help me, I'm incompetent (evo tank + predator 228)

[thevapesofwrath]

Hi I'm new here and have a few questions. first let me mention that I am completely incompetent and can't seem to figure anything technological built after 2005 out. So bare with me here.

OK so I just got a predator 228 in the mail last week. I bought an Atlantis evo extender kit tank for it. It worked fine for a few days but then it began spitting droplets of ejuice up the mouth piece. It got gradually worse. Eventually (probably because of me messing with it so much) started to leak out the airflow holes.

So I put on the extender and changed the coil which helped a bit (it wasn't leaking anymore and most of the droplets weren't getting to the top of the mouthpiece) but its certainly still happening to some degree. Then I recalled someone telling me I have to set up the coils in a specific way ("set the resistance"? I believe he said). So after reading the tiny manual a bunch of times and going all over the web and tinkering with the settings I can't figure out how to set the resistance or whatever you call it.
Now I'm not sure this is the problem (I vape at around 45-55watts) so I'll split this into two questions.

1.why the hell is it still spitting up liquid at me?
2.how do I prime/set resistance of coils?

Thanks for the help. I'm new to this and even though I'm sure it's probably pretty simple but its getting to the point I'm considering switching back to real cigarettes (I work and don't have time to keep screwing with this thing). I loved it for the few days it worked and hope I can figure this out before I reach my maxmim frustration levels.

 

[hellcatrydr]

What is your wattage set at, and what resistance coil are you using? AND is that the resistance the mod senses?

Have you cleaned (both ends of) the 510 connection?

 

[thevapesofwrath]

I set the wattage at between 45 and 55. I've tried higher and lower and it still does basically the same thing. Its less bad since I changed coils and put the extender on, but I can still see the droplets forming on the inside of the mouth piece and taste little droplets hitting my tongue.

The coils I'm using are Atlantis evo replacement atomizers. It says they are:
0.4 (40-50w)
0.5 (35-40w)

That's all that's on the box. But on the evo tank box it says the resistance is 0.4/0.5 ohms (depending on if I'm using the extender I guess?)

My main problem right now is I can't figure out how to even set it up. Everyone says "it'll ask you automatically if its a new coil" but it hasn't. I tried switching into t.c. mode and it still didn't ask.

 

[thevapesofwrath]

Would the coil not being set up right cause the leaking/spitting problem?

 

[mikeyboy74]

Check for juice somewhere it shouldn't be, especially a flooded base below the coil. Chimney and area below drip tip should be dry. Use a q-tip as needed.

Is juice somewhere in the 70vg range, and not a whole lot thinner?

Dont have an EVO but my Smok Baby Beast tanks have not been finicky. The Big Baby holds more juice. The X4 coils are better and longer lasting than the Q2. Not an expensive tank. Would try before giving up.....

Priming is easy but necessary. A 5 minute YouTube video is sufficient.

Setting resistance is something some mods need in temp control mode. I doubt that's the issue, unless you are in temp control by default when you should be in power /wattage mode for the kanthal coils.

 

[thevapesofwrath]

I wiped the entire thing down earlier. Its working much better but I can't say whether its the new coil, the extender, the cleaning or all three. I have three flavors I've tried. Two are 70/30vg and the other is 80% VG.
It wasn't doing this while I was using the 80% but I doubt this is the issue since I've known others who haven't had any trouble with the evo tank and changing flavors.

At this point the liquid is vaping fine, but I'm still getting little droplets in the tube of the mouth piece and a bit on my lips and tongue.

About setting the resistance. I've looked quite a bit for info on how to do this with this model mod, but I haven't found one. I'll try YouTube again though. Apparently its meant to ask me automatically if its a new coil, but it doesn't, and i feel like I've tried everything to get it to ask me.

 

[thevapesofwrath]

I think I know how to change a few things though. In case you don't know the predator here's what's on the display screen that I can change:

v(volts I assume)
Some symbol that looks like a pair of headphones or a horse shoe?
"p" (whatever that is)
And "a" (don't know what that is either)

 

[thevapesofwrath]

Don't know if this is useful info or not, but about every ten hits if I stick a q-tip down the mouth piece as far is it will go it comes up relatively wet. Not quite soaked, but there's a decent amount on there.

 

[IMFire3605]

Setting the resistance is mainly for Temperature Control, you set the cold resistance reading in to give the mod a baseline to not only calculate what voltage is needed for the set watts, but also monitor the resistance increase to calculate the coil temperature. This only applies for coils made out of Nickel Ni200, Ti1 Titanium, and Stainless Steel 316L when the mod is set into TC mode. Now to have a mod re-read a coil, example the Kanger mods like the Kbox line (KBox Mini (SubBox/TopBox Kit), KBox 70, 160, 200) mods, this might work with the Predator, unscrew the tank, then press the fire button to get a check atomizer error, then put the tank on, and fire the mod again, this should force a coil resistance re-read. However if you put the tank on and it changes ohm reading from 0.00 or 9.99 to a new reading while the screen is active, then you do not need to manually reset the reading, the mod itself is continually checking, what we call sending a heart beat pulse at the coil to monitor the coil in real time 100's to 1000's times a second.

/edit

v(volts I assume) <- Yes, volts
Some symbol that looks like a pair of headphones or a horse shoe? <- The Latin Ohmega sign we use these days as the Ohm Symbol, this is the resistance reading
"p" (whatever that is) <- P means power, or another word this is the Watts
And "a" (don't know what that is either) <- Amps, Amperes, Amperage reading, this is the Amps being sent to the coils, not the amps being pulled from the batteries which is more critical.

