Vaping with a DNA40 chipset is a little different from vaping with a regular mod. I thought I'd describe quickly how I use it for best results with a RDA. I'll try to make it short and to the point.
But first, why temperature control? Well, for me, this thread sums it up. It's all about healthier vaping.
Note that I call it "temperature control", not "temperature protection" like everybody calls it: it's not about fighting against overheating the juice, it's about having a second setting that you fine-tune to get the perfect vape.
So, what's the difference between a regular VW mod and a DNA40?
In a regular VW mod: you build your coil, set the power and vape. If the vape feel hot or tastes bad, you recharge the atty or back down the power. In short, you yourself are the sensor that determines whether the coil is running hot.
In a DNA40 mod: you build your coil, set the temperature, set the power and vape. If the coil runs hot, the chipset senses it and backs down the power for you and tells you it did. The sensor is the device, and it's better than you. Why? Because by the time you can feel the vape going bad, it's already gone bad. The DNA40 chipset backs down the power *before* it goes bad.
Then why not just set the desired temperature and vape at maximum power, you ask? Yes, you could do that, but it's not a clever way of using the temperature control feature.
The thing to realize is that temperature and power control two different things. Let's go back to a regular VW mod to explain:
Suppose you have a 40W mod, and you've slightly overfilled your atomizer. The coil is almost flooded, and if you feed it 40W, it'll produce a lot of vapor without overheating.
Now suppose the coil is a little dryer. At 40W, it overheats and you get dry hits. At 20W, it runs nice and clean, but it produces less vapor obviously.
Now suppose the coil is almost dry: you can feed it 10W at most to produce clean vapor, but of course it produces even less vapor.
To summarize, the wetter the coil, the more power it can dissipate and the more vapor it can generate without overheating. The wetness of the coil determine it's "power bandwith", so to speak.
Now, with the DNA40, it's the same thing, but the added factor is, when the coil can't dissipate the power you want to feed it because it's not wet enough, the chipset lowers the power it feeds it, and tells you it did so by flashing "temperature protected" 3 times after you've finished taking your toke.
So, if you almost flood the coil and ask the DNA40 to feed it 40W, no problem: the coil will generate a lot of vapor, stay cool and not overheat. If you run the coil a little dryer, you'll hit the temperature ceiling very quickly, and the DNA40 will flash "temperature protected" regularly. If you run the coil very dry, it'll flash "temperature protected" all the time.
The way to use the power setting with the DNA40 is to use it in conjunction with the wetness you intend to use your coil at. Think of the power setting as the vapor density you want to get.
What you want to do is recharge the atty as soon as the screen flashes "temperature protected". So for instance, if you dial 25W, you'll probably end up dripping 2 or 3 times 10 drops in quick succession, and pretty much flooding the atomizer, until "temperature protected" stops flashing. When it does, the atomizer will produce the optimal vapor density for the power you've dialed. As soon as "temperature protected" comes back, refill and it goes away.
Do the same for any coil wetness you desire: so for instance, if you want less vapor, dial a lower power level (say, 15W) and vape the atomizer dry until "temperature protected" comes back, then refill 10 drops. At this point, the atomizer will produce less vapor, possibly a more flavorful vapor, and it'll run optimally again.
Finally, if you want even less vapor, again, dial down the power level and let the "temperature protected" message tell you when to refill.
If you want to switch flavor cleanly, instead of recharging the atty when "temperature protected" comes up, simply dial down the power until you hit around 5W and "temperature protected" comes back. At this point, the wick is pretty much depleted and ready for your next flavor. Refill with whatever new juice you want to vape, jack up the power to the amount of vapor you want, and let the "temperature protected" message tell you when to refill.
Now, let's talk temperature: what to set it at?
Let's kill one myth rightaway: dry cotton chars at 420F, yes. But even the dryest cotton wick that has juice left in it it is wet enough to withstand a lot more than that. Forget about the burning temperature of cotton, it doesn't matter one bit.
PG and VG don't vaporize at the same temperature. PG turns into a gas at around 380F, and doesn't break down into nasty chemicals when you overheat it. VG vaporizes at around 350F, but more importantly, breaks down and turns into harmful acrolein at around 520F. As for flavorings, well, who knows... VG also needs a higher temperature to generate the same amount of vapor density as PG. PG also tends to "snap, crackle and pop" in the atomizer, while VG doesn't.
