The "Project" DIY Herbal Vaporizer

[KeroZen]

Hey buddy! Do you mean it doesn't glow when seeing it in daylight? Cause if the light are off there is definitely glow out of my coil, glows brighter just before it gets to the set temp. Then it lowers a bit... Regulation seems fine.

Yes, you made me double-check. I went into a closet with the lights off and the door shut, I covered the OLED screen with my palm and set the mod to 240°C which is the maximum temperature I can use, and it's not glowing even the faintest, zilch, niet, rien.

But it's with the Pure SF @ 0.48ohms not with the Eraser nor the OG.

It's nice that you bring this subject to the table as I was considering starting a new discussion about heater metals and making them glow or not. A lot of recent vapes have the heater exposed to the air path and it's something they also worry a lot about in the e-cig world, especially after the two research articles that found nickel and chromium micro and nano particles everywhere.

It was recommended in the past to dry fire the coils in order to ensure they are heating evenly etc (with the strumming technique and al.) but now they changed their mind it seems. Here's a very interesting article on the matter:

http://www.ecigarette-research.org/research/index.php/research/research-2015/212-db

So I will create that thread eventually, I just don't know in which sub-forum, as it concerns a lot of us. For instance they now tend to agree that the powdery aspect Titanium can take when dried burnt is indeed Titanium oxyde, ready to peel off. It's less of a concern for us as our coils are not subjected to friction due to the liquid immersion, but that's something to consider.

It's also worth noting that some people are investigating other grades of stainless steel like 430 in order to minimize the Chromium and Nickel content, as both are linked to respiratory illness.

This must of course be put into perspective, which that same site tried to do here:

http://www.ecigarette-research.org/research/index.php/research/research-2015/209-metals

Anyways as they say, the best exposure level is zero (i.e. to not even vape!) but even if harmless it's undesirable and must be kept in check and taken into account. Some people have Nickel sensitivity or even allergy for instance.

Only thing I dislike is that I prefer it dry and it hits the back of the throat harder than the Omni.

Yes I agree, but to me it's due to our short stems. I get the same in the MVT and Milaana, was even worse in the Firewood 2.1. In fact nearly all my portable vapes have too short of a vapor path to provide adequate cooling (the Ascent was good in that regard, but not enough to offset the other problems)

It's fine when I use the long stems, but they look silly and are too fragile so I don't use them outside from home... And portables need to be portable right?

To me it's the price to pay: it's at the limit of what my throat can endure, but it's needed to be portable. Otherwise I use long stems at home on the Zion and don't bother with my other devices.

 

[b0]

Mine starts glowing at 210 and the max I use is 215-220 usually. I use an Evic mini:

TCR 235
PWR 50
Coil locked at .6
Res is jumping between 600-610

I adjusted my tcr bassed on trying to get close to temps, probably should get it a bit lower but at 185 it wasn't working good enough and sometimes had to use temps up to 265. My res came high and to be honest I dont know how to adjust to make it have less res, any tips will be welcomed.

So far i'm pretty happy with it tho, but now I'm worried about making it glow...

PS: Just checked and at 185 tcr my coild definitely glows. Maybe the problem is the coil itself? Could I have damaged it?

Edit: Forgot to say that I have a SF!

 

[KeroZen]

- For "Science" I moved the Pure SF to my evic VTC mini and the resistance reads 0.53ohm here.
- It reads exactly the same in my evic Primo mini.
- In my Istick Pico it reads 0.51ohm.
- In my FlowerMate HybridX it also reads 0.53ohm.
- And finally it's 0.53ohm on my cheapo Chinese 510 ohm-meter.

Verdict: it's probably closer to 0.53 than the 0.48 I get on the Knight v2. And guess what, when I put in back on the Knight it asked if it was a new coil, I said yes and now it reads 0.51ohm! I hope it won't screw all my settings haha!!!

@b0: are you using ArticFox or myevic? I only had troubles with my evic VTC mini and I was never able to pinpoint precisely what was wrong. I might get back to it at some point but right now I just use it as a pretty expensive battery charger...

Maybe try to manually set your resistance to 0.55ohm or the like and lower your set temperature too? Or at least force a cold re-read?

