First build... got some Q's.

[J-ax]

Ok, so here's the deal. Been vaping for almost 2 months. Started with an Aspire Premium Starter kit, wanted a better battery and bigger tank, so I bought a full sized Nautilus and an Eleaf iStick. Still think I can get better flavor and vapor so I bought a Plume Veil 1.5 Tobeco clone. For my first build I decided to try and aim for 1.1ohm dual coil build with 28 gauge a1 kanthal. Read up on ohm's law (still don't completely understand it), used steam-engine to figure out number of wraps and everything seems ok I guess. I know the iStick's range is from 1.0ohm to 3.0ohms, so no sub-ohming for me right now. What I'm not understanding is why one coil seems to heat up faster than the other, and sometimes it takes longer for the coils to heat up than the previous fire. Noticed this while I was heating them up and evening them out with a pair of needle nose. Pretty much, inconsistency is what I'm noticing. This was done at 9, 10, 11 and 12 watts. Should I be using a higher wattage when trying to even out the coils? I'd use a pocket torch but don't have any kind of torch, no gas stove either. I have some pictures if anyone wants to take a look at them, maybe there's something you can see that I need to address.

On the meter...
Front...
Side...
Top...

Sorry about rambling on, and thanks in advance for any help.

(Please don't laugh too hard about me using a RDA with an iStick)

 

[MKPM]

One coil is twelve wraps...the other is thirteen......that is your problem.

 

[J-ax]

UGH, I'm a straight up idiot. Thank you, always something obvious...

 

[MKPM]

Also your coils are crooked......try to leave your coiling mandrel IN the coil until it is fully secured in order to keep the coil aligned. Then when you pulse the coil...when it is cooling down (NEVER whilst current is applied) GENTLY pinch the coils to make sure they are fused together. This will eliminate the need for torching, and will ensure even burning.

 

[MKPM]

UGH, I'm a straight up idiot. Thank you, always something obvious...

You are not an idiot...not a SINGLE one of us can say that we started out perfect!

 

[OB61887]

I think I may be an idiot to since I counted that 4 times and see both as 13 over 12 under (I count my wraps based on under).

With that said, franciscan nailed it. One looks crooked and pinching them will usually help them heat evenly. Also, if you notice that one keeps heating faster than the other when pinching let them cool. I will take some pliers to them since the pliers will absorb a lot of the heat. Once they are both cool see if they heat at approximately the same speed.

 

[MKPM]

Any wrap that is not in complete contact with the others does not count as a functioning coil wrap as the current goes to the greatest area of mass.

 

[J-ax]

Thanks guys! Much appreciated!

Try and mess around with this setup and see what I get.

 

[MKPM]

Dont forget to post your results. There is also a coils subforum with lots of good info and help.

 

[J-ax]

Will do, thanks again!

 

[MKPM]

Any time mate

 

[BoomStick]

With 28g and 20watts, I'd set it up in single coil mode. It'll probably perform better and will be easier to set up. Just a thought.

 

[madmonkey]

I agree with Boomstick....some of my favorite builds are single coils....or I'd make some tiny 30 gauge micros.....even with a regulated device shooting 20 watts into the coils 1.1 ohms dualed on 28 like that is a lot of wire to be heating up and the ramp up time can drive you nuts....so can the cool down time because the longer a coil takes to heat the longer it takes to cool.....5-10 wraps with a given gauge of wire is the desirable target....you can go more but the more time/power it takes to heat them up...you can go less than five but unless you're working with a thick gauge of wire the coils will be weak and unstable and difficult to work with and will more than likely have a short life span from lack of strength.