All juices are a mix of PG and VG (unless you vape pure PG or pure VG). So you'll want to dial a temperature between 400 and 500F depending on your particular juice. Why these values? because the DNA40 has a +-10F temperature measurement tolerance, to which I personally add another +-10F for safety - so +-20F.
For what it's worth, I personally dial 410F for pure PG juice, and and 480F for pure VG juice. But it's not really critical: 410F for pure PG juice gives me just the right amount of "snap, crackle and pop", and 480F gives me a thick, dense, flavorful vape with pure VG.
On top of that, the state of the coil also plays a role in its ability to transfer heat to the juice: a clean coil readily heats up the juice, while a dirty coil tends to overheat and transfer less heat to the juice. The gunk on the wire acts as a heat insulator. So if your coil is very dirty, you'll want to jack up the temperature to get the same density of vapor - without going over 500F, for obvious safety reasons. If you can't get a satisfying vape at 500F, it's high time to dry-burn the coil and re-wick it. But you'll do it well before that happens, believe me: the taste and vapor production will be quite underwhelming
Set the temperature to whatever gives you the best flavor/vapor density for a given power level, provided you don't go over 500F. If you stay under 500F, I can guarantee you your cotton won't burn and will stay nice and clean for a long time - unless the juice itself starts coloring it.
Speaking of dry-burning the coil, how is this done with the DNA40?
Easy: pull out the old wick, disable temperature control, back down the power to around 7W per coil (so, 14W if you run a dual coil setup), and gently make the coil glow dull red until it stops smoking. Temperature-controlled coils don't get very dirty, so it won't take very long. Then, re-wick, recharge the atty, re-enable temperature control with a lower temperature (since your coil is now clean), jack up the power and vape away as described above.
As far as building coils and wicking are concerned, I won't get into that much: there are lots of videos on Youtube that cover this and are that are plenty good. The DNA40 chipset isn't very finicky with the coil setup you run anyway, provided it's within the resistance range it supports. All I can say is, pay attention to the connection of the legs to the posts, and wick it so the wicking material brings juice inside (through) the coil and on one side on the outside too. After 2 or 3 tries, depending on your atty, you'll know pretty quickly when the wick works well or not.
I hope the above will help you get the most out of your DNA40 mod. Once it's setup right - and it's not very hard to setup - it'll give you the best vape of your life, bar none.
But first, why temperature control? Well, for me, this thread sums it up. It's all about healthier vaping.
Note that I call it "temperature control", not "temperature protection" like everybody calls it: it's not about fighting against overheating the juice, it's about having a second setting that you fine-tune to get the perfect vape.
So, what's the difference between a regular VW mod and a DNA40?
In a regular VW mod: you build your coil, set the power and vape. If the vape feel hot or tastes bad, you recharge the atty or back down the power. In short, you yourself are the sensor that determines whether the coil is running hot.
In a DNA40 mod: you build your coil, set the temperature, set the power and vape. If the coil runs hot, the chipset senses it and backs down the power for you and tells you it did. The sensor is the device, and it's better than you. Why? Because by the time you can feel the vape going bad, it's already gone bad. The DNA40 chipset backs down the power *before* it goes bad.
Then why not just set the desired temperature and vape at maximum power, you ask? Yes, you could do that, but it's not a clever way of using the temperature control feature.
The thing to realize is that temperature and power control two different things. Let's go back to a regular VW mod to explain:
Suppose you have a 40W mod, and you've slightly overfilled your atomizer. The coil is almost flooded, and if you feed it 40W, it'll produce a lot of vapor without overheating.
Now suppose the coil is a little dryer. At 40W, it overheats and you get dry hits. At 20W, it runs nice and clean, but it produces less vapor obviously.
Now suppose the coil is almost dry: you can feed it 10W at most to produce clean vapor, but of course it produces even less vapor.
To summarize, the wetter the coil, the more power it can dissipate and the more vapor it can generate without overheating. The wetness of the coil determine it's "power bandwith", so to speak.
Now, with the DNA40, it's the same thing, but the added factor is, when the coil can't dissipate the power you want to feed it because it's not wet enough, the chipset lowers the power it feeds it, and tells you it did so by flashing "temperature protected" 3 times after you've finished taking your toke.
So, if you almost flood the coil and ask the DNA40 to feed it 40W, no problem: the coil will generate a lot of vapor, stay cool and not overheat. If you run the coil a little dryer, you'll hit the temperature ceiling very quickly, and the DNA40 will flash "temperature protected" regularly. If you run the coil very dry, it'll flash "temperature protected" all the time.
