Best retail DNA200 mod?

[MikeTheVapeDude]

I've had the Reuleaux DNA200, which I did the screen-ribbon fix on, rewired it with bigger wiring. It did me really well, but the crappy Joyetech square 510 pin in the mod got stuck down and I didn't feel like replacing the entire 510, so I sold it for $120. Good mod, but the 510 killed me.

Hana Modz V200, 510 stripped out on week one.

VT Box200, not the HCigar Version. This thing literally fell apart on me.

I don't want to go through making another DNA200, I already made one and it didn't turn out well. I'm an engineer, but when it comes to using a soldering iron and working in cramped spaces, I'm not exactly steady as a surgeon. I can rewire fire, but wiring up the entire DNA200 has lead me to frying two boards. I'm not doing it again.

My question is, what is the best retail DNA200 that I won't have to compromise battery life on? No 900-1,300mah lipo powered ones, I'll vape those dead inside two hours, I vape exclusively at 120-150 watts. I LOVE this board, just, I can't seem to find a mod that contains it that doesn't have some sort of fatal flaw. On the Reuleaux it was the 510 pin, on the Hana it was the 510 threading (and the horrible, small lipo pack.), on the VT Box200, it was the entire mod.

So, if anyone has a broad experience, here's what I'd like.

At LEAST 1,400-1,600mah+ capacity.

Full 200W output.

Size isn't an issue, though I don't want any monstrously big mods like the BiGGer.

510 threading is solid and won't strip, 510 pin makes connections good and won't stick, isn't overly stiff or overly loose. 510's are where my luck goes straight to the toilet. A good 510 is the most important aspect of a mod to me personally.

I'd also like something that doesn't have an absurdly high failure rate. The 1,600 SMY looked nice, then I read a ton of posts here and elsewhere about the Lipo pack failing or having a severely imbalanced/dead cell.

Basically my criteria is: Nothing below 1,400mah, nothing with a high out-of-the-box failure rate, nothing that's over $220, nothing I'm going to have to do more DIY repairs on to make work like I want, full 200W three cell output and nothing absurdly large.

So, under these things, what's the best retail DNA200 out there for me? I don't mean to sound demanding, but, I've had really good experiences with the board, really bad experiences with the mods containing the board. Please, oh wise people, assist my lost self. I saw the SX Mini Q Class SX450 200W mod and felt I might jump to that, then I saw it was dual 18650. I don't understand why Yihi is releasing something that's obviously a direct competitor to the DNA200 with only two cells at 200W. It's virtually impossible to get a safe 200W out of a mod using only two cells without using some sort of PWM or placebo the screen says 200W but the mod is giving 140W system. Plus after the battery sag (especially on lithium ion's) even at full charge, two cells trying to pull 200W at 3.5V after sag is going to pull a pretty high amperage and that's just not safe.

[Spector NS5 RD]

here lol,

http://www.gearbest.com/temperature-control-mods/pp_282747.html

or 

https://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10019269/3911901-authentic-think-vape-panzer-200w-4500mah-tc-vw

or

https://www.ecigarettelobby.com/sdna-200w-high-wattage-box-mod-smy-dna-200-chipset.html

smy has a new usa based repair center, so if anything goes wrong you SHOULD be ok.

it's hard to find a reasonably sized, high mah lipo dna. seems the battery gets longer as you go up in capacity.

you might be better off to order a 3d print that can hold a big lipo and put it together yourself.

[MikeTheVapeDude]

Brooo, did you not read my post? Lol, I specifically said no Vapecige BIGGER or SMY 1,600. Vapecige is far too big, the 510 is cupped so my 25mm tanks and drippers (VCMT for sure, seen it tested) won't connect. Cheap looking. SMY has had a ton of battery issues.

I don't want to spend 150+ on something I'm going to have to send out for warranty or repair myself on MONTH ONE. I get this is early adoption, but when the problems lie with the mods, not the boards, that's just poor quality control.

The panzer I am genuinely interested in. 1,500 mah lipo is good enough, I might contact FullyMax (I work for them on their engineering department from home.) and see if I can have a higher capacity pack made to shove in there later, looks good. 1,500mah/35C is plenty for me though, I have the 2A wall charger from my LavaBox still (great DNA, horrible battery life. I know that's a FM battery and I'm supposed to like it by association, but 900-950mah is NOT good enough.) I was interested in if anyone here had used one. Got a feel. Seen how it's wired. The 510 on the panzer looks extremely easy to replace (HUGE PLUS) if it goes bad and looks good enough to not need to be replaced. I'm heavily leaning toward it. If there isn't a high failure rate on this thing and there's no red flags on the internals, it's most definitely the one I'll order. 4, something something number customs has a 2,000mah DNA200 I like, but I'm not spending $250 on it. The AxisVapes M17 is BEAUTIFUL, though the Lipo is a bit small and the price is a bit HELLNOish if you catch my drift.

