What really happens if your coils are touching ???

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Big Hitter

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I go to great lengths to get nice straight coils that don't touch each other but does it matter ???

20130115214826.jpg


BTW Image credit to "emonty" sorry buddy I stole your image code from another thread :)

Sure looks like those coils are touching and I saw the video of it cranking out vapor.

Whats the deal ??
Do any of you wrap your coils so tight they touch ??
 

Big Hitter

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I have wondered the same thing. I have seen the innards of attys and the coils seem to touch.

Thinking I will do one of these and try it. If it ohms o.k. then it shouldn't hurt!

I might do the same sometime .... I've always wondered and happened upon this pic and got me thinking again.
Actually I'm pretty sure Cisco atty coils are touching as well ..... don't have any around anymore to check :D

On a side note I wonder what the RBA craze had done to Franks sales ??
 

synic

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From wikipedia's page on Kanthal:

For heating, resistance wire must be stable in air when hot. Kanthal FeCrAl alloy forms a protective layer of aluminum oxide (alumina).[1] Aluminium oxide is an electrical insulator but has a relatively high thermal conductivity; special techniques may be required to make good electrical connections.

What does it mean? I dunno. If there was *already* an oxidized layer, then it wouldn't matter if they were touching.

But at the same time, if you read the correct resistance on your multimeter after wrapping the coil, and then it forms an oxidized layer, the resistance could suddenly become higher. For a mechanical mod, this would be a problem... I guess. Who knows, haha.
 
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Commie

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There's a difference I've noticed. If I make a coil where loops are touching together, then put it in the atomizer and the posts only push the coils together, the resistance will be wonky due to shorts between coils. If I wrap my coils tight, then pull them apart, but they get squished together inside the atomizer, there would not be shorts and it works great. I think the deal is that the coils might look like they're touching, but the area where they touch is negligibly small. If you force squeeze them together, then you start getting shorts
 

rudy4653

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hildicat had recently posted about this in the coil/wick setup thread - I tried squishing a coil together on my latest rebuild, and it is probably the best-performing coil I have made to date.

I think I remember that thread. he shows a picture with the coils touching. very tight setup. he said after making the coil he heated it up so the coil softened a bit then squeezed together with pliers. he said it worked great and concentrated the coil over the feed hole.
 

Skeeter T

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From wikipedia's page on Kanthal:

For heating, resistance wire must be stable in air when hot. Kanthal FeCrAl alloy forms a protective layer of aluminum oxide
(alumina). [1] Aluminium oxide is an electrical insulator but has a relatively high thermal conductivity; special techniques may
be required to make good electrical connections.

What does it mean? I dunno. If there was *already* an oxidized layer, then it wouldn't matter if they were touching.

But at the same time, if you read the correct resistance on your multimeter after wrapping the coil, and then it forms an oxidized layer, the resistance could suddenly become higher. For a mechanical mod, this would be a problem... I guess. Who knows, haha.

What it means is the Kanthral wire you buy is not oxidized yet. It is raw wire. When it is heated, by external means like from a cigarette lighter or by internal means like pulsing your mods ON button, then aluminum oxide forms on the surface of the wire, which insulates it. The aluminum oxide is also a good thermal conductor (of heat). The wire can be heated before or after wrapping coils. After wrapping and heating, the coils can be squeezed together. Raw wire when wrapped with the coils touching and then pulsed, significantly lowers the the ohm value of the coils and may put too much amp draw on the battery, which resembles a short circuit. Hildicat explained his procedure very well in his post. Nice going.
 

oldbroad

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What it means is the Kanthral wire you buy is not oxidized yet. It is raw wire. When it is heated, by external means like from a cigarette lighter or by internal means like pulsing your mods ON button, then aluminum oxide forms on the surface of the wire, which insulates it. The aluminum oxide is also a good thermal conductor (of heat). The wire can be heated before or after wrapping coils. After wrapping and heating, the coils can be squeezed together. Raw wire when wrapped with the coils touching and then pulsed, significantly lowers the the ohm value of the coils and may put too much amp draw on the battery, which resembles a short circuit. Hildicat explained his procedure very well in his post. Nice going.

You explained it superbly! And I know this for a fact because i understood every word:laugh:
 
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