iHeat 510 Heater Cartridge

So I've spent the last couple days in iHeat land and gone back and read through the thread again, trying out loads of different settings and techniques.

The metallic smell from a dry heat to glow at 30W is now gone, so I guess there was a bit of burnoff that was required. I also had to learn to distinguish the taste and aroma of the walnut, at first I just thought my bowls tasted weird and bitter, now I can pick out the flavour. The sweating doesn't seem to be a problem now, and I've got some beeswax on the way now.

The main problem I have faced is how much hotter the airstream has to be to get an extraction/cloud comparable to my Arizer Air II. It's actually only recently that I've managed to make decent clouds on my Air, and now I can get bigger clouds on the iHeat, but I do find the iHeat hotter and harsher on the throat. To that end I've found the hemp fiber -- which @Alan included and I forgot to mention in my first post -- to be indispensable now. I've pulled off about 1/3 to 1/4 of the fiber and stuffed it down the roasting tube as a fluffy sausage, and now the airstream is seriously cool.

With VW at 25W I can slowly bring up to temp, but it takes a while. 30W I can get to temp pretty quick but I have had hot spots very easily. So for VW I like to surf around 27W.

TC has taken a lot of work, but so far my best result is TCR 90, 45W, 320F. My theory of TC is that I want the max wattage to be high so it can get the heat up, but then while I draw it should float around 40% - 60% of max, so we deliver enough heat to maintain extraction but not so much as to burn your throat. I am going to try the SS316L curve at some point too, 30W 320F as reported by @KeroZen

I am using the dosing capsules still, which increases the heat capacity of the load, and the hemp is increasing the heat capacity of the airpath, so I am purposefully introducing inefficiency, which is not the Insta-Heat way, and may not be the best direction to optimise in. I will try again without the hemp soon.

EDIT: I have found a half load, medium pack/tamp creates a more even load. So far I get hotspots very easily, especially which a loose load -- i.e. no packing/tamping. So I have to shake between loads.

Andreaerdna said:

Slowing my draw reduces harshness and makes vapor thicker (still @ 27,5W), but I always prefer to pass through a dry honey straw (this way vapor is cool as air and honey straw protect throat/lungs from vegetal dust created by stirring)

Great vape!

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What's this honey straw?

Unfortunately the hemp fiber, similarly to cotton, captures a lot of the actives on their way to your lungs...

What firmware are you using for TC? I forgot what mod you are riding already, hard to keep track of everyone's preferences.

KeroZen said:

Unfortunately the hemp fiber, similarly to cotton, captures a lot of the actives on their way to your lungs...

What firmware are you using for TC? I forgot what mod you are riding already, hard to keep track of everyone's preferences.

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I've added a sig

So what firmware are you using mate? Stock one or ArticFox?

I had the idea to try the elev8r heater as a tiny stem for the iheat. It holds the load further away, and makes the vapor quit smooth. Holds as much as a rimmed basket screen.

KeroZen said:

So what firmware are you using mate? Stock one or ArticFox?

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Sorry, you asked before! Yeah I put Arctic Fox on it, but I didn't try it on stock so can't say how it is. Currently on TCR 90, 300F, 45W, without hemp and getting some good clouds with only a touch of heat on the throat -- more pleasant than unpleasant. Medium pack.

Did you enable the PI regulator in AF config? Previously I had it set to P=900 and I=90, this produced some overshoot when not drawing but was more or less okay when drawing, although far from perfect.

I tried to improve it the other day and I settled on P=500 and I=80. It's more stable with less overshoot but it now seems to cope less with strong draws, staying most of the time under the set-point and barely never above it.

I could maybe increase my max power (currently 28W) to compensate but I like how it is now. Feels a bit less harsh and more consistent.

I also use the TFR 316L curve and no longer the TCR mode. Don't remember if the curve was stock or if I downloaded it from steam engine online.

That being said, I think a downside of AF compared to myevic and derivatives is that it only has a PI controller instead of the full PID one. And that D term is precisely meant to deal with disturbances. With P and I we can create a stable control / system under steady conditions, but you need to add the D term to make it resilient to external changes (i.e. exactly what our draw is)

I might go back to myevic or tuboevic to see. By the way, I had to revert to my old evic VTC mini to use the iHeat. Couldn't manage to get a stable resistance on the DNA box. Cleaning the threads and tightening the heater screws helped somewhat, but it was still a PITA. So back to the evic it went, and so far it has been quite stable. In fact, it's the first time it's running that well.

@aoaiwof
https://fr.dhgate.com/product/honey-straw-mini-nectar-collector-kit-2-0/396393423.html

KeroZen said:

Did you enable the PI regulator in AF config? Previously I had it set to P=900 and I=90, this produced some overshoot when not drawing but was more or less okay when drawing, although far from perfect.

