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DIY Thorough Walkthrough

OmagaWright

Silver Contributor
Member For 1 Year
Sup yall. I have practically given up on factory made mods. Because I keep my rig in my pocket all the time anywhere and everywhere I go, accidents happen. I have never broken a tank, battery, or even cracked a screen. All my mod boo boos all end up breaking something at the battery door. I have had enough and would like to try my hand at a DIY.

I have read a few posts of reputable websites to purchase from, but the terminology are over my head. I am a bit overwhelmed at where to start and what information I need to not only build, but fully understand everything I am doin and putting together. I don't want to be a statistic nor be on a freak accident on youtube:p

If it helps, I am not into unregulated, but would rather jump into regulated mods with chipboards and such. Thanks in advance for any help pointing me in the right direction.
 

Theserialvapist

Member For 1 Year
I'll post a link to my big als board. I' a noob too but hopefully it will help. Give me a week or so and I should be able to do a from scratch, photos included, step by step guide for other noobs like me. PM if you like and I'll answer as best as I can
 

OmagaWright

Silver Contributor
Member For 1 Year
Serial, looking forward to it. I would like to gain enough to build my own from scratch as well, or even if I can just reuse the chips from previous broken mods (I cant let go of my rx300 lol).

What gets me is the terms. I have tried reading some of the posts on here but the lingo is confusing. -_-"
 

Theserialvapist

Member For 1 Year
I'll be honest, there's some of it goes over my head on occasions too and I have to look stuff up. As for re using chip boards, I've thought of that and I'm all for recycling. I had an old koopor mini that the battery sled broke on which i think is still floating around in a draw somewhere. . . It's definately doable but I don't Have much luck with the tactile switches they usually use. Too Diddy and fiddly for my fat fingers lol I haven't built any 'regulated' or VW mods as such, plus I'm poor lol The DNA boards are gucci but expensive. I can justify £15 for an ipwm but not £115 for a 60w DNA. I'm not saying they're not worth the money, a lot of R&D has gone into them. It's horses for courses I think and I would imagine a lot more skill involved, they usually take up more space and you would have to remove a fair bit of material for the screen etc.

For me personally I think PWM (pulse width Modulation. Sounds impressive but basically means it switchs it on and off so rapidly it's seemless when you press the fire button) is the way forward. You can adjust the power output via a potentiometer (a dial basically. A volume knob is a potentiometer) big als ipwm has a 5 x click on/off and a favourite setting as well as low voltage cut off. The only thing it lacks Is the screen display. Its Simple but powerful and a lot of bang for buck. It's not too scary for soldering to for a beginner and has awesome customer support.

As well, you may be more surprised than you anticipate with how much space you have inside your enclosure. I've had to re adjust my thinking on internal layout of components as well as board layouts. If you're a novice with a soldering iron that can come into play too.

I hope I haven't made it sound daunting because it really isn't, I think I've found a new hobby in building mods and I'm behind you all the way if you decide to go for it :) I've also found people here to be helpful with questions you may have. There are some very knowledgeable people here who I'm sure are more than happy to help. :)
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Because of you @Theserialvapist I have a perfectly working Movkin Disguiser 150W that I dropped and broke the battery door. At one time the parts were available but I repaired it with Cyno Acrylate and when I went to buy the bottom cover it was no longer available. Been thinking about turning it into a custom box and Thanks to you looks like it is going to happen soon~!
 

Theserialvapist

Member For 1 Year
Glad I could help inspire lol. I've got an old X-cube 2 that after the board blew, I ripped the guts out and wired up as an unregulated mod. I still carry it as a back up piece ;) it's simple, bullet proof and to be fair, no one else has one like it :)
 

OmagaWright

Silver Contributor
Member For 1 Year
Because of you @Theserialvapist I have a perfectly working Movkin Disguiser 150W that I dropped and broke the battery door. At one time the parts were available but I repaired it with Cyno Acrylate and when I went to buy the bottom cover it was no longer available. Been thinking about turning it into a custom box and Thanks to you looks like it is going to happen soon~!
Lol! Oh I got good laugh out of this. Sadly, I too have the Movkin Disguiser and broke the battery door. Honestly it is such an innovative piece I cant let it go as I hope to someday rig something up to hold the door closed. Its too bad I havent seen anything similar since.
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Glad I could help inspire lol.

Yeah I am thinking of building a custom box using whatever I can salvage out of the Disguiser. Definitely a good board so I will have to disassemble it to see if I can use the 510 and the switch. Definitely going to need a battery sled and maybe I might take out the router and make a custom Wood Box. maybe time to install the Auto Cad software on this machine?
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Lol! Oh I got good laugh out of this. Sadly, I too have the Movkin Disguiser and broke the battery door. Honestly it is such an innovative piece I cant let it go as I hope to someday rig something up to hold the door closed. Its too bad I havent seen anything similar since.

