iStick Pico 75W with Nautilus 2 BVC coil

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stols001

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Um, if you are using the stock coils, you can't. They are made of kanthal, which can't really be used in TC applications. The only way you'll be able to use a Nautilus tank in TC mode would be to locate some of the triton MINI (not regular) ceramic coils. They have gotten a bit hard to find is my understanding. Unless you rebuild a coil with SS or Titanium or nickel wire, (it is possible there are tutorials, but it looks alarmingly difficult to me) you really can only vape that tank in wattage mode.

Sorry. As far as setting up for TC, I'd watch a video review or two that will most certainly show you how to do it. As far as wattage ramp up, I'd probably keep it similar to what you are using in wattage mode, and setting your TC value will depend on exactly what kind of vape (hot/cool) you prefer.

Anna
 
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bwh79

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3 clicks of the fire button to enter the mode-select menu. Use the +/- buttons to cycle through modes until you reach the desired TC setting (TC-Ti, TC-Ni, or TC-SS). Press the fire button once to choose the selected mode.

Once in TC mode, use 4 clicks of the fire button to set the max wattage to be used in TC mode. Use the +/- buttons to adjust the wattage and press the fire button once to lock in your setting. Max wattage will be displayed beneath the resistance reading on the screen. Finally, use the +/- buttons to adjust the max temperature in F or C.
 

Kusie

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Hi,
I have to admit that I simply can´t understand the concept of TC in regards to the setup on the Pico... I mean when I´m in VW mode I set my wattage to ... let´s say 12 watts and the coil will get this amount of power as long as the battery is still full. There is only one parameter I set, the wattage. Good. Logical. Got it. As a result the coil will probably get warmer with every vape hit, especially when chain vaping. The solution: swicth to TC and limit the temperature.
Now when I switched to TC mode once on the Pico with a SS coil I expected that I simply set my desired temperature and the mod will take care of the rest to keep this exact temperature. So I set it to 200 C and thought I was good to go. Wrong. When I first fired it HIT me with full force of 75 watts... unbelievable BURN. Then did some reading I found I also have to limit the wattage in the pico as described above by @bwh79 . I then limited the wattage to 12 watts. Better.
But that´s the part I don´t understand: why do I have to take care of the wattage also? I mean the whole POINT of TC is to select a temp and let the mod adjust the power to keep this temp. So now I don´t know how the selected temperatur and the max wattage correlate. If I set the max wattage to 8 watts for example can I be sure the selected 200 c will ever be reached? If I set my max wattage too high, can I be sure that the selected temp is not exceeded? I can´t, as my first failed attempt shows....

So for me TC on the pico is kind of bogus... I hope you got my point. Do you have to limit the max wattage on every mod with TC?

I´d like to be safer with my vaping, but until now I did not manage to master this..

K.
 
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stols001

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It's the ramp up wattage. As you experienced, that first hit was WAY too much for you. You don't need to reach max temperature with your first puff, and you probably don't want to, as you seemed to indicate in your post. Most vapes need a few puffs in order for temperature to be limited. You also don't need to set your mod to "maximum safe temperature" if you don't want to, for example I like a cool vape so I keep my ramp up wattage puny and my temperature settings pretty low.

The reason for choosing a "start up wattage" is that you can start it wherever is comfortable. MTL vapers tend to have lower ramp-up needs and lower temps overall. What temp control will do is under any and all circumstances (within reason) give you an upper limit that you are comfortable with. If you enjoy a cooler vape, then those two parameters can change, sometimes drastically.

Since it takes a bit of time for tanks/coils to heat up, TC gives you the option to choose your "ramp up temperature." How else would the mod know where to start, wattage wise? I mean, if you DIDN'T have the option to select an initial first wattage to start at, your mod would have no place to start. I mean, other than something arbitrary.

You aren't doing anything wrong, nor is your mod probably. It's more a matter of finding out what ramp up and temperature YOU are comfortable with.

Anna
 

Kusie

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Thanks, ramp up wattage sound logical.

I mean, if you DIDN'T have the option to select an initial first wattage to start at, your mod would have no place to start.
Well I would expect it to start from 0 watts and increase wattage until the desired temperature is reached. But I understand that the mod can not measure exact temperatures but "calculates" the temperature by measuring the change of coil resistance.... right? The whole measuring process seems a bit flackey and jumpy...
Anyway, thanks a lot Anna, your posting was very helpful :thumbs:
K.
 
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stols001

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0 watts means the mod isn't providing ANY electricity at all to heat up your vape. Starting at 0 watts means there is no coil change to then measure. Starting at 0 watts is the exact same thing as starting TC with your mod turned off. So no, you don't want to start at 0 watts, that would be pointless.

As I said, mirror your "wattage" (which is only used for the first few puffs) and "temp" to your style of vaping.

Using 0 watts as a starting point for temp control would mean your coil NEVER got heated up at all, and no vapor would be produced.

It's just a starting point but it's important that it is a GOOD vapable starting point for YOU. Same with temp, as long as you are UNDER max safe temperature, your vape can heat up ALL it wants until it reaches that max temp. You may not want it to REACH max safe temp, that's WAY to hot a vape for me.

Hope this clears it up some....

Anna
 

bwh79

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So for me TC on the pico is kind of bogus... I hope you got my point. Do you have to limit the max wattage on every mod with TC?
No, some of them you can't. For example the DNA40. But I think they handle TC differently. The DNA monitors temperature "hundreds of times per second," and tapers the wattage down as necessary. Other chipsets will "pulse" the power on and off to maintain temperature, instead of simply tapering it to a lower level. I suppose the wattage setting, on devices where you can set the wattage, decides the strength of these pulses, and throwing 75 watts at that tiny little coil, even for an instant, was just too much for it to handle. Presumably, devices where you can't set the wattage either use the other "tapering" method, or else don't do well in TC on small coils like ours.

For the record, I use my Pico with an SXK Doggy Style (clone) with a 28g SS 9-wrap 3mm 1.1ohm coil at 14w and 400F. In wattage mode I back off the power to about 11.5w. I had the same experience as you the first time, where it hit me with 75 watts and burned my wick instantly, but after I turned it down to 14 it works great.
 
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Kusie

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Using 0 watts as a starting point for temp control would mean your coil NEVER got heated up at all, and no vapor would be produced.
Of course what I meant was START very low and slowly increase while permanently measuring if the set temperature is reached ... it must be a closed control cycle. For example: measure if temp is reached ... if not... increase wattage by 0.5 watts... measure if temp is reached ... if not... increase wattage again by 0.5 watts ... and so on.
 
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