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Help Advice w/Rebuild! Rookie!


Jesric1029

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Hello everyone! This is my first post and I hope to make it worthwhile! I am not sure if this is the type of forum where you are expected to search through previous post to find answers. If so I apologize, I would prefer to explain my individual situation and get some advice.

I am attempting to build my first RDA, having some issues, and that is where you guys come in. I'll begin by telling you the equipment I am using prior to adding a rebuild.

1. DNA 20 Clone

2. Aspire Nautilus Tank

I have recently decided I would like to try an RDA because the idea of dripping appeals to me. In addition, even though I have a 20 watt battery, the Aspire tank seems incapable of handling anything over 13 watts, anything over that is extremely hot and often harsh as though I am damaging the coil. I'd also like to be able to switch or sample flavors without switching tanks.

I am aware that a DNA 20 is probably not the best choice for a rebuild as it is quite weak. I am not interested in buying a new battery until I at least get a working rebuild and decide for myself if it is sufficient.

Anyway there is the background, on to the rebuild.

I purchased a plume veil clone recently at a local vapor store. Unfortunately the person who knows rebuilds was not there, and after much pressuring the girl told me she would do her best to set me up. (She didn't think she knew enough to help me, she was right).

She gave me a 28 gauge "pre-built" coil. I was okay with the prebuilt because I could see how a finished product is supposed to look, I don't remember how she came up with 28 gauge.

I came home and hooked it up correctly I know after watching many videos. My DNA displays "Check Atomizer". I have tried taking out battery, lowering wattage even to 7 and up to 20, and nothing. I do not have a tester so I don't know the resistance although I am thinking due to the size of the wire it is too low for the DNA.

So my question is this.

1. What do I need to do to get my RDA working on my DNA clone, other than buying a new battery.

2. What gauge wire would be best?

3. How many wraps? (I guess this depends on the size of the object I'm wrapping but still)

4. What type of cotton?

I appreciate any help I can get, sorry if this is not enough information!

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Welcome...

First of all... the reason your MOD is reading "check atomizer" is because the coil she gave you is below 1 Ohm (sub-ohm), and your DNA20 will not fire any coil below 1 Ohm.

We're all for helping, and guiding you along, but first thing is first... you need to get a proper, dedicated Ohm Meter for checking your builds BEFORE you attempt to fire them with any mod... catastrophic "booms" can and will occur with improper equipment and super-low Ohm builds! Safety First!

The only way to get your DNA20 to fire the Plume Veil is to build the coil above 1.0 Ohms.

The type of wire and thickness is up to you... Kanthal A-1 in 30ga, 28ga, 26ga will be perfectly fine (and up to you)

How many wraps? Use an online calculator like Steam-Engine.org to determine coil builds... and LEARN Ohm's Law (again, Safety!)

Cotton will be your choice... Silica wick, Standard Cotton, Organic Cotton, Japanese Cotton, Rayon... all useable... Organic cotton, Rayon, and Silica are easiest to work with (don't require boiling or prep-work).

Watch LOTS of youtube videos, buy an Ohm Meter, and buy a MOD (and battery) that are safe for sub-ohming . There are hundreds of threads on here with TONS of info on builds, batteries, MODs, cotton, and how-to's... you don't have to read them, but it is honestly easier to skim a few dozen posts than it is for you to wait for 50 people to comment on this post :)

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Thanks for your reply. I have read a lot of posts but have trouble finding a situation that mirrors mine 100%.

I am hoping for someone to give me a good starter build to use, having those many choices and not knowing what I'm doing really leaves me with too many questions. I have seen the calculator, but it did not really make sense to me as I don't know which wires are best, or what to go for, sure I could look it up but there are so many choices and opinions out there.

As far as safety, I have a regulated battery. My understanding is that a regulated battery will not fire if it is not within safe parameters, which is why I got the "check atomizer" thing. If I had an unregulated it would have probably been unsafe - Correct me if I am wrong in my understanding of that.