I actually have a New Disguiser in a box because they sent a replacement for the one I had won it in a GA before they were even released~! It has a slight QA issue with the display if you reverse it so I sent a message to Movkin at the time and they were so concerned they asked for videos and pictures which I gladly supplied. Now bear in mind all I was doing was telling them about an insignificant flaw and they were so thankful they sent me a New One by DHL which made it to the US in less than 3 days. That was not why I was informing them I found a flaw but I wasn't going to say No to a new one~!
 

Theserialvapist

Member For 1 Year
Go for it! I'm dreaming of a machine shop!! Stabilised wood looks awesome but again is expensive. the plus side with making your own enclosure is you can design to make your life easier when installing the internals, fit it to your own hands, and generally make it your own.
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Go for it! I'm dreaming of a machine shop!! Stabilised wood looks awesome but again is expensive. the plus side with making your own enclosure is you can design to make your life easier when installing the internals, fit it to your own hands, and generally make it your own.

I have the wood shop and enough tools for metal fabrication. Need to get some Oxygen and Acetylene tanks for my torch because there are things I can do with heat that are just not capable with an Arc Welder. Too much machining and polishing after with the Arc Welds. Rebuilt my plow blade last season and still have grind a few of the welds down~! Ha hah.
 

OmagaWright

Silver Contributor
Member For 1 Year
Steve, I hope to one day build my own custom mod based off that Modkin. But I would like to build it for a single 26850 with the "cage". Kinda give a new meaning to pocket protector lol. If you think this would be up your alley to build, I would love to see the results.
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Steve, I hope to one day build my own custom mod based off that Modkin. But I would like to build it for a single 26850 with the "cage". Kinda give a new meaning to pocket protector lol. If you think this would be up your alley to build, I would love to see the results.

I have to sit down and see what parts are available and the put some kind of plan on paper before actually designing it. The electronics are basically done depending on if the button is part of the board or not. I will keep you guys posted if I find some free time soon to dismantle the Disguiser 150W TC. Remember it is a TC MOD.
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
If you think this would be up your alley to build, I would love to see the results.

I can make anything I put my mind to, like I have repaired tailpieces for 100 year old stringed instruments that are not available and jewelers wouldn't touch. When it comes to metal just give me a torch and some welding rods.
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
When it comes to wood that is so much easier to work with~!

Here I needed an Atomizer stand so broke out the router and made this up with no plans just an idea in my head.

upload_2018-9-7_21-30-55.png
 

Theserialvapist

Member For 1 Year
I think I mentioned it in another post, building an enclosure out of 3mm mild steel. Should be tough enough for most things life can throw at it. Main concerns would be door mechanisms, I was thinking flush fitted hinges with magnets/mag latch or even a hasp and staple type thing and the internals suffering from shock when they hit the deck. Could Possibly encase them in resin. I know it seems like overkill but for those who work hard in harsher environments, like farmers/builders/riggers etc, having that level of sturdiness certainly wouldn't hurt. It would be ugly as hell but tough af.
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Should be tough enough for most things life can throw at it.

If I build a MOD it will either be like a fine piece of furniture or a fucking Tank that would take a 3 story drop. You have the idea floating around me head right now so when I get some ideas going I am going to post for some input from you to possibly send me in a different direction or improve upon an idea I had,
 

OmagaWright

Silver Contributor
Member For 1 Year
Serial, got alot of ideas and questions on my mind, sadly, we just moved into a new house awhile back and we are lookin to build a shed/workshop. Basic tools will be a must, space, I dunno.

I see what ya both mean by durability. I am hooked on the idea for a magnetic door over a latch/hinge door. Though I have never used one in my mods, I can say the latch style sucks if any one of the pieces break. Hence why I have 3 dead mods at my house. Not sure internally, but externally, I have considered "painting" a mod in Rhino Shield, or whats usually found in heavy duty pickup truck bedliners. Durable as hell, but not sure how slick it would come out of somebody's back pocket. There is also a cheaper rubber coating you can use internally, usually used for sound dampening and only for a few bucks in a rattle can at your local autoparts store. Just some thoughts.
 

