Creme de Vape Blog


Published on by

Keith's take on temperature control

Read entire post: Keith's take on temperature control

I’ve been enjoying temperature control for over 4 years now and while it did take me a little time to get my head around it all, once I understood what’s going on with the technology and use that temperature control setting as a scale, not as an actual reference to a real temperature.

In 2014 Evolv was the first to market with their temperature control feature in the DNA40. As with all new tech I was eager to give it a try. It worked and did what it claimed to do albeit buggy and in need of some refinement, but I feel there was a bit of a flaw with the terminology used in setting your desired heat level. Sure, one can work out what the approx. temperature of a given wire should be based on the manufacturer’s specification for the resistance changes at different temperatures. This is called the TCR or temperature's coefficient of resistance. In simple terms this means that as a resistance target (the temperature setting) is reached on the TCR scale we can calculate the approx. temp of that wire based on the change in resistance from the room temperature's resistance.

But here’s where I think the terminology (but not the functionality) is flawed. We are not using an isolated straight piece of wire alone, we are using a coiled piece of wire attached by two screws or clamps with some sort of wicking material running down the middle with both liquid and air passing across it. Thus an actual temperature value is never going to be entirely accurate nor consistent - there are simply too many other variables at play when it comes to that "temperature" value.

Think about the difference between an oven and a hob (stove top). An oven usually has dials so you can set a desired temperature, this is easy for the oven's electronics to control because inside the closed space there is a thermostat (a device that measures the temperature) and this sensor is used to help regulate the power applied to the heating elements (coils) inside the oven to maintain that set temperature. Now take a look at the hob controls, these are normally dials or buttons that have a scale (ours goes from 1 to 10). There is a good reason why the hob has no temperature settings on those dials. There is usually no means for the electronics to measure the actual temperature of that particular heating element on the hob. This is also true with our vaping devices, there is no sensor to measure the actual temperature inside the atomiser's chamber. Therefore, I think it may have been better to use a scale from 1 to 10 or 1 to 20 for this setting on a TC device, but this is not the direction the market took and we have to understand the quirks of this technology and understand what’s actually going on.


oven_temperature_350


Factors that play a role in the TC experience:


TCR value, every wire material type has a recommended value. This value is what the manufacturer of that wire states the resistance change is at a given temperature. In our vape devices we are using a max temperature coefficient of around 600F. The TCR value is how much change in resistance it takes to go from room temperature to a max of 600F. When you set your "temperature" on the device you are not actually setting a temperature, you are setting a resistance target on that TCR scale. Wire materials are not 100% consistent across all batches, all manufacturers etc etc... This is an approximation only and should only be used as a reference value to start with and most all devices on the market have the ability to set a custom TCR value, use this feature if you need to, do not rely on a wire type setup in the device from the factory as the default only. Personally I find that Ni200 having the highest change in TCR works best for temp control as there is a greater change in resistance as the wire heats up. Low TCR value wires such as stainless steel are not as stable and can fluctuate as the device attempts to work out the setting on very small changes which leads to a jumpy temperature that you can actually feel as you vape on some devices. The TCR value is based on the wire ITSELF, not all the other external factors such as liquid hitting it or air passing over it.

Wicking, this is a big one. As the temperature control device attempts to read the resistance change there is (or should be) a constant flow of liquid hitting the wire which in turn cools it down again and the device is able to hold a desired setting while you vape. If your wick/material or atomiser is not keeping up with the heating element the resistance climbs quickly and the power is reduced to maintain your target resistance (temp setting) and this leads to a weak vape -by design- keeping you from over heating the wick and getting a burnt taste from your juice. Too much liquid flow and things can go the other direction resulting in flooding and spitting as you actually get some boiling of the liquid. There is fine balance here between not enough liquid to the coil and too much. You just have to gain experience with this area and know your atomiser's ability to keep up with the wicking required in TC vaping. Don't be scared to experiment with different wick materials and amounts of wick you install in the coil. Some materials are better at keeping up than others, and what works for your friend may not work for you and your application. Every juice also has a different viscosity at different temperatures so bear in mind on warm days you may experience different wicking than you would on a cold day.

Kayfun_Mini_Blog

Air flow, another big factor. The amount of air passing across the coil cools it down significantly and lowers it's resistance. But air flow also has another role to play with an RTA. The amount of air pressure you apply by puffing on the device compared to the air hole size actually pulls liquid into the wicks at different rates. Every person puffs on their device with a slightly different pressure every time they vape and this can actually change though the day too. It's just not possible for a human to pull the exact same pressure on the mouthpiece every puff, all day long. As the market moves back to the mouth-to-lung style vape we are finding that the puff pressure has been decreasing a bit as the air hole sizes decrease (this was the norm 5 years ago). When you are vaping on an atomiser with large air holes and you are taking direct lung hits there is a lot of air passing the coil keeping it cooler and also pulling more liquid to the coil which can result in a warmer vape. With an MTL setup you may experience a weaker vape with TC as less air is passing the coil and less liquid is entering the chamber, you will need to experiment with the settings to get your desired vape, remember what I said before and think about temperature control as a sliding scale rather than a set of actual temperature values and bear this in mind when you are setting up your temp control device.

Connectivity. Every mod has a 510 connection on the top where you screw your atomiser down onto. This is a weak point for every temp control system. The threads are where the negative side of the circuit passes current. If your threads are dirty or wet with liquid (on either the mod OR the atomiser side) this can lead to an inaccurate temperature control experience. Make sure your threads and the 510 centre post on both the mod and atomiser are very clean and dry at all times to avoid issues of varying resistance (often called "Jumping"). If you knock or drop your device it's always a good idea to double check your settings and re-calibrate your coil to be sure everything is normal.


