First time ever - box mod, regulated mod, soldering…

Status
Not open for further replies.

Kang

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 19, 2011
114
77
Suffolk County, NY
www.sos-k.com
So I've been vaping mechanicals since day one in 2011 and had never even tried a regulated device. I had my eyes on the hana when it first came out but couldn't justify the price tag let alone find one. I don't do clones (don't care if you do though) so I figured, why not just make the thang. Mind you, I've never soldered in my life (but did see my dad do it once when I was like 13)… so at first I was in way over my head. I did probably 2 months worth of research while I compiled the parts and tools I'd need.

Over all I'd say that anybody with steady hands, patience and attention to detail can do this pretty easily. Obviously, research is key as well but that's a given isn't it…

Hardest thing was lining up the charging port to the back of the case and fitting it all in the case (I went with the hammond 1590g so it's pretty small).

Overall I'd say the regulated experience is pretty cool I guess… If I paid 300-350 for it I'd probably be annoyed as my Dominus has minimal voltage drop. Being able to increase the wattage to produce more warmth is cool but I can do that by adjusting my atty build on the mech. I think I enjoyed building the mod as well as the sense of accomplishment more than anything else… and I can solder now whaaat!





 

Kang

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 19, 2011
114
77
Suffolk County, NY
www.sos-k.com
Here are some more pics of the process.

I got the buttons from mouser.com. I think they were like 3 bucks a piece and are the same ones found on the hana. The firing button I got off ebay for about 7 bucks i think. It's not as tactile as the power +/- but I here that version is cheaper and has a tendency to lock up in firing position.

At first the inside was super organized. I have more pics I need to get off my wife's phone but once I soldered everything from the board to the various components... ish got tight in there lol. I don't dare take off the back haha.

To get the recessed button holes, I used a concave drill bit from harbor freight. I think I got 2 for $5.99. I just took my time and wore work gloves for grip and protection.

After a couple days I am seeing what all this regulated hype is about. I built a single coil at 1.3ohms and am running it at 15 watts for 4.5 volts... It's not burning through juice nearly as fast as it was on my .5 build at 20 watts pushing 4.2 ish volts.... That said - whoa kinda fun... If I had to choose one I'd still probably go mech. Once the box mod fails I have to pretty much rebuild the whole thing all over again whereas if my mech starts to drop volts, I just clean it and I'm good to go.

















 

Kang

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 19, 2011
114
77
Suffolk County, NY
www.sos-k.com
Nice. I understand the Hammond has sloping sides, how does it affect how you worked with the parts? Is the 510 connector slanted?

TBH i sanded the ish out of it. The bottom still isn't flat but the top I had to go in on to get the atty to sit properly.

The top is the fat daddy 510 that can go 14mm or 22mm. It's SS and super easy to set up imo. The spring connector works perfectly.



 
Last edited:

Kang

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 19, 2011
114
77
Suffolk County, NY
www.sos-k.com
Great job man!!

how did you get the dna30 hole so perfect? i would have preferred to do my mod the way you did but ended up buying the dna30 cradle to hide my file work.

Thanks man. I actually read your build thread and learned alot so thanks for that as well!

I used the specs based on one of the cradles from shapeways.. I believe it was the mamu cradle and it gave the exact specs of the opening alone. Drew it with a pencil and ruler then drilled a few big holes. Once I could fit a file in there I filed to the edge of my drawing. The aluminum was very easy to work with when filing.
 

Kang

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 19, 2011
114
77
Suffolk County, NY
www.sos-k.com
Kang, you have a problem: you're too modest!
You did an excellent job. Thanks for all the photos.
I saw another build, similar to yours, where the guy was unable to fit a battery holder for the 18650 inside the enclosure, avoiding the 510 connector.
Your photos don't show that detail. What did you use to hold the battery?

Thank you again JP. Unfortunately I did run into that same problem. I fixed it by running the battery holder on the side wall of the case. I cannot remove the battery without pretty much tearing the whole thing apart but it's fine because I run the micro usb charger every night. Here's basically what it looks like. I had put all the parts together before assembly to see how it'd fit.



 
Last edited:

Kang

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 19, 2011
114
77
Suffolk County, NY
www.sos-k.com

bamani71

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Nov 19, 2012
257
217
Colorado
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread