[SMY SDNA75- Problems and scorch mark on board.]

Hmm, I am slightly worried that the 510 shouldn't of disconnected with normal use, but I am thinking it could simply of been a bad solder joint that was weak to begin with. 

Unfortunately, there are local vape stores, but I know more than they do when it comes to mods, they do not even understand the difference between input and output when it comes to regulated mods, so I wouldn't be able to do that- round here is a very 'chavvy' area, and they seem to hate Evolv boards, saying they are too expensive and fail too often. 
(Which, in my case, is unfortunately true. I still do find my favourite mods are my DNA200's though, even with the failures).

I never got a too hot warning, so I think soldering the positive back in place to the 510 will be the best move, and go from there. 

I just wonder why that Input cap has marks like that. I never run my mods hard, and the DNA75 has been used at 40W max. 

[SMY SDNA75- Problems and scorch mark on board.]

If the board HAD shorted somehow, and I reconnected the lead to the 510, would I be in any danger attempting to use the mod to see if it works? 

This is the only thing stopping my from soldering the lead back in place now, I would not want anything bad to happen. I am not familiar with building mods, and all of my Evolv devices have been from manufacturers of whole mods, so I am just a little worried something could happen that would hurt me if there was another issue going on. 

[SMY SDNA75- Problems and scorch mark on board.]

The only thing I can think of is the lack of Epoxy, would heat buildup cause the epoxy to melt/dissapear, or is that likely just from manufacturing? 

I did actually get a shorted error a few days ago, but I can not remember if it was on this, or one of my Hotcigs. I removed the atomiser, rebuilt and when I put it back on,everything was fine so I assumed it was an atomiser short, but the message displayed was just "Shorted". However I know the mod was fine afterwards, so I gathered it was just a bug. 

I will find my soldering iron later, and reconnect the lead, and hope for the best. I did really like the DNA75, so would like to be able to use it again. 

[SMY SDNA75- Problems and scorch mark on board.]

retird said:

Have you reconnected the positive wire to the 510 and does the mod work again?  What was the cause of the auto fire a month ago and how was it corrected?  It is hard to tell from the picture much about the marks and it looks like there are marks on several components and could only be components not fully conformal coated during manufacturing.

The device was working ok until you got the check atomizer message and the message was caused by the disconnected 510 positive wire. I would guess the two things are not related but it's not easy to troubleshoot over the internet and not physically having the device in hand so that's my best guess....

Hello, I haven't yet reconnected the positive wire, as I was worried it could be a potential safety issue with the scorch mark. 

The autofire, I just took the battery out, and after everything worked fine again. 

It is hard to tell from the picture, but the only mark I can see is the one I am worried about, and the epoxy coating seems to be on all of the board, apart from the area with the scorch mark and directly left of it. 

Yes, the device was working fine until today, when I got a 'check atomiser' message that kept flashing and would not stop, which is why I opened it up. I then noticed the wire had become disconnected, and also the mark. 

[SMY SDNA75- Problems and scorch mark on board.]

I can do fairly simple jobs, I will be able to solder the positive back, although I haven't opened this mod until today when the issues started, which is why I wondered what the scorch mark is. 

How would I of melted an input cap? Could it of been the auto fire situation that happened a while ago, as the mod and battery did get hot when this happened. 

If it is safe to still use, I will just solder the lead back in place, but I am a little worried in case it is unsafe. 

[SMY SDNA75- Problems and scorch mark on board.]

Hi everyone. 

Today, my DNA75 started playing up, displaying 'check atomizer'. 

I opened the mod, and found the positive lead to the 510 had become disconnected, but more worryingly, there is what appears to be a scorch mark on part of the board. 

Around a month ago, this mod was in my pocket, and I felt my pocket becoming hot. It was autofiring, and I could only stop it by removing the battery. It was quite hot, could this be the cause of the scorch mark? 

Is this board done with now, as it was working until today when I noticed the lead had become disconnected, I am unsure how long this scorch mark has been here. 

Here is an image of the mark, it is to the right of the black part with numbers on, two smaller parts around the bottom middle of the image,  the left one has the mark-


Thank you for your help, Conan. 

[Cut off questions, Wismec DNA200 and Hotcig DX converted to dual 18650.]

dwcraig1 said:

LiFePO4 isn't an option to use unless that's the type of battery that you have, I'm afraid you will just have to make due nwith the Li-Po selection. I set mine to 2.9 on 200/250 with round cells.

