A PBusardo Review – The DNA-200 Episodes I, II & III – The Board, The Software, & Some Of The Devices.
Now that Episode III is complete, I’ve consolidated all of the posts into a single, all encompassing one.
Episode I, The DNA-200. In this video we take a look at the board itself, the features as accessed by the device, and the numbers.
Episode II, Parts 1 & 2, The EScribe Software. In these videos we take a look at the EScribe software. They are one part tutorial, one part review.
Episode III, The Device Comparison. In this video we take a look at some DNA-200 device offerings. Note that this is not a full review of the devices. No individual thumbs up, thumbs down, or overall thumbs are given. Just a look at each with some pluses and minuses pointed out. The ratings are EXTREMELY subjective. Look for what is important to you!
The Links:
Evolv
EScribe Software Found Here
EScribe User Manual
EScribe Training Course
DNA 200 Themes Facebook Group
Sweet Spot Vapors TI Wire
Steam Engine Website
HCigar – The VT200
VaporDNA – Hcigar’s Recommended Vendor Website for the VT200
HotCig – The DX200
Hot Fire Tech – HotCig’s Recommended Vendor Website for the DX200
GearBest – Where my DX200 came from
Opus Vapor – The Opus 200
Flawless Vape Shop – The Tuglyfe DNA-200 Box
Vaporshark – The VaporShark DNA 200
Steam Monkey – The Vero
Volcano – The Lavabox
Wismec – The Reuleaux
Clear Mist Vape – Wismec’s Recommendation for the Reuleaux
The Post Review Follow-up:
- 11/3/15 – There is some confusion over the charging capabilities in the Volcano Lavabox. I’ve confirmed with both Evolv and Volcano that they use standard 1A charging like all the rest except for the Shark which uses 2A “Zip” charging. It appears they have now removed the “Internal 90-Minute Lightning Fast Charging” comment from the website.
The Evolv Recommended Procedure For Calculating TC Material .csv File:
Note: Any manufacturer supplying TC wire or coil heads should be able to provide you with a .csv file. If they’re not, IMHO, they’re not doing their jobs.
Run extension wires (kanthal is best of the easily available stuff, it has a very very small TCR) to the coil and back to the DNA 200.
Fire up atomizer analyzer. Short the kanthal together at the far end to get the resistance of the kanthal and mod. Then connect the kanthal to the coil under test.
Put the coil in a flask, fill the flask with the mineral oil and put the thermometer measuring the oil temperature. Put the whole apparatus on the stove.
Don’t start a fire. Use an oil with a high flash point and low conductivity. Silicone oil works best, but it is a bit spendy. Transmission fluid works if you keep it under 450F or so.
You can use this sort of setup to generate a TCR curve for anything with a little care and practice. The oil is easy to measure, and it keeps the coil at a nice uniform temperature. Stir the oil so you don’t get hotspots and don’t set your thermometer on the heated bottom.
You’ll then need to take the temps and resistance readings at room temperature, and at increasing temps to come up with the file. Here are the contents of the SweetSpot Vapor TI .5mm .csv file to model your file after:
Of course, unless you have some pretty special equipment, you’re not going to be able to get readings as accurate as this.
The Evolv Recommended Procedure For Calculating The Mod’s Resistance:
Note: This value should be calculated by the mod’s manufacturer.
Coming Soon
The Default Battery Curve .csv File Contents:
Note: This is provided so that you’ll be able to tell if the EScribe Battery Analyzer was correctly run by the mod’s manufacturer. If you see these values in place and the device DOES NOT use Evolv’s recommended battery, the FullyMax FB900HP-3S, 11.1VDC, 900mAh (10Wh) then they are probably incorrect and you should run the tool with your mod and battery to get the best possible accuracy from your battery bar.
The Default Mod Resistance:
Note: This is provided so that you’ll be able to tell if the mod’s resistance was correctly calculated by the mod’s manufacturer. If you see a zero here, it was not done. Although it can be measured by you (see above), it requires specialized equipment which you may not have. I’d recommend contacting the mod’s manufacturer as they should be the ones calculating this. This value will lead to improved temperature accuracy.
The Default Case Thermals:
Note: This is provided so that you’ll be able to tell if the EScribe Case Analyzer was correctly run by the mod’s manufacturer. If you see these values in place and you DO NOT have an Evolv DNA-200 Reference Device, then they are probably incorrect and you should run the tool with your mod to get the best possible temperature accuracy.
The Spreadsheet Seen In Episode 3:
Note: Again, the ratings are EXTREMELY subjective. Look for what is important to you!
