Quick start vapor guide for a new vapor

[f1r3b1rd]

First of all congratulations on choosing to quit! the choice is the hardest part, and a major step forward. You'll soon be able to say #improof
Some of you may be enticed by the blowing of clouds, that you see on you tube, the vape shops or your buddy that's a vapor; others, may be nervous. Let me assure that the 'big cloud people' is a small portion of our populous. Vaping today consists of many styles, that is one to be sure; but, it is one of many. I'll address that further in another writing. I am writing this for you, whom are currently still smoking cigarettes.

One thing you would notice if you picked up a mod from some vapors is the draw would about choke you; because of the power applied and the open airflow. Those are vape gear pieces you would certainly not want to look at. You would also have seen starter kits or, things we refer to as 'cigalikes,' and 'egos.' A cigalike would be something similar to a blu or fuse. The ego, looks like a pen with a container on top. Often times the cigalikes ultimately lead people back to a cigarette for a multitude of reasons. Primarily because it doesn't have enough battery life, and the upkeep is a pain in the ass. The ego pens, can be successful with will power, and choosing the right one. However, I would steer someone away now. Like a lot of new technology, better options become available.

There are a few options that come very close to emulating a vape like a cigarette smokes, one of which is made by a company called innokin, it is the endura. Currently it is offered with a 2200mah battery and an 1100mah, I would suggest the 2200, because that should get you through a day before recharging. The mouthpiece is the same size of a cigarette, and the draw is almost identical. They can be found on the internet between 35$ and 45$. You will want to get a pack of replacement coils and juice as well.

The endura is a great little kit; because, there are no adjustments, press the button, and vape. Its as easy as smoking, and hits all the same nuances to help you kick the cigarettes as soon as you are ready to stop making runs to the gas station.

Now, if you want to get a little more complex and are drawn to other sides of vaping we need to look at starting with variable voltage and wattage. That will be another writing, this was meant strictly for those that wish to kick the stinkies, and move on.

The smallest of the variable devices would be a spinner. The spinner is a pen style device with a knob at the bottom that you twist to adjust voltage; which, will thereby adjust the output of the device. The problem is the toppers for the pen style are not compatible with other devices without an adapter. There are other small variable voltage and wattage devices coming out all the time. There are so many that it would be best if you just asked below and we can help you sort through your needs.

Best of luck to you, welcome to the family of vapors \ and congratulations on making the healthiest choice to improve your life as possible,

For those looking to go beyond the pen

So you’ve had a pen and are ready to get into something more; OR, you want to start vaping and are exploring other options.

Lets start from scratch. Scan through and look at the headlines since there will be a significant amount of information here. I will try and be as concise as I can. HOWEVER this will cover all the important parts of vaping that one should know when getting past the pen style vaporizers.




Ok, im pretty sure that if you’ve gotten to this point you have a basic idea on what some of the vaping terms and acronyms. But let’s get these out of the way.

Watts- a unit of measurement in electronics to indicate applied power

Volts- a unit of measurement in electronics to indicate pressure applied to current to create power

Resistance- a unit of measurement in electronics to indicate resistance

amperage- a unit of measurement in electronics to indicate current flow



Ohms Law

I have written about ohms law more times than I care to say, however, I am going to try my best to simplify this as much as possible.

Think of a circuit as a hose. The water flowing through the hose is the electricity or current(amps). The pressure pushing the water is the voltage. Now pinch the hose. Pinching the hose is adding Resistance. The pressure building up is voltage and the current flow has now decreased because you applied resistance.

Now if you take that Voltage or pressure and Multiply it by the Current or Amperage you are given your power or wattage measurement.

The problem comes in when you have a 20a battery but are trying to force it to give you more current than it has to offer.

All 4 parts that make a circuit happen are happening in conjunction with each other and as an added note to the beauty of it, whatever energy is put in must be equal to the energy coming out. What this means is that all you need are two bits of information to determine the others.

Ohms law is basically the relation of those bits of information. If you multiply the resistance applied by the current you are then given your voltage or force applied.

