VaporShark DNA200 vs Wismec Reuleaux RX200 TC

There are more and more powerful mods with expensive dna200 chip on the one hand and a budget ones on the others. Is it worth to pay 3-5 times more for dna200 mods? Let's have a look at VaporShark DNA200 for around 200$ vs Wismec Reuleaux RX200 for around 40$...

1. The FINISH.

It's just PERFECT in both mods. The Wismec is made out of stainless steel and lies well in the hand. The battery flap is hold on solid magnets and there is no way to move it during regular use. The VaporShark is made out of aluminum, but then is more complex: finish starts with a black anodization process, followed by black paint and then a light rubberized coating completes the finish. And ... IT WORKS! The coat is quite difficult to scratch (even at the 510 head) and is very pleasant to the touch. Anyway, in both mods everything is very well fitted, including buttons - they are well-fixed.

510 socket without complaint in both cases:

With spring loaded center pin all the atomizers I used worked with no problems.

If we look at the Wismec display:

we can see:
* battery status,
* power,
* coil resistance,
* temperature setting,
* type of wire.

In VaporShark the display is at the bottom of mod and at first sight it looks typical for Evolv chip:

but IT IS CUSTOMIZABLE in dedicated Escribe software - so we have a lot of parameters to show:

 
Wow!

Both mods are ergonomic when in use, the Wismec even better (it perfectly lies in the hand) BUT the Wismec has one disadvantage: the WEIGHT - around 300g with battery installed (no atomizer), so it is definitely NOT for outside. The VaporShark weighs around 170g.

The comparison with other mods:

2. FEATURES.

- power: 200W,
- resistance range for VW mode: 0.1-3.5 ohm / 0.03-3 ohm(*),
- resistance range for TC mode: 0.05-1.0 ohm / 0.03-3 ohm(*),
- temperature range: 100-300*C (200-600 F),
- battery: 3x18650 / 3S LiPo 10 Wh,
- size: 50x40x84 mm / 48x24x89 mm.
* - according to the manual dna200 starts from 0.01 ohm but I do not recommend it.

The VaporShark is powered by 11V | 900mAh | 10Wh LiPo battery with quite easy access to replace:

 under the flap with magnet and latch.

In Wismec we have 3x18650 battery bay with spring loaded negative pins:

Polarity is clearly identified and battery exchange is quick and quite easy. 

You may easily guess that difference in battery operation time will be HUGE between these mods (more on that later).

Both mods have microUSB slot for battery charging and firmware update. Additionally the VaporShark is FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE by use of Escribe software - and it is significant advantage over every other mods (not only rx200). At this moment there is absolutely no competition for Escribe.

NOTE - I do not recommend using the internal battery charger in Wismec (more on that later).


3. VOLTAGE SHAPE and EFFICIENCY.

Measurements were carried out by use of real atomizer with coil resistance 0.26-0.33 ohm:

Velocity with dual AWG22 coils.

And the results:

We can see several things:
1. Voltage of the dna200 is ROCK STABLE. It is nothing unusual - it is DNA :-)

2. RX voltage flows a little - if we expand the timebase:

we will see slow oscillations with around 0.5V amplitude - of course it is nothing terrible and unnoticeable during vaping.

3. With dna200 we get exactly what we set up to 70W - the differences in wattage are below 1%. Then the differences get bigger - up to 8%. But it is still VERY GOOD - remember: at 200W we get around 30A in coils.

4. RX has a bigger differences between set and obtained wattage - could reach even 15%. Of course having so much power we can easy compensate it (setting a higher wattage) but it is worth to keep in mind.


4. TEMPERATURE CONTROL

Setup was made as regular coil with Ni200 wire, ~0.1 ohm, 30W and 250*C, the oscilloscope was set for longer acquisition time and go...

 

As we can see for the Dna200 temperature control is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. After the preheat pulse (setting in the Escribe software) we get very smooth regulation with no modulation and oscillations - there is only one mod with such good regulation: Dicodes.
TC for RX200 looks worse but not so bad, especially when the wick is wet. Only when wick is almost dry the strong modulation appears.

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Resistance wires and TC

How it works, and how we can trick the mods?

All materials have a temperature coefficient. In case of metal wires it describes the relative change of a resistance that is associated with a given change in temperature. It means how the coil resistance changes when it is heating up. Just as all materials have a certain specific resistance (at 20* C), they also change resistance according to temperature by certain amounts. For pure metals, this coefficient is a positive number, meaning that resistance increases with increasing temperature. For the carbon, silicon, and germanium, etc. this coefficient is a negative number, meaning that resistance decreases with increasing temperature. For some metal alloys, the temperature coefficient of resistance is very close to zero, meaning that the resistance hardly changes at all with variations in temperature. Generally the resistance values for conductors at any temperature other than the standard temperature (reference temperature, usually specified at 20 Celsius) may be determined through the formula:

The “alpha” (α) constant is known as the temperature coefficient of resistance, and symbolizes the resistance change factor per degree of temperature change.