DEVICE | PRICE | WARRANTY | BATTERY (mAh) | Wh (Calculated) | Wh (Measured) | WIDTH (mm) | HEIGHT (mm) | DEPTH (mm) | OVERALL (WxHxD) | WEIGHT (g) | MATERIAL | FINISH | 510 | THREADING | SPRING LOADED | COLOR OPTIONS | BATTERY REPLACEABILITY | BATTERY LIFE | GRIP | ERGONOMICS | PROPERLY CONFIGURED | BUTTON FEEL | LOOKS | ADDITIONAL COMMENTS | SCORE (P-Y) | MANUFACTURER'S WEBSITE | MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDED VENDOR - IF APPLICABLE | WHERE MINE CAME FROM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HANA V200 | 199 | 4 months | 950 | 10.545 | TBD | 40 | 92 | 24 | 88320 | ?? | Aluminum | ?? | ?? | ?? | 1 | 1 | ?? | 1 | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | 3 | ?? | https://www.hanamodz.com | |||
Hcigar VT200 | 169.95 | 1 year | 1300 | 14.43 | 9.99 | 55 | 96 | 25 | 132000 | 200.5 | Aluminum | Metal | Brass | Brass | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | Battery life score changed due to actual measurement. | 20 | http://www.hcigar.com/ | http://www.vapordna.com/ | http://www.hcigar.com/ |
HotCig DX200 | 149 | 30 day, 90 day DNA | 900 | 9.99 | 9 | 52 | 90 | 26 | 121680 | 218.2 | Aluminum | Rubberized | Gold Plated Stainless | Stainless | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 23 | http://www.hotcig.net/ | http://hotfiretech.com | http://www.gearbest.com | |
Opus 200 | 229 | 6 months | 1000 | 11.1 | TBD | 55 | 94 | 23 | 118910 | 198.1 | Aluminum | Metal | Silver Plated Brass | Stainless | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 17 | http://www.opusvapor.com/ | http://www.opusvapor.com/ | ||
Tuglyfe DNA-200 Box | 200 | 90 days | 1200 | 13.32 | TBD | 47 | 95 | 27 | 120555 | 217.3 | Aluminum | Cerakote | Brass | Stainless | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 18 | http://flawlessvapeshop.com | http://flawlessvapeshop.com | ||
VapeCige VTBox200 | 160 | ?? | 1800 | 19.98 | TBD | 55 | 99 | 32 | 174240 | 300 | Aluminum | Painted ?? | Copper ?? | Stainless ?? | ?? | 1 | 4 | 4 | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | 5 | Waterproof Buttons | ?? | TBD | http://www.gearbest.com | |
VaporShark DNA-200 | 199.99 | 4 months | 900 | 9.99 | TBD | 48 | 90 | 24 | 103680 | 170.6 | Aluminum | Rubberized | Gold Plated Copper | Stainless | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2A charging +1 | 24 | http://www.vaporshark.com | http://www.vaporshark.com | |
Vero | 260 | 30 days D, L | 2500 | 27.75 | TBD | 58 | 98 | 34 | 193256 | 219.8 | 3D - Fused Nylon | Textured Nylon | Brass | Stainless | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 20 | https://www.steammonkey.com/ | https://www.steammonkey.com/ | |
Volcano Lavabox | 169.99 | 90 days | 900 | 9.99 | TBD | 46 | 95 | 28 | 122360 | 200.3 | Aluminum | Metal/Rubber Grip | Brass | Stainless | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 20 | http://www.volcanoecigs.com/ | http://www.volcanoecigs.com/ | ||
Wismec Reuleaux | 169.99 | 90 days | 2500 | 27.75 | TBD | 50 | 84 | 40 | 168000 | 319.4 | Zinc Allow | Painted with UV Coating | Gold Plated Brass | Stainless | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | -1 | 26 | http://www.wismec.com/ | http://www.clearmistvape.com | http://www.wismec.com/ |
- 12/18/15: The VaporShark is starting to show signs of the finish coming off:
- 12/18/15: I’ve experienced an issue with the Volcano Lavabox. The screen has gone blank due to an issue with the fire button hitting the ribbon cable that connects the screen to the board. The unit was quickly replaced by Volcano and they’re looking into the cause of the problem. Although I cannot confirm it, I’ve heard the Reuleaux has a similar issue.
The Video – Episode I – The Board:
The Video – Episode II, Part 1 – The EScribe Software:
The Video – Episode II, Part 2 – The EScribe Software:
The Video – Episode III – The Device Comparison:
The Photos: