DNA 20d failing on sleep

[malkuth]

I am posting this to get any ideas as to cause/resolution of this issue.

7/6 Received return unit from modder.
Worked fine until bedtime. Left unit in auto sleep mode at bedtime.


7/7 Inoperable. Checked battery - 4.0v. Replaced battery - no change.
Removed battery for 1 hour. Operational.
Placed into sleep mode for 1 hour. Inoperable. Will not exit locked mode.
Display at low brightness.
Removed battery. Tested after 30 minutes. No change.
Removed battery for 1 hour. Inserted battery, no longer in locked mode. Fully
operational. Vaped for a few times. Locked after 4 minutes. Display not turned off.
Sat for 2 hours with no battery. Operated properly, including normal sleep. Let
sleep for 5 minutes. Still working. Let sleep 9 minutes, and unit went to locked
mode. Display is on (dim mode), and will not exit locked mode.
Removed battery for night.

7/8 Inserted battery. Vaped for approximately 30 minutes (with coffee). Sat unit down, and after 4 minutes, it went to locked mode and would not come out like yesterday. Removed battery.

A bit about me. I am a computer geek, with over 30 years in the business as an administrator/coder/system analyst/builder. I have been vaping for about a year, just not full time. This mod was purchased to get me over the cigarette fix, as nothing else satisfied me. I have used eVic, VV Grabber, Old Goat bottom feeder, VV Grand from REO,
EDIT: that is a VV Gripper end EDIT and am currently using a Grand from Reo. (The mechanicals NEVER break.)

Any ideas will be appreciated. The mod has been returned to the modder once. It was tested by the modder, and they said NTF.

 

[bapgood]

NTF????? Nothing to fix???

I'm trying to understand your terminology, but I'm failing (its early still).

Are you saying the mod automatically locks its self just setting? If so this seems odd to me, in my experience the DNA only locks after manually quickly clicking the fire button five times (same to unlock).

Sleep mode - or when the display turns all the way off happens 4 minutes after the display initially dims. Sometime after that the DNA goes into a deep sleep or greater power saving mode, but there really isn't any indication of that.

When you say inoperable what does that mean? Does the display light up at all? If so what does it say when you press the fire button?

Besides a possible faulty DNA (less likely), my guess would be a sticky or bad switch. Most likely the fire button if it automatically locks, the up and down wattage adjustment switches can also cause issues if they get stuck closed, but from your description I'm guessing its not the up/down.

I understand and respect you not outing the mod/moder, but knowing what the mod is and seeing the mod may help diagnose the problem. Especially since you have already sent the mod back and nothing changed.

I would hate for you to give up on such a great product that the DNA is when working properly.

 

[malkuth]

NTF????? Nothing to fix???

Sorry. NTF == No Trouble Found. In that same vein, Trouble Left Here Fine. (TLHF)

I'm trying to understand your terminology, but I'm failing (its early still).

Are you saying the mod automatically locks its self just setting? If so this seems odd to me, in my experience the DNA only locks after manually quickly clicking the fire button five times (same to unlock).

What happens is this.... The mod works perfectly when you first put the battery in. When you stop vaping, after a couple seconds, the display dims. Then, if left idle for 4 minutes, the display is supposed to totally blank. This happens only seldom. What normally happens with this mod is that instead of the display blanking, it goes into locked mode. (Message on screen: Locked click 5x). I press the fire button (which is supposed to wake it from sleep) nothing happens. I have tried all variations in clicking speed, from very fast to slow (about 1/2 second between presses). I have done various counts of presses, from 5 to 25. Nothing gets it out of locked mode. I remove the battery, put it back in (or put a fresh battery in) and it is still locked. Fire button does work, as I can change it from stealth/locked to non-stealth/locked. I have tested leaving the battery out for 30 minutes, and it is still is locked when the battery is inserted. It must be without a battery for at least 1 hour to release the lock.

Sleep mode - or when the display turns all the way off happens 4 minutes after the display initially dims. Sometime after that the DNA goes into a deep sleep or greater power saving mode, but there really isn't any indication of that.

When you say inoperable what does that mean? Does the display light up at all? If so what does it say when you press the fire button?

The display remains at the "dim" setting. It remains there forever (until battery is removed). Pressing the fire button does nothing. It does not even switch to the bright display or show the voltage. You cannot hear the atty firing. Nothing. It is as if the fire button does not make any contact.

Besides a possible faulty DNA (less likely), my guess would be a sticky or bad switch. Most likely the fire button if it automatically locks, the up and down wattage adjustment switches can also cause issues if they get stuck closed, but from your description I'm guessing its not the up/down.

I understand and respect you not outing the mod/moder, but knowing what the mod is and seeing the mod may help diagnose the problem. Especially since you have already sent the mod back and nothing changed.

The mod is the bogger box.

I would hate for you to give up on such a great product that the DNA is when working properly.

I had such good results with the eVic that my search for a usable bottom feeder had to be a VW. The Bogger is the only one available (other than one off mods, which I would not even begin to know where to look) I have used the VV Grand by Reo and was quite pleased with that as well, but I like the display that the VW provides.

EDIT: changed text color to make responses more readable.

 

[bapgood]

What about the other questions?

Is it automatically locking?

Does the screen light up in the "inoperable" state? If so what does it say?