No china orders though. Last thing I ordered from China (wasn't during the Lunar New Year either) took 23 days to get to my home through ePacket Express. I am not that patient. Especially when spending over $150.

As for size, the issue with the BIGGER is width. I can handle a longer mod, but even with my massive hands, I used a friend's BIGGER and it was just uncomfortable to hold for more than 30 seconds at a time. I really see no point for the mod to be that wide.

[Spector NS5 RD]

with the 'must have this' and 'cannot have that' your options become smaller and smaller. like i said, find a 3d print or buy an alpine or hammond box. you build it, it breaks, you fix it. otherwise you often pay too much when ordering from a usa site (since you don't want to do the china route), or if the device fails in some way you have down time waiting for warranty repairs. at least if you build it, you can put what YOU want into it. also, doesn't hurt that you have the hook up from fullymax, all the more reason to DIY. 

[dwcraig1]

Just a bit of info here for those that are looking.
http://vaping360.com/dna-200-box-mods/

[Michael Hancock]

If you like wood mods check this page, the boxes are great mods.. His largest box holds a Maxamp 2800. https://m.facebook.com/groups/1479503469029109?ref=bookmarks.

[black lace]

ChunkyButt200 said:

with the 'must have this' and 'cannot have that' your options become smaller and smaller. like i said, find a 3d print or buy an alpine or hammond box. you build it, it breaks, you fix it. otherwise you often pay too much when ordering from a usa site (since you don't want to do the china route), or if the device fails in some way you have down time waiting for warranty repairs. at least if you build it, you can put what YOU want into it. also, doesn't hurt that you have the hook up from fullymax, all the more reason to DIY. 

I agree entierly, for the price of a comercial mod you can buy two dna 200 boards, if you have the practical ability to build and fit a coil, you can build a couple of mods..

[MikeTheVapeDude]

I'm an engineer, I do much better on a computer than I do with a soldering iron. I've already tried to go DIY and it ended with a bunch of wasted money, time and frustration.

If there's any triple 18650 DNA's that aren't outrageously expensive and have good 510's (and not massive as all hell like the BIGGER) I'll go with those any day of the week. I just don't want another Wismec, the 510 pin that can get stuck down inside the mod is a huge con and I'd rather not go through the experience again. I would honestly buy the bigger if the 510 wasn't a 22mm sunken cup, it prevents me from using anything over 22mm without loosening the 510 pin and messing up the resistance reading.



UPDATE:

Decided on the BiGGER. Learned that you can easily remove the four screws and open it up. I found a friend with one. The 510 on this looks like it would take ten minutes to replace, and once a Varitube was on this beast I'd be singing whistling dixie. I'm ordering it today, then when I get it I'll do what I do best. Void the hell out of the warranty.

Some of you may be thinking. He won't make his own but he'll gladly tear a retail box apart and modify it? Yes. Because when I tried to make my own I was wiring it triple 18650, and I accidentally bridged a solder connection without noticing, then put batteries in it and fried that board like a bucket of KFC chicken. It's a whole different story to burn some solder joints off a 510, tear it out, drill a small hole (or if it's big enough just put it in), mount a new 510, super glue it in place so hard it'll stay put until 2142, then remove the 510 pin and solder it. I'm not the best with soldering. I'm an engineer, my skills are so much better on AutoCAD and PC rendering programs, when it comes to holding a soldering iron I suddenly go from Michael W. Lunsford to Michael J. Fox. My friend showing me the BiGGER did a lot. It wasn't as big as I thought it was. I also have extremely large hands (another reason I suck at soldering) so I had no problems holding it. I can hold three Joyetech Cuboid 150W mods side by side in the same hand, so I guess I should've figured I could hold the BiGGER. I actually like the feel of it, it's the first mod that's really filled my hand that wasn't unreasonable. A few years back, when I made unregulated box mods (much easier than wiring regulated boards, just saying), I made a series parallel (Two sets of batteries in 8.4V series paralleled.)  26650 box and I could hold it in my hand, but the side jetted out WAY past my grip. This thing actually fits in the width of my hand, and doesn't extend past my fingers. The only thing I didn't like was the position of the screen. I felt moving the screen to the side where the firing button is would've been better, because it just looks more, normal, and plus VapeCige wouldn't have had to run an offboard antivandal for a button. Or however they wired it, I assumed that was how, I didn't look into the internals too closely, just enough to where I could see I could change the 510 out easily enough if I needed to. That's all that matters, the solder job was good enough and nothing looked undersized. The Reuleaux had skimpy wiring, I replaced all the wires (excluding the balance wires and the 510 wires, basically just the wires running to the sled.) with 16 gauge stranded silver wiring. It was a bitch, I had to flatten out the wires to make it fit, but the battery efficiency went way up after I did. I regrounded it much better too, didn't trust the screw ground Wismec used. I guess if I would've replaced the 510 it would've been my dream mod, but, the 510 looked very hard to replace in the Reuleaux due to the fact I had already used up the very limited internal space with  my bigger wiring. So I sold it. I may end up getting the BiGGer and the updated SMY. Order the SMY from China for like $110 and the BiGGer for $150 from the US. See which one I like more. I still have my Lavabox DNA200 and my Vaporshark DNA200, those work famously, the battery life is just awful.

