New to modding--first design

[asdaq]

The holes are 5/8" and 3/4", and the taller ones are ~75mm. The smaller ones are about 53mm. I had access to a woodshop last summer.

Sure there are 36, but for example the bamboo ones turned out to be not worth pursuing as they have flaws in the laminating process. This was about 3 weeks off and on in spare time, the rest is much more time consuming.

 

[santo19586]

yes , the material i used is Cherry,

 

[santo19586]

Sittin here at work (3rd shift), thinkin bout useing another block, this time bore out the inside of the block from one side only, instead of drilling down from the top , , that way I only have to worry bout fitting it with one access door, more like a slider door with a magnet to hold it shut.
I'll post a pict. when I get to doing this.

 

[westy78]

I had previously decided not to include a master switch since my battery is easily removable. However...

Now that my caps are fitted, when I put a battery in (along with a spacer mimicking the positive connector) I am finding that the spring pressure tends to pop the caps off a little too easily (especially if dropped). I tried various shims in the cap/case joint to tighten things up a bit but haven't found anything that works just right.

So I am thinking I will now fasten the caps with a metal pin running through the case and cap plugs. In order to remove the battery, a drift or small metal pin will be used to drive the locking pin out so that the cap can pop off. But then there would be no quick way to remove the battery if things go south in a dead short situation.

I am including 2 3-amp PTC fuses in parallel at the positive terminal, but how much concern does this cause if there is no on/off master? If it starts to melt down, seems the best I can do is throw it in a bucket outdoors and hope it doesn't fry the dna. Maybe this is no worse than some of the flat pack mods w/o a master that require a screwdriver to open...? My battery is an AW 18650 IMR.

 

[d9mel]

the PTC's are a good way to go, and a master switch would be added peace of mind. Bapgood found some micro fuses that where pretty compact

If one of my batteries where to vent I would probably be more concerned with flinging the mod away from flammables than turning off a switch, I have stained concrete and tile floors throughout my house though.

one key is to not rush during assembly, check and double check connection points for wandering drops of solder and try to make sure that the interior of the mod is as debris free as possible.

 

[asdaq]

You could replace the spring with a magnet attached to the bottom cap and have another magnet to attach to the positive end. I use steel crimps on the ends of wires to get the wire to stick to the magnets. Just an idea.

 

[westy78]

Good food for thought, guys--thanks!

EDIT--asdaq: you got me thinking about magnets so my daughter and I made a little light for fun tonight. She said she'd read in a book about circuits so I had her draw the diagram and then we built it together. Who knew this hobby could turn into family fun?

 

[westy78]

To those who have completed a wood DNA20 project, I salute you.

I used to consider myself a decent woodworker and relatively crafty person. No more. This thing is kicking my backside. I have mangled three or four cases in the process of figuring out how and where to mount buttons and that stupid flush lexan window. Not to discourage anyone from starting modding, but it ain't as easy as I had hoped...

Here's my current iteration. I still need to work out the charger mounting before the final one gets made.



Some lessons learned so far:

-The 200g buttons from Arrow have a really nice feel. A 13/64" bit leaves a perfect hole for a nice tight press fit (handy if you don't want to epoxy them in place for ease of replacement). However, if you pop it in and out a half dozen times the hole gets enlarged--even if only a thou or two--and it won't hold any more. Don't know yet how seasonal wood movement will affect the grip.

-Don't expect everything to go together the way you originally expected. Things that should fit (on paper) don't always work, partly because these are tiny bits and pieces. Be prepared to make several trial runs of every assembly/fabrication operation required.

-I decided that I like the buttons on the front. Just a bit more comfortable in my hand and under my fingertips.

-When it comes to soldering, practice, practice, practice. I picked up a circuit board at Radio Shack and made twenty or so joints before I had the confidence to wire the DNA. But it can be done, even by a beginner.

-bapgood's screen bracket is looking increasingly appealing compared to this approach.

-Dropping $200 on a Provari seems less ridiculous than it did when I conceived this thing...

 

[mre777]

Never give up, never surrender!

 

[asdaq]

The metal from the switch is harder than the wood, so it will act as tooling as you are finding. You could harden the wood with a CA finish, but that is not that appealing. A lot of glue on the inside but that is even worse. An inset metal plate for the screen and buttons perhaps? That with just access holes through the wood? As a disclaimer, I have no idea of what metal would work well...

 

[WillyB]

To those who have completed a wood DNA20 project, I salute you.

I used to consider myself a decent woodworker and relatively crafty person. No more. This thing is kicking my backside. I have mangled three or four cases in the process of figuring out how and where to mount buttons and that stupid flush lexan window. Not to discourage anyone from starting modding, but it ain't as easy as I had hoped...

Well folks new to this should consider the Nivel.

The specs are fine and should suit most vapers.

Variable Voltage from 3 to 6 volts

Variable Wattage from 3 to 15 watts

Pre-wired for easy integration into a personal vaporizer

Note it's pre-wired and the display is not floating but attached (much easier to set in place). It also needs just one button for everything (Provari style) so placement/positioning of the unit is much, much easier.

It's also a mature assembly that's been working in the field a while.

Food for thought.

 

[westy78]

Well I had a very successful day. Sort of.

I worked out a mounting block for the charger and it aligned everything perfectly. The holes in the DNA charger seem to work well with a #2 wood screw. I also picked up some .065 weed eater filament for the charger's LED. Works great.

Everything was looking good so I drilled all the holes on my final case and painstakingly cut the display opening and fitted the lexan. Then I powered up the DNA20, centered it beautifully on the window with the clear mounting tape, and put it in for a look prior to final wiring and assembly, when...

SNAP!