The way to use the power setting with the DNA40 is to use it in conjunction with the wetness you intend to use your coil at. Think of the power setting as the vapor density you want to get.
What you want to do is recharge the atty as soon as the screen flashes "temperature protected". So for instance, if you dial 25W, you'll probably end up dripping 2 or 3 times 10 drops in quick succession, and pretty much flooding the atomizer, until "temperature protected" stops flashing. When it does, the atomizer will produce the optimal vapor density for the power you've dialed. As soon as "temperature protected" comes back, refill and it goes away.
Do the same for any coil wetness you desire: so for instance, if you want less vapor, dial a lower power level (say, 15W) and vape the atomizer dry until "temperature protected" comes back, then refill 10 drops. At this point, the atomizer will produce less vapor, possibly a more flavorful vapor, and it'll run optimally again.
Finally, if you want even less vapor, again, dial down the power level and let the "temperature protected" message tell you when to refill.
If you want to switch flavor cleanly, instead of recharging the atty when "temperature protected" comes up, simply dial down the power until you hit around 5W and "temperature protected" comes back. At this point, the wick is pretty much depleted and ready for your next flavor. Refill with whatever new juice you want to vape, jack up the power to the amount of vapor you want, and let the "temperature protected" message tell you when to refill.
Now, let's talk temperature: what to set it at?
Let's kill one myth rightaway: dry cotton chars at 420F, yes. But even the dryest cotton wick that has juice left in it it is wet enough to withstand a lot more than that. Forget about the burning temperature of cotton, it doesn't matter one bit.
PG and VG don't vaporize at the same temperature. PG turns into a gas at around 380F, and doesn't break down into nasty chemicals when you overheat it. VG vaporizes at around 350F, but more importantly, breaks down and turns into harmful acrolein at around 520F. As for flavorings, well, who knows... VG also needs a higher temperature to generate the same amount of vapor density as PG. PG also tends to "snap, crackle and pop" in the atomizer, while VG doesn't.
All juices are a mix of PG and VG (unless you vape pure PG or pure VG). So you'll want to dial a temperature between 400 and 500F depending on your particular juice. Why these values? because the DNA40 has a +-10F temperature measurement tolerance, to which I personally add another +-10F for safety - so +-20F.
For what it's worth, I personally dial 410F for pure PG juice, and and 480F for pure VG juice. But it's not really critical: 410F for pure PG juice gives me just the right amount of "snap, crackle and pop", and 480F gives me a thick, dense, flavorful vape with pure VG.
On top of that, the state of the coil also plays a role in its ability to transfer heat to the juice: a clean coil readily heats up the juice, while a dirty coil tends to overheat and transfer less heat to the juice. The gunk on the wire acts as a heat insulator. So if your coil is very dirty, you'll want to jack up the temperature to get the same density of vapor - without going over 500F, for obvious safety reasons. If you can't get a satisfying vape at 500F, it's high time to dry-burn the coil and re-wick it. But you'll do it well before that happens, believe me: the taste and vapor production will be quite underwhelming
Set the temperature to whatever gives you the best flavor/vapor density for a given power level, provided you don't go over 500F. If you stay under 500F, I can guarantee you your cotton won't burn and will stay nice and clean for a long time - unless the juice itself starts coloring it.
Speaking of dry-burning the coil, how is this done with the DNA40?
Easy: pull out the old wick, disable temperature control, back down the power to around 7W per coil (so, 14W if you run a dual coil setup), and gently make the coil glow dull red until it stops smoking. Temperature-controlled coils don't get very dirty, so it won't take very long. Then, re-wick, recharge the atty, re-enable temperature control with a lower temperature (since your coil is now clean), jack up the power and vape away as described above.
As far as building coils and wicking are concerned, I won't get into that much: there are lots of videos on Youtube that cover this and are that are plenty good. The DNA40 chipset isn't very finicky with the coil setup you run anyway, provided it's within the resistance range it supports. All I can say is, pay attention to the connection of the legs to the posts, and wick it so the wicking material brings juice inside (through) the coil and on one side on the outside too. After 2 or 3 tries, depending on your atty, you'll know pretty quickly when the wick works well or not.
I hope the above will help you get the most out of your DNA40 mod. Once it's setup right - and it's not very hard to setup - it'll give you the best vape of your life, bar none.
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