Ticking sound DNA 200 in an alpinetech G+ box

[mike.smith2328]

I got this mod off of a guy who claimed to have built it himself in which I don't doubt that I was under the impression that the battery had clips so that they could be swapped out with others(lipo) Also I'm hearing a ticking noise from the mod Kinda like a watch tick but not as frequent as a watch And..... The battery kinda looks home made ish...... Here's a pick of the inside of the box Can anybody give me a hand here?

[BillW50]

Yes some DNA200 builds use plugs and some directly solder to the board (I don't like that soldering job, but I have soldered for decades so maybe I am just picky). That battery just looks like they just wrapped electrical tape around it. And you should have no problems unwrapping it. Although it will be sticky no doubt. Tape for extra protection I get, but did they do it to hide that they used a really cheesy battery? I guess I never saw a DNA200 board from the side. That sure looks strange to me. Is that what they look like?

[dwcraig1]

Looks to be some type of cradle for the board to sit in.

[awsum140]

That board appears to be mounted in some kind of sled and the mod looks like it's based off a 159x enclosure.  The battery was soldered directly to save space that a connector, and some extra wire, would need.

[BillW50]

Oh yeah the ticking noise... since you have it apart, where does it sound like it is coming from? Listening through a straw might zero in where it is coming from.

[mike.smith2328]

I unwrapped some of the electrical tape and to me it looks like before the tape the cells are wrapped in some kind of white plastic that looks to be hand cut and placed over the cells before it was wrapped in the tape I've seen some YouTube videos where people are making battery packs from old ones by taking out the good cells and making a pack From what I've seen in the videos mine looks like it was a re made pack there's no manufacturers wrapping or markings on the wrap under the tape As far as the ticking sound I would say it's coming from the board as it sounds like a mechanical tick Any ideas? And since the battery is hard wired to the board how could or would I go about changing the battery out with a different one? And what battery would you recommend I'd like one with as much mAH as possible that will fit inside the box

[mike.smith2328]

Let me know if more pics would or could help

[awsum140]

Changing the battery would require de-soldering it and re-soldering the new one to the board.  To remove the old battery you'd cut one lead at a time with cutters then remove the remaining wire from the board.  After that, simply solder in the new battery.  You do need to work with one lead at a time and keep the other lead insulated to prevent shorts.

As far as size, mah, that will be determined by the available space in millimeters and what you can find commercially.  I stuffed a 1000mah Turnigy Nanotech into a Hammond 1590G box, but there is no guarantee it'll fit in yours.

[mike.smith2328]

The battery that's in it is supposed to be a 1300 mAh I was hoping to get one higer than that Any suggestions?

[mike.smith2328]

BillW50 what's wrong with the soldering on this board

[awsum140]

The best way to figure out what will fit is to measure how much space you have inside the enclosure then go have a look at Hobby King under 3S LiPO batteries and check the sizes against what you have available.  Keep in mind a little clearance to allow for expansion is a good idea. (LiPO batteries do expand a little)  Also, make sure whatever you decide on is rated at a 30 amp continuous discharge rate.

[BillW50]

mike.smith2328 said:

I unwrapped some of the electrical tape and to me it looks like before the tape the cells are wrapped in some kind of white plastic that looks to be hand cut and placed over the cells before it was wrapped in the tape I've seen some YouTube videos where people are making battery packs from old ones by taking out the good cells and making a pack From what I've seen in the videos mine looks like it was a re made pack there's no manufacturers wrapping or markings on the wrap under the tape

Wow! That could go either way. Meaning that could be a good thing or a bad thing.

mike.smith2328 said:

As far as the ticking sound I would say it's coming from the board as it sounds like a mechanical tick Any ideas?

I only have three DNA200 and none of them make any sound. Although electronically, capacitors, coils, and transformers can make sounds. But like a ticking sound... yeah I can't think of anything except some insulating material breaking down. But I can't think of anything on the board higher than 12.6v anyway. And that would be highly unusual.

[BillW50]

mike.smith2328 said:

BillW50 what's wrong with the soldering on this board

No it is probably soldered well enough and will probably last ok. It is just when you acquired a high skill level like soldering or something. And if my soldering job looked like that, I just couldn't leave it like that and would have to redo it and do a better job.