[surgum]

Read your condition... I believe that you should have dna200 board with 2A charging like vaporshark has.. But i have not seen other mod have 2A charging Or you can have a mod which easily to switch the LiPo battery so in any situation that you cannot find charger, you can use replacement battery

[MikeTheVapeDude]

No idea what you just said. There's an adapter that ships with the Lavabox DNA200, which I own, that allows USB charging through 2Amps. I know the VS has default onboard 2A, but it's only on that mod. I've made my decision, order has already been placed. BiGGer DNA200, triple 18650 mod. Going to get it, tear the stock 510 out, replace it with a 22mm varitube which will fit perfectly down into the recessed cup on the BiGGer, solder it in, super glue and nut thread it tight, put it back together and vape using my book sized mod. I may get an SMY SDNA V2 later on, but for now I'm content.

[black lace]

Quoting on 8 & 10 """" building your own is a learning curve, you made some mistakes that you wont make again, you say youve orderd somthing and your going to convert the 510, so your confident enough, personly my experiance is modifiying something already assembled is moor time consuming than a straight foreward build, ive built all my own for the simple reason and simular to you, theres not much out there that fits my requirerments.. all the best to ya..

[MikeTheVapeDude]

I bought an SMY SDNA200 at a B&M, BiGGeR is on its way. I'm at no shortage of money, I'm an Electrical Engineer, I just suck at spending my money (I'm in my early 20's and I make six figures, but I came from a dirt poor Serbian family and ended up in the US with a rich adoptive family who wouldn't even give me food to eat. I've worked for everything I had and even though I have the wealth and good health I just can't run away from my roots.) so even though I can afford these $250+ mods I just can't let myself do it. I bought two DNA's for $300. Better than taking a gamble on one of these dyed, stab wood mods that are so expensive. The sDNA seems to function alright. It had presets on it, though all have been removed and replaced with my own. Finish is a bit eh, it's the newer one but I don't like the clear coat look though overall it's okay. The battery life for the past few hours has decently surprised me for a 1,500mah Lipo.

The only thing I really DISLIKE about the sDNA is the raised 510 that prevents my stuff from sitting flush but the gap is very thin. The only potential worry long term I have is I've heard the Lipo is packed in here with the fist of Zeus and is likely to be damaged upon removal. My entire job is improving the design and construction of lithium polymer batteries and insuring quality control, I know what happens to the level of being able to thoroughly describe it in paragraphs what happens when a pack is punctured. It's not like thermal runaway (venting) at all, it's an oxygen exposure situation that almost certainly ensures the pack will swell and likely catch fire, and if it's stuck in the mod there goes the mod and possibly my carpet. The decal protecting the removal screw wouldn't be a huge loss, I could cut a J-wrap to the diameter and shape to recover it, but. Plus it's soldered to the board. So, given my horrid solder skills and the firm securing of everything in this mod, if it craps out it's going on warranty. I'd rather not void a warranty trying to fix something I highly doubt will be easy. The BiGGeR I took apart, my friend has one, I could literally replace the 510 in that mod in five minutes. Replacing a 510 in a HUGE mod that's easy to take apart is a different story than making one.

My issue with DIY is wiring the DNA200 board. I know both how to wire it for triple 18650 and lithium polymer, even dual. I know the board well enough, I've seen diagrams, I'm an engineer, the issue I run into is I am NOT AT ALL IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM good at soldering. I'm not a steady handed person. I already have pins/screws and a plate holding my femur together from an injury I took in the Marines, I'd rather not blow my hand off by accidentally bridging another solder joint. I know the fuse on the board is supposed to stop huge malfunctions like that, but in my field I've seen all kinds of safety precautions on the most well designed high dollar equipment fail, plus ruining an $80 board is a drag too. So for now, unless they make soldering a lot easier for me, no DIY mods, modifying one part of a mod is different. The problem is wiring the board itself, the switches, 510, all that is EASY in comparison to the micro-solder job the board requires.