I do appreciate the advice on the cotton! Now if someone can do the same with the wire and just give me a good build to start with for a DNA 20, I plan to buy the materials I just don't want to waste more money. I spent $8.99 on the worthless pre-built coils.

Edit: When I said do the same for wire I meant give me a more direct suggestion as to exactly which gauge they suggest, mm of center, I can do the rest with calculator I think.

Edited by Jesric1029
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Yes, it can be overwhelming, lol... To make it easy, just select a gauge of wire. For an RDA like the Plume, I'd go with 28ga for simplicity. It is thick enough to work with, and still thin enough to allow you to have room for error in your wraps. When you use the calculator, plugging in the known value of 28ga, and using a known size drill bit to wrap on are easy enough to plug in. Then select the desired Ohms you want to hit... which for your DNA20 must be above 1.0... so select 1.2 Ohms for a nice round number.

For this coil, you would make 8 wraps around a 2mm drill bit (both legs/leads facing the same side). This will give you a 1.2 Ohm single-coil. If you wanted a dual-coil build, you would make two identical coils, 16 wraps (each) around the same 2mm drill bit. All of this came from the online calculator, and it is for reference... the only way to be sure of the coil you built is to use an Ohm meter!

You still need an Ohm meter to verify you did it correctly, and that you don't have any shorts before attempting to fire it. Once you confirm it is built correctly, wick it with the wick of your choice, add juice, and vape!

Again, the reason you're getting "check atomizer" is not because it is necessarily "unsafe", but because the resistance of the coil your attempting to use is below the capability of the device. The DNA20 will not fire any coil below 1.0 Ohms, and may even be picky about those in the 1.1 Ohm range... which is why I suggested a 1.2 Ohm build... and you can go higher, if you add wraps to the coil.

A thicker gauge wire will take more wraps to make the same resistance. A thinner gauge wire (like 32ga) will take less wraps to make the same 1.2 Ohms.

Edited by Earthling789
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Thanks a lot for the reply, that is exactly what I was looking for, you gave me all the supplies I need, a method to create one specifically for my device I really appreciate it!

I believe I have some understanding of electrical work (I worked in the Lowe's electrical department in the past). From my understanding of ohms (resistance) I gather that the "resistance" is the amount of matter the electricity has to travel through, thus creating more or less heat as the medium for the heat is larger or smaller.

Regardless of smaller or lager wire, the difference between resistance will be whether or not you have more overall matter or less, be it more rolls or larger wire. If you attempt to fire in a mach battery that is too low of resistance where the battery can't generate enough power to successfully heat the medium, it can cause a short as (I'm assuming) the battery will attempt (in vain) to heat the coil resulting in a wide range of disasters.

I thought that my device wouldn't even allow a coil to fire if it did not have enough safe resistance, but thanks for clearing that up I'll buy an Ohms meter just in case.

Edited by Jesric1029
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Will raw organic cotton work... sure. Will it wick as well as processed/combed (to remove impurities, and straighten the fiber) cotton? I can't say...

I would use organic cotton, rather than the processed, chemical treated, bleached, blended with unknown synthetics, white puffs you buy for $0.88/bag.

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Quick question while everyone is helping jesric1029

Will cotton stright from the field work on an rba it cotton im a newbie to when it comes to rba's

Let me add this. Those plants are sprayed with pesticides. Unless you know for sure that it is organically grown, I would not touch it with a ten foot coil.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Yes, they do... but are they accurate?

I can check my atty on both my dedicated meters and my Fluke DMM, and they will be the same, or within 0.02 Ohms. Putting that same atty on my different box-mods... and they will read +/- 0.2 Ohms from the dedicated meters. Some devices may read even farther away from the real resistance. I will say that my IPV-minis read the closest of all my box-mods, but even that doesn't guarantee all of the IPV's are accurate.

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