Within our interest surely are the most popular "temperature" wires:
* Ni200 - temp. coeff. 0.006,
* Titan - temp. coeff. 0.0035,
* Nife30 - temp. coeff. 0.0032,

Let's go to the practice.

For better understanding of above formula I created a chart showing how the resistance changes with increasing temperature of the coil:

And now, how is it used in TC mods?

Let's say we have the 0.1 ohm (measured at 20*C) coil of Ni200 and set the temperature 200*C. How the mod will work?
a) it fires the voltage, and
b) measures the coil resistance (all the time),
c) when the resistance will reach 0.208 ohm mod "knows" that the temperature of coil is 200*C,
d) if resistance exceeds the 0.208ohm the temperature is higher, so the voltage must be reduced to reduce the power (and of course temeperature).

That's it.

How to use other wires with mods dedicated for Ni200?

Much of the TC mods can work only with Ni200 wires. What is happening if we try to use Ti or NiFe wire on it? Let's look at the figure:

As we can see Ti and NiFe resistance steep less than Ni200. So 0.208 ohm means 200*C in case of Ni200 but for Ti it corresponds to 330*C and 360*C for NiFe wire. So the wire other than Ni200 will burn out immediately or at best will burn our mouth.
But we can trick the mod :-) Let's see at Ti in the above figure again... We have to check what resistance corresponds to 200*C for Ti wire? It is about 0.160 ohm. Then we need to find what temperature corresponds to 0.160 ohm in case of Ni200 wire? It is about 120*C. So in order to reach 200*C using Ti wire on mod dedicated for Ni200 wires we have to set 120*C.
Of course such conversion may be a little uncomfortable, so I prepared the ready to use table with temperatures of our interest:

How to use it?

Let's say we have SnowWolf mod (Ni200 only) and want to use Ti wire at 220*C. So we have to find 220 in first row (the red one) and get down to the Titan row - YES: if you want to wape at 220*C with Titan wire on Ni200 dedicated mod you should set 165*C.

Regards :-)

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Eleaf iStick TC40W

Cheap solution for the start of TC adventure.

1. The FINISH.

Plastic fantastic :-) Typicall at this price (about 30$), however everything is well-fitted with no looses and mod lies well in the hand. And thanks to the plastic finish it is very light. The 510 head is quite decent:

with plus pin on the spring - so each tested atomizer worked with no any problems.
Next to the head we have attached necklace hole. On the bottom:

 

we have only microUSB socket.

The display:

is typicall DNA20-style, with the battery, resistance, voltage and power indication. In TC mode the themperture is shown instead of wattage.


2. FEATURES.

* Output Power: 40W
* Coil Resistance:
- 0.05 - 1.0 ohm in TC mode
- 0.15 - 3.5 ohm in VW mode
* Temperature control: 200 - 600F (100-315 *C)
* Built-in battery capacity: 2600 mAh
* pass-through feature,
* dimensions: 22x36x77 mm.

For the beginners is enough...
The menu is very simple, with additional middle button for mode selection.

NOTE - iStick40 has no wattage regulation in TC mode. Why? Because in this mode the temparature has the PRIORITY - independently of preset wattage mod primarily check the  temperature, and control the voltage so as to ensure that the temp. limit is not undershot. Between us most other TC mods work in a similar way - yes, we can set e.g. 140W in Snow Wolf but so what if mod after half second will have to drastically pull off the power to maintain the temperature?
So do not worry too much about it because generally it works, and the cloud is regulated by changing the temperature limit.


3. VOLTAGE SHAPE.

Measurements were done in my typical test set-up with 1 ohm microcoil on MutationX atomizer and Tektronix TPS2012 oscilloscope.

It is quite well. Although there are some oscillations it is unnoticeable during regular wape.


4. EFFICIENCY.

Having the setup with 1 ohm coil we can also check if we get what we set. Below I compared:
* theoretical voltage what should be on the coil for a given power (calculated according to the P=U^2/R formula),
* real voltage MEASURED on the atomizer pins by use of multimeter.

No comment... Everything is perfect, mod as usual adds a little more voltage than is needed ;-).


5. TEMPERATURE CONTROL

Is VERY WELL - described here. 


6. DRAWBACKS

1. The 510 head is designed so as to leave a gap below the atomizer. In my opinion it is less than half a millimeter and it is hard to see, however it is... One theory is that they did it to avoid scratching the beautifully chromed surface during mounting the atomizer.

2. "Lightness" of the mod. So, when using large and heavy atomizers center of gravity is very high and mod easily falls. 


7. SUMMARY
What can be in case of mod with reasonable power, sub-ohm handling and VERY GOOD temperature control for 30$?
For the start of adventure with TC buy without hesitation!

What I LIKED?
* VERY GOOD temperature control,
* ergonomics,
* 0.05 ohm.

What I DISLIKED?
* built-in battery,
* a bit too plastic.

With others:

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Gallery

Photography is my second hobby after e-cigs, so I'd like to combine pleasantness and usefulness ;-) and to show some more interesting pictures of my stuff. Let's go!