EDIT: I did a session with the new coil reading and had to lower to 190°C. The session felt closer to what I would get with conduction vapes started directly at that temperature, that is a rather quick extraction at the expense of taste. I think I will even go lower next time. But this means that with a TCR of 180 and your higher resistance reading, you should be using temperatures even lower than that!

 

[Bandoo]

Here is what I came up with in the end. Still trying to get the settings tuned in and not to cool or combusting. My wood mouthpiece is kind of long and needs to air out now for a while.... Had this unused shorty stem from my sweet Milaana. Seems to go with the K2 well and easy to clean if it lights off during tuning process . Will probably make a shorty wood stem then.
I cut some tiny grooves in the bottom edge of the amber joint for airflow. No o rings.
These are the settings I'm using at the moment. 28W - 180C - .00180
BTW - What is the relationship of the watts to the temp setting to the .00180??
Knowing that will help me a lot...I tried 40 watt and 230c and it seemed way too hot in mine.
I spread out the coil to match the 18mm's and it seems the right distance from the load in the stem. I am not using any screen in the female joint. I usually make sure the herb is the right moisture and just hoover it up into the mouthpiece and with a slight tamp and it stays there. Thanks for all the help guys

 

[KeroZen]

 

[GreenHopper]

Loving the look of that man.

Great advice from @KeroZen on the TCR settings.

 

[jimt0r]

Is this project still going? The only things got me stumped where to get stuff from is the teflon insulator, o-rings and what size the SS tube is


Never mind about parts, i did not see the links in the parts list

the SS tube link is broken tho

 

[Joaon]

Long time I didn't oppend this thread, have to catch up ..!

Still rocking Eraser with the top stove coil, cork sleeve, even and perfect extraction each time!
Rx2/3 and VTC6 on their way ..




Do some of you have tried flat wires?

I think it would help to make a top stop coil without any jig !
More to test..

 

[natural farmer]

Yes, you made me double-check. I went into a closet with the lights off and the door shut, I covered the OLED screen with my palm and set the mod to 240°C which is the maximum temperature I can use, and it's not glowing even the faintest, zilch, niet, rien.

But it's with the Pure SF @ 0.48ohms not with the Eraser nor the OG.

It's nice that you bring this subject to the table as I was considering starting a new discussion about heater metals and making them glow or not. A lot of recent vapes have the heater exposed to the air path and it's something they also worry a lot about in the e-cig world, especially after the two research articles that found nickel and chromium micro and nano particles everywhere.

It was recommended in the past to dry fire the coils in order to ensure they are heating evenly etc (with the strumming technique and al.) but now they changed their mind it seems. Here's a very interesting article on the matter:

http://www.ecigarette-research.org/research/index.php/research/research-2015/212-db

So I will create that thread eventually, I just don't know in which sub-forum, as it concerns a lot of us. For instance they now tend to agree that the powdery aspect Titanium can take when dried burnt is indeed Titanium oxyde, ready to peel off. It's less of a concern for us as our coils are not subjected to friction due to the liquid immersion, but that's something to consider.

It's also worth noting that some people are investigating other grades of stainless steel like 430 in order to minimize the Chromium and Nickel content, as both are linked to respiratory illness.

This must of course be put into perspective, which that same site tried to do here:

http://www.ecigarette-research.org/research/index.php/research/research-2015/209-metals

Anyways as they say, the best exposure level is zero (i.e. to not even vape!) but even if harmless it's undesirable and must be kept in check and taken into account. Some people have Nickel sensitivity or even allergy for instance.



Yes I agree, but to me it's due to our short stems. I get the same in the MVT and Milaana, was even worse in the Firewood 2.1. In fact nearly all my portable vapes have too short of a vapor path to provide adequate cooling (the Ascent was good in that regard, but not enough to offset the other problems)

It's fine when I use the long stems, but they look silly and are too fragile so I don't use them outside from home... And portables need to be portable right?

To me it's the price to pay: it's at the limit of what my throat can endure, but it's needed to be portable. Otherwise I use long stems at home on the Zion and don't bother with my other devices.

