate your safety separately and firstly.
1) 24g NI80, 6 wraps @ 3mm ID (0.430 ohms - 35W @ 3.9V; vaping at 45W on a regulated)
This will work on a mech and vape fine. It's not the biggest of clouds but if you look at the coils they are small. There's enough power going through them to make them warm.
2) 3*28g/36 NI80, 5 wraps @ 3mm ID (0.316 ohms - 48W @ 3.9V; vaping at 65W on a regulated)
This will NOT work on a mech. We're only 13 more W going through the coil but you can see how much more massive the coil is. It will not be hot, it won't vaporize well, and the cotton will get dirty and coil gunky. I think this is what is happening with your coil.
3) 3*26g/36g NI80, 4.5 wraps @ 2.5mm ID (0.167 ohms - 91W @ 3.9V)
This is a big coil like #2, but because the resistance is much lower it's drawing a lot more power. 91W on this coil is very warm with a lot of clouds. It looks similar to #2 right? 4.5 wraps vs 5 wraps. Wrong. It looks similar but it's 3*26g in the core instead of 3*28g. This difference in gauge makes it almost half the resistance and double the power.
4) 3*26g/26g NI80, 4.5 wraps @ 3mm ID (0.187 ohms - 81W @ 3.9V)
This is very similar to #3 but vapes very differently, We only added 0.5mm to the ID but it dropped by pseudo-wattage by 10W or ~11%. This is to illustrate the small changes we can do to our coil to make it vape differently. It's cooler and less violent.
You learn these things by building a lot. And doing it safely on a regulated device first.
Topics covered in this lesson:
1) From a position of inexperience, often plain round wire is the best option. It can still deliver a great vape, especially compared to unoptimized builds (e.g. #2).
2) When you vape on a mech you need to build for a mech. It's likely your build is not getting hot enough.
3) Wire/coil choice will have the biggest impact on your build. Going from 28G to 26G doubles our power output and halves our resistance in the example provided.
4) There are very minor changes that can drastically impact your vape experience.
Bonus) These are practical examples. Just because I build to 0.167 and can theorically draw 100W+ from a single 18650 doesn't mean it's safe, suggested, or that you can. Always build on a regulated first and do your safety math using a 4.2V charge.
Side note: I rebuilt all 4 of these this weekend. I've used them for roughly the same amount of time and using the same juice in all 4. Interestingly enough, it looks like the higher the output power, the cleaner the cotton.
1) 24g NI80, 6 wraps @ 3mm ID (0.430 ohms - 35W @ 3.9V; vaping at 45W on a regulated)
This will work on a mech and vape fine. It's not the biggest of clouds but if you look at the coils they are small. There's enough power going through them to make them warm.
2) 3*28g/36 NI80, 5 wraps @ 3mm ID (0.316 ohms - 48W @ 3.9V; vaping at 65W on a regulated)
This will NOT work on a mech. We're only 13 more W going through the coil but you can see how much more massive the coil is. It will not be hot, it won't vaporize well, and the cotton will get dirty and coil gunky. I think this is what is happening with your coil.
3) 3*26g/36g NI80, 4.5 wraps @ 2.5mm ID (0.167 ohms - 91W @ 3.9V)
This is a big coil like #2, but because the resistance is much lower it's drawing a lot more power. 91W on this coil is very warm with a lot of clouds. It looks similar to #2 right? 4.5 wraps vs 5 wraps. Wrong. It looks similar but it's 3*26g in the core instead of 3*28g. This difference in gauge makes it almost half the resistance and double the power.
4) 3*26g/26g NI80, 4.5 wraps @ 3mm ID (0.187 ohms - 81W @ 3.9V)
This is very similar to #3 but vapes very differently, We only added 0.5mm to the ID but it dropped by pseudo-wattage by 10W or ~11%. This is to illustrate the small changes we can do to our coil to make it vape differently. It's cooler and less violent.
You learn these things by building a lot. And doing it safely on a regulated device first.
Topics covered in this lesson:
1) From a position of inexperience, often plain round wire is the best option. It can still deliver a great vape, especially compared to unoptimized builds (e.g. #2).
2) When you vape on a mech you need to build for a mech. It's likely your build is not getting hot enough.
3) Wire/coil choice will have the biggest impact on your build. Going from 28G to 26G doubles our power output and halves our resistance in the example provided.
4) There are very minor changes that can drastically impact your vape experience.
