The "Girlie" mod
By Mike Petro
This is my second mod, and certainly not my last. My thanks go to Mamu, Bapgood, Breaktru, and others who have blazed this path before me. Their shared knowledge and experience is invaluable!
Again, THIS IS MY SECOND mod, so I do not claim any expertise whatsoever, nor do I recommend you use this as a guide to build your own Mod. This is just a document of my own journey!
My Objective:
I created a Mod for myself called the "Weekender". It was just another Box Mod but with a lot of mAh! My girlfriend
wanted one too, but she didn’t like the Industrial look of mine
, she wanted something more “girlie”, hence the “Girlie” Mod.
The “Girlie Mod” is largely patterned after my “Weekender” but taking into account things I learned from doing my first Mod. She wanted more rounded edges so I used a Hammond 1590B enclosure. This Box is shallower so, unlike my Weekender Mod, I did not use the chassis as a common ground, it just wouldn't have saved me anything in this build. I used some stiff foam as a "form" to support the DNA board and the battery. I incorporated a Light Pipe onto the USB Charger so she could see the charging status. It is also my first experience using signage quality vinyl decals.
Specs:
Projected Cost about $105
List Of Materials:
Hammond 1590BPR Enclosure (painted GIRLIE purple) ($11.38)
DNA20D by Evolv ($36.25 in a Co-op)
DNA20D Screen Cradle ($5.66)
5V micro USB 1A Lithium Battery 18650 Charging Board ($7.00)
Gens Ace LIPO Battery 6000mah 25C 3.7V ($29.16)
Bournes MF-LS340 PTC Fuse ($0.40)
SS Flat Top Cap Chi You 510 connector ($4.35)
Tactile Switch SPST RD/SQ BLUE ($4.35)
KSJ Series Spherical Tactile Switch ($0.77 x 2) (How can they make these that cheap?)
Pink Hibiscus Vinyl Decals from the local Sign Shop ($5.00)
Various other Materials used:
I prepared my 510 connector first.
Everything I read about soldering to SS seemed to center on getting the SS nice and clean by using an acid based flux to remove any surface oxide. I used: Harris Welco Stay-Clean Liquid Soldering Flux and regular old Kester brand lead-free solder.
I removed the pin and plastic insulator then cleaned the surface with the flux. I could have used wire instead of the fork terminal, but I was playing around with terminals because of some other ideas I have. I heated the SS until I could get solder to flow and lightly tinned the surface area I was working in. I then set the fork terminal (or wire) on the SS and applied the solder iron to the TOP of the wire/terminal and heated it until solder would flow by just touching it. I had to arrange my work so everything would stay in place once I let go. The factor being that the mass of SS took a while to cool and I didnt want anything to move while it was cooling.
While the pin was still out of the base I took the bottom part of telescopic pin completely out and heated the top half of the pin until solder would flow inside the screw hole that was left vacant. I then simply stuck a stripped and tinned piece of wire into the solder blob. The pin held heat for a while which kept the solder molten so I had to make sure wire wouldnt move when I let go.
Cleaned off the flux with alcohol and screwed it all back together:
Next I prepared the Battery. (
Soldering LiPo bats is NOT recommended unless you are experienced in doing so, hazards exist)
Took it out of its Hard Shell case
Removed the big lugs and soldered wires to the tabs. Routed the wires down the side of the battery
I enlisted my girlfriend to mask off the case, and draw some measured reference lines. I then cut the holes in it for everything. I traced out the window and drilled two 3/8" holes in it, then used a Dremel and a jewelers file to fine tune the fit. I drilled two 13/64 holes for the Up/Down buttons, which were perfect for a "press fit", they fit so snug I am not going to glue them. The case has nice thick 2mm walls and was a pleasure to work on.
Laid everything out to start surgery.
The Gens Ace 25C 6000mAh bat going in this Mod is on the right, the 65C 6000mAh bat on the left is destined for my next Mod
aka "The Punisher".
I tried to cut an adjustment slot in the top of the 510 center pin using a diamond cut-off disc, I really need to work on my centering.
Maybe next time I will just use a jewelers file. The case is 2mm thick and I didn’t have enough thread to accept the nuts I had for the back of the 510 connector, so I epoxied it in place with Plastic-Weld.
I salvaged a light pipe out of some old electronics and glued it in place over the top of the LEDs on the Charger board. Not happy with the levelness of the USB, but I love the light pipe!