Dani_Box_510


I hope this helps you understand a little better what may be happening inside your temp control device. Don't be too quick to jump to conclusions that your mod or atomiser may be faulty if your TC vape experience is not what you think it should be as there could very well be a small detail that's causing an issue for you. Don't be afraid to experiment with different wick materials, atomisers, or wire types. You may just find your perfect vape. What works for you may be completely different to what works for me. For temp control vaping, my favourite device is the Dicodes as it offers a stable and accurate experience. The room temperature resistance of the coil is locked by the user and the display on the firmware provides the ability to check at any point in time what the calculated resistance and temperature of the coil is (R/T menu)  This gives me the ability to double check the coil at room temp to be sure nothing has changed or if it needs a recalibration, this is not a feature available on any other mod on the market (without hooking up to a PC and using software anyway).  

 

Read entire post
Published on by

Three superb subtanks

From our inception in 2009, we've always gone to great lengths to carefully source and test the latest devices on the market to ensure every product on our site meets our quality standards. When subtanks first arrived to market, there were few devices capable of safely handling these very low resistance coils, and many tanks available were below par in terms of build quality or performance. Over the past few months, battery device technology has improved, and our thorough testing process has identified several tanks we've been very proud to add to our range recently.

The tanks we have selected are outstanding in all areas and offer brilliant performance whether you choose to use ready-made Kanthal or stainless steel heads or Ni200 heads for temperature controlled battery devices. These tanks all offer the ability to use a rebuildable (RBA) deck so you can customise your experience using either kanthal or Ni200 wire. The flexible nature of both replacement head options and the possibility of building your own with an RBA head really sets these tanks apart from the rest.

The CrownCrown tank

Uwell Crown Subtank Atomiser

The Crown Subtank atomiser is a high quality stainless steel tank featuring adjustable air flow, large 4ml capacity, and several replacement head options including a rebuildable (RBA) head (available separately.) The Crown can be completely disassembled for cleaning. Uwell is a new manufacturer in the industry but they have come out strong with this initial offering which has quickly become the favourite subtank of ours and many reviewers.

Features

  • Food grade stainless steel
  • Fused quartz glass window
  • 4ml liquid capacity
  • Positive click adjustable airflow ring with large air flow
  • Thoughtful design and machining on the parts for ease of use and filling
  • Top OR bottom filling method
  • Dual coil sub-ohm heads
  • Dual coil Ni200 heads for temperature protected devices
  • Single coil 1.2Ω heads for mouth to lung hits
  • Organic Japanese cotton wicking material
  • 316 stainless steel coil element (excluding Ni200 heads)
  • 22mm width tank with 510 threaded connector

 

Compatible Parts (available separately)
Uwell Crown Heads (4pk)
Uwell Crown RBA deck



Goliath IIGoliath II

Goliath II RTA by Youde

The Goliath II is a rebuildable tank atomiser that also accommodates replaceable organic cotton dual coil (ROCC) heads (available separately and 2 in the kit). This advanced tank atomiser features liquid control, a rebuildable deck with dual and single coil capabilities and adjustable air flow with a wide open setting. The internal wall of the chimney and drip tip have a spiral cut to produce a vortex effect on the vapour, providing a smooth draw and great flavour. The deck can be removed from the base of the tank without draining the liquid and the liquid control feature means you can completely close off the juice and seal up the tank. The version 2 Goliath has an amazing 5ml capacity and as it's a sleek 22mm tank it's sure to look great on just about any device.

Features

  • Brushed stainless steel RTA with engraved logo and liquid control setting
  • Dual or single coil build deck (air hole under each coil)
  • Replaceable ROCC heads (available separately in both Kanthal and Ni200)
  • Pyrex viewing window
  • Juice capacity 5ml
  • Airflow control
  • Liquid control
  • 510 connector

Compatible Heads (available separately)
Goliath II OCC Heads 5-pack available in 0.2Ω and 0.5Ω dual coil)
Goliath II Ni200 Heads 5-pack 0.15Ω dual coil (For temp controlled devices)



Kanger Subtank mini

Kanger Subtank Mini

Kanger's hugely popular Subtank Mini is a convertible tank atomiser that offers a choice of replacement organic Japanese cotton (OCC) heads or a rebuildable head (RBA) so you are able to tailor the experience to your liking. The replacement vertical coil heads produce excellent flavour due to the organic Japanese cotton wick. The RBA head is simple to build using either kanthal for standard wattage type devices or Ni200 for temp control devices. The Subtank Mini air-control ring is designed so it can be used for those who prefer a mouth to lung inhale or a wide open draw for direct lung inhaling. Two heads plus the RBA deck are provided in the kit - 1.5Ω for mouth to lung draw and 0.5Ω for direct lung draw.

Features:

  • Pyrex tank
  • Enhanced air flow system
  • Organic Japanese cotton vertical coil heads (OCC)
  • Tailorable air-flow with settings for both mouth-to-lung & direct lung inhale styles
  • Convertible design - RBA or replaceable coil atomiser
  • Standard 510 connection
  • 22mm diameter
  • Approx. 4.5ml liquid capacity

Compatible Heads (available separately)
SubTank VOCC Heads 5-pack available in 0.5Ω, 1.2Ω, 1.5Ω
SubTank Ni200 VOCC Heads 5-pack 0.15Ω (For temp controlled devices)
Subtank RBA Replacement Head


Our Range of battery devices has grown

Are you wondering what device you can use to push these new high power tanks? We have several options in stock now including the Yihi SXmini, Joyetech eVic VT, or an Hcigar Vt40 and the incoming Vt200.

Be sure you check out our new category on the stie for Variable Temperature to find a full list of regulated high power devices and associated temperature control accessories.

Read entire post