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Pico TCR help?

HondaDavidson

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
OK I'm new to regulated vaping. Have been using mechs for past 2 1/2 years, I have been vaping. So, VW I get, as long as there is a volts reading.. And TC I am figuring out. BUT I can't figure out the TCR settings. FWIW I'm using 316L SS wire for TC at this point.

The manual shows the TCR range for SS as 80-200... I saw somewhere, can't find thread anymore, where the setting for 316 is 98. Sometimes this is good setting sometimes, I find I need to adjust the setting lower down to around 60 to get the vape I want.

How does TCR work?
How does the Pico TCR range relate to say TCR numbers from steam-engine?
What is proper way to determine TCR for a build?
Does TCR value change based in the build?

My current build is Avocado 22 single coil mode, 28/30 SS twisted to 2mm pitch on 2.9mm at 6 wrap for .5ohms. I run it at 16-20watts in VW and have the preheat set to 30watts. Regular TC seems to run too hot at 25watts and 350. I have M1 is set to 90 and 25 watts at 450. Deal is last week I had a 2x28 twisted coil and it worked fine in TC. Does coil mass have a big affect on how tc works? Because it seoms a bigger coil works better, maybe the smaller coil just doesn't need as much heat?

Suggest a setting, please.
 

CorallineAlgae

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Are you building contact coils? Sounds like what I've experienced a couple times with contact twisted SS builds. It seems like they can be very hit or miss for temp control. Twisted wire is much more reliable if you make a spaced coil, although they haven't always been 100% reliable for me either. I also haven't tried twisting 2 different gauge SS wires like you're running. Other things that can throw it off would be the atty, a loose connection, dirty 510 connections, or even not twisting the wires tight enough. (no picture of your build so I'm just listing common issues)

Every once in a blue moon a build just stops playing nice with TC for no easily explained reason. If you check the post connections, space the coil, make sure there are no hot spots, clean the 510s on the atty and the mod and things still aren't working right in a TC range of, lets say 88-140, it's time to rebuild.

One TCR value can absolutely give different results based on different builds. I tend to set M1 to 92, M2 to 105 and M3 I usually have at 120 unless a build needs something different from those numbers. A couple builds have worked best with a TCR as low as 80-88.

90% of the time I run 316 Claptons or twisted wire at TCR either 92 or 105 at 25-30 watts. I prefer a cooler vape than many and don't care about clouds so your mileage may vary. I hope some of this was helpful.
 

SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
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Member For 3 Years
Reviewer
TCR-Chart-Vaping.jpg
 

HondaDavidson

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Are you building contact coils? Sounds like what I've experienced a couple times with contact twisted SS builds. It seems like they can be very hit or miss for temp control. Twisted wire is much more reliable if you make a spaced coil, although they haven't always been 100% reliable for me either. I also haven't tried twisting 2 different gauge SS wires like you're running. Other things that can throw it off would be the atty, a loose connection, dirty 510 connections, or even not twisting the wires tight enough. (no picture of your build so I'm just listing common issues)

Every once in a blue moon a build just stops playing nice with TC for no easily explained reason. If you check the post connections, space the coil, make sure there are no hot spots, clean the 510s on the atty and the mod and things still aren't working right in a TC range of, lets say 88-140, it's time to rebuild.

One TCR value can absolutely give different results based on different builds. I tend to set M1 to 92, M2 to 105 and M3 I usually have at 120 unless a build needs something different from those numbers. A couple builds have worked best with a TCR as low as 80-88.

90% of the time I run 316 Claptons or twisted wire at TCR either 92 or 105 at 25-30 watts. I prefer a cooler vape than many and don't care about clouds so your mileage may vary. I hope some of this was helpful.
I tend to be lower temp also. Rarely vape any build at more than 20 watts also.

I do mostly spaced coils... contact coils always burn the wick on me. I do mostly single coil and twisted wire builds. only tried claptons a couple times. Have to get some wire so I can make my own.. more suitable to my vaping range. Thinking 30 SS core wrapped with 40 or smaller.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
 

SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
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Think I understand how to apply to the pico. If .00092 =92 on thw pico. What would the value be for nichrome. Somewhere between SS and kanthal I assume?

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
it won't do nichrome. it's for TI, SS, and Ni only.
only mod to TC nichrome would be the hohm wrecker G2 or the hohm slice
outside of those 2 mods, nichrome is like kenthal for watts mode only
 

HondaDavidson

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
it won't do nichrome. it's for TI, SS, and Ni only.
only mod to TC nichrome would be the hohm wrecker G2 or the hohm slice
outside of those 2 mods, nichrome is like kenthal for watts mode only
If the numbers you gave above relate to the pico just by shifting the decimal over. Then it might.... I doubt it will do tc well with those wires but might work.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
 

SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
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If the numbers you gave above relate to the pico just by shifting the decimal over. Then it might.... I doubt it will do tc well with those wires but might work.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
might sure, but highly doubtful TBH if it did, mods would advertise it. There is more to temp control then just a TCR value as i've learned on here. for instance using Ti Mode with a 00092 for SS316 wire will yield different results then SS mode with 00092
 

Rangertrix

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
might sure, but highly doubtful TBH if it did, mods would advertise it. There is more to temp control then just a TCR value as i've learned on here. for instance using Ti Mode with a 00092 for SS316 wire will yield different results then SS mode with 00092

That's because the TCR is just one value in the equation, and the curve has been altered to allow for other characteristics of a particular alloy as well.
 
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Rangertrix

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
316L generally works best with a TCR of 92. Also, I have found that if you want to get TC mode to be more reliable and accurate that single strand spaced or contact coils work best with SS, and single strand spaced for Ni and Ti. I use 28g and 26g 316L. which one I use depends on the atty I'm putting it in. 26g wherever possible. It lasts longer and less chance of deformation when cleaning and re wicking.


NiChrome can be done, but it's difficult. The accuracy of the chip really comes into play because it's resistance value changes VERY little with temperature. SS changes little as well, but more so than NiChrome.
The fact that NiChrome's and Kanthal's resistance is very stable with temp change is the whole reason they are used as heating elements. SS changes more but is still relatively stable which is why it can be used in power mode as well. That and when in power mode most mods fire and continue to fire based on the initial resistance. The Nugget and Nugget V2 use the live resistance and thus don't play all that well with SS in power mode, which is why I gave mine away right after I purchased them. Great little mods, but I use SS exclusively.
 
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Rangertrix

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
might sure, but highly doubtful TBH if it did, mods would advertise it. There is more to temp control then just a TCR value as i've learned on here. for instance using Ti Mode with a 00092 for SS316 wire will yield different results then SS mode with 00092

SS316L will also react differently in SS316L mode vs Memory mode with the same TCR. Mod dependent of course, but normally.
 

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