I tried to improve it the other day and I settled on P=500 and I=80. It's more stable with less overshoot but it now seems to cope less with strong draws, staying most of the time under the set-point and barely never above it.

I could maybe increase my max power (currently 28W) to compensate but I like how it is now. Feels a bit less harsh and more consistent.

I also use the TFR 316L curve and no longer the TCR mode. Don't remember if the curve was stock or if I downloaded it from steam engine online.

That being said, I think a downside of AF compared to myevic and derivatives is that it only has a PI controller instead of the full PID one. And that D term is precisely meant to deal with disturbances. With P and I we can create a stable control / system under steady conditions, but you need to add the D term to make it resilient to external changes (i.e. exactly what our draw is)

I might go back to myevic or tuboevic to see. By the way, I had to revert to my old evic VTC mini to use the iHeat. Couldn't manage to get a stable resistance on the DNA box. Cleaning the threads and tightening the heater screws helped somewhat, but it was still a PITA. So back to the evic it went, and so far it has been quite stable. In fact, it's the first time it's running that well.

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I tried PI reg briefly but it just seem slike more complexity and abstraction I don't understand. I want a simple model of the relationship between the draw rate and wattage over time. I currently hypothesize my current setup as so: https://www.desmos.com/calculator/w1qla2koqc So I start drawing and fire, the vape heats on full wattage, hits the temp limit, then kinda fluctuates on and off, and the wattage moves up and down -- in operation I notice it's more like 60% or something of full wattage, +- 20% maybe? But basically the wattage is fluctuating constantly, so the airstream doesn't get too hot.

Andreaerdna said:

@aoaiwof
https://fr.dhgate.com/product/honey-straw-mini-nectar-collector-kit-2-0/396393423.html

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Looks cool but not my cup of tea How is it?

Not bad to microdose and cool vapor but finnicky to use. i switched back to regular stem very soon

@aoaiwof: then give it a try! Just enter the PI numbers I posted above and it should smooth those spikes such that they look more like a flat line. If you don't like it, you can disable it with a couple of clicks.

KeroZen said:

@aoaiwof: then give it a try! Just enter the PI numbers I posted above and it should smooth those spikes such that they look more like a flat line. If you don't like it, you can disable it with a couple of clicks.

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I might try it over the next couple of days. I'm currently back to 27W VW and loving it, although I do need a reeeeeallllyy sloooow draaaaawwww but I don't mind that I found that sometimes I'll fire for the first time in a few hours (say it's been overnight or just sitting while) on a TC setting that was working before, but now it doesn't work very well, like there's a hill it just can't get over. I switch to VW and get an expected result, then I can switch back and the TC seems to work fine again. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This seems to be the place where most owners of the hcigar vt75d congregate. I have a totally basic question. How on earth do you open the battery door? I've destroyed whatever fingernails I had and still can't open it to put in batteries. Any help would be appreciated.

little maggie said:

This seems to be the place where most owners of the hcigar vt75d congregate. I have a totally basic question. How on earth do you open the battery door? I've destroyed whatever fingernails I had and still can't open it to put in batteries. Any help would be appreciated.

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You have not to lift it directly, the key is to push it in order to make it shift backwards.. it is finnicky to close too

aoaiwof said:

I found that sometimes I'll fire for the first time in a few hours (say it's been overnight or just sitting while) on a TC setting that was working before, but now it doesn't work very well, like there's a hill it just can't get over.

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Ah, I see. Then possible elements of answer are scattered around in this thread. But most likely contact resistance and al.

In AF you can have the live resistance as a secondary display attribute. That's very useful to debug TC problems. Watch it carefully over a few days and maybe you'll see a pattern emerge.

@aoaiwof - Thanks for posting the photo. Glad to hear you are enjoying it. Most wood products will release or absorb water vapor depending upon the atmospheric conditions. It is possible to release the water from the wood with heat. I don't recommend heating the spiral coil for very long without drawing air through it. The iHeat is not intended to be used in a "cruise" mode.
I do a burn off of the coil before installing in the wood body, but there may be some lingering smell for a few heating cycles. I do notice a smell in the coil chamber if I leave a roasting tube in the iHeat between hits. I suspect some vapor is dropping down from the roasting tube. That is why I always remove the roasting tube between hits.
Nice to hear you are enjoying the hemp fiber. It is fun to roast when it gets dirty. The taste isn't so great, but it is highly medicating.
I try to make the iHeat as affordable as possible. I'm glad you are happy with the price.
I discovered that Air / Solo glass stems work perfectly in the iHeat with a silicone sleeve stretched over the outside. Here is how it fits into a standard 19/22 female fitting. It will work in any vaporizer w/ a 19/22 female connection.





