Questions: Can low 7.4mW heat 40 gauge nichrome wire? To what temperature assuming coiled wire? Is there a better wire to provide higher resistance that could be heated with low current?

Thanks for any help.

1. If you maintain the same voltage and go with a higher resistance wire the power will go down.

Remember P=I*V and V= I *R so P=V^2/R

2. To determine the temperture rise in the wire you need to calculate the heat loss due to radiation and what is the specific heat of the nichrome wire.

Niel Leon
engineering.com