Bonus) These are practical examples. Just because I build to 0.167 and can theorically draw 100W+ from a single 18650 doesn't mean it's safe, suggested, or that you can. Always build on a regulated first and do your safety math using a 4.2V charge.
Side note: I rebuilt all 4 of these this weekend. I've used them for roughly the same amount of time and using the same juice in all 4. Interestingly enough, it looks like the higher the output power, the cleaner the cotton.
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It's a single battery squonk, it's honestly the worst mech I've ever had
So, let me ask you sir...what would be the ideal resistance for a single 18650 mech? I've been told around .2 but Google tells me .6, and some people tell me over 1
There isn't an answer to that. That's the problem, and the fact that you think there's an answer shows that you haven't experimented enough with different builds on a regulated mod.
For one, I have no idea how you vape. Plenty of people here will tell you over 1 because they MTL. I prefer 0.16-0.22. For others they need 0.3-0.6 because they like my style but like it cooler. I have 7 RDAs coiled and wicked right now ranging in resistance from 0.16 to 0.59 because my preference also changes depending on my mood and time of day. There is no resistance target you need to build to. If there was, they would only sell prewound coils in one resistance.
Secondly, picking a target resistance and thinking you'll be set shows ignorance when it comes to coil mass. On a mech you have a fixed voltage. You change the resistance to deliver a different wattage. You can take two coils with the same resistance, one with round wire and another with a triple core clapton:
1) 24G NI80, 4 wrap, 3mm ID = 0.30 ohms
2) 3*28G/36G NI80, 5 wrap, 3mm ID = 0.31 ohms
You take the two coils above, you put them in a regulated mod. I guarantee you that you will need to vape them at very different wattages just to make it a passable experience. On a mech you cannot change the wattage and your experience will suck on at least one of them.
This is what people mean when they say that on a mech you need to build to your battery. It's not just about safety, it's about the resulting vape experience. If you can do ohms law you can maybe vape a mech safely, but it doesn't mean you can vape a mech with satisfaction.
Let's be real here. On a mech, and I mean a real mech (not an unregulated mod like a pulse bf), the only difference between them is the 510 and contacts. The 510 and contacts add nuance, but they aren't going to make or break a build. If you can build for a 1x 18650 mech, you can build for a 1x 18650 on any mech.
For myself, 0.6 ohm was my sweet spot, but I prefer a cooler vape. A lower resistance would result in a warmer/hotter vape, which I would find uncomfortable to vape.
Bottom line, always use a resistance which fits the amp rating of your battery.
Never exceed the battery's amp rating by using an coil resistance with an "amp draw" higher than the continuous discharge rating of the battery you are using.Explain it to the Dumb Noob: Ohm's Law Calculations for a Mechanical Mod
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I vape around .3 +/- with 26ga ni80, I finally gave up on Kanthal. I can do simple micro (contact) coils and get all the vapor and flavor I want. I'm also using a Kennedy 24mm on a SOI Shorty OG and it's been my daily rig for a bit now.
I build (dual coils) either 2mm ID with 6 or 7 wraps, some juices do better with the extra wrap and some don't or I go 2.5mm with 5 or 6 wraps for the same reason. I really recommend trying ni80, it ramps up super fast and gives me better battery life since I don't have to puff as long.
I've been thinking of switching to something else, but I've been building with kanthal so long I've gotten used to it for the most part....ni80 best recommendation for cloud chasing? Or a combo of ni80 and something?
I absolutely would not use anything but Kanthal as I had and have so much of it. Then I had friends keep saying give it a try and such, so I did. I can honestly say for a mech user, it makes much more sense. It just ramps so much faster, my builds in 26ga the ni80 is there in half the time or faster than Kanthal.
I haven't noticed any difference in building with it either, other than wrap amounts are different between the two. I've actually wrapped nicer coils with it (ni80), it seems to hold the shape better but could just be in my head, lol.
I got a roll local for about $6 not great but not bad, it was well worth it though. If in any event you don't like straight ni80, you could use it as a twisted with Kanthal, many do. I'd imagine though it'll solve you problem and possibly make life easier, as you will be able to run simpler builds.
Disclaimer as always YMMV and taste is subjective but I am a convert, I only run Kanthal on my regulated high wattage mods and they rarely get used right now.
Exactly and with a 2mm ID... I did a
.Way too much coil for so little cotton, those should be at least 3mm if not 3.5mm.
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