My apologies, I may have worded my question wrong. I understand that I should have Li-Po selected, I was just wondering what cut off would be best to set on the mods. 

I will give 2.9, or 2.85V as I believe this is the lowest possible on the DNA200 a go, and see if I get a noticeable increase in battery life. 

[Cut off questions, Wismec DNA200 and Hotcig DX converted to dual 18650.]

Hi everyone, I realised something today that I probably should of asked a long time ago, but just did not notice until today. 

On my 18650 powered DNA200's, the cut off is set at the standard setting.

Am I correct in thinking the hard limit is 2.85V per cell? So setting below this would not provide any benefit towards battery life? 

I was thinking of setting the soft cut off at 2.85V per cell. My DNA75 is set at 2.75V, and I understand I am safe in doing so with the batteries I use (LG HE4's). 

I just wondered if it is worth changing from the default setting, which is for a Li-Po, to a lower cut off for use with 18650's for longer battery life? 

Thank you for your help, Conan. 

[Help please- Wismec DNA200.]

dl12345 said:

I have a Wismec DNA200 which I have completely disassembled since I replaced the 510 connector with a FDV V4 low profile short connector (which required quite a bit of surgery on a donor RX200 case with a Dremel).  I have desoldered everything and cut down the battery compartment a little to give clearance for the 510, so I am familiar with the internals.

The battery sled design is very poor. Reading your description of what you did to fix it, it's possible that the battery connectors in the top and the bottom of the sled are not making decent contact. The way you describe pushing on the sides fixing the problem seems to point to the brass cup connectors at the back part of the battery sled not making proper contact, as pushing in on the sides will cause the lids on the sled to have less "play" in it and therefore the spring under the cup connectors will force them into better contact with the battery.

The problem is likely with the top connectors. Unfortunately the lid at the top and bottom of the battery sled is only fixed on by a single screw that is located towards the front of the apex of the triangle formed by the lid. If the door and case machining tolerance is machined slightly too loosely, then the back part of the lid won't press down enough. The spring loaded cups at the top are at the rear part of the compartment (the ground connector at the top left rear is one of these), so the most likely candidate for this problem.

I'm not sure whether this would work, but since it is simple it's worth a try. Cut and fold a piece of paper (as many times as you can and still have it fit in) and wedge it between the battery sled and the top of the case - the paper should only cover the part of the sled at the rear contacts as the screw at the front is good enough to keep the lid firmly in contact with the front connector. This would help to force the back of the lid down and compress the spring more so that there is greater force exerted on the battery. You need a T6 to loosen the screws on the top and bottom of the case in order to be able to remove the battery sled.

Hello, thank you for your helpful reply. 

I may of described my fix wrongly, I do not squeeze the sides of the mod, I have to remove the door and then press down, squeezing the top and bottom of the mod together, which bends the top portion of the mod slightly and makes the batteries tighter to insert/ remove. 

The piece of paper idea seems great though, I will definitely try this as it sounds as if it will move the connections the correct way with my issue. 

I am sure I have a T6 somewhere, I will dig it out and then try this. Thank you for your help. 

[Help please- Wismec DNA200.]

Well luckily I haven't had to do this yet- after the last adjustment, and also adjusting the negative screw, it has been working well!

I haven't changed the batteries though, I have used USB charging, as I have so many mods it isn't an issue waiting for it to charge. 

When the time comes though to change out these HE4's, I may sand the door down, I actually have a garage full of tools passed down to me from my Grandfather (He is still alive, he lives here but I can use his tools), so when I said I didn't have a sander, I meant something I knew how to use lol. 

I think one of the tools is a Grinder/Sander, I just don't know how to use it, so will have to check that out as it may give me a better result than the dremel- the dremel is mine, and I use it for small projects.

[Help please- Wismec DNA200.]

retird said:

Good thoughts..... how about just sanding down the door a bit?   just a thought.....

That does seem like a good idea actually, and is probably a better idea than removing the reverse polarity rings just incase I did accidentally have a forgetful moment and put them in wrong. 

I don't have an electric sander though, what is the best way to sand down this type of door? I have a dremel lol, would that work with the correct tool?

[Help please- Wismec DNA200.]

It does indeed. I will contact them, but I don't expect much from them from what I have heard . 

I adjusted the ground screw today, and after about 30 minutes of fiddling, got it to work. Then when I put the door on, the problems started again. It seems the door stretches the contact points, and leads to poor conductivity. 

