Setting up my DID genesis

What have I learned from this and other ecig forums about setting up genesis atomizers;
Well lots and lots and lots. The problem is picking out "what works for you".
Now I'm sat here with two DID standards, by my side, both with entirely different setups, but both running my ADV as sweet as can be. So I feel I should state some of the key components of my DID setup method & "what works for me"

Wicks & Oxidization:
I have tried every posted method to get my wick oxidized properly, and the quick all over torch to bright red (not orange) first, then fold over 1mm then roll, then torch to bright red, and quench 2-3 times is what I settled on. You can torch that mesh all day as long as you stay with a red glow and not a bright orange, and it doesn't seem to become brittle.I spend maybe 7-8 mins torching and quenching once it's rolled, and I don't juice burn at this stage.
I only use #500 mesh now, and roll around 160mm by 37.5mm for a solid wick ( this one is for high wattage vaping on my mechanical mod and requires a tank breather hole to stop vacuum lock from hindering wicking),Wick diameter snug fit 3.4mm.
85mm by 37.5mm for a wick with a center hole (this does not require a tank breather fill screw is in place) and has a small gap around the wickhole to reduce adhesive forces in the juice between wick and hole. Wick diameter 3.0-3.2mm, wick internal hole 18g fill needle size.

I usually cut the bottom of my wick at 45 degrees, especially on the open center hole wick.

Coiling:

Before wrapping my coil I de-kink and heat the wire to make it less springy and burn of any impurities
I wrap my coils on drill bits and ss rods the size of my required wick, then insert drill bit with coil on into wickhole.I attach positive post first, and tighten well, then I attach negative ground post after pulling coil tight and spacing evenly. I then push a toothpick in between the coil and the positive nus to create as little "open air coil" as possible. The drill bit or ss rod should be a pretty tight fit in that coil and I lube it with a little juice to ease it out making sure not to disturb the uniform shape of the coil.
Then I pop my DID on the ZMAx or voltmeter, to check base resistance.
I use 28awg Nichrome 6 to 7 wraps on the thick wick destined for the 3.7v mod giving 0.9 Ohms and 1.2 Ohms,
and 30awg Kanthal A1 5 to 6 wraps on the open center wick destined fro the ZMAX or VV device giving 1.6 Ohms and 1.9 Ohms.

Wick Insertion:

I then adjust the roll of my wick to be a snug twist fit into the waiting coil, but I don't slide it all the way in yet.
I set the DID on a mod or support so it is completely upright and insert the wick leave 3/4 of it above the coil, and then drip unflavored VG onto the wick, and then I light the very top of the wick with a lighter, and let it burn down until the flame reaches the coil, then I blow it out ( before it heats up the plastic insulator on the top platform). I repeat this 2-4 times.
This not only seasons the wick, but it also oxidizes it very gently but evenly.
Then I put just enough VG on the wick where the coil will sit to lubricate the twisting insertion.
I leave my wick very slightly above the top nut, but not so high as it hits the topcap, (and the wick is not touching the bottom of the tank)

Dry burning & Coil adjustment:

This is the area that I have most recently had a break through with.
No matter what method you use to oxidize you wick this is when you do most damage to the very thin layer of protection, or so I have found.
Once the wick is in place, I set my ZMAX to 3watts and dry fire it ( it should only take a few moments for the "just enough VG on the wick where the coil will sit" to burn off). pulsing the switch at first then holding for longer if no shorts or hotspots are observed.
Hot spots are either .comsed by shorts of a loose wrap of coil, and both are best addressed while the coil is hot. I use a toothpick to move the offending coil a little up or a little down, and while it is hot it moves freely and stays where you put it.
If all is well and evenly glowing at 3watts i bump up to 4watts, pulse the switch then hold for longer, again checking for shorts and hotspots, then i go to 5watts and then the same at 6-12. If it wont fire evenly a little above your desired final vape power when dry then it will be hit and miss when juiced up (or so I've found).
This is a good point to check resistance, which should be dam close if not spot on you originally tested base level.
If all is good a little above that desired vaping power, then I add some juice to the wick and start again at 3watts building up power and adding juice directly to the wick as i go, checking again for hotspots/loose coils. I then check Ohms again.
Only then if all is good do I fill that tank.
Then I enjoy my best ever vaping experience.


