Milo-DNA20D mod step-by-step how-to

[mamu]

I got the inspiration to do this mod from d9mel. Thanks for sharing, mel!

I found it to be an easy-peasy stress-free build. Well, compared to the Lexi-DNA20D it's easy-peasy and stress-free. No rectangular cutout to do, very little putzing with the OLED and cable, and all work is done with the entire front of the case open for easy access during the build.

The case is a Hammand aluminum enclosure 1590ABK - 3.6" high, 1.5" wide, and 1.1" depth (92mm x 38mm x 31mm). It's coated with a black matte finish that is very durable.

Like mel, I replaced the lid with a clear cover, but I used a piece of Lexan polycarbonate. Lexan is easy to work with - no cracking or chipping at the edges when cutting and is a bit thicker (2.4mm) than acrylic. I used a dremel heavy duty cutting wheel to cut and shape the cover.

Milo has 2, 1200mAh 25C li-poly batts for a total of 2400mAh, 60A and Evolv's micro-USB charging board.

Here's the pdf how-to: Milo-DNA20D

It's small and fits in my hand really well...

I sucked at getting all the bubbles from the tint, so after 3 tries I said the heck with tinting, but took a pic before trashing the tint. If I do another one, I'll get a black transparent piece of Lexan.

Back side of the mod...

Size comparison with Lexi-DNA20D...

 

[jmarkus]

wow, thanks so much for this tutorial mamu!! simple, clean...looks so nice with the tint like d9's. bomb-esque without tint.

did you epoxy the screen to the poly cover? also, is see you have electrical tape on the connections, did you just solder wires together or do you have some sort of pin connections under that tape?

 

[negrete35]

That is so awesome! Thank you so much. I have next to zero experience with electronics and little experience with soldering. But now I think I could try to tackle this with a little practice soldering. I love my provari for the regulated power, but I wish I could get a little more out of it. With this I could hit the 17 watts range I like. Great! If I could make any suggestion or request more like, I would like to have a simple tutorial like this with just a slightly smaller case. Thanks again. I cant wait to try it!

 

[breaktru]

Excellent Mamu, great tutorial too.

 

[mamu]

wow, thanks so much for this tutorial mamu!! simple, clean...looks so nice with the tint like d9's. bomb-esque without tint.

did you epoxy the screen to the poly cover? also, is see you have electrical tape on the connections, did you just solder wires together or do you have some sort of pin connections under that tape?

No, there's nothing fixed to the Lexan cover. The screen is only secured to the dna board with a piece of clear mounting tape.

It's not electrical tape - it's heat shrink tubing. The wire ends are soldered together then heat shrink tubing slipped over the soldered connection.

That is so awesome! Thank you so much. I have next to zero experience with electronics and little experience with soldering. But now I think I could try to tackle this with a little practice soldering. I love my provari for the regulated power, but I wish I could get a little more out of it. With this I could hit the 17 watts range I like. Great! If I could make any suggestion or request more like, I would like to have a simple tutorial like this with just a slightly smaller case. Thanks again. I cant wait to try it!

It would be near impossible to make it smaller and still pack it with what's in there, and especially have 2400mAh with dual li-poly batts for longer vape time. I could prob shave a 1/2" on the height and an unch off the depth, but it doesn't get much smaller than a 1.5" width.

 

[bapgood]

Super awesome mamu!

I think I'm going to break down and build one of these while I sort out my wood mod.

Next time try "floating" the tint on. It was discussed a little d9mel's thread. I won't even attemp to apply anything like that anymore without floating it on.

 

[breaktru]

Next time try "floating" the tint on. It was discussed a little d9mel's thread. I won't even attempt to apply anything like that anymore without floating it on.

and don't forget the squeegee

 

[mamu]

Thanks guys!

and don't forget the squeegee

LOLOLOL!! I used a cc as a squeegee. I still sucked at it.

 

[Cyrus Vap]

great work mamu

I've had that same box sitting here for a while, and decided to pass on using it because the slant on the sides/top/bottom would make for a not so flush drip well, etc. Sanding is obviously out of the question unless you're willing to part with the paint.

From your pics it looks like this wasn't an issue, was the top of your box not angled?

 

[breaktru]

Thanks guys!
LOLOLOL!! I used a cc as a squeegee. I still sucked at it.

I did some auto window tinting years ago. I would use a spray solution of water and baby shampoo to wash the surface that you are applying the tint to and spray on to the same surface just before placing the tint. Also spray over the tint so that the squeegee doesn't scratch the tinting.

 

[retird]

Another FINE mod by mamu.........still haven't found the enclosure I'm wanting....going to settle for a 9v battery enclosure for this one...looks like the case breaktru used for his....oh well...just will keep looking for enclosures for #2......

 

[mwa102464]

Nice job, I'm liking the dual batts and ones selected, DuPont Corian makes for a nice case ;-) you can mill it to any size you like, comes in 1/2" sheets, and in numerous colors and patterns , I especially like the ones that looks just like granite. Stack 3 x 1/2" slabs using the Dupont seam filler to hold and adhear all 3 together making 1 - 1-1/2 box, take the plunge router to the solid block to mill out the inside, mill to exact depth & thickness needed, leave small offset on opening for finish panel to set on ;-)

 

[negrete35]

No, there's nothing fixed to the Lexan cover. The screen is only secured to the DNA board with a piece of clear mounting tape.

