Five Useful Web Apps for Vapers and Rebuilders

The rising popularity of vaping has prompted many blogs and forums to produce web and mobile apps that cater to all kinds of vapers and their need for accurate information. Those who are passionate about re-building their drip and tank atomizers use these apps to play around with the numbers until they found the right set of measurements for an optimal coil build.



Image: MistHub's Ohm's Law Calculator

An Ohm's Law and Vape Safety Calculator

MistHub created a Basic Ohm's Law calculator with color-coded boxes for the four variables: orange for Resistance (Ohms), blue for Current (Amps), yellow for Power (Watts), and green for Voltage (Volts). The calculator is easy to use. Just enter the values of any two variables, and click 'Calculate' to find the values of the two other variables.

A Pie Chart of the Twelve Formulas of Ohm's Law

The overlapping relationships between power, voltage, current and resistance are best defined by the twelve mathematical formulas of Ohm's Law. They're presented in this beautiful pie chart by MistHub in a clean, orderly and visually attractive way.



Image: MistHub's Ohm's Law Chart

Apparently, each of the color-coded quadrants belongs to one of the measurable elements of Ohm's Law. They're individually marked by a letter (P, E, I and R), the name of the element (power, voltage, current and resistance), and the units of measurement they use (watts, volts, amps and ohms). A trio of equations also occupy each of the quadrants. Each of the three equations can solve the value of each variable.

These formulas aren't that difficult to solve using a pen and blank sheets of paper. You don't even need a calculator to solve the square root of a number.

The Coil Wrapping Calculator

Millions of RBA users around the world depend on the Coil Wrapping Calculator to provide correct mathematical and electrical measurements for an optimal coil setup for a drip or tank atomizer. This calculator has a simple and an advanced version.



Image: Simple Coil Wrapping Calculator (steam-engine.org)

The simple version provides the essential data, such as the total length of wire to use, the resistance of each coil, and the number of full or half wraps in each coil, in a quick and efficient way. Users may specify the inner diameter and the total leg length of each coil, but they can't adjust the wire resistance value per mm or in, the wrap spacing for building micro/nano coils, and the resistance wire length for each coil in multi-coil setups.



Image: Advanced Coil Wrapping Calculator (steam-engine.org)

Clicking the 'Advanced' button beside the 'reset' button expands the whole calculator and shows additional fields where users can adjust the numbers. This version of the coil wrapping calculator provides a closer look into the wires you're planning to use in building and the custom coils you wanted to build. Specific measurements, such as the width, length and neutral axis diameter of each coil or the surface area, density and volume of the resistance wire used for each coil, are displayed in a separate area farthest to the right.

This online tool was developed with an international audience in mind. All numerical values have been set in millimeters, by default, because the International System of Units (SI) or metric system of measurement is now recognized and used by every country in the world (except for the United States, Liberia and Burma). If you'd rather compute the lengths, diameters, widths and other units of measurement using the imperial system, then you have the option to do so.

This one-of-a-kind web-based app is available for free on the Steam Engine website along with other online tools that are of great practical value to vapers.

Mod Range Calculator

It seems steam-engine.org has become one of the many go-to sites for vapers because of the unique tools they provide on their website. No other vaping-related website has a Mod Range Calculator that figures out "the optimal resistance range for your advanced personal vaporizer, or also known as regulated or variable voltage/variable power (wattage) mod, based on its maximum output current, voltage and power."



Image: Mod Range Calculator (steam-engine.org)

The makers of this calculator left the following points for users to remember:

• With most VV/VW mods, a low resistance is not required for high power output, so the minimum resistance may be less important than you think.

• At the median resistance, the mod should be operating well within its voltage limit, as well as its current limit. If you are unsure about the quality of your circuitry, this resistance may be the safest bet for achieving maximum power.

• The maximum resistance usually gives you the widest adjustment range.

• Between the median and the maximum resistance, there is a sweet spot of sorts, where many mods will give you a good balance of power and adjustability without overburdening your circuit board.

You'll notice that the calculator uses APV Presets. You select the brand and type of e-cigarette you have from a drop-down menu of different brands and types of advanced personal vaporizers. Once you select an option, the calculator immediately fills up with data.

Most of the data provided, such as the maximum wattage, maximum voltage, and current amp limit, come from product descriptions on the packaging and on the manufacturer's website.

However, some of the information may not be reliable or accurate. The calculator's developer is the first to point out that many manufacturers tend to exaggerate the specs of their products while others don't even publish the limitations of their products. And so, measurable data and qualitative feedback were collected from consumer-generated and professional product reviews and from opinions shared in forums and blog comments.

It's also important to remember that individual mods may vary in quality of hardware and level of performance, even when they're from the same manufacturer. If you wanted to know more how this calculator works or you have more accurate data on specific brands and types of APVs, click the 'How It Works' link at the bottom. The link has a javascript code that expands a hidden text-filled portion of the page.

Battery Amp Limit Calculator and Other Tools

The vaping community of KritikalMass has made the Battery Amp Limit Calculator and other similar tools on their website available to all vapers around the world for free. The calculators were designed to provide immediate and accurate electrical measurements to everyone who needs them. It's also useful for vapers who wanted to use rebuildable atomizers with their unprotected/unregulated mechanical mods.

The other calculators look simple and plain, and they're not that complicated to use. One calculator finds the total amps and watts that were consumed by your device. The other calculator figures out the total amps and volts that were drawn from your battery.

As you scroll down, you'll find this well-organized chart of brand-specific battery amp limits. Each column shows standard computations for the continuous and maximum discharge amps, the safe ohm to run, and the C Rating for each battery's brand name and mAh. Use this as a general guide to selecting the right brand, type and size of e-cigarette batteries.