The little screen ribbon who could.

[MikeTheVapeDude]

I got a few boards off a buddy. I'm starting a line of my own mods in custom cut, finished/stained mahogany wood box, 5,500mah Floureon 3S Lipos with an XT60 connector, with a sliding magnetic door. You can either charge and use the lipo into the box, or you can change them out. But this isn't the point.

When working on my Reuleaux, and just hearing people in general, I found out the ribbon cable on the DNA200 screen was sensitive, easy to break. WELL

I ended up literally flattening a fold on a ribbon, swore I had to have broken it. Nope, then I got curious, as I got two extra screens off him just in case this happened. I have bent, pinched, moved, folded and put pressure on this ribbon EVERY which way, even in the locations next to the ZIF connection pins and next to the area on the glass itself. NOTHING will break this ribbon. NOTHING. I have TRIED, well I'm not going to outright destroy it by cutting it in half, but after the stress tests, it's held up fabulously.

Did Evolv beef these up, or is this just the little screen ribbon who could? The first screen on my Reuleaux went out when I just barely BENT the ribbon, this one has at least 20 folds in it (full crease, flattened folds) in every place imaginable and it WILL NOT break.

[VapingBad]

But do the screens still work?

When people say break they mean stop working properly rather than snapping the whole cable.  They should stand up to folding, but not more than once at the same spot.

[MikeTheVapeDude]

Oh I know what people mean, as I messed up the original screen in my Reuleaux and had to get a new one. The screen this time was attached to a board on these new mods I'm making me for and a few friends. Not many want to pay $500 for a DNA200 enclosed in one of the most expensive types of wood on the planet. As I was positioning the ribbon with an S fold as I did in my Reuleaux, as I'm using mahogany wooden cut insert buttons much like the Reuleaux uses plastic insert buttons, I didn't want a screen pinch and I didn't see why I needed to use a voltage regulator and install another button when I could use inserted buttons that feel great and match the box perfectly. But as I was folding it, I accidentally basically bent and flattened it. Then I noticed the screen still worked.

I have five boards, five screens and then I paid an extra $6 for two, single screens with no board for backups. So, knowing even if I broke the ribbon for this screen, I had backups, I began to stress test the ribbon. I flattened it, bent it, pressured it, folded it next to the ZIF pins, folded it next to the screen glass and even roughly pulled the screen, trying to separate it from the screen itself. The ribbon looks like an accordion now it's so janky, but the screen functions PERFECTLY. I'm saying that, without just, ripping it off the screen or cutting it, I CANNOT break this screen ribbon, when the ribbon on the first screen in my Reuleaux broke with me barely even folding it.

I'm asking did Evolv beef these up, or is this just the little screen ribbon who could keep on going? Lol.

[VapingBad]

Without comparing them with original ones IDK if they have been changed, but I doubt it.  I've not broken either I just keep them them away from moving parts and as you say they are tough enough for the job, but maybe some people were just unlucky.

[MikeTheVapeDude]

It seems to be it's a half and half. Because if this ribbon can take the abuse I've given it and still be fine, then people worrying about the buttons lightly flexing their ribbons seems a bit pointless. But yet, I've personally witnessed how easy it can be to break one trying to position the one that my Reuleaux originally contained into an S Fold.

I guess some of these ribbons are just tough, and others are just sensitive. Either way, I'd still recommend people use caution when folding or moving them around, but at the same time I'd like to let people know not every screen ribbon is as sensitive as a snowflake.

[VapingBad]

Some early batches of a few mods the wire could get sandwiched between actuator and the button taking the full force of every finger press on the fire button, but once the issue surfaced the makers soon stopped it happening.  I think a lot of the concern comes from that TBH.

[MikeTheVapeDude]

Now see THAT makes a lot more sense, as far as being worried goes. But before I fixed my Reuleaux, I watched it with a 1,200 lumen flashlight shined into the case, and I watched the button. The button BARELY caused the ribbon to flex, and it didn't even cause it to really flex, it just pushed the U shape downward a bit, and this ONLY HAPPENED when you pressed the lower portion of the button. If you pressed the upper or center portion, it didn't even touch it.