For ease of use the forumulas are

V=IR and P=VI
when:
V= voltage
I=current (amps)
P=power (watts)
R= resistance(ohms)


Why does ohms law matter? Batteries!

Why do you see some of us harp on ohms law? Because batteries. A battery is a limited space to hold energy. This means that we have to work within our limits. You don’t want to overdraw on your batteries. If you do bad things can happen, such as venting a battery or causing a battery to explode.

Make sure you use a battery with a 20 amp limit, meaning that If we assume the voltage after the spike from charging to be between 3.7 and 3.8 volts then the most we want to push the battery is about 75watts with a 0.18 ohm load at best. I try and preach that we stick with 20A batteries from known manufacturers. This essentially narrows down to four. Samsung 25r, Sony vtc4 AND vtc5, and LGhe4.

What if my mod takes two batteries? In the even that your mod uses multiple batteires, use batteries purchased together from the same manufacturer and keep them together. We call that “married pairs” when one stops working replace them both.

Can I use the onboard charger? Or do I have to get a bulky standalone charger?

Whenever possible use a standalone charger. I say this for two reasons, for one, its better for the battery. The second is that a lot of mods offer upgradeability; and, if you break the charge port you also break the upgradeability.

Chargers are inexpensive now a good one can be found for under 20$. I would recommend looking at xstar, efest and nitecore.

What is Temp control and how does it work?

Temp control is basically the concept of not letting your coil go over a predetermined temperature. Many say this provides a more consistent flavorful vape without sacrifice of the clouds. It operates on the principal of the linear relationship between heat and resistance that some metals have. As the temperature rises on those metals so does the resistance. Because the metals used are still being found and refined, I will not make a recommendation here on which to use, feel free to ask around or pop in the forum. What I will say is that this is where upgradeable firmware is important as is the option to entr in a tcr value for a metal of your choosing. The dna200 board, the yihi sx350 and the rx200 boards all have that feature, and im sure more are coming.

I want a mod, but how do I know what to get with all this information.???

The best thing I can tell you is before you even look at individual mods is to write 3 lists.

List 1- features that a mod absolutely has to have for you

List 2- features you would like, but are not necessary

List3- deal breakers, features that you would definitely not want.

Then I would look at how you vape, and how would like to vape in the future. Are you more for flavor and lower wattage? Or do you want to ‘BLOW CLOUDS BRO?’ OR both? Or in between?
don't be afraid to ask questions!!!!!! look at the crop of mods out there and buy something that you know will work for you. No one truly knows other than you. Keep in mind there is no wrong way to vape, except for unsafely.

So, get what you will enjoy and keep on vaping!!!!!

a better ohms law explanation
Ohm's Law - The basics - Ohms Law Formulas Explained to save you time

When choosing a battery for your mod it is important to make sure that the battery can handle the current that you are pulling from the battery. Also ensure you know the limitations of your mod per the manufacturer.
Using ohms law you can easily determine the current draw. Please see the threads authored by baditude, here in the battery section; or, myself in the beginner area.
ohms law-V = I x R Or I = V/R when I=current(amps), V=voltage, R=resistance(ohms)
So, if I need the current for a battery- I am assuming the battery at mean voltage therefore it is at 3.7v. and I am firing a 0.5 ohm resistance. Those are my two constants for the same of our math.
I would use the following as my equation:
I = 3.7v/0.5ohms
in this case I am only pulling 7.4A and 27.4 w; therefore, I want s battery that is capable of providing 7.4A safely.
admittingly, as the chart shows, most batteries can handle this. problems ome into play when people fire to far low.
NOW, lets try this with a 0.2 ohm load (coil), the voltage is the same here.
I=3.7v/0.5ohms
in this case we have 18.5amps and 68.45 w. Therefore, it is easily illustrated that the field of suitable batteries, has greatly been reduced to cells that can handle a continuous current of 20A.

 

[f1r3b1rd]

Liquid
Amazingly getting eliquid is not as complicated as you think.

you'll see a ratio and a nicotine content in Mg's.
The ratio will appear as a fraction, for example: 50/50 or 70/30
Normally the first number is the VG or vegetable glycerin and the second is the PG. The VG smooth's out the texture and is the component which creates the thick cloud. The PG is usually what suspends the flavoring and nicotine; and allows for throat hit.

