Become a Patron!

Looking for a way to test ohms on coils prior to installing them?

I have been vaping for around 8 months and have successfully quit smoking. I have basically traded my by habit for a stupid expensive hobby. But I love it. I have been building for almost as long as I have been vaping but I am still learning so I am still trying to play as safe as possible. So far aside from normal single wire builds or buying roils of Clapton wire I have not jumped into building my own coils. I generally by premade coils. One thing I have noticed especially from the mass produced china coils is the ohms are way off. I generally find out after I install on my rda and check them on the meter. At that point I decide not to put it on my build because I don't feel safe with it and in some cases I don't even have anything that will read it. So to my question, what is the best way to go through and test the coils prior to installing them and starting over?
 

Iliketurtles

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Believe it or not it is cheaper to make your own and it isn't difficult. Fused claptons and staple coils will vape as good as anything and don't take long to learn. They also last a long time, easily a month if you make your own high quality ones - which incidentally will be superior to the china ones. But if you want to keep using china ones you have to condition the coils before you vape them, you can't test them before they are conditioned because there are lots of touching wraps and they will give a false reading. Once conditioned the wire will be only conducting end to end instead of arcing between wraps, then you get a true reading.
 

Giraut

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Ohm meter with alligator clips. on the end of legs

The only problem with that is, the alligator clips supplied with most ohmmeters that have that function are really, REALLY crappy. Resistance measurement only works reliably with good clips/leads that can be had in electronics stores, but it costs extra of course.
 

Drake m

Member For 2 Years
Very true didnt think of that. I suppose a cheap one doesn't read to that low to an accuracy even it would just read open. I dont have the prob with cheap clips i had to spend over $500 for a fluk for work so itll read .001 before itll read open works good to check coils before its all tightened up and everything on the meter stand.
 

The Cromwell

I am a BOT
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Only way to accurately test resistance of coils is for them to be installed.
esp if dealing with low resistance coils.
 

Drake m

Member For 2 Years
Only way to accurately test resistance of coils is for them to be installed.
esp if dealing with low resistance coils. i always test on ohm stand to double check. I make a bunch of coils and throw in a container and forget witch are witch so the clips on legs is kinda fast to pick out the same ones before mounting. You learn something new every day never used a cheap ohm meter so i had no idea how accurate till (i liketurtles) posted that
 

The Cromwell

I am a BOT
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Even if you use a Milliohm meter with Kelvin clips for reading accurately the resistance will vary a bit on mutli strand coils because of the clamping action of the posts may not = the clamping action of the Kelvin clips.
Such a meter is not cheap either.
 

The Cromwell

I am a BOT
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Milliohm meters generally cost several hundred dollars.
And all have 2 leads going to each clip.
One to carry the current used to test and one just to sense the voltage present
 

Drake m

Member For 2 Years
I wish it was a $200 verses the $600 somthing after taxes. But that sucker will even read temp. Its used daily so its worth it in my books
 

The Cromwell

I am a BOT
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I wish it was a $200 verses the $600 somthing after taxes. But that sucker will even read temp. Its used daily so its worth it in my books
Yep several hundred dollars.
Around 500-600 seems average.

I used to use them to check winding resistance in high HP electric motors.
 

Drake m

Member For 2 Years
i check ecm and cpu on semi trucks with it. Thats where the temp part of it is nice i can tell how warm the heat sink is without needing another tool :D
 

The Cromwell

I am a BOT
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
i check ecm and cpu on semi trucks with it. Thats where the temp part of it is nice i can tell how warm the heat sink is without needing another tool :D
They are LOTS cheaper now than when I used them.
They were in the thousands of dollars back then.
 

HondaDavidson

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
The only problem with that is, the alligator clips supplied with most ohmmeters that have that function are really, REALLY crappy. Resistance measurement only works reliably with good clips/leads that can be had in electronics stores, but it costs extra of course.
Chances are if the clips are crappy the meter isn't accurate enough for vape building anyway...

A good VOM with good leads and contacts is a must... especially if vaping mechanical. Or diagnosing issues on regulated mods.



Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
 

Giraut

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Chances are if the clips are crappy the meter isn't accurate enough for vape building anyway...

Not necessarily. I have quite a few ohmmeters here and they're plenty accurate enough for the purpose of making vaping coils. But the leads are always crappy. I reckon the Chinese manufacturers figure people won't typically use them, so they save money on a non-essential accessory. That way, they can say a device is supplied with the leads, and it's only after purchasing the device that the customer realizes the leads are only good enough to fire resistive wire without an atomizer.
 

VU Sponsors

Top