Ok and here is the problem.
Right shoe, negative wire on EL sole is broken.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170319/a6f1685edb74be6cb04211b10f6a2b14.jpg
Left shoe, positive wire on the EL sole is broken.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170319/8561180a17c1367550acdc384f7885ba.jpg
Both wire breaks appear to be where the wire passes through the hole or slot. So I would suggest that they have rubbed until they broke. The good thing is, the connecting clip and wires all look good.
To fix this would require me to remove the sole, remove the EL panel and attach new wires or possibly join the break, then reinstall everything.
Will have to think about how to do this.
Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk
Hey Mark, are you 100% convinced that's down to rubbing through. Those breaks look very clean to be caused by abrasion. Especially with that tiny bit of the wire core extending beyond the insulation. It almost looks as though they've snapped from a solder joint as the insulation seems to be neatly cut rather than scuffed & worn which rubbing would cause.
I'm sure it's down to friction that's caused the breakage, but I'd be surprised if the sole managed to rub through the wire enough to cause a break like that.
I won't know for sure until I get the panel out. I am going to suggest friction because that is what killed my V2s. My left V2 shoes was just a short but the insulation was worn right off on both wires. And that was #18 gauge. The right shoe and the wires broke completely. The solder joints seemed OK after tear down.
I am not sure the wall thickness from the inside to the recess of where the panel sits, but I know there is not much room to move. The panel is actually pretty tight and the wires pass through a small hole or slot.
The foot moves and twists quite a bit when we walk. The shoe flexes, but the wires are not really able to do that. Something has to give. And given how thin they are in these shoes, I am surprised they lasted as long as they did.
Yeah. I need to think about how I am going to tackle this, as I am not ready to rip the soles off these yet.
Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk
Yeah. I need to think about how I am going to tackle this, as I am not ready to rip the soles off these yet.
Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk
Unfortunately, I don't think there's another option for access. It's such a pity but they really should be addressing these issues first, instead of making the LEDs dimmer.
My guess would also be breaking right at the solder joint. The stock panels seem to have the wire stripped before the solder actually starts, which has to make it weaker. The actual fix should be pretty easy, but yea...you'll have to cut or pull part of your soles to really get at it. Here are a few pics of how the wires feed through...hopefully these help a bit with your deconstruction.
so solving this problem does not seem too hard i guess
i mean we can just fill up that spot with jb weld or something and let it dry
but wat about the middle weak spot on the sole
should the sole be composed of tow led lights instead?
and keeping the middle interconnection blank?
I had to open up my wear pair again to repair the charge port. After resoldering it, I decided to epoxy the port in place.
View attachment 715804
Agreed. Dimming the LEDs is just cream on the cake. Lets make a better cake first.
Thank you for those. Yes, that helps heaps.
We want to keep these shoes with EL, not have to use LEDs if at all possible The problem right now is, that the middle section of the EL can break leaving the front dome not lighting up. That has not been a problem for me with my shoes so far (*knocks on wood), but the wire feeding the panel has broken off.
I am wondering if that flat wire tape + insulation could work?
Fairly new to the site. I apologize in advance if these have been asked a billion times, but I have a few questions.
With all of these replicas out, it's easy to get them confused. Can someone list all the variations of the Air Mags? If I'm not mistaken I believe there are the:
I had to open up my wear pair again to repair the charge port. After resoldering it, I decided to epoxy the port in place.
View attachment 715804
i mean two el panels instead of one...
Hey guys! Sorry for asking repeat questions in advance. Has anyone purchased V3 from David lately? I just placed my order and I just have a few question from anyone who purchased from David. Thanks in advance
1. Did they fix anything in the latest model?
2. I want to wear these shoes once in while. How long do they last?
3. is David still offering replacement pairs?
4. Does anyone still offer modding service on this forum like brighter LED lights? Who do you recommend?
5. Anything I should be aware about as a future owner of this mags V3?
Thank cavx for your response. Loved your answer to question 2. Lol what do you recommend to help the issue with the fragile wiring and battery? I read before from another member about changing the insole? Any thought? Also if the LED does go out, anyone you recommend that can repair that? Thanks again
1. Mark Poons, year?
2008 I think, but I have heard stories that date this shoe back to 2004 which explains why things like the straps were crumbling apart when I got mine in late 2010. He had a pro shoe maker create the shoe for him, but had a minimum order requirement. I was said that initially these shoes were being sold for almost $800 pair, then later about $400. Mine cost me $206 with shipping from Singapore to Australia.
2. Nike replicas 2011?
Auction via eBay in September of 2011. I started bidding on a pair of 10s (that started at $0.99) and I got this email from eBay stating that even if I won the auction, they would not send time the shoes because I lived outside of the US. That my money would be simply taken as a donation to the MJF fund. Naturally, I stopped bidding.
There was a guy in Perth that either had a US address (or trusted family or friend) or just got lucky. AFAIK, his pair is the only genuine pair of MAGs in Australia and he recently had them listed for sale.
EDIT: 2.1 2011 V1
In late 2011, the Chinese ripped off the MP MAG and gave us a cheap (but very comfortable) PVC version of the MAG that we dubbed the K (knock off) MAG. It was wrong in so many ways, but it was all we had available at the time. It was the first time this shoe was available in varying sizes as many of us could not wear the MP MAGs "one size fits most".
3. Chinese Replicas V2, 2012?
These came out late 2012 and listed at $109/pair. There was a few sites selling these and when you placed the order, you got an email asking for more money before they would send the shoes. Lucky the site I used had full buyers protection and 45 days later I got a full refund. My bank dropped it like a hot stone as soon as they saw it was a purchase directly out of China. In the end, I was late to this party and didn't get my V2s until after July 2013 (birthday present to self).
4. Chinese Replicas V3, 2015?
These first appeared about June/July of 2016. Again I didn't jump head first and in some ways, glad I didn't. I got my first pair in November of last year. Reported a failed battery within 30 days and took advantage of their replacement deal.
If you ask nice, you can get double boxed pairs and that way your yellow box remains undamaged. I am not a big fan of the yellow box and in all honesty think NIKE's marketing team got it wrong. They apparently had black boxes with the yellow NIKE FOOTWEAR text on them at both the launch and during development. To me, this better represents the tube bag we saw them taken out of in the film. The yellow box is based on the Plutonium box from the first film.
Kind of funny story was when I met Christopher Lloyd in 2015 and got a photo in front of the time machine, his "handler" also didn't recognize the black tube bag and even stated that she thought the box was yellow. I just replied with "someone needs to watch the film again".
He was really nice also signed inside the lid for me.
5. Nike autolacing, 2016?
First pair shown to the world was October 21, 2015. The auction was late last year.
And we are all truly grateful you document this stuff. I've just been extremely careful each time I charge these based in what I saw in a video on how easy they break.
As long as they don't move as mine did in my V2s. But I am thinking that if the two parts are stuck together but wired separately, it would work.
I am also thinking that stick on wire tape I have instead of actual wire because it flexes and can be layered up if need be. You would technically run two on top of each other with just one layer of electrical tape as an insulator. This would help both bond the two domes and ensure a more resilient join than solder and wire.
You almost could pass the wire tape through that slot right off the back of the panel. Now it would be stuck and making contact for way more surface area than a traditional solder wire join.
I feel like the admins should pin this post to the beginning of the thread, along with the link to David's site. That's the most common question that keeps popping up.