cheapest way to build your own vv mod

[nikkimcki]

Hey so looking for ideas oppinions and general interesting input, I'm thinking of building my own box mod and in wondering the most financially efficient ways you guys do it. So I've been scouting round and found a few interesting bits but when everything comes together it always ends up more expensive that just buying a new mod. I have always wanted to build my own and I would enjoy doing it, but as a first timer I'm not feeling to comfortable spending £60 - £100 on something that there's a chance I'm just going to balls up somewhere along the way. So I'm looking at something using a DNA 30D chip as a lovely friend bought me one for my birthday along with the micro usb charging chip. I have found the HANA MODZ enclosure on fastech which looks great as drilling all the holes out doesn't appeal. But I want different buttons, preferably panamount, so I can avoid the stupid HANA glue button issues. I've been on modbuilders and mad capes but actually all the little bits add up. So what's you guys most economical build? And any advice for an excited but slightly nervous first time builder?

[VapingBad]

If you have the FT Hana box kit the only other thing you need is better wire 20 AWG for the battery & 510 I uses this it is a tight squeeze (give me a shout for a tip to make soldering to the board easier when you do it) and I would just use 0.7 mm single core hook up wire for the switches (eBay, Maplins or any electronics supplier). Super glue and Sugru are great for sticking the bits in.

I like the buttons the Hana has and not found any nice ones only a little bigger, if you use one of the big vandal proof ones (modmaker.co.uk) I doubt they will fit well for the up and down and would deffo stick to the Hana style ones.

Here is a link to one I did a few months ago.

Good luck, it is not that hard to do and let us know how you get.

[nikkimcki]

Nov 3, 2014 1:29:27 GMT VapingBad said:

If you have the FT Hana box kit the only other thing you need is better wire 20 AWG for the battery & 510 I uses this it is a tight squeeze (give me a shout for a tip to make soldering to the board easier when you do it) and I would just use 0.7 mm single core hook up wire for the switches (eBay, Maplins or any electronics supplier). Super glue and Sugru are great for sticking the bits in.

I like the buttons the Hana has and not found any nice ones only a little bigger, if you use one of the big vandal proof ones (modmaker.co.uk) I doubt they will fit well for the up and down and would deffo stick to the Hana style ones.

Here is a link to one I did a few months ago.

Good luck, it is not that hard to do and let us know how you get.

Hey nice build! Very neat a lot I have seen have appeared to have wires eveeywhere, you've kept your nice and tidy. Seen a few people put bigger buttons they tend to fit snug due to the bolt holding them in tight, but rage do take a bit more room in the box and tend to be a tad chunkyer on the outside, I can't decide. Also considered putting in a 510 spring loaded pin something Kirk the fatdaddyvapes version. What are your thoughts? How did you find the wiring, I've done a bit of soldering here and there but I'm far from an expert. The pdf on the evolv DNA 30 webpage appears to make it look simple enough especially with the diagrams. What typically would you say building a mod costs? I think my problem with feeling like I'm over spending on soenthing that could go wrong is that I don't actually know how much averagly it should cost.

[nikkimcki]

Oh phone predictive text how you hate me ???? my appologise for the random word replacement my phone "thinks I mean" it just doesn't understand me haha

[VapingBad]

BaDaBooM on PoTV has posted about the FD 510 in these boxes here and shows 3 ways of fitting them and big switches. They will add about £15 to your cost if you have a thread tap and Tap holder already to fit the FatDaddy. IIRC I spent about £70 on the Hana build.

[davetherayon]

Evening folks, just ordered a DNA40 chipset board and will be fitting it into a Hana clone (fasttech) box. The clone's DNA-based board failed, on account the hot glue gunk poured over one of the chips - a three-pin affair, a transistor of some sort, I dunno - went off and shorted the chip out. Anyway the old board is now out of the box, wires are waiting for the new board. I'm sticking with the original cheapo 510 connector, for now. Fish me luck.

Edit : I did make a working genuine DNA30 board in a Fasttech hana clone box (the bare box version) some time ago (using VapingBad's excellent guide) but whilst trying to centre the OLED, as I hadn't fitted it properly to start with, managed to snap the lead. Ho hum. It's the biggest risk you take with fitting a DNA into one of these boxes, so take great care. Dismantling the clone box I'll be using this time, it has a piece of plastic as VapingBad's recommended using glued in, with the OLED held on by tape. My original mistake was cutting a piece of plastic far too narrow to sit nicely in the case. This time I'll be cutting a piece that is as wide as the enclosure the electronics are installed into.

Also the dinky buttons are fine provided you epoxy them in.

Any other tips of course are welcome e.g. 'don't be a hamfisted nit'

[davetherayon]

Held off from using the Hana box. Instead came across and just ordered one of these, a printed-plastic bezel that holds the whole board & oled, as well as the usb charger board. Fits in a Hammond box (with a chunk cut out at the side) leaving lots of room for battery enclosure, and the bezel's buttons are lined up with those on the pcb. Quite looking forward to it arriving.

[davetherayon]

(stuff moved to 'Home-build DNA40 with a bezel' thread, to keep out the way of other discussions)

[VapingBad]

Best of luck with the build davetherayon, you should do a thread devoted to it so those who follow in your footsteps can find everything in one place.