I am not sure wether to sand off the rings that act as reverse polarity protection- I have a DNA200 I converted to use dual 18650's, and have been fine using that with no reverse polarity protection, I just make sure to triple check before I put the batteries in they are the right way round. 

[Help please- Wismec DNA200.]

Hi everyone, I now know as I posted the issue is due to the connection with the batteries, and I thought I had solved the problem completely, but today I used a different RDA with a build that needs a bit more power than I usually vape at, and even though the batteries are showing as full, the power is reducing and the battery indicator flashes. 

I am trying to fire at 80W, but the power is dropping to around 60-64W. Temperature control is off, so I just wondered if anyone had any tips on getting the connection as solid as possible again? 

Thank you all for your help, Conan. 

[Help please- Wismec DNA200.]

I must say, I am VERY happy today . 

I received a reply to my ticket, and there was an explanation there is a known issue with the Wismec DNA200's, and a bad connection with the batteries. 

I was advised to remove the door, and batteries, and press down hard on the side of the mod on a hard surface. After doing this, I replaced the batteries- they was MUCH harder to get in. 
At first, I did not think it had worked, but once I got the door back on, which was a bit of a struggle as I must of pressed a bit too firmly, success!

It now works again perfectly, and I am so happy. I didn't have to send my mod to the USA, and it is working again how it should. Thank you Evolv for helping me out, I did not know of this issue with these devices. 

So, a happy ending to this problem

[Help please- Wismec DNA200.]

Oh I don't want that either- I just am annoyed I have been so unlucky myself lol. I love my DNA200's and my 75, as I am a little geeky and love using Escribe to tweak my vape how I like. 

I actually set each profile now with a different preheat and punch, and change the material on the mod as it seems the best way for me to set up my Evolv mods. 

I bought them as long lasting, higher end devices to use alongside my cheaper mods, but have had more trouble with them than the easily replaceable ones

[Help please- Wismec DNA200.]

It does seem my failure rate is above average- but unfortunately it has still happened. 

I will update with the outcome of my ticket I have raised, out of every manufacturer of mods I own though these have failed the most .

Surely it is not every manufacturer I have bought from that is the issue, as I would expect issues with my other regulated mods (They are my babies- I do enjoy collecting them). 

[Help please- Wismec DNA200.]

I have opened a ticket, I hope I can get some joy, even if it is guidance on how to fix the issue at my end. I will say Evolv's customer service is great as I already have, I must be extremely unlucky though, or is this type of failure rate normal? 
If so, I can't recommend Evolv boards, but I hope I am unlucky as when they do work they work fantastically. 

[Help please- Wismec DNA200.]

I am pretty sure it is more than a year old easily, but has not had much use at all- probably at most 2-3 days a month in that time due to my other devices and rotation. I was surprised when I checked last how many puffs they had each used- between 2000-8000 puffs. This was a while ago though so could well be double that now for each DNA200. 

I have tried a hard reboot in escribe, still the same issue, and I have tried 2 other sets of married, triple 18650's. 

It is just annoying they are some of my most expensive mods, and I have had a 75% failure rate now, while cheaper mods still are going strong that are 2+ years old (They are only simple mods, but they at least work). 

If anyone has a fix for this, it would be a big help. 

[Help please- Wismec DNA200.]

Ok, I have connected to device monitor and the battery voltage is all over the place. 

One is reading at around 3.81V, the second at 3.11, and the third at 1.98V. 

Putting them onto my charger shows them all to be the same voltage level.

Getting very upset with these devices now, if anyone in the UK wants a DNA200 message me and I will give it to you if yet again one needs repair. 

[Help please- Wismec DNA200.]

Hi everyone. I hope you are OK. 

I am quite annoyed today, as my Wismec DNA200 is displaying 'warranty service', and the screen is fading in and out, as if it is struggling to be powered. 

I have a large collection of mods (40+), and out of them all, the DNA200 has had the highest failure rate for me. This will be my third DNA200 to fail, I have four, and one DNA75 in my collection. 

What can I do here? I bought the DNA200 devices on the basis of a good quality board, that will last me a long time. I can't fault Evolvs support, as they did replace the board in two of my other DNA200's that also failed. 

The thing is, I have many cheaper mods that are older, and still function well. I just like being able to use Escribe to set the mod up how I like, but is this a pretty normal failure rate, or have I just been extremely unlucky? 

Any help would be great, as I live in the UK, and as the mod is already displaying warranty service anything I can do myself will be a good idea, as shipping to the USA takes a fair time there and back and costs a fair bit too. 