I cut some stiff 3/8" foam to fit the box, then made cutouts to cradle the DNA. The channel on the right is for input power wires that will run underneath the bat, then under the Charger board. Going to make all my power splices and fuse connections down below the Charger. Did a dry run with the screen and bezel and it all fit fine.
Thought about it some more and decided to do the foam over again, I will use the one on the Left. The technician in me likes to keep everything easily repairable, I really regretted gluing my other DNA board into place. I will be in for a challenge if I ever need to repair it. I like the concept of cradling the board as much as possible since I dont intend to use any glue this time, it will just be sort of sandwiched in place by the wires and the foam, then covered with the battery.
Soldered up most of the DNA. Its much easier when I can hold it in a vise versus when it is in the box. I used standard "ribbon cable" for the Up/Down/Fire switches, having the 2 conductors paired makes for a nice neat cable run. I did a dry fit of the DNA board to figure out the cable length I needed and then soldered the Up/Down button contacts to the wires, but not the Fire button as it will need to be last since the button contacts are actually outside of the box. I didn't mount the Up/Down buttons in the case though so that I would have free movement of the board to install the screen. Used 20g wire for the power connections, then a few short rings of heat shrink to keep the wires paired neatly.
Some may notice that I actually soldered the power wires to the "Charger" terminals holes. The Charger and the Battery +/- terminals are actually the same point electrically (i.e. the two + terminals are connected by a trace on the PCB, and the two - are connected as well). I just used the Charger terminals because it was an easier neater place to solder to given my intended layout.
Glued in the screen and placed the DNA. I glued the screen into the bezel first (used Plastic Weld) while I still had the DNA outside the case. I then put the screen/bezel through case window hole by rotating it sideways then rotated it back once the bezel was through, being careful not to put ANY stress on that flat ribbon connecting the screen. I glued the bezel to the case using Plastic Weld applied with a toothpick.
Now I wired everything into place. First I soldered the Output wires to the board, a little tricky because it was an awkward angle to solder. Then I soldered in the Fire Button, even trickier. The button is going to be glued to the outside of the case so I had already drilled two holes for wire to go through. I passed the wire through the holes from inside the case to out, cut it to length and slipped some heat shrink on, and then soldered the wires to the contacts. I pulled the heatshrink back over the solder connection and hit it with the heat gun. I then pushed it all back into the case and glued the button to the surface of the case. This whole procedure was tricky because it was a tight squeeze.
By this time the board was laying in its crater nice and flat. I then press fit the Up/Down buttons into their holes.
I hooked up a nice low current AA battery pack to test it and make sure all the buttons worked. Reversed the screen orientation (Up + Fire simultaneously) and everything checked out fine.
Now its time to wire in the fuse. I used a 3.4A Hold to 6.8A Trip "strap" fuse. I know this is rated a little low for hardcore vapers, but my girlfriend vapes in the 9-11w range so this is gracious plenty for her, and more piece of mind for me considering its got that big ole LiPo in it. They are flat like a piece of paper. I made curls at each end to cradle the wires and make it easier to solder. I soldered the wire from the input of the DNA and the wire from the charger to one side of the fuse. I then slipped a piece of red 3/8" heatshrink over the battery wire and then soldered the battery to the fuse.
Soldered the three ground wires together (input/charger/battery) and put some black heatshrink over the solder joint. It all slipped nicely into place underneath the charger board. I slipped some nice thin insulating and abrasion resistant plastic around the battery to ensure nothing ever rubbed a hole into the LiPo. Dont laugh but it is actually the plastic paper from a tray of bacon.
My girlfriend thought I was kidding when I said I had to go get some bacon so I could finish her Mod.
Went to button everything up and discovered a problem! When I glued in the Charger Board I did not consider that Lid has a 2mm lip on it that slips inside the box. The epoxy was actually up almost even with the edge of the wall so the lid would not sit flush. I had to get out the Dremel and grind away some of the epoxy to make the Lid fit nice.
Applied some vinyl "Girlie" flowers, that I had made at a local sign shop, and done!
By Mike Petro
This is my second mod, and certainly not my last. My thanks go to Mamu, Bapgood, Breaktru, and others who have blazed this path before me. Their shared knowledge and experience is invaluable!
Again, THIS IS MY SECOND mod, so I do not claim any expertise whatsoever, nor do I recommend you use this as a guide to build your own Mod. This is just a document of my own journey!