The glass on the end of display cracked. The OLED is sandwiched between two layers of glass, one of which extends slightly past the other at the ribbon connection. It was this single layer that snapped. So close to completion! This is so frustrating because I was being so methodical and gentle with it given the problems some others have had with tearing ribbons and detached displays. I guess I will have to see if Evolv can solder a new display onto the board.



Here it is, minus the DNA20 and charger (the micro USB fits in the little slot at the bottom, but it goes in after the DNA20, so it's still not in). Aside from the DNA20, I'm satisfied with the design. It feels good in the hand, the button locations are comfortable, and the charger location will allow me to use it while it's plugged in. The front-mounted location also allows it to work just as well left-handed.



I'm sure I'll be happy when it's done, but it's a love/hate relationship for now.

 

[westy78]

folks new to this should consider the Nivel.

It's a good chip. I did think about it, especially after seeing Russ' video of it.

Note it's pre-wired and the display is not floating but attached (much easier to set in place). It also needs just one button for everything (Provari style) so placement/positioning of the unit is much, much easier.

It's also a mature assembly that's been working in the field a while.

Food for thought.

Good points. In the end, I decided to go with the DNA because:

- The OLED display is just beautiful and it shows you everything you need to know at a glance.

- I like the interface. No scrolling through functions to get to the one you want. True, you have to wire extra buttons if you don't want to use the on-board ones, but you have to know how to solder even if you go with the Nivel.

- Mounting the Nivel wouldn't have been all that much easier in this case. Granted, there's no ribbon and the display may be less fragile, but it seems more suited to a 'square' box mod or Hammond box etc. with a nice broad flat face for ease of mounting. If I were mounting a Nivel, I would have done it the same way with a flush window (if I could have fit it in at all with my particular design). A flush window just requires a little patience to get it fitted properly. Mounting the screen to the lexan with clear mounting tape actually made the alignment rather straightforward. It's just that the display is so fragile...

 

[WillyB]

the button locations are comfortable, and the charger location will allow me to use it while it's plugged in.

Retird claims that's not advised.

 

[retird]

Great work ......... looking forward to seeing the finished product....great attention to detail......a LOT of work goes into most premium type mods....more than most people realize.....the 20D mods are popping up more frequently by more modders.....no doubt your mod will be a masterpiece....

Well I had a very successful day. Sort of.

I worked out a mounting block for the charger and it aligned everything perfectly. The holes in the DNA charger seem to work well with a #2 wood screw. I also picked up some .065 weed eater filament for the charger's LED. Works great.

Everything was looking good so I drilled all the holes on my final case and painstakingly cut the display opening and fitted the lexan. Then I powered up the DNA20, centered it beautifully on the window with the clear mounting tape, and put it in for a look prior to final wiring and assembly, when...

SNAP!

The glass on the end of display cracked. The OLED is sandwiched between two layers of glass, one of which extends slightly past the other at the ribbon connection. It was this single layer that snapped. So close to completion! This is so frustrating because I was being so methodical and gentle with it given the problems some others have had with tearing ribbons and detached displays. I guess I will have to see if Evolv can solder a new display onto the board.

View attachment 199281

Here it is, minus the DNA20 and charger (the micro USB fits in the little slot at the bottom, but it goes in after the DNA20, so it's still not in). Aside from the DNA20, I'm satisfied with the design. It feels good in the hand, the button locations are comfortable, and the charger location will allow me to use it while it's plugged in. The front-mounted location also allows it to work just as well left-handed.

View attachment 199280

I'm sure I'll be happy when it's done, but it's a love/hate relationship for now.

 

[westy78]

Retird claims that's not advised.

I PM'd Retird and he was kind enough to point me here for more information on the passthrough issue. See post #177 and following.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

 

[asdaq]

Westy, hang in there, you've got this. Just as a little motivation, not your design, but sort of close:

 

[westy78]

Westy, hang in there, you've got this. Just as a little motivation, not your design, but sort of close:

Cool, is that one of your designs? Tell us about it please! Are those channels for a threaded rod to hold the caps on? I tried rare earth magnets as suggested but they weren't strong enough when I dropped the mod from a height of 6" or so. The mass of the battery makes it want to keep moving after the case stops and overcomes even the strongest magnets I had on hand. Instead, I put some 0.62" steel pins through the case sides and cap plugs.

In other news--Evolv will send a replacement for the DNA20. That's great customer service. I gotta say, after powering mine up (but not vaping with it yet) it is one really cool device. I like this product and I like that they're a small, innovative company making things in the USA (apologies to anyone reading this in China). I was worried that I might want a lower watt cutoff but discovered recently after beginning to make my own low resistance coils that I like higher-watt vaping.

During my down time I started cooking up another improvement for the mod but it will take a little while to implement and test. So... I may not have more to post here in the near future, but don't worry, I haven't given up!

04-13-2013, 05:35 AMmre777
Never give up, never surrender!

Hahaha... I did have Winston Churchill's voice running through my head the other night!

 

[bapgood]

I PM'd Retird and he was kind enough to point me here for more information on the passthrough issue. See post #177 and following.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

Weird....I'm not even going to knock on wood...I have self inflicted just about everything you can do with a DNA.....so whats one more thing.

Maybe it has something to do with the battery...IDK??? But I have charged and used my mod with a 6000mah 65c nano-tech battery several times without issues.

Yes, I have the charger wired to the DNA board......but wiring the charger directly to the battery would eliminate the DNA from the equation.

 

[asdaq]

Sorry, I got distracted, busy days. Yes it is mine, and to say more.... It is not done yet.

What I have so far is the GTUS modded with a magnetic connectorless connector, and am going for the ability to have a choice of 1x 18650 + 4050 or 2x 18350s + 8100. More soon, I hope.

I know you meant .062" pins, but how is it going now?