1. My first box mod (dna20).

2. The Orion v2 (do you remember?).

3. The set of 18350's.

4. Dario's wooden box on DNA12 + Kayfun 3.

5. Caravela + Freak.

6. Esterigon+Tilemahos by GG and PAPS v4 + Heron by VaporArt.

7. PAPS v2 + Origen v2 and Neuron+Quasar.

8. Dovpo Mini + Quasar.

to be continued ...

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iPV 4 100W

 iPV 4 100W TC by Pioneer4you

1. The FINISH.

It is ... ordinary. It is free from major drawbacks but, at the same time, it is quite far from e.g. SnowWolf or SXmini. Fortunately after picking the iPV up we completely forget about it because the iPV4 is EXTREMELY ergonomic. At least as SXmini. Box firmly fits into a hand, finger goes straight to the fire button and the battery door is covered by pleasant to touch material.
If we look at battery door:

we can see there is no magnets. Instead we have "balls" on the body which have to "click" into a door holes. So, as you may have guessed, we get some loose - the cover moves within about 0.5mm. For me it is no problem but in general it may irritate.

The 510 head is very solid:

with plus pin on the spring - so each tested atomizer worked with no any problems.

Bottom is standard:

Vent-holes + microUSB socket, ONLY for firmware upgrade. Charger socket is on the side wall:

Battery compartment is done very well:

with fixed bottom pins and top ones on the spring.

And finally the screen... If we look at the mirror above the display:

We will know what to expect... Yes, in outdoor, during sunny day we won’t see anything. The screen is ABSOLUTELY unreadable. Indoor is not much better. Only in not so bright room is better. Below is a raw picture shot during cloudy day indoor:

it is hardly readable.

NOTE 1. Screen brightness may be fix in simple way:

NOTE 2. The dark display issue does not concern the black-black version of iPV4 - there is no the "mirror" above the display.


2. FEATURES.
Here is very good:
* Chip: YIHI SX330 v4S
* Output Power: 7-100 Watts (up to 50J in TC mode)
* Output Voltage: 1.0-7.0 Volts
* Output Current: 35A
* Coil Resistance: 0.1-3.0 Ohms
* Temperature control
* Powered by 2x18650 batts.

For me it is more than enough, 95% of us should be satisfied...

The screen shows:
* battery status,
* power,
* coil resistance,
* voltage,
* temperature in TC mode (not currently measured but previously set).

The menu is very simple, only with switch off and mode (TC/VW) selection options. In TC mode we can choose additionally the temperature unit and limit. Chip also has a 5 memories for settings.


3. VOLTAGE SHAPE.

Measurements were done in my typical test set-up with ~0,5 ohm microcoil on MutationX atomizer and Tektronix TPS2012 oscilloscope.

It is VERY WELL, stable smooth voltage.


4. EFFICIENCY.

Having the setup with 0.5 ohm coil we can also check if we get what we set. Below I compared:
* theoretical voltage what should be on the coil for a given power (calculated according to the P=U^2/R formula),
* real voltage MEASURED on the atomizer pins by use of multimeter.

No comment... Everything is perfect, mod as usual adds a little more voltage than is needed ;-).


5. TEMPERATURE CONTROL

Is described here.
Nothing to be crazy about :-) pretty regular.


6. SUMMARY
Is not easy... Let's look what I've tested before: Dicodes, SXmini, Snow Wolf. First two are beyond the competition - because of twice higher price. They are better finished but, at the same time, are powered by only 1x18650 and have less power. Thus the Snow Wolf stays on the battlefield :-) Its price is higher, but also finish is better and power is higher. Unfortunately, it also has a very annoying feature (for me): when it is not in use it enters lock mode after about 10 minutes, and I have to press the fire button 5 times before I get a puff. For others it may be just a trifle - if so, take a Snow Wolf. I'm staying with iPV4 :-)


What I LIKED?
* ergonomics,
* shape of the output voltage,
* simple menu.

What I DISLIKED?
* dark display (may be fix),
* a little loose battery door.

-------------

ANNEX - Firmware Upgrade

Pioneer4you released the firmware upgrade for iPV4 with new features:
* max output power: 120W
* max power in TC: 100J
* Titanium wires handling.

To install it you have to:
1. Download new firmware,
2. Download software for upgrading and install it (don't run it),
3. Remove the batteries from iPV4. Upgrade won't run if you don't do it.
4. Connect iPV4 by regular microUSB cable. After a few seconds you should see a "New device installation" window. The process can take 1-2 min. in Win8.1, and then window will just disappear.

5. Run the YiHi Program:

6. Click [Connection] -> [Install Driver] -> [Start ...... Windows] and you will see:

7. Click [Install Driver] and after that click [Connect] button - you should see "Device connected" message:

 
8. Then return to main menu and click [Upgrade].
9. Click [Open File] and select the update file. Then click Upgrade. 
10. Process takes about 20 s, and after that we have new features :-) :

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