[black lace]

oh

[MikeTheVapeDude]

Just like to say the SMY SDNA V2 has been the best retail under $200 Lipo-powered DNA200 I've used so far. I'd still like to check out the Panzer, but considering how large that beast is, same size battery, don't see a point. The BiGGeR just came. It definitely is big. 510 is already replaced, took 7 1/2 minutes. Works great, just large. Love them both so much I'm either going to sell the Lavabox or the Vaporshark. Not sure which. I think I like the Lavabox more but the LEDs on the Shark make me like it more sometimes too. I just don't see a point in owning four DNA200's with two Cuboids, a Laisimo 200W, a Snow Leopard, an IPV5, a Wismec Noisy Grenade (Cricket) and a preorder on the SX Mini Q-Class 450SX powered sure-to-be-a-let down chip. I'm just sick of companies trying to convince us they can do a legit flat-signal 200W with only two cells and do it safely. This .00001 ohms nonsense is just, eh, too. That's so close to a dead short, and it would take, a metric ****ton of wattage to even get that thing to glow faintly at a resistance that low.

[BillW50]

MikeTheVapeDude said:

I've had the Reuleaux DNA200, which I did the screen-ribbon fix on, rewired it with bigger wiring. It did me really well, but the crappy Joyetech square 510 pin in the mod got stuck down and I didn't feel like replacing the entire 510, so I sold it for $120. Good mod, but the 510 killed me.

Just curious, if one needed a Joyetech square 510 connector, where would one get one at?

[dl12345]

MikeTheVapeDude said:

I've had the Reuleaux DNA200, which I did the screen-ribbon fix on, rewired it with bigger wiring. It did me really well, but the crappy Joyetech square 510 pin in the mod got stuck down and I didn't feel like replacing the entire 510, so I sold it for $120. Good mod, but the 510 killed me.

Great mod, crap 510. My RX200 also died on me because of this. Every manufacturer seems to skimp on the 510s. I totally don't understand it.

MikeTheVapeDude said:

I don't want to go through making another DNA200, I already made one and it didn't turn out well. I'm an engineer, but when it comes to using a soldering iron and working in cramped spaces, I'm not exactly steady as a surgeon. I can rewire fire, but wiring up the entire DNA200 has lead me to frying two boards. I'm not doing it again.

I hear you. I'm not the greatest solderer either. However, the right tools make all the difference. The contacts on the PCB are pretty small. You need a BGA rework station, some flux paste and some solder paste. Put a bit of flux paste on the tab, put some solder paste on the tab, put some solder on the bit then apply and you should get a first time, clean solder. 

My best mod is unquestionably the one I built myself. It's a boxer mod. A Fat Daddy V4 makes all the difference. It's light, has 18650s that I can change, and the form factor is fabulous. If you don't want to build it yourself, you can buy it pre-made. Ok, so it's overpriced. But I guarantee you'll be happy. Just suggest not dropping it, being 3D printed it's likely to break if dropped on a tiled floor.

HOWEVER, this is limited to 133W because it only has 2x 18650s. The only mod I am aware of with 3x 18650 is the Reuleaux. Your criteria are too stringent - there really is nothing out there that will satisfy your entire wish list.

[dl12345]

BillW50 said:

Just curious, if one needed a Joyetech square 510 connector, where would one get one at?

Nowhere. i asked Joyetech to sell me one. They refused - even after I gave them the option of selling me one or RMA.

[scott6058]

IMHO the Hotfire Hero ascetically basic beautiful USA built mod spendy but oh well.
Built like a tank and light weight as well.
Battery life not bad if your an average to above average vaporer.
Upgradeable to 1300mah as well but didn't need it yet.
Scott

[Danny Higgins]

I'm an engineer blah blah.

[MikeTheVapeDude]

I actually ended up with both the SMY SDNA200 (Updated Ver) and the BiGGeR DNA I replaced the 510 on. I also have a custom DNA that has a HUGE 6,200mah 20C Lipo in it that I absolutely love but the thing is massive. That new Player Mod looks baller. Swaps out with a 1,100mah Lipo and a dual 18650 133 sled. You can even buy spare lipos for it.

[scott6058]

scott6058 said:

IMHO the Hotfire Hero ascetically basic beautiful USA built mod spendy but oh well.
Built like a tank and light weight as well.
Battery life not bad if your an average to above average vaporer.
Upgradeable to 1300mah as well but didn't need it yet.
Scott

[fibercarbon]

a quick google search and you can find the player mod really cheap right now I own a few and I love it for the price it vapes really good

[black lace]

Strip the sled out fit a lipo and unlesh some power, easy job,,