The 4 variables of Electricity, change one, you alter the other 3, check online for an "Ohm's Law" Calculator and you will see how they all play together.

/edit 2
As far as the "Spitting Issue"
1) Coil could be gunking up and needs replaced, the juice isn't vaporizing fast enough and is dancing off the hot wire, same principle of pouring water on a hot skillet
2) Juice is to thin and wicking to fast, the excess is dancing off the coils
3) To much air suction, if you suck in to hard you can literally pull juice off the wire and out of the wicking
4) Flooding coil, see #1 above
5) Condensation that has collected and pooled in the drip tip (mouth piece) catch cup (socket for the mouth piece) or in the base of the tank under the coil.

 

[gakudzu]

To set the resistance, just remove the tank and press the fire button. When it says "No Atomizer", or whatever, put the tank back on and press the fire button again. It should now be reading the new coil correctly. Don't worry if it reads a few hundredths off, like 0.05 or so. That's normal.

Droplets of moisture inside the tip is normal, also. It's just condensation from the leftover vapor cooling in the tip. But it shouldn't be spitting hot juice into your mouth. A couple of causes for spitting are not using enough power, allowing the coil to flood; and sucking too hard or having the airflow closed too much.

 

[thevapesofwrath]

Gakudzu I love your profile picture. All about that fallout life

OK so, it was spitting but now its mostly just heavy condensation. It doesn't bother me too much but 1.it didn't happen the first couple of days and 2.I'm pretty sure I'm getting little droplets in my mouth, unless the flavor is just so strong its tricking me.

OK so I unscrewed atomizer and fired the button and it read that there wasn't one. then I sctewed it in again and hit fire and it still didn't ask me like the manual says it would. If its not a big deal then I'm not worried about it, I just thought maybe this was causing the problem.
If it remains like this I'll just deal with the moisture, but having had it flood out the air holes earlier I want to avoid any future issues. I've even considered buying a second tank and just using this one as a back up.

So is there anything else tangible I can do @t this point? Again, I run at around 45-55 watts but everything else I'm unsure of.

 

[gakudzu]

I think I know how to change a few things though. In case you don't know the predator here's what's on the display screen that I can change:

v(volts I assume)
Some symbol that looks like a pair of headphones or a horse shoe?
"p" (whatever that is)
And "a" (don't know what that is either)

V = volts
Headphone thingies(lol) is the symbol for "Ohms" Ohms = resistance
P = power mode
A = amps

The voltage and amperage readings on a regulated mod mean essentially nothing. It is useful to know those numbers as they relate to the power being drawn from the batteries, but in the case of regulated mods those are the numbers coming from the chip. Your main concern with the onscreen display is the Ohms, as it should match closely to what is printed on the coil; and the "P", which indicates that you are in Power mode. You should stay in "P" unless you are using nickel(Ni) or titanium(Ti) coils. Stainless steel(SS) coils can be used in either power or temp mode.

 

[gakudzu]

If it's vaping ok now, I wouldn't change anything else.

Different coils, and higher wattages, can produce differing amounts of condensation. It's just an annoyance really. Nothing dangerous. I have to wipe my tips out several times a day, too.

A backup tank is always a good idea. And when you can afford it, a backup mod, as well. Nothing more demoralizing than having to buy a pack of smokes when your gear craps out on you.

 

[thevapesofwrath]

Its OK now for the most part, it just seems like there's a bit too much condensation. Maybe 15% too much. Maybe 10%. It tastes fine, I'm just worried I'm swallowing stuff that shouldn't be swallowed.
Earlier one of you said something about the coil being flooded, which is what I'm fairly sure happened earlier, though I'm not sure how I did this. The vapor was coming out in tiny little lines and it kept making a gurgling noise occasionally and then it began leaking from the airflow vents which I don't understand at all lol.

The sad thing is, up until about a decade ago I was ahead of the curve with technology. I love everything about vaping (since the mod came in I smoked 2.5 real cigarettes the first day and only one today, coming down off a pack or more a day habit), but I swear to god if this thing goes 2001 a space oddessy on me, we'll...let's just say I've been known to take out my technology related aggression out on said technology (my box full of broken video game controllers can testify to that unfortunately).

 

[thevapesofwrath]

And what exactly do the airvents do, practically? I seem to prefer it about 2/3rds closed. It seems to bring in less condensation that way.

 

[gakudzu]

You said in your original post that it started after "a few days". Most factory coils only last for 1 to 2 weeks, unfortunately. I always knew when I needed a new one because it would leak from the airflow. Rarely did it ever taste burnt, which is another sign it needs replacing. Either the cotton starts letting juice soak through into the airflow, or leftover flavor solids build up in the cotton and taste burnt.

So this all makes me think the flooding was caused by the restricted airflow. If you need to close the air off that much, you might be better off with a different tank. Something with a tighter draw, that runs at lower wattages.
The amount of air, and surface area of the coil wire itself, determine how much vapor it produces and regulates the heat of the vapor in power mode.
More air = more clouds and a cooler vape.
Less air = less clouds and a warmer vape(more like a cigarette).

It's always a crap shoot when starting out. I struggled with my first setup for a year before I figured out the airflow was TOO restrictive for me.