First Wood Box Mod

[bamani71]

I finally completed my first wood box mod.  I used a Fasttech DNA chip because I had never soldered before.  I didn't want to risk shorting or melting an authentic DNA chip on the first try.
I used Padauk because I really liked the color. It's very lightweight.

Progress Pics:







Chip labeled and wired:



Things were going well until I cracked the screen.  I had purchased 2 chips, so at least I had a spare on hand.  I wired it backward though, with the wires coming out the back instead of the front. That meant that folding over the screen I had all off the wires between the side of the box and the chip. 



The wiring is a mess.  Not enough space to work with, so the wires are longer than I'd hoped.  The fuses (huge) kept the battery from fitting so I've taken them out for now.  As soon as I figure out how to solder 2 SMT fuses together without burning them out I will replace them.



The screw for the 510 is uncomfortably close to the battery so I'll be running to the store to buy some liquid electrical tape to paint the screw. 



So here is the finished product.  Unfortunately I seemed to have measured incorrectly with the window so it completely cuts off the battery indicator and part of the W.  I got glue everywhere and the finish hadn't cured as much as I'd hoped.

Doing this has already given me ideas for improvement so hopefully the next one will be much better.  There are several ideas I'm having to enable reducing the amount of wire in the box.  If I can shorten the wires I can use the fuses I have instead of trying to figure out how to get those tiny SMT fuses together without burning.  If I can learn how to design a PCB to mount the DNA board I can eliminate at least 6 wires (for the fire switch and up and down buttons), possibly even use a lighted switch since I couldn't even fit the transistor in at all.

[Breaktru]

Congrats. Nice small size.

[bamani71]

Thanks!  The Padauk is really lightweight.  It fits in my hand nicely but I have to make sure not to drop it!

[Suzukiv6]

Hi. I think you have done a great job on your first mod. You mention about cutting down on the wiring, I made a DNA 20 mod a while ago and used the switches on the board with small pins to activate them . Here is a pic of all the parts of the mod before it was assembled. Hope this helps.

[bamani71]

I think I remember seeing your mod - are the buttons made out of ivory?

My problem is mainly that I'm trying to keep the mod small - it's shorter than the Vaporshark RDNA although wider and longer.  If I can figure out how to keep my small form factor and use the on board buttons (for up and down) that might still help!

[Suzukiv6]

It is the one you have seen, the buttons are Ivory. Here another one with the screen folded back on the board with  3 tactile switches  used. The hight of the finished mod came out at 2.75 inches.

[bamani71]

That's what I want to do!  Instead of having separate wires for each part and then soldering them together with the wire from the DNA I want to have a single wire.  It would cut down on the excess and the amount of heat shrink as well!  May I borrow? ^_^

[Suzukiv6]

You are welcome to use any of the methods you see in the pic's.  If I can be of any further help, give me a shout.

[VapingBad]

Nice job, I love compact mods  .

To reduce the bulk from the wiring I use single core 0.7 mm hook up wire for the switches & charger and just solder one end of each wire before fitting the board so you can cut them to min length.  The 510 & battery I fix to the board first as this is not easy once fitted and I solder the switch wires to the switches before gluing them to the case, then solder the other ends after the board is in position (not permanently fixed yet).  The single core is great for this as it stays where you bend it and is easy to solder to the board.  Not trying to be a know all, but think this approach is good for small boxes like ours.

here is a pic of a Hana I did like this before the board is fitted, I broke the first screen so fitted the replacement before soldering it to the board.

[bamani71]

Your mods are also an inspiration to me. I'll never get that tiny since I work in wood, but I try!

[VapingBad]

Thanks you, but you are not that far off size wise bamani71 and lot smaller than many I have seen.

[wa9w00d]

Congratulations, bamani!

Looks great! I can only hope that my first wood mod will look as good when I finally take a stab at it.

Wayne

[bamani71]

I'm not finding many options for curing polyurethane in the winter, so the next project will probably be 3d printed...

[jonas44]

Good work there. Very compact 

[Visus]

Nice mods guys
 

I have been waiting almost two 1/2 months for supplies on slow boat from China to make new mods.   It's finally in san fran as of last night.  Now hard choices of wood, acrylic or vendor box lol..  Still haven't decided what chipset or type battery yet either, so confusing..

Suzuki thats an uber tiny mod  those round lipo's are awesome for power and to mod around. 

[wshappley7496]

sure that is Padauk looks like bloodwood

[bamani71]

I have both and I've found that Bloodwood is a little purple.  Not much different but without the polyurethane the Padauk is kind of orangy-red.

Also, the Bloodwood is harder as well.  It spintered quite a bit on my bandsaw...

[banshee]

Congrats