I could go into more detail, but I expect you're glazing over by now LOL.:sleep:

 

It's funny how so many people use different processes to make there wick and coil. My oxidisation and coiling is different, but I think for me the dry burning and coil adjustment step, was also the break through step that gave me the consistency I was looking for.

 

The Paps has been a hard taskmaster with a low Ohm coil on my gennys, I'm grateful that it forced me to evolve to a point where I have that consistency you mention, I thought it was a myth.

 

Ok I am finally convinced that more mesh is only better to a point. having been running 180-170mmx37.5mm wick in my DID std wickhole (3.5mm) with a 7wrap 0.9 Ohm nichrome coil for a few days on my Paps I was feeling pretty stoked, but to be totally honest on a fresh battery it was a little on the burnt side and even around 3.80v I had to be careful to rest a moment between long double draws. So I had a sudden realization, and that was that if I had rolled my #500 mesh super tight, which I had, then how much juice could it really hold up top under the coil. sure it wicks fast, but It has no real reservoir of juice to supply to the coil. At least that was my thinking. so I pulled my 180mm wick out of the coil, dry burned the coil and took the scissors to my b.comtiful 180mm wick, I trimmed off around 50-60mm (leaving around 115mm) unwrapped, it and rerolled it a little less tightly to fit the 3.4mm coil size.
After dry burning and adjusting the coils WOW! what a difference, It wicks like crazy, seriously crazy. I've been running my 180mm fat wick in the DId with my adjustable tank breather screw about 3/4 the way out, and with this new looser rolled wick I have it almost all the way in otherwise it wicks too well, I have NO LEAKS AT ALL EVER, and I can take quadruple toke chain vapes without ANY dry or burnt tasting hits.
Now I know BJ is going to tell me again that only superman could roll wick too tight to be efficient, and as far as capillary action is concerned that is probably true, but I have tried vaping my DID at 6"o'clock position, and it just doesn't feel natural, but it does still give flawless performance, so I imagine we are seeing a happy balance of capillary & volcanic rise action here, and not gravitation flow, either way I am super happy with this new "semi solid" "semi tight rolled" super wick. Until I make the next personal breakthrough in my coil/mesh wick set up LOL

 

Update of my current setups.



DID Standard No.1 Son.( Brass nuts & center post)
Wickhole:3.5mm
#500 mesh, (Quick allover Jack frost, then rolled, torched quenched 2-3 times, then oxidizes with vertical juiceburns 2-3 times)
Starting mesh size: 37 x 110mm.
Solid wick rolled to 3.3-3.4mm(not as tight as I can roll it though, slightly "spongy" rather than solid as a rock)
6/7 wraps 28awg nichrome
0.9 ohms
Vaped from 4.2 down to 3.6 volts or 19.6 - 14.4 Watts on mechanical mod (Paps V2 18650 & 18350)
Adjustable tank breather screw one turn out from fully closed(could probably close it right up , but still experimenting),no leaks, just minimal seepage when super hot from chain vaping and laying on side for 15mins)

DID Standard No.2 Son (SS nuts & center post)
Wickhole:3.5mm
#500 mesh, (Quick allover Jack frost, then rolled, torched quenched 2-3 times, then oxidizes with vertical juice burns 2-3 times)
Starting mesh size: 37 x 85mm.
20g center hole (around 1mm) center hole wick rolled to 3.3-3.4mm(not as tight as I can roll it though, slightly "spongy" rather than solid as a rock)
3/4 wraps 32awg kanthal
1.7 ohms
Vaped at 9-12 Watts on Zmax (true watts closer to =10-12watts)
Adjustable tank breather screw half a turn out from fully closed(again could probably close it right up , but still experimenting),no leaks..

Will post more data next time I have to rebuild my other gennnys.

 

the quest continues You seem alot more methodical in your approach than me lol.