* Edit....sorry just noticed you answered in the quoted portion

 

[CATastrophe]

Bapgood, we certainly appreciate your input with my husband's mod. Perhaps there are at least two weird things going on. I like your suggestion that it may be a sticky button, but why would the mod go into locked mode all on it's own? That wouldn't seem to indicate a sticky button issue. A bad board and perhaps a button problem as well?

 

[malkuth]

In all fairness to Marcus, I did not have all of this information for him, when he took my box in for repair. Only after I received the mod back did I run the timing tests. I believe that what he did was to insert battery, check the up/down buttons, check the fire button and verify that the display showed the proper resistance of the atomizers. He did not (and I cannot fault him for this) let the mod sit for an extended period of time with a battery in it.

 

[CATastrophe]

Also, we searched high and low and saw nothing similar to this problem with a DNA20. So we thought it would be important to have a record of it out there in case this happens to someone else.

 

[bapgood]

I have two guesses, both are focused on the fire button(s). My guess is that the fire button is malfunctioning and causing it to lock as well as not dim since the lock display stays lit up dim. I can recreate this by locking my DNA and intermittently pushing the fire button.

If you can easily disassemble the fire button from the enclosure I would start there.

From the pics on their website, this looks like the switch used.

Once you have access to the switch you should be able to disconnect the two wires. Then touching the wires together should fire. Play with this and see if it acts normal. If so, I would say the switch is bad.

If there is no change then my next guess would be that the fire button on the pcb may be getting intermittently pressed.

One other senerio could be one of the wires going to the fire switch is shorting.

Hope this helps and good luck

 

[malkuth]

I have two guesses, both are focused on the fire button(s). My guess is that the fire button is malfunctioning and causing it to lock as well as not dim since the lock display stays lit up dim. I can recreate this by locking my DNA and intermittently pushing the fire button.

If there is no change then my next guess would be that the fire button on the pcb may be getting intermittently pressed.

One other senerio could be one of the wires going to the fire switch is shorting.

Hope this helps and good luck

Thank you for your response. As the wiring on the back of the switch is sealed, this would be a difficult test. However, I cannot imagine that there is an intermittent short because this change happens with the mod sitting on a table, not being touched by anything or anyone. During the time that the mod is active, there is no problem. It fires every time, without fail.

 

[bapgood]

Bapgood, we certainly appreciate your input with my husband's mod. Perhaps there are at least two weird things going on. I like your suggestion that it may be a sticky button, but why would the mod go into locked mode all on it's own? That wouldn't seem to indicate a sticky button issue. A bad board and perhaps a button problem as well?

If a button is sticky really close to the activation point of the switch it could easily activate 5 times in less than a second and you would never know. Same with the on board button, say its all but pushed and the process of setting it down activates it 5 times and locks it, then setting the mod down constantly activates the button.

Just a couple of senerios

 

[bapgood]

Try getting it working and then softly set it on its side and see if that changes anything.

It's actually quite easy to get the on board button to fire quick enough to lock.

With it working when you are using it but not when you set it down, further leads me to believe its an issue with either the on board button or a short that only happens when the mod is setting upright.

 

[malkuth]

Try getting it working and then softly set it on its side and see if that changes anything.

It's actually quite easy to get the on board button to fire quick enough to lock.

With it working when you are using it but not when you set it down, further leads me to believe its an issue with either the on board button or a short that only happens when the mod is setting upright.

Ok. My hour has elapsed since I last used it, so I can test your response. The result: same. I vaped a couple times, and then softly set it down on its side. Once again, after 4 minutes, it went into locked mode. I am still unable to get it out of locked mode. Removing/replacing the battery has no effect. I get the startup message (Evolve DNA) and then flashes to Locked click 5x. The fire button has no effect

 

[jmarkus]

this all sounds so strange, i just tested taking the battery out of my dna20 mod in "lock mode". when i put the battery back in, lock mode was no longer enabled. the only thing that has been noted many times is, when you take out the battery and put it back in, the wattage goes up by .1, never heard of the error youre having. what batteries are you using? not sure if you've done this, but brandon at evolv is an amazing guy with the most knowledge when it comes to his dna20 boards, maybe send him an email explaining the problem and he may have an answer.

 

[malkuth]

this all sounds so strange, brandon at evolv is an amazing guy with the most knowledge when it comes to his dna20 boards, maybe send him an email explaining the problem and he may have an answer.

Could you pm me with his email address?

Thank you!

 

[bapgood]

You definitely have something strange going on.

I'm sorry I didn't catch on before....But it doesn't go locked for 4 minutes. So you can pick it up and use as normal before it goes to sleep, where in your case it locks.

Now it sounds like its time for the modder to get in touch with Evolv.

 

[bapgood]

You can contact Brandon via the contact link on the Evolv website. But I would assume the board will need to be replaced and that your modder will likely want to take care of fixing you up.

 

[jmarkus]

thanks for sending the contact info bap, and i agree, you'll wanna have your modder change the board out.

 

[malkuth]

I want to say thanks for all the help I have gotten from you all! It is much appreciated.

 

[jmarkus]

lets us know how it goes.

 

[dr g]

I have had apparent auto-locking with a switch that had a bad connection. These are very strange symptoms however, even for a bad switch. Be interesting to see what the problem is/was.