UD Zephyrus Ni200 Nightmares and single coil solution

[livetofishnj]

So my favorite tank is the UD Zephyrus, not that I have tried all that many. The one thing that I have found though is its seemingly impossibility of getting a working nickel build. I can make plenty of pretty coils with what should be enough resistance to function in a dual coil build.

Here's the problem and I have yet to find anyone identifying it or remedying it. On my deck the biggest issue besides the dual coil format is the posts and screws. Every time I get a coil or two on the deck the legs shear off before I can wick them and get the cap on. I use wire bending pliers to get the leg just right, have even tried folding the leg back and twisting it but no better results. I looked at the screws to make sure nothing was too sharp and they were fine. Then I checked the depth of the holes in the posts, finding that they are much deeper than the hole where the leg inserts. This shears the soft wire like a gullotine and even twisting it doesn't help.

I am wondering if anyone has noticed this issue or had any solutions. I am considering opening up the holes where the legs insert to the bottom so I can get a solid surface to secure the legs against but it is pretty invasive.

The other work around I am trying is to use an OCC head, building a single nickel and using the old body as a deck.

I will post a report and hopefully some photos but wanted to throw that out there and see if anyone else has noticed this. I can get the coils on there but when trying to secure them on the stock deck just doesn't work.

[Bebop]

I love the Zephrus and I have 2 of them.  I have both versions. V1 cannot really take a nickel build but V2 has a feature where you can do a single coil build.  I don't know how you can do a dual coil nickel build on them.  Just not enough room.

 

im having a little trouble understanding your problem by your description.  Nickel is much softer.  Are you tightening the screws too much?  I don't know based on your description what you are running in to.  I look forward to some pictures and maybe I can help.  I have not had the problem of the screws shearing off the legs unless they are too tight.

[jasonculp]

I don't have a lot of experience with it, but you might switch to stainless steel, if your mod supports it.  Titanium also is much easier to work with.  Dual coils with TC are challenging.

[livetofishnj]

So far, so good using the OCC coil body as a base for a single coil build. I have two of these tanks but both are V1 so my deck won't support it. Using the OCC coil worked and I was able to fit a 4mm 10 wrap coil of 30 GA ni200. Coming out at .28 ohms. Wicking now for a test drive.

I will post pictures of what i found with the rebuildable deck, hard to explain in words but basically the hole drilled in the posts for the screws to thread in are too deep. This leaves the screw threading past the hole where the coil legs go which means it isn't compressing the wire against a solid surface and securing it, but rather shearing the soft nickel between the screw and the sharp side of the post.

 

[Bebop]

I get it now. 

Yeah I don't have that problem on mine.  The coil leg compresses nicely on a flat surface. 

[livetofishnj]

Is that on your v2 or is your V1 like that? Maybe my deck is just defective...

 

[Bebop]

Both.  Sounds like your posts were drilled incorrectly. 

[FXRich]

You might try putting a short piece of Kanthal, or other wire under the Ni200 if you have room, the harder wire might be enough so the Ni200 will not shear, in short the harder wire will be support for the Ni200.

[livetofishnj]

3 hours ago, FXRich said:

You might try putting a short piece of Kanthal, or other wire under the Ni200 if you have room, the harder wire might be enough so the Ni200 will not shear, in short the harder wire will be support for the Ni200.

I thought about it but with such minimal resistance I know I need a very secure connection. I have been using the OCC coils since I got the tanks, they vape well with great airflow and are convenient, so I haven't tried building with kanthal on this. I do think with the posts over drilled that I could easily shear the kanthal too. There just really isn't a way to get a nice tight connection. I can feel it out and get a nickel coil on with success but the slightest movement afterwards just shears off the leg or causes the coil to come loose where tightening causes the same shearing.

[Squid]

Kind of a "redneck fix", but if you sheared off kanthal and left the pieces of kanthal in the over drilled hole until it was filled with the pieces of kanthal it might get you going.