It's not electrical tape - it's heat shrink tubing. The wire ends are soldered together then heat shrink tubing slipped over the soldered connection.



It would be near impossible to make it smaller and still pack it with what's in there, and especially have 2400mAh with dual li-poly batts for longer vape time. I could prob shave a 1/2" on the height and an unch off the depth, but it doesn't get much smaller than a 1.5" width.

Thats cool. I think the only thing I would like to change might be the depth. I dont want to come across as critical of your work. I dont have any of the talent required to come up with something like this. I just like smaller, stealthier vapes. lol. But this thing looks awesome.

 

[mamu]

great work mamu

I've had that same box sitting here for a while, and decided to pass on using it because the slant on the sides/top/bottom would make for a not so flush drip well, etc. Sanding is obviously out of the question unless you're willing to part with the paint.

From your pics it looks like this wasn't an issue, was the top of your box not angled?

It does have a slight angle and you can see it when looking from the side of the case. It wasn't an issue to getting a flush juice well and atty connector though.

I did some auto window tinting years ago. I would use a spray solution of water and baby shampoo to wash the surface that you are applying the tint to and spray on to the same surface just before placing the tint. Also spray over the tint so that the squeegee doesn't scratch the tinting.

Thanks breaktru! I'll give that a try. I've been looking and so far can't find black transparent Lexan.

Thats cool. I think the only thing I would like to change might be the depth. I dont want to come across as critical of your work. I dont have any of the talent required to come up with something like this. I just like smaller, stealthier vapes. lol. But this thing looks awesome.

LOL - no I didn't think you were being critical. With the dual li-poly batts and DNA20D board and the OLED sitting on top of each other, for this build that depth is needed as the OLED sits just under the Lexan cover. And with that depth, it's not stealth friendly.

 

[Scottinboca]

Mamu, I don't know if this helps, but here's a supplier of bronze or gray tint Lexan:Gray and Bronze Lexan* Polycarbonate 9034 Sheeting | U.S. Plastic Corp.

Or check this dye out!!! Make it sunglass tinted!https://www.1-800-optisource.com/Polycarbonate-Premium-Black.aspx

Here's tons of colors:http://www.reliable-optics.com/Poly-Dyes.aspx

 

[mamu]

Mamu, I don't know if this helps, but here's a supplier of bronze or gray tint Lexan:Gray and Bronze Lexan* Polycarbonate 9034 Sheeting | U.S. Plastic Corp.

Or check this dye out!!! Make it sunglass tinted!https://www.1-800-optisource.com/Polycarbonate-Premium-Black.aspx

Here's tons of colors:Poly Dyes

Holy cow - that's some moolah on those sheets.

Excellent find on the tint dye. I'm going to get a can and try it. Thanks so much Scott!

I found this and am going to try it to see which one I like better... Pactra Transparent Black Tint Spray Paint

ETA: this looks interesting too... Transparent Black Window Tint

 

[bapgood]

Holy cow - that's some moolah on those sheets.

Excellent find on the tint dye. I'm going to get a can and try it. Thanks so much Scott!

I found this and am going to try it to see which one I like better... Pactra Transparent Black Tint Spray Paint

ETA: this looks interesting too... Transparent Black Window Tint

Aww snap! you mean like this

This is the air brush version....I totally forgot I had it until you said something....RC crossing over again...so cool

mamu, I have an ~4'x4' sheet of bronze lexan, but I think its matte if that matters....If your interested I can send you a piece to try

also where do you get your 12mm SS clicky and mini tac buttons?

 

[jmlott]

Thanks for this tutorial Mamu, it's going to be a big help on my first mod. I was going to attempt the Lexi build when I first saw it, but this looks a bit easier to work with and still looks good.

I would like mine to be a bit smaller though, so I was thinking about getting the same enclosure, but only using a single battery and trimming the depth down a bit. Do the screw holes on the case go all the way through so I can still use them after shaving it down?

Also, do I still need a fuse on the battery if I am just using a single cell? I'm thinking that is just needed for running the 2 in parallel, but I wanted to verify first. I know the board has Li-Po protection on it already, so I should be able to solder it directly.

Thanks!

 

[mamu]

...mamu, I have an ~4'x4' sheet of bronze lexan, but I think its matte if that matters....If your interested I can send you a piece to try

also where do you get your 12mm SS clicky and mini tac buttons?

Thanks for the offer, bap, but I think I'll give the black transparent tint paint a try first. The bronze Lexan I saw is too thick.

The 12mm ss switch you can get from digikey or ebay (search for 12mm ss switches or part #PV5S640SS ) and the mini tact buttons are from madvapes. They're out of the 100g ones and hope they get some in soon - my stash of the 100g is getting low.

 

[bapgood]

Thanks for the offer, bap, but I think I'll give the black transparent tint paint a try first. The bronze Lexan I saw is too thick.

The 12mm ss switch you can get from digikey or ebay (search for 12mm ss switches or part #PV5S640SS ) and the mini tact buttons are from madvapes. They're out of the 100g ones and hope they get some in soon - my stash of the 100g is getting low.

Thanks for the info....Ill measure the lexan...I'm pretty sure its thicker than 2.4mm....thinking like 1/8" to 3/16"