Theserialvapist

Member For 1 Year
The neobdymium magnets are great for regular day to day stuff in my experience, but if you drop it the door will come flying off. Also, have a search around online. There are a few places that sell enclosures that are fit for purpose. From modmaker here in the uk for example and Another popular choice has traditionally been 'hammond' boxes. There are pros and cons to both. The hammonds are cheaper but need a lot of prep work. If you haven't got a belt sander you will hate prepping hammonds. however they are both made from aluminium and can be easily drilled and worked by hand. In fact basic hand tools are all that's required to get started. Yes a drill press would be lovely, yes a belt sander with incorporated grinder and attached rotary tool would be an awesome Xmas present (looking at you here Mrs serial) but so far I've been using hand tools and a cordless drill, And the cordless isn't even necessary, just time and labour saving. I guess it comes down to need, want and available resources. If your planning on using your old board then you'll need to make a template and work out its placement along with how much space it will need along side your battery sled. Most companies list the dimensions of their parts so you'l have a good idea of what's going where on paper. Plus where do you like your fire button in relation to your 510? My latest build is the potbelly and I put the fire button up on top beside my 510. I quite like it but I know not everyone is a fan. How big a mod do you want and what was your old mod running battery wise as you will probably be limited to that same setup (ie 2s 3s or 2p, 2s is 2 batteries in series, ie + on one is connected to - on the next wheras 2p is 2 batteries in parallel ie both +'s are connected to each other and both negatives. There's whole videos and write ups on the pros and cons of each setup. Basically series is more power, parallel is more longevity) and then you get to choose which switch or which 510 etc you would like if your not opting for recycling your old buttons and connectors. If essentially what your after doing is transplanting your old mod into essentially a new box, great! Your limit is really whatever you can concieve and will fit :) if your after something a little more custom, you might need to think a little further outside the box so to speak.

I think the fun in it for me is that it is all quite customisable with a lot of parts available cheaply off the shelf. Have a bit of a think about what you would like it to look like and then go from there :)

Sorry if I rambled, it's 5am here and I'm off to bed now.
 

OmagaWright

Silver Contributor
Member For 1 Year
No worries on the ramblin, its a lil after 11pm here and burnin the midnight oil, or technically gettin the magnet wire oven up to temp. 12 hour shifts suck.

Thanks for the info on what 2s, 2p, 3s etc means, that was one of my hurdles to understandin wtf people talkin about. I would like to reuse my old boards if possible and thankfully I do have a dinky dremel that should work quite well for the small jobs you mentioned.

One thing does baffle me, what is that lil pin usually found on the mod but touches a terminal, I presume to the bridge of the neg and pos batteries of the battery door? Is that for short circuit protection or something?
 

Zohmbiebuilds

Silver Contributor
Member For 3 Years
What has helped me the most?

Watching tons of diy videos. That really helped me get the concept. Anyone can put a piece of solder down but you have to know the science behind actually bonding them together well enough to create a stable connection.

Getting kester solder, and also paste flux and liquid flux. Buying good solder will make this process so much easier. Get 60/40 leaded solder. Lead free really is for plumbing and situations where lead isn't a good idea.

Since you said you only want to make your own mods that sounds like me. I am extremely careful with my equipment. But I tell you, every mod has a failure point. Most Chinese mods have not the greatest qc. I have never had any of my mosfets break. I've never blown a mosfet ever and I vape pretty low.

Find yourself a rework station. Those imo are everything you will need. Do not get the cheapest one and if you can afford a hakko then by all means have at that. But if you can't, or don't want to despite what others say (yes there are elitist solderers out there) just like with vaping there will be people who only spend top dollar and spread bad information. There are tons of shitty clones out there. If you p.m. me I can help you find something worth having without breaking your pocket.

I prefer stranded silicone wire to solid wire but everyone is different.

Sent from my SM-J727T1 using Tapatalk
 

OmagaWright

Silver Contributor
Member For 1 Year
Sorry, would have responded sooner but never got a notification on the new posts. Anyways...

Serial, I will try and take a pic of my Fuchai 213 later, and if I figure out how to post it, I will.

Zohm, I tell myself it sounds easy, but then I feel like I am bound to make a costly mistake. Once I get some free time tonight I will do some lookin around for the videos and so forth. No idea what a rework station is, but a quick google search will fix that. Alot to take in, but alot of good stuff I can use.

Honestly, the Disguiser was a great idea, no idea why they didnt improve upon it. Unless they have a newer version I wish they could have continued that lineup.
 

Theserialvapist

Member For 1 Year
I use a photo compress app on my phone, It's the only way I've found to do it.

As for the rework station they are the best tool for the job from what I've seen, but a regular soldering iron will get you by at a base level In experience. :)
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
I just use Paint to resize pictures I take with my new Google Pixel 2 XL. Cameras it come with are awesome and can't post any pictures unless I resize them to 20-25% of the original size.
 

OmagaWright

Silver Contributor
Member For 1 Year
Finally saw the Upload File button, maybe that should work. Anyways, Fuchai 213 in the first pic has one pin in the center. And second pic, Wisemec Gen3 has 2 pins, and the RX300 has 2, one on each side. Sorry if resolution is horrible.
 

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Theserialvapist

Member For 1 Year
OK, so I'm going to hazard a guess at a safety feature in relation to door closure. Breaking the circuit or supplying power to the relevant board in question once the door was opened/closed. I know the smok mag has something similar as well.
 

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