Why are so many people losing their minds over something that isn't even a real problem? Because the original pinches were real problems and people are confusing minor things with them? It seems like every time a new DNA200D mod comes out, a certain number of people are just amped up to roast the company at the stake, nitpicking at every little thing. I completely understand having concerns and being vocal about them, but these days it seems like consumers in the vape industry are always on some sort of witch hunt, and they ignore REAL problems like mods that explode and vent at idle, to worry over the button on the Reuleaux lightly pressing into the screen ribbon. I just, do not get it at ALL. If this was a Chinese board nobody would be saying anything, just the typical run of the mill 'you get what you pay for' thing, and that's OKAY. I get paying $150+ for a mod that comes with problems is, wrong, and it angers you. But some of the things people are calling 'problems' these days just keep getting more and more minor.

[Polo65]

I have got to totally agree with you Mike, on your last comment I also done the ribbon fix on the Reuleaux, but as you said under a strong light. I could not see very much of a pressure, on the ribbon but got a bit wrapped up in the scare that most people had. I went ahead and done the fix and afterward I was thinking really

[justchil]

I have two screens one had a green protection tab the other has a red tab.  The cable looks different but I haven't tested to see which is tougher.  I am super super careful with screens right now

[bobjohnson]

MikeTheVapeDude said:

Why are so many people losing their minds over something that isn't even a real problem?

Think of a piece of kanthal. You can fold it over itself 100 times and it wont break. But if you bend the same place back and forth 10 times, it snaps. The same thing happens to a ribbon connector, theyre not meant to flex beyond the initial setup and placement.

[MikeTheVapeDude]

That's a load, the a button is BARELY causing the ribbon to move, not actually flexing or folding it, just touching it, it isn't going to break. Also, considering some of the abuse I've put Kanthal through, I'm not sure on the metaphor either.

On the earlier DNA200D mods like the Pre-Production Hana Modz V200, like VB said, it getting flexed by the pinch between the button and the actuator could hurt it. But barely being touched by a plastic button, no. And I've put this particular ribbon through even more abuse and it has held up. I'm not buying into the worry, some are sensitive, some aren't. But barely being brushed against by soft plastic isn't going to hurt it regardless of the durability or your particular ribbon.

It all goes back to what I said. I feel like the biggest problem here, is the consumer. Evolv was very vocal and honest about the DNA200D being in early Beta stages when it launched for purchase, and they can't hand out beta units to everyone for free to test it. I think companies like Hana Modz weren't vocal enough on the Beta stuff, because Hana acted like the mod itself (the casing) was all that would be changed, but the reality was this is a complex, high quality, brand new board (Even now, it's still fairly new) and with this kind of innovation there's gonna be problems in the start. But, Evolv has ALWAYS been honest about that, and has great customer support, they're happy to help.

The consumer, most of them, not all, but enough to make it a problem, however. Basically completely deleted the notion of this board being in early beta from their minds. Then when they ran into problems, they all acted so angry and surprised. Now, if the mod is poorly built, like the VT Box 200 and the earlier Hana Modz V200 boxes, that's no excuse. That's all on the third party manufacturer, not Evolv and not the consumer. But, if the mod is made to at least minimum standard and holds up well and works, then it all comes down to the board.

We are BETA TESTERS, every single one of us with a DNA200D mod, regardless of if we made the mod, we bought the mod or we got sent one for free. Now, as I said, provided the mod is well made by the third party company, everything else is AT YOUR OWN RISK like Evolv has basically already stated. Yet, most consumers seem to forget this, and every single time a new DNA200D mod is released, everyone is eager and amped up to go on a witch hunt. This is partially because the board is in beta and nobody seems to understand that, and partially because some of these modding companies have released some sloppy mods. But nitpicking at things are are HIGHLY unlikely to cause problems is a bit much, and it's almost disrespectful.

All these $50 Chinese mods coming out that everyone loves, I bet you a fat stack of bills you could wrench them apart and find all kinds of possible future disasters inside, but you never hear anyone talking about it. There's mods out there that will vent at idle, catch fire and even explode. But everyone is losing their minds because the screen ribbon in the Reuleaux is BARELY being TOUCHED, not FLEXED, by a small plastic button.

It's absolute lunacy.

[black lace]

bobjohnson said:

[QUOTE=MikeTheVapeDude]Why are so many people losing their minds over something that isn't even a real problem?

Think of a piece of kanthal. You can fold it over itself 100 times and it wont break. But if you bend the same place back and forth 10 times, it snaps. The same thing happens to a ribbon connector, theyre not meant to flex beyond the initial setup and placement.[/QUOTE] its what runs down the inside of the ribbon that cracks first, the metal leads are less malubul, gold, platinum,copper, brass, nickle or whatever, try and bend it to- to tight a radius and it will collaps.