So the fact that mine glows to achieve the desired results probably means that I draw harder, right? If I draw even harder I have to up the TCR to get the same results... I've tried this many times. A harder draw needs a hotter coil temp to raise air to the same temp as a lighter slower draw and cooler coil.
In my experience the draw method has to do with the throat hit... Straight-to-lung hits are much harsher than mouth-to-lung hits. With Omni I only do mouth-to-lung... So it's more comfortable.

 

[Bandoo]

My KV2 coil gets red at setting M1- 25 watts and 155C 49 ohms .00180 after around 10 seconds or less using the 'Pure' coil....
Isn't the idea that you set your temp and it doesn't get any hotter than that and you can just draw away for 5-15 seconds without fear of combusting?

DD is Milaana..

 

[KeroZen]

Well that's strange really. Apart from the different shiny screen bezel and the different font on "Smoant" our mods are the same.

Way before 10 seconds my mod reads "temperature control" and drops to about 4W. It's not glowing at all and never has once. My coil is still shiny and uniform in color.

You are not supposed to let it sit without air flow anyways. In some of my other experiments with custom RDA's I had the coil glow when not drawing but just gently blowing on it stopped the glow.

Some people also make their Milaana or MistVape Touch glow but to me it's a no go! Neither of mine are glowing with the way I'm using them.

 

[KeroZen]

the SS tube link is broken tho

Pardon me, but why don't you just order a ready-made one from @Pipes?

Do some of you have tried flat wires?

I tried SS flat wire once but it was wider and thinner. It wasn't as shiny as your picture and with SS you can't make touching coils like this, it must be spaced away (otherwise it shorts, contrary to some other metals like NiChrome etc)

It was a pain to form (doesn't hold shape much apart from coil shapes) and the results weren't great in my limited attempt. I had better success with the Alien and Tiger wires.

So the fact that mine glows to achieve the desired results probably means that I draw harder, right? If I draw even harder I have to up the TCR to get the same results...

Well no. Or rather yes, you are surely drawing harder but you should be upping the Watts not the TCR nor temperature to compensate. Just beware that past 40W you need in theory beefier cells than the HG2/30Q, as they experienced in the Tubo thread... (they run at 70W)

But why do you guys have to draw like elephants in the first place? Can't you just... I dunno, restrain yourself?! Regulate, self-control you know... If you use water tools, it means you are home then use a damn desktop vape and not a weak portable!

 

[b0]

@b0: are you using ArticFox or myevic? I only had troubles with my evic VTC mini and I was never able to pinpoint precisely what was wrong. I might get back to it at some point but right now I just use it as a pretty expensive battery charger...

Maybe try to manually set your resistance to 0.55ohm or the like and lower your set temperature too? Or at least force a cold re-read?

EDIT: I did a session with the new coil reading and had to lower to 190°C. The session felt closer to what I would get with conduction vapes started directly at that temperature, that is a rather quick extraction at the expense of taste. I think I will even go lower next time. But this means that with a TCR of 180 and your higher resistance reading, you should be using temperatures even lower than that!

I'm using myevic, should I try ArticFox? No idea how to setup manually my res to 0.55ohm, I have them locked at .6 but I guess that's not what you mean.

Even when I just power on the mod the resistance is jumping from .600 to .610, is that normal? Should I be worried about the coil glowing and damaging it? Do you think it would be a good idea disassembling the coil and put it back again to check if anything is loose? Doesn't seem to be the case but who knows...

I'm not gonna lie to you, I usually use the mod at home through a bong because is so convenient and quick... It's my bed side vape!

Even with this little problems, totally love my SF. After tonight I have 3 days in a row off so will have plenty of time to keep testing the SF, any tips to improve the experience welcomed!!

 

[Bandoo]

That's interesting.
I agree and never try to make the Milaana coil glow. I never combusted with the Milaana either..

My Kv2 doesn't ever say Temp Control or drops the wattage when using. It just slowly cycles up till the set temp - and the watts stay about 25w or whatever all the way through.

I'm set now at 25w and 160c and that seems ok at the moment. Like how much can you test in one day

At 40w and 200c+ it was a combustor. After that and reading that some peoples never glowed, I did check to see if mine would go red.

Do you give any warm up time? How do you use yours.
or
Am I missing something, a setting maybe? I hope..
Thanks...