My Objective:
I created a Mod for myself called the "Weekender". It was just another Box Mod but with a lot of mAh! My girlfriend
wanted one too, but she didn’t like the Industrial look of mine, she wanted something more “girlie”, hence the “Girlie” Mod.The “Girlie Mod” is largely patterned after my “Weekender” but taking into account things I learned from doing my first Mod. She wanted more rounded edges so I used a Hammond 1590B enclosure. This Box is shallower so, unlike my Weekender Mod, I did not use the chassis as a common ground, it just wouldn't have saved me anything in this build. I used some stiff foam as a "form" to support the DNA board and the battery. I incorporated a Light Pipe onto the USB Charger so she could see the charging status. It is also my first experience using signage quality vinyl decals.
Specs:
- 4.5" Tall x 2.34" Wide x 1.06" Deep
- 6000mAh 25C LiPo Battery
- 20 Watts max
- 7 Amps max continuous
- SS 510 Connector
- 1 Amp Micro-USB Charger
Projected Cost about $105
List Of Materials:
Hammond 1590BPR Enclosure (painted GIRLIE purple) ($11.38)
DNA20D by Evolv ($36.25 in a Co-op)
DNA20D Screen Cradle ($5.66)
5V micro USB 1A Lithium Battery 18650 Charging Board ($7.00)
Gens Ace LIPO Battery 6000mah 25C 3.7V ($29.16)
Bournes MF-LS340 PTC Fuse ($0.40)
SS Flat Top Cap Chi You 510 connector ($4.35)
Tactile Switch SPST RD/SQ BLUE ($4.35)
KSJ Series Spherical Tactile Switch ($0.77 x 2) (How can they make these that cheap?)
Pink Hibiscus Vinyl Decals from the local Sign Shop ($5.00)
Various other Materials used:
- Misc hookup wire I have laying around 20-28g
- Misc heatshrink I have laying around
- Various sizes of Kester brand lead-free solder I have laying around
- Spectape ST501 Double Sided Adhesive Tape
- Harris Welco Stay-Clean Liquid Soldering Flux for soldering wire to the SS.
- Versachem Plastic Welder
I prepared my 510 connector first.
Everything I read about soldering to SS seemed to center on getting the SS nice and clean by using an acid based flux to remove any surface oxide. I used: Harris Welco Stay-Clean Liquid Soldering Flux and regular old Kester brand lead-free solder.
I removed the pin and plastic insulator then cleaned the surface with the flux. I could have used wire instead of the fork terminal, but I was playing around with terminals because of some other ideas I have. I heated the SS until I could get solder to flow and lightly tinned the surface area I was working in. I then set the fork terminal (or wire) on the SS and applied the solder iron to the TOP of the wire/terminal and heated it until solder would flow by just touching it. I had to arrange my work so everything would stay in place once I let go. The factor being that the mass of SS took a while to cool and I didnt want anything to move while it was cooling.
While the pin was still out of the base I took the bottom part of telescopic pin completely out and heated the top half of the pin until solder would flow inside the screw hole that was left vacant. I then simply stuck a stripped and tinned piece of wire into the solder blob. The pin held heat for a while which kept the solder molten so I had to make sure wire wouldnt move when I let go.
Cleaned off the flux with alcohol and screwed it all back together:
Next I prepared the Battery. (
Soldering LiPo bats is NOT recommended unless you are experienced in doing so, hazards exist)Took it out of its Hard Shell case
Removed the big lugs and soldered wires to the tabs. Routed the wires down the side of the battery
I enlisted my girlfriend to mask off the case, and draw some measured reference lines. I then cut the holes in it for everything. I traced out the window and drilled two 3/8" holes in it, then used a Dremel and a jewelers file to fine tune the fit. I drilled two 13/64 holes for the Up/Down buttons, which were perfect for a "press fit", they fit so snug I am not going to glue them. The case has nice thick 2mm walls and was a pleasure to work on.
Laid everything out to start surgery.
The Gens Ace 25C 6000mAh bat going in this Mod is on the right, the 65C 6000mAh bat on the left is destined for my next Mod
aka "The Punisher".
I tried to cut an adjustment slot in the top of the 510 center pin using a diamond cut-off disc, I really need to work on my centering.
