A Brief Guide To Volts, Watts, & Ohms
To a smoker, vaping seems much like digital technology sometimes. Volts, watts, ohms...what does it mean, and maybe more importantly, why is it overly complicated?
In reality, you can vape without knowing all that much about watts and resistance. As long as you are not using an untrue mechanical mod, then you shouldn't have to worry about overloading your vape mod.
As long as you understand which wattage configurations and resistance coils you like best, you'll be OK.
But if you want to know the technology you are using, this guide is right for you. Below we have all you will need to know about volts, watts, current battery capacity so you can maximize your vaping encounter.
Volts and Voltage
Voltage is defined as the distinction in electric potential between two points. This tension or pressure forces the electrons to flow from the negative terminal of a battery to the positive one creating an electric current that powers the atomizer or heating element.
If you take a pipe and run water through it, the voltage would represent the quantity of water pressure at the tube. By increasing the amount of water from the tube or decreasing the size of the pipe, then you increase the water pressure.
18650 batteries from most reputable e-cig brands vary from 3.7V to 4.3V. While easier devices usually fire at 3.7V, then you can even locate certain vape pens with varying voltage. A variable voltage vape pen will allow you to change the voltage depending on your preferences.
On larger box mods, however, you're more likely to find variable wattage than variable voltage. Be cautious though. Although both metrics measure power, both terms are not interchangeable.
Watts and Wattage
Wattage, also known as power output, measures the quantity of energy consumed by your electronic cigarette. This is a unit of electricity used to record the speed of energy transport of electric current, for example, in the heat that finally vaporizes your e-liquid.
If you purchase a box mod, then you'll need to set the wattage. For many vapers, anywhere between 15W-65W is deemed normal. It is possible to find mods that can fire at over 100W, but most people find that e-cigs just get too hot above 75W or so.
You can normally get bigger clouds with a higher wattage level, but you have to make sure that you're using a top VG vape juice also so that the vapor is smooth against your throat. Additionally, you can not increase the wattage level if your battery does not encourage that type of power output. We'll get to that shortly though.
Variable Voltage vs. Variable Wattage
You may observe that different devices provide different settings. On a vape pen or e-cigarette, you might find variable voltage, but on most vape mods and box mods, you’ll be asked to change the wattage. Voltage and wattage are closely linked, and either way, you are changing the power level. But in 1 case you are altering the input, and in another case, you are changing the output.
You may think of varying voltage and variable wattage like you would a manual and automatic transmission. When you change the voltage, then you are changing the energy input as you would if you were driving a stick shift.
On the other hand, when you alter the wattage, then you are just setting the electricity output, along with the vaporizer will place the voltage.
The lower your resistance and greater your voltage, the greater your wattage will be. If you want to lower the heat and reduce the amount of power you are using, you may use an atomizer with greater resistance and decrease the voltage (or wattage! ) )
Current
The Current refers to the sum of energy flowing through the battery at any certain time. Within our pipe analogy, the current is comparable to the amount of water flowing through the pipe. You might refer to it as the flow rate.
You regulate the current in amps or amperes, symbolized by the large letter A. The amperage will be labeled on the battery and changes greatly from battery to battery life. You'll find anywhere from 10A to 30A and everything in between.
This doesn't change with a series connection. Box mods from many e-cigarette brands need multiple 18650 batteries. When using two batteries, the voltage will double, however, the capacity will remain the same. So, if both of your batteries have 20 amps, then the machine as a whole will still operate on a current of 20 amps if it's using two bolts instead of one.
Battery Capacity
The battery capacity is fundamentally the battery lifetime. This amount, measured in mill ampere-hours (mAh), will tell you how long it's possible to vape continuously before you'll need to plug your device back into a charger.
Therefore, what's a mill ampere? A mill ampere is 1,000th the size of an ampere.
A mill ampere hour clarifies the number of mill amperes that may be drawn always in 1 hour of vaping. Thus, let us say your digital cigarette has a battery capacity of 1,000mAh. Meaning that you can draw 1,000 mill amperes within one hour, 2,000 mill amperes in a half-hour, also 500 mill amperes in 2 hours.
A standard e-cig is going to have a battery capacity of about 200-300mAh, a vape pen will have anywhere from 600-1,000mAh, and vape mods operate 2,500mAh and upward.
Do note however that the battery capacity is still in an inverse relationship with the current. If the battery has an amperage of 30A, then chances are the capacity will not be higher compared to 1,600mAh. On the flip side, if the amperage is simply 10A, the capability will probably be well over 3,000mAh.
Resistance
Resistance is measured in ohms and decreases the total amount of energy flowing through the atomizer. When you decrease your resistance, you let more energy flow through for your atomizer.
Resistance helps keep your battery and mod from overheating and possibly even exploding. It acts as a safety feature protecting you from any crises.
Having a decrease in resistance, you are going to get a far better taste and more vapor. That having been said, you'll also wear down the battery life and atomizer faster than you'd otherwise. You'll consume your vape juice considerably faster, and you'll be more inclined to acquire a dry strike particularly if you're not careful about regulating the temperature.
Sub-Ohm Vaping & Mechanical Vape Mods
Sub-ohm vaping is exactly what it sounds like, vaping using a resistance of less than 1 ohm. At one point, sub-ohm vaping was seen as all the rage. At sub-ohm levels, you can get more power, more vapor, and much more heat. Today, sub-ohm vaping is quite standardized. In fact, besides vape pens and little travel vape mods, most vaporizers come with at least one or two sub-ohm atomizers anyway.
Mechanical mods vape at sub-ohm levels, but not all sub-ohm devices are mechanical mods. A mechanical mod is an unregulated device made by a vaping expert-designed without standard security features.
Ohm's Law
If you intend on either using a mechanical mod or constructing your coils, you must understand Ohm's law. Ohm's law relates current, resistance, and voltage, and helps you determine a few important metrics.
To start with, you can use Ohm's law to find out which battery you'll want to reach a specific wattage degree awarded the resistance. If your mod comes with only a couple of distinct coils, and also you don't plan to make your own, you can find out your maximum power output by simply plugging in a few numbers.
If you're making your coils, you will have to use Ohm's law to work out the minimum resistance, it is possible to use for your coils assuming the maximum possible voltage on your device and the present on all those batteries you intend to plug into.
Ohm's law is I=V/R, or I*R=V or even R=V/I where "R" stands for resistance, "V" stands for voltage, and "I" stands for current in amperes. So, in case your atomizers have a resistance of 0.2Ω and you intend to use them at 4.0V, you better have batteries with at least 20A. Let's say you're using two batteries though. Should you maintain the resistance at 0.2Ω, you are going to need 35A batteries to ensure you're vaping safely.
Do I Even Need to Know Ohm’s Law?
If this sounds complex, you could always use an ohm's law calculator. But do not try to build your coils till you've got a very firm grasp of Ohm's law. Battery security is really important, and if you try to experiment without taking appropriate security precautions, you might endure serious consequences.
What Resistance/Wattage Combination Should I Use?
Normally, your starter kit will have a few atomizers you may use, and the appropriate wattage range to be used with every atomizer is going to be marked on its side.
There are no hard and fast guidelines for what wattage configurations work with which resistance levels, but you'll start to notice patterns and develop your preferences with a bit of experimentation.
Last Thoughts
As luck would have it, that's essentially all you will need to learn about volts, watts, and ohms even on a technical level. If you plan to begin building your coils, then you should probably go on and learn how to wrap coils, but this is, essentially what you need to understand concerning resistance, amperage, and electricity. And if you merely wanted to learn more about atomizers and batteries.