 

[KeroZen]

Are you sure TC is engaging? I can see the Watts change in real-time on the screen. If I'm not drawing it enters protection at some point ("TEMPERATURE CONTROL" on screen) but when I'm drawing I see the temperature fluctuate as well as the Watts.

Now that I lowered my Watts I'm able to draw fast enough to overcome the heater, in which case it struggles to get to set temperature and if I really huff I can even make the temperature fall.

Any chance your device might not be genuine? You got M1 displayed under the battery gauge right?

 

[KeroZen]

Even when I just power on the mod the resistance is jumping from .600 to .610, is that normal?

I had erratic resistance readings on my VTC mini too... that's the problem I wasn't able to pinpoint (yet) even after having disassembled my device.

 

[E0x]

my two cents will be that always remember lock the resistance and do this at room temp before using the mod

 

[E0x]

i do have a lot of trouble with my evic vtc mini too and i endup buying a rx200 which is perfect now for me , but don't have any fancy firmware for upgrade.

 

[KeroZen]

Isn't RX200 supported by ArticFox now?

 

[Kob]

Hola! I'm thinking about hopping on this DIY wagon. I've never owned a mod before or even held one in my hand. Didn't even know before what a mod meant.

I've gone through about half of this thread (still about 600 unread messages ) and can't make a decision about which mod should I get. Thought that maybe I should make an order now because it takes ages to get delivered. What mod would you suggest buying for someone who wants it to be lightweight (single cell) and small?

Maybe an eVic VTwo Mini or a Smoant Knight v2?

 

[oddjobold]

Hola! I'm thinking about hopping on this DIY wagon. I've never owned a mod before or even held one in my hand. Didn't even know before what a mod meant.

I've gone through about half of this thread (still about 600 unread messages ) and can't make a decision about which mod should I get. Thought that maybe I should make an order now because it takes ages to get delivered. What mod would you suggest buying for someone who wants it to be lightweight (single cell) and small?

Maybe an eVic VTwo Mini or a Smoant Knight v2?

I went for a evic vtc dual. Basically the same as a mini with the option for two batteries. The batteries are inline so it still fits in the pocket nicely. I am on the splinter preorder so want something compatable with that. That rules out the knight for me.

Not sure why the dual does not get more love.

 

[E0x]

Isn't RX200 supported by ArticFox now?

i am not ok with the tivoization of myevic code and i am too adapted to the factory fimware of the rx200 already.

 

[Pipes]

Is this project still going? The only things got me stumped where to get stuff from is the teflon insulator, o-rings and what size the SS tube is


Never mind about parts, i did not see the links in the parts list

the SS tube link is broken tho

SS tube link has being updated. The guy now only sells it on ebay and no longer on Ali. Had to ask him where they went.
SS Tubing.

I really want to make some more for sale and have plans to, however, finding the time has being a real pita.
Hopefully, before too long....?

 

[b0]

Hey @Pipes !! What's your opinion about the glowing of the coil? When you use it glows or should we avoid it?

I always used through water and it glows slightly. Tonight I'm gonna test it dry and see how it goes, usually I vape on my Milaana at home or if I visit a friend. The SF is used with my bongs when I feel lazy to plug my VXL

Now I'm thinking about buying a dedicated mod for it, between rx200 and battery life or Knight v2 and portability, everyone seems to love those. Do you guys recomend better arctic fox or myevic? Thinking about changing it in my VTC mini if it's gonna work better.

I really want to make some more for sale and have plans to, however, finding the time has being a real pita.
Hopefully, before too long....?

I will buy a 2nd SF for sure! Write me down in the waiting list, however long it takes

 

[Pipes]

I think the active temp is right on the threshold of glowing. @natural farmer is correct about draw speed. If you dial down and draw slowly you will get vapor. If you draw heavy, the noted glow will lower as you draw. I find with the Pure SF, I can't see the glow normally, but if in the car at night, can easily see the glow. I do draw quite heavy.
It's whatever works for you.
I think any of the firmware works, stock, myevic or arctic fox. Whatever your comfortable with. The third party stuff has much more options. myevic no longer supported whereas Arctic Fox is.
Added you to the SF list.