For a new vapor just off of a cigarette I would advise you to stick with a 50/50 juice. Again, we don't know yet, how you will tolerate the vapor and we want to simulate a cigarette experience as closely as possible to wean you off of combustible tobacco. If you opt for something like a pen or the endura, or anything with a 1 ohm resistance or higher, and a tighter draw, I would advise you go with a higher nicotine level. if you smoked a pack a day or more I would suggest an 18 mg nicotine. if you smoked half a pack or less perhaps a 12mg. Your body will tell you if you need to increase or decrease your nicotine level; but, these appear to be the two best places to start.

People who vape for clouds normally vape what is called "max" vg. This is normally 80-90 percent vg. They are also normally vaping a very low resistance coil and a higher wattage. The volume of vapor consumed pushes them to using a lower concentration of nicotine.

If you are starting with a subohm tank around 30watts or more, I would suggest beginning with 6 mg nicotine for a pack a day or more smoker or 3 mg for half a pack or more.

you will probably want to come down from your starting point after a few weeks to months, but, lets not forget your goal. You are aiming to get off of cigarettes, and stay off.

Now that we have the numbers sorted out lets get to the fun stuff.... flavors!

You're just getting off cigarettes and your taste buds are shot, you probably can't taste the fun stuff much and are mentally geared towards Marlboro or menthol. The most common flavors for a new vapor would be the ry4s and cowboy blends. Most vendors will carry these in there tobacco sections; and both will have menthol or 'ice' versions. If you are looking to kick the butts, I would suggest sticking with tobaccos and saving the deserts, fruits and other things until you're a few weeks in. This will give you a goal and something else to think about; while crossing over to the dark side.

So there you have it, get yourself some juice, a starter kit, and good luck!!!!

Terminology used in Vaping

Ok, im pretty sure that if you’ve gotten to this point you have a basic idea on what some of the vaping terms and acronyms. But let’s get these out of the way.

Watts- a unit of measurement in electronics to indicate applied power

Volts- a unit of measurement in electronics to indicate pressure applied to current to create power

Resistance- a unit of measurement in electronics to indicate resistance

amperage- a unit of measurement in electronics to indicate current flow

The above four will be discussed more in a later section

Atomizer- this is the top part of the vaporizer, which heats the liquid and converts it to vapor

Subohm tank- this is a type of atomizer with tank and changeable coil with a resitance below one ohm

Clearo – or – clearomizer - a type of atomizer consisting of a tank and changeable coil with a resistance above 1 ohm

RBA – an atomizer that is designed to be rebuilt by the user. These allow the user to fine tune a vape the way they like.

RDA- a type of RBA where the user drips juice directly onto the coil, there is no tank. These are very common and tend to be geared towards either flavor or a lot of vapor production.

RDTA is a type of rda with a tank attached

Gensis style- a modular rda with a tank below the atomizer and a wick pulling juice to the coil

RTA- an RBA with a tank attached and the uice usually flowing from below the rebuilt coil via a vaccum pressure. Like a subohm tank but with col rebuilt by the user.

MOD- the portion of the vaporizer with the batteries. This is a broad term used for any handheld battery operated device that fires the atomizer.

Mech- this is short for mechanical mod, a device that holds a battery with battery contacts. There are not any safety features incorporated in a mechanical mod. Usually they are single battery tubes, or dual battery boxes in series or parallel. These should only be used by experienced vapors with a basic understanding of electronics theory, safety, ohms law, coulombs law, and those who know what they are doing.

Unregulated mod- similar to a mechanical mod but has wires and usually a mosfet switch. But the same principals for safety apply. – you are the safety feature.

Regulated mod- these have become the most popular mods in vaping. They come in several different shapes sizes and features. Essentially they have a battery, and circuit board as well as a way for you to adjust voltage or wattage. Some allow you to regulate temperature to a degree as well (more on that later), they usually have safety features and vary in there complexity, from a dial to push button. Some safety features would be current and voltage limits, reverse battery protection, and not allowing you to fire unsafe coils. Still I stress- ultimately you are responsible for your own safety. All electronics have the prepotency for failure.

