Mike n Tibs DNA Mods!

[Cotay]

So my first print of my larger version of my angled box arrived from Shapeways today (a week early...hats off to Shapeways on that front). In comparison to the print from Sculpteo for my smaller version, the Shapeways is a lighter blue (more toy like...my wife says indigo) and is noticeably less polished and more rough feeling. Fitment of the door requires sanding the bottom (it's about .5mm too tall) and alignment is slightly off to one side (this is a printing, not design issue). I have the door and body printed as a unit to minimize any such discrepancy, but apparently Shapeway's printers can't get the sizing perfectly correct even in the same print. Wall thickness is not what it should be...there appears to have been some print loss of about .2-.25mm but it's not so far off as to cause any issues. The interior battery rails should be interwoven with the interior walls but are not...this was my issue and I'm correcting in my design now. Interior board mount posts and screen cutout are fine and the 510 recess hole is spot on. Overall, the Shapeways print is really less accurate, but seems workable. I'm going to make a few minor design changes to my version that has been uploaded elsewhere, but overall the design seems sound....with a few minor corrections. I'm just even more convinced that Sculpteo is far superior in its print capability. I hope that i.materialize comes through with quality similar to that of Sculpteo, but for now I'll only print my own builds with Sculpteo.

EDIT: I've upload my minor design changes to where they've been previously posted.

 

[KTMRider]

KTMRider can i see how much wire you used for you BlueridgeDog enclosure for output and ground? And what order did you assemble things?

I used about 1.5" (~37mm) for the output wires. The 510 wire needs to move down so I put a loop there. The ground could be shorter but then it'd be harder to work with so I made a loop for that too.

 

[Pdizzle]

I used about 1.5" (~37mm) for the output wires. The 510 wire needs to move down so I put a loop there. The ground could be shorter but then it'd be harder to work with so I made a loop for that too.

Did you tape screen in before or after attaching wire to 510?

 

[Steamer861]

If you really want with the BRD enclosure there is enough wire on the battery to do the whole mod
The 510 + & - need very little wire and there is some left over from the battery well there was for me.
I soldered the + - for the 510 first and assembled all the fittings so I could slide it through the hole and screw the 510 to the plastic insert. I then soldered the balance connector, the battery then shoved it all in and srewed it down
It is a very easy mod to build.
If you built a Gdeal BF'er this is a picnic

 

[Pdizzle]

Easier said than done lol. I've cut enough off the battery wire that I'm scared the battery will get too hot when I'm soldering lol. I think I'm going to solder 14awg wire to board and connect the 16awg battery wires via bullet connectors
Think this will work?

 

[TXBiker]

I've already desoldered everything
The biggest problem I'm having is getting the extra solder I've put on the pads to melt underneath the wire I'm trying to solder to it.

Do you know anyone in the electronics industry that might be able to give you a hand? More boards are ruined because of not having the right tool to work with. I have an old weller WSL 95w at the house for general soldering work. When I need to get detailed and be very precise I take my work to my shop. We upgraded all of our work stations last month to Pace PRC 2000's not much that it can't do. Glad I didn't have to spend that kind of money though geezzzz no wonder I was getting the look when I asked for them.

 

[KTMRider]

Did you tape screen in before or after attaching wire to 510?

I attached the wires to the 510 (washer with ground and 510 center pin) before taping the screen in.

If you really want with the BRD enclosure there is enough wire on the battery to do the whole mod
The 510 + & - need very little wire and there is some left over from the battery well there was for me.
I soldered the + - for the 510 first and assembled all the fittings so I could slide it through the hole and screw the 510 to the plastic insert. I then soldered the balance connector, the battery then shoved it all in and srewed it down
It is a very easy mod to build.
If you built a Gdeal BF'er this is a picnic

The thought occurred to me but I didn't have my connectors so I didn't bother. The 16g fit in the VT510 perfectly.

Easier said than done lol. I've cut enough off the battery wire that I'm scared the battery will get too hot when I'm soldering lol. I think I'm going to solder 14awg wire to board and connect the 16awg battery wires via bullet connectors
Think this will work?

You only need 18g for the battery.

Do you know anyone in the electronics industry that might be able to give you a hand? More boards are ruined because of not having the right tool to work with. I have an old weller WSL 95w at the house for general soldering work. When I need to get detailed and be very precise I take my work to my shop. We upgraded all of our work stations last month to Pace PRC 2000's not much that it can't do. Glad I didn't have to spend that kind of money though geezzzz no wonder I was getting the look when I asked for them.

I think experience and technique is more important than the equipment (but the equipment can't be crap). I've used high end solder stations before but can't justify it for the amount of soldering I do. I've only owned 40w soldering irons and I can count less than a handful of times over 25+ yrs that I needed more. I do think the Weller 40w from Home Depot is decent but the tips are horrible. I need to source better tips. My Ungar lasted over 20 yrs with the stock tips with much less care than the Weller tips.