 

Sorry folks I meant, 20g center hole (around 1mm) not 14g LOL on No2 DID setup, 14g would be 2.1mm I'm told.
As far as being methodical, in addition to AVF genesis threads I follow two threads on ECF (actually now four with spin offs)
DID thread New Genesis type atomizer by DID! t5727
#500 mesh #500 SS Mesh
also this Watts do not matter. Its all about wire temp. Read on…
& now this Optimal mesh dimensions, wire size and wraps for specific devices
These guys are creating a wealth of info by experimenting and posting their results with genesis setups, & I am a die hard perfectionist when it comes to inhaling stuff into my lungs, I rolled cigarettes for 20odd years, and I have to say I was pretty dam good at getting the perfect smoke constructed for my needs, now with vaping being my only remaining vice, I'm darn sure going to have to catch up fast, and these threads have my vote for the fastest route to a truly blissful, consistent & satisfying vape experience. If there's a newer better way to run a genesis setup I want to know about it yesterday LOL

 

My current No. 3 DID setup

0.6 Ohm high wattage...



DID Standard (ss & Brass nuts ss center post)
Wickhole:3.5mm
#500 mesh, (Quick allover Jack frost, then rolled, torched quenched 2-3 times, then oxidizes with vertical juiceburns 2-3 times)
Starting mesh size: 37 x 105mm.
Solid wick rolled to 3.3-3.4mm(not as tight as I can roll it though, slightly "spongy" rather than solid as a rock)
2/3 wraps 28awg Kanthal, 34mm length of wire,2mm pitch of coil,
0.6 ohms
Vaped from 4.2 down to 3.6 volts or 29.4 - 19.27 Watts on mechanical mod (Paps V2 18650 & 18500)
Adjustable tank breather screw one turn & 1/2 out from fully closed no substantial leaks, just minimal seepage when super hot from chain vaping and laying on side for 5mins plus)

Seriously instant vapor from 4.2-3.8v, great 2 second satisfying hits, then nearly instant from 3.7-3.4v,3-6 second hits.
Very stable short free, Great flavor especial considering such high wattage.



Just an update after running the above coil for a couple of days.
Wow.. I thought Rick (rwechsler) was crazy (no offense Rick) running a 0.6 Ohm coil on his gennys, but I am in love with my DID all over again (not to say I ever fell out of love with it). I was skeptical about how long a battery would last, would it fry my AW or my new grey Panasonics, would it burn the coil through the mesh before you can say melted hotspring Paps.
Well the battery (2250Mah grey Panny 186500 lasted late last night to late tonight, never have I had that before, plus it's as stable a setup as I've ever have, my batteries are showing no signs of strain & I'm getting great flavor awesome flavor and instant response from the coil down to 3.4v which is the voltage I've just changed the old battery out at, and I DIDn't change be.comse of poor performance, but more be.comse I was curious to see how many volts were left on it.
I don't know whether the long battery life is due to needing less hits as the nicotine delivery is so incredibly efficient or if it's so much like the feel of a cigarette that subconsciously after 5-10 mins I think "that was a nice smoke/vape, now to get on with my life for a while, maybe untill I feel like another smoke/vape" ,either way, thanks Rick for pioneering "the crazy coil DID"

 

awesome work studio. I'll be trying some of your methods when i get back home and get comfortable again, although probably not as high a wattage as yourself!

 

I have moved down to 30g Kanthal on my latest setup on DID No.2 of 3, my last setup was:
0.6 Ohm
#500 wick 37 x 105mm.
Solidish wick rolled to 3.3-3.4mm
2/3 wraps 28awg Kanthal, 34mm length of wire,2mm pitch of coil,
0.6 Ohms

This one is # 500 wick 37 x 65mm.
Solidish wick rolled to 2.5-2.6mm
2/3 wraps 30awg Kanthal, less wire ?, 1.2mm pitch of coil
0.9 Ohms




Seems to give the same flavor vapor and with lower Ohms my batteries are lasting longer, as you can see I have concentrated the coils lower down the wick and closer together, and as a result the airhole hits the action a lot more than a more spaced out coil. The hit is even more instant than the 28g 0.6 Ohm coil, havnt had any shorts or dry hits yet, and I do vape a fair bit LOL.

 

Game Changer alert,
If you have a genesis and you're not checking this out Check it out

The Pyrex SS hybrid Wick

 

what do you mean by quick all over jack frost?

 

Torch the mesh sheet flat, all over on both sides just until each area glows orange.