Maybe next time I will just use a jewelers file. The case is 2mm thick and I didn’t have enough thread to accept the nuts I had for the back of the 510 connector, so I epoxied it in place with Plastic-Weld.
I salvaged a light pipe out of some old electronics and glued it in place over the top of the LEDs on the Charger board. Not happy with the levelness of the USB, but I love the light pipe!
I cut some stiff 3/8" foam to fit the box, then made cutouts to cradle the DNA. The channel on the right is for input power wires that will run underneath the bat, then under the Charger board. Going to make all my power splices and fuse connections down below the Charger. Did a dry run with the screen and bezel and it all fit fine.
Thought about it some more and decided to do the foam over again, I will use the one on the Left. The technician in me likes to keep everything easily repairable, I really regretted gluing my other DNA board into place. I will be in for a challenge if I ever need to repair it. I like the concept of cradling the board as much as possible since I dont intend to use any glue this time, it will just be sort of sandwiched in place by the wires and the foam, then covered with the battery.
Soldered up most of the DNA. Its much easier when I can hold it in a vise versus when it is in the box. I used standard "ribbon cable" for the Up/Down/Fire switches, having the 2 conductors paired makes for a nice neat cable run. I did a dry fit of the DNA board to figure out the cable length I needed and then soldered the Up/Down button contacts to the wires, but not the Fire button as it will need to be last since the button contacts are actually outside of the box. I didn't mount the Up/Down buttons in the case though so that I would have free movement of the board to install the screen. Used 20g wire for the power connections, then a few short rings of heat shrink to keep the wires paired neatly.
Some may notice that I actually soldered the power wires to the "Charger" terminals holes. The Charger and the Battery +/- terminals are actually the same point electrically (i.e. the two + terminals are connected by a trace on the PCB, and the two - are connected as well). I just used the Charger terminals because it was an easier neater place to solder to given my intended layout.
Glued in the screen and placed the DNA. I glued the screen into the bezel first (used Plastic Weld) while I still had the DNA outside the case. I then put the screen/bezel through case window hole by rotating it sideways then rotated it back once the bezel was through, being careful not to put ANY stress on that flat ribbon connecting the screen. I glued the bezel to the case using Plastic Weld applied with a toothpick.
Now I wired everything into place. First I soldered the Output wires to the board, a little tricky because it was an awkward angle to solder. Then I soldered in the Fire Button, even trickier. The button is going to be glued to the outside of the case so I had already drilled two holes for wire to go through. I passed the wire through the holes from inside the case to out, cut it to length and slipped some heat shrink on, and then soldered the wires to the contacts. I pulled the heatshrink back over the solder connection and hit it with the heat gun. I then pushed it all back into the case and glued the button to the surface of the case. This whole procedure was tricky because it was a tight squeeze.
By this time the board was laying in its crater nice and flat. I then press fit the Up/Down buttons into their holes.
I hooked up a nice low current AA battery pack to test it and make sure all the buttons worked. Reversed the screen orientation (Up + Fire simultaneously) and everything checked out fine.
Now its time to wire in the fuse. I used a 3.4A Hold to 6.8A Trip "strap" fuse. I know this is rated a little low for hardcore vapers, but my girlfriend vapes in the 9-11w range so this is gracious plenty for her, and more piece of mind for me considering its got that big ole LiPo in it. They are flat like a piece of paper. I made curls at each end to cradle the wires and make it easier to solder. I soldered the wire from the input of the DNA and the wire from the charger to one side of the fuse. I then slipped a piece of red 3/8" heatshrink over the battery wire and then soldered the battery to the fuse.
Soldered the three ground wires together (input/charger/battery) and put some black heatshrink over the solder joint. It all slipped nicely into place underneath the charger board. I slipped some nice thin insulating and abrasion resistant plastic around the battery to ensure nothing ever rubbed a hole into the LiPo. Dont laugh but it is actually the plastic paper from a tray of bacon.
My girlfriend thought I was kidding when I said I had to go get some bacon so I could finish her Mod.
Went to button everything up and discovered a problem! When I glued in the Charger Board I did not consider that Lid has a 2mm lip on it that slips inside the box. The epoxy was actually up almost even with the edge of the wall so the lid would not sit flush. I had to get out the Dremel and grind away some of the epoxy to make the Lid fit nice.
Applied some vinyl "Girlie" flowers, that I had made at a local sign shop, and done!
Last edited:
I would do something nice like this but it would require a girlfriend... 