@Andreaerdna - Glad to hear you found a good way to secure the glass in the wooden tube. The wood does change dimensions with humidity changes. I have been using a silicone sleeve to hold the glass securely in the wood, but it doesn't look as clean as the glass in wood.

@P.A.M. - Thanks for the kind words. Hope your mod box arrives soon and you are able to use your iHeat.

@little maggie - The battery door on the VT75D is almost impossible to open using fingernails on those tiny little ridges. I found a method that works really well. Here are photos of how to hold the unit and open the door.




Hold the HCigar (upside down) in your right hand with the display pointing away from your palm. The wide side of the HCigar will be in your palm.
Place your left thumb and index finger on the outer most points of the battery door and push in the direction that door opens (to the left). It should easily pop open.
If you look straight at the front of the HCigar, you can see triangular shaped parts of the battery door at the very bottom of the unit. Those are the parts you will be pushing on with your thumb and index finger.

Alan I appreciate your help so much. But I am an hcigar failure. Not sure what to do with this one but I think I need to get a box mod that opens without muscle strength. At least I have a bit of time to find one while waiting for my iheat.

My iHeat arrived a few days ago. I keep forgetting that thing can vape herb it looks like a work of art!

Absolutely stunning and a powerhouse to boot. I running it on a Wismec DNA 250 using @HerbieVonVapster included iHeat profile. Here's some pics.

Easywider said:

My iHeat arrived a few days ago. I keep forgetting that thing can vape herb it looks like a work of art!

Absolutely stunning and a powerhouse to boot. I running it on a Wismec DNA 250 using @HerbieVonVapster included iHeat profile. Here's some pics.

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that's a looker for sure! This is a popular set up it seems, I too rock this ensemble inspired by @HerbieVonVapster.

@Alan oh shit I forgot you included the silicone sleeve too, I didn't even think about trying the Arizer stems... more excite, thank you.

I took my iHeat out last night while I was at the pub with some friends, popped out for a brief walk and a few toots, and I am loving on-demand. So nice to get a couple of big hits from a bowl and preserve the rest for later, there's so much control over how you dose.

@Alan I've read a bit about how the HI is wired up, and I see it is a constant voltage. Do you think the iHeat could run in 'VV' mode? I'm currently using 27W VW and observe voltage as between 3.1 V - 3.2 V throughout my draw. I'd like to try fixed voltage but AF does not seem to support it, so I'm gonna go firmware shopping.

@little maggie similar to @Alan 's push technique, the door on my VT75D pops open quite easily if you hold the mod as Alan describes with your thumb and forefinger on the notches where the door fits the body and pinch between your thumb and finger (or the forefinger middle knunkle for more pinch force)

With clean hands or something rubbery for extra grip (I have an old rubber glove i keep in the kitchen for opening jars n things), what I'm gonna call the up and out technique also works Push the door in (as if you were compressing the batteries lengthways) and push out in the direction of the arrow.

@KeroZen getting some good results with TCR 97, max 35 W, 320 F, PI-Reg 500/80 +- 0% -- the unit heats up on full for a few seconds, which I think should be fine (@Alan can you recommend a maximum warmup time?). A v slow draw will bring it to around 26 - 30 W which I find gives good results, that's my preferred VW range. After inhaling a bit beyond what that will support I end up on 35 W. I would like it to be a bit more nuanced on those faster pulls.

Sorry for edit, when I hit tab it submits. D:

little maggie said:

Alan I appreciate your help so much. But I am an hcigar failure. Not sure what to do with this one but I think I need to get a box mod that opens without muscle strength. At least I have a bit of time to find one while waiting for my iheat.

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If you have no one else that can open the HCigar for you, perhaps bring it to a local vape store and have them put the cells in, then just use usb to charge.
I just received my Hcigar just like yours and Alan's. Sleek looking mod and the faux wood matches my I Heat quite nicely. Kinda cool you can run it off one battery, or two for longer life.
Looking forward to getting frustrated in escibe once I start messing with this thing.

Some pics of my Blackwood Iheat paired with my black Movkin Disguiser, thanks for looking!





A nice combo I use on a daily basis at 28W!

PPN said:

Some pics of my Blackwood Iheat paired with my black Movkin Disguiser, thanks for looking!

A nice combo I use on a daily basis at 28W!

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Can you please explain (pictures would be helpful) how you got the iHeat to pair with the Movkin I guess the bigger question is how you load and unload the stem with medicine.