 

[Pdizzle]

I just like doing stuff myself
I've been spoiled by yihi and been lucky enough to stay away from on board soldering.
I can't get the hang of applying solder to the joint while holding the wire and solder and iron. I've got one of those third hand things but with the pressure I have to apply with the iron its not strong enough

 

[awsum140]

I just like doing stuff myself
I've been spoiled by yihi and been lucky enough to stay away from on board soldering.
I can't get the hang of applying solder to the joint while holding the wire and solder and iron. I've got one of those third hand things but with the pressure I have to apply with the iron its not strong enough

Use a little solder on the tip of the iron and let that do the work of transferring the heat. If you need to mash things down, do that before soldering.

 

[TXBiker]

I think experience and technique is more important than the equipment (but the equipment can't be crap). I've used high end solder stations before but can't justify it for the amount of soldering I do. I've only owned 40w soldering irons and I can count less than a handful of times over 25+ yrs that I needed more. I do think the Weller 40w from Home Depot is decent but the tips are horrible. I need to source better tips. My Ungar lasted over 20 yrs with the stock tips with much less care than the Weller tips.[/QUOTE]


I used Ungar back in the 80's when I first started my electronics career they were indestructable. I couldn't afford the $5000+ price tag for the Pace on my own but at work we deal with lots of different electronic devices, circut boards smt and thru mount etc.... These are a must have at work and being able to use it for personal work after hours is a bonus. I built my last 5 mods on it and never a cold joint. Back in my R/C car days you'd better show up with an iron that can handle at least 90w or your 12g battery wires were subject to cold joints and would pop off mid race that and it made building packs with bars way easier. All of my power was hard wired i really hate connectors unfortunately they're a must in the helis.

 

[KTMRider]

I used Ungar back in the 80's when I first started my electronics career they were indestructable. I couldn't afford the $5000+ price tag for the Pace on my own but at work we deal with lots of different electronic devices, circut boards smt and thru mount etc.... These are a must have at work and being able to use it for personal work after hours is a bonus. I built my last 5 mods on it and never a cold joint. Back in my R/C car days you'd better show up with an iron that can handle at least 90w or your 12g battery wires were subject to cold joints and would pop off mid race that and it made building packs with bars way easier. All of my power was hard wired i really hate connectors unfortunately they're a must in the helis.

I had to learn how to solder for rc cars. No youtube back then but some of the old timers (about my age now ) showed me and gave me tips on soldering. I had no issues with my 40w Ungar and a wide tip for 12g battery wires. I built my own NiCad packs with matched cells back then. Never had any solder joints fail on me and this was on offroad rc cars and trucks that take a real beating. I got 2nd or 3rd place in regionals with my truck and 8th in buggy.

 

[Steamer861]

Just like any thing else Practice makes perfect It would be a good idea to do a little practising on some old electronics or some thing before attempting soldering on the DNA board

 

[Cotay]

I had to learn how to solder for rc cars. No youtube back then but some of the old timers (about my age now ) showed me and gave me tips on soldering. I had no issues with my 40w Ungar and a wide tip for 12g battery wires. I built my own NiCad packs with matched cells back then. Never had any solder joints fail on me and this was on offroad rc cars and trucks that take a real beating. I got 2nd or 3rd place in regionals with my truck and 8th in buggy.

It really is an art form. I learned repairing VCRs and early DVD players. I still am amazed how nice of a job some people can do...my work usually isn't pretty but I haven't fried anything in nearly two decades.

 

[Pdizzle]

So I can get a mastercraft 80w iron here at Canadian Tire but it comes with really big chisel tips. Think those will be too big for dna 200 work?

 

[Pdizzle]

Bought it anyway lol

 

[Novcon]

So I can get a mastercraft 80w iron here at Canadian Tire but it comes with really big chisel tips. Think those will be too big for dna 200 work?

I would personally go with a better name brand station. Like Weller or Hakko. Weller has the WES51 model that is 50 watt. And Hakko has the fx-888D both are good quality stations and the replacement tips are less than $10.

I've had a weller for over 15 years and it has never failed me.

It's important to keep the tips clean and coated with some solder. Oxidation will cause heat transfer issues, making soldering almost impossible.

I use the Hakko 599B tip cleaner before I solder every joint. Just put the iron tip in once or twice to clean it. I have tips that are still in good shape after years of use.

Just my 2 cents worth

PM me if you have any questions.

 

[Pdizzle]

This is the one I picked up
Mastercraft 80W Soldering Iron | Canadian Tire

 

[mikepetro]

 

[awsum140]

This is the one I picked up
Mastercraft 80W Soldering Iron | Canadian Tire

That tip looks just a "tad" too big to be safe on a DNA200 or any other surface mount board. Although you could try grinding the tip down to a smaller chisel. Keeping the tip well tinned would be an absolute necessity after grinding, if it'll even take solder after that.

 

[tchavei]

I think Mike has a problem with coffee

Regards
Tony

Sent from my keyboard through my phone or something like that.