Thank you all for your help, Conan. 

[SDNA 75- occasional errors.]

Hello everyone. 

I have a fair few DNA200's, but my first DNA 75 is a SDNA75, and I have been enjoying it as a small, take out mod, and have been using it a lot for short outings. 

I have encountered an issue though- occasionally, the device will display an error- either the temp will display into the thousands, and turn off, I will get the new atomiser message, or even rarer, an atomiser short error. 

I have noticed this only happens when my tank is fully screwed down- not overtightened, just so it does not feel loose. If I unscrew it half a turn, this goes away-but the tank feels loose, and as I go to take a draw, I can feel the wobble. 

I own a fair few mods (36) and lots of tanks, but am not sure what is happening here, I love the device, and most of the time it works correctly, it just seems to do this at the worst times E.g it is the only mod I am carrying. 

Does anyone know why the device is showing an atomiser short or other error occasionally when fully screwed in? I can't really complain as the device was sent for review purposes to me, but it has become a firm favourite so keeping it functioning properly would be great. 

Thanks everyone, Conan. 

[Hotcig dual 18650 case-charging.]

Hello everyone. 

(EDIT: Looking at the back of the mod, it is the connection going to the furthest right balance pin that has been removed so the dual 18650's work. )

I apologise if I have asked this before, I have memory issues due to illness, I think I asked about settings regarding this and not charging though. 

In my collection, I have converted a Hotcig DX200 to use dual 18650's with a case purchased from them. I have changed all settings in Escribe to reflect this, and set up the watt hours and battery CSV. 

I have been using an external charger to charge the batteries, but wanted to see if I can charge the device via USB like my other DNA200's? 

I am sure there is one less pin on the actual battery box going to the balance port, this is intentional due to the dual 18650's vs 3. 

I remember someone mentioning I can bridge something on the balance tap, but I believe this has essentially done the same thing, the housing plugs into the mod similar to the Li-Po on the DX200, and there is one pin missing going to the balance connection that is intentional. 

So, can I charge via USB, or am I best to sticking to using a dedicated charger? I would prefer to be able to charge via USB just incase I accidentally put the batteries in the wrong way one time. 

Thanks to everyone for your help, Conan.

[Finally happy with SS temp control, question between types.]

Hi everyone. 

I own 4 DNA200's that I absolutely love, and since the SP3 update, have switched to using 316L SS as I find this is perfect for my tanks (I am an RTA guy). 

I use the standard SS 316 profile that comes with Escribe now to good results. I am just checking this is OK as I understand 316L is simply a low carbon version of SS 316. 

Temperature seems to be within the range I would expect it too and the best wire I have isn't from a vape store, but a craft store-26G, and is perfect for single and dual coil builds at my power levels(30W or so, sometime pushing 40). 

So, it is completely fine to use this setting with SS 316L isn't it? I would think so due to being able to use it in wattage mode0but I would rather be safe than sorry. 

thank you all, Conan.

[I fancy taking the parts from mt HOTCIG v1, and putting into a box such as a hammond, simple?]

Hi everyone. 

I had some trouble with me hoticgs, and after refunds they ended up costing me £27.50 each. 

I would ideally like to remove the the internals of the mod, and put them into another case as a project. 

I would like the mo to run on dual 18550's. I am just wondering how hard it would be to perform a straight swap as this, will much soldering be required or just on the 510? 

The hotcig is already converted to run with dual 185650 which I changes under esribe, but due to the low cost of these I would really like to do so, so any tips of guides would be fantastic to help me out in this venture. 

Thanks everyone,Conan.

[Hotcig one battery issue.]

Hi everyone. 

I has two hotcig DX200s in my collection, the V1 and V2, and had converted the V1 to work with dual 18650's. 

I had a spare Li-Po for the mod, so thought I might as well use the Li-Po pask as my fiancee liked the device, and I can always go back to the dual 18650 config when I need too. 

Problem is, in Escribe the battery is reading at cell 1 3.8V, cell 2 0.1V, and cell 3 3.8V too. 

I have definitely changed the settings to a 3S LiPo config, so it is not that, and this pack did work fine last time trried it. 

Is it likely the mod is reading the voltage wrong-as i have noticed with the hotcigs the pins need to be slightly bent sometimes to get a true reading, or should I try a recovery charge just in case? 

I wish I had known the DR200 was coming out as it looks much simpler to swap LiPos in the device. 


Thanks everyone Conan.