TCstands for temperature control. This allows you to set a limit not allowing the coil to go over a predetermined temperature.

PWM- Pulse Width Modulation, this is a way of applying power to the coil that modulates the power by firings in pulse. This is not used frequently anymore but you still may hear the term from time to time. It is usually accompanied by a rattlesnake sound.

Batt- common term for battery

510- the connection used on the mod to connect it to the atomizer. The female side is on top of the mod with the male side on the bottom of the atomizer.

DripTip- the mouth piece on the atomizer

Chuff cap- the wide more driptop that takes the place of the driptip

 

[f1r3b1rd]

So you want to see what this “TC” temp control is all about?


This is my take on the temp control, I have come to these conclusions after being an early adopter with the first edition dna40, sx350j, and dna200. Rather than discuss any board at length this more about the commonalities with temp limiting. Notice I said temp limiting and not temp control. The reason being, what vapers refer to as temp control is not control at all. It now can mimic control but it is really a series of ceilings preventing you from getting the coil over a predestined temperature or the mod to fire over a predetermined power output. It is not a thermostat, nor designed to hold it at temperature, only to not cross the temperature set.

Currently there are 3 metals commonly used for Temp Limiting. New metals get experimented with and become fads with this technology as often as shoes get popular. At the time of this writing the three primary metals are NI200. Titanium, and SS. NI200 is the hardest to work with but yields the most consistent results from the board. Titanium, is highly popular but in my opinion can yield rather inconsistent results and was left with rumors of less than healthy output should it get to hot. (temp limiting?) stainless steel, is my personal favorite because of its ease of use, benign health effects and proficiency.

When buying a TC mod, the 2 features to make sure the mod has are upgradeable software and the ability to load in your own TCR value.

What is a tcr value? TCR is the basis of temp control. Essentially, TC works by using metals whose resistance increases in a linear fashion as the temperature increases. In other words resistance goes up at a constant rate as temperature goes up. The board uses its starting temp and resistance; then, figures out the change in resistance, and, uses that to factor the current temperature. It then regulates the temperature by backing down the power output and monitoring the resistance.

The nature of the technology leads it to be a little bit finicky at first; and, while each model does things marginally different a major constant are the things that it is finicky about. Primarily, since tc relies on the resistance change with temp, and that these changes are so minute, good, clean, solid connections are a must. Additionally, Contact coils do not work right- contact coils "work" in non tc mode due to the oxidation buildup on kanthal a1, but since tc relies on non-oxidizing coil material, you don't get the isolation, and have wildly fluctuating coils. This is especially noticeable with ni200 and why many early adopters went on a search for something more user friendly. Its resistance is so low and the metal itself is so soft that it became very troublesome to use. Stainless however is very similar to build with as Kanthal and the resistance is high enough to be used in power mode. A contact coil is what you think of when you think of a vapers coil. All of the wraps are touching. The oxidation can build up which can cause the resistance to askew. This interference is greatly reduced when the wraps of the coil are spaced. It is this reason that a spaced coil, is preferred; and, in the case of most metals necessary, for temperature limiting to work properly.

On many mods, you need to “pair’” your atomizer with the mod in order to give the mod a baseline resistance from whence to start. This is KEY as this is the very basis of TC any change in the resistance will throw the calculation of and lead to a bad vape. Even body temperature, it is this reason that before pairing the mod, and after the build, set the atomizer and mod to the side for about 10-15 minutes and let them both come to the same temperature. Then screw on your atty and lock in the resistance.

Mods with a loadable tcr value will have a place where you can plug in a number generally starting around the third place after the decimal. This chart has some of the more commonly used tcr values.



www.steam-engine.org has the tcr values for most metals available with a tcr value associated to them. In the event that you are using a dna2oo steam engine also has downloadable .csv files available as well. These .csv files are exact charts for the tcr of a given metal that allow the DNA board to be a little more accurate.


I hope this information gives you a fair bearing on using TC and helps in some way should you have any injuries’ please let us know