I played FFE and one of the things I actually kind of miss was that modules would undergo normal wear-and-tear just from being in space. I remember getting way out in an Asp my hyperdrive just wouldn't work anymore, because it hadn't been serviced.
When I took my first long trip in a DBX in 3302, it seems like I crashed into a bunch of stars. I'm not sure if I've gotten better of if the game has changed in some way, but I hardly ever crash into them today in my exploration conda. In some ways, I feel like I'm kind of missing out that I don't have to pause now and then to make repairs.
That's one of the reasons I neutron boost whenever possible. The FSD damage is actually welcome, in my opinion.
Do you use coriolis.io to plan your builds?
I think that a general plan for any explorer is, you start by stripping it all the way down, then you upgrade and engineer the FSD, then you add a fuel scoop. That's sort of the minimum gear, I would think. And the one thing you really want to engineer to grade 5 plus an experimental effect is that FSD.
There are two range-related experimental effects: deep charge and mass manager. Use coriolis to see which one gives you greater range. It's usually mass manager but in small ships like a hauler, deep charge is better.
Your range at this point should be about 55 ly
Next step, optional exploration gear: a detailed surface scanner and an SRV. You could choose to forego either or both (particularly if you're going to Colonia vs. general exploration).
The surface scanner has no mass, so doesn't affect your range. The SRV comes in four flavors. You can get one with two SRVs or one with a single SRV. These days, if you lose an SRV, it's easy to replace it no matter where you are in the galaxy, so I recommend the single-bay version. Then just make sure you get the lighter one (the G one, not the H one). Your range should be 54.5 ly.
It's worth your time to consider engineering the surface scanner too. Doing so greatly increases the scanning radius of a single probe and makes scanning gas giants less of a pain.
Next step, FSD booster: it'll take you an afternoon to unlock it, and bonus: you can use the trip to the guardian site as a shakedown cruise for your DBX. It'll give you 9 lys of range, bringing you up to 63.6 ly
Next, safety gear: a heat sink and a shield. A shield it's only helpful when you dock, or land on a planet. If you're not paying attention when you land on a planet, an explorer-class shield probably wont save your life anyway. So, being careful is actually better protection than a shield. I actually recommend against it, but if you do get it, you can engineer it to be lighter.
The heat sink is for if you crash into a NS or BH. Possibly also if you jump into a system and land between two large stars (though I haven't had that happen in years so, I think Fdev made a change to prevent it). Otherwise, you don't need it. You can also engineer it to be lighter.
Next, repair gear: AFMU and repair limpets. The repair controller has mass but the AFMU doesn't. Remember to get the lightest controller, and remember to add a cargo rack too. This is optional equipment, but if you do need to use it, the way it works is, you synthesize limpets when you need them, as opposed to buying them.
Finally, lighten up core modules: This basically means D-rating them. I save this step for last because now you can see ho much power you actually need and decide which power plant is the lightest one that meets your needs. Remember that you can turn modules off in flight to use less power.
You can also engineer some of the core modules to make them lighter. It doesn't help much with a DBX, but later when you have an anaconda, engineering the sensors helps a lot. You can also engineer the armor if you like. Lightweight armor doesn't gain any mass when you use the "heavy duty" engineering. So, you can get a few more health points with no extra weight.
A very basic, "I'm going to Colonia and you can't stop me" DBX with minimal engineering has a jump range of 69.63 ly and looks like this:
https://coriolis.io/outfit/diamondback_explorer?code=A0p3tdFfldd3sdf5-------321P-----2i.AwRjOV2nyA==.Aw18SQ==.H4sIAAAAAAAAA2P+J8XAwPCXFUj8qQAS/Cq//v8X2sHNwCBSI8rAIHEHKPNf7F8sTJGQgDoDg2mHMFD0PwMDAEhMQ0c+AAAA.EweloBhBmSQUwIYHMA28QgIwVyKBQA==
A deluxe build with full engineering that you could leave home with and never have to come back has a range of 68.79 ly (but by the time you unlock all the engineers, you'll be able to afford an anaconda with a range north of 70):
https://coriolis.io/outfit/diamondback_explorer?code=A0p8tdFfldd3sdf5----02--321P430iv6019q2i.AwRjOV29Ikg=.Aw18SQ==.H4sIAAAAAAAAA2P4x87AwPCXFUj8mQQkuPcwMTDwNvAwMAhGAFlCO7gZGFS+MDIw/Gf8Zw9SyQhSWQ8kOECi/Dz//v8X28AClGf6JwGXLwMSIhb///8XVWBmYFA2+AFkMv+TgttUAST4VX79/w82X6RGlIFB4g5Q5j/LP0OYIv6KN0D5M/eAWln/WcONbgESnFeAtnLNAcooXgA6X8mBjYFBFSSmBiL+s/1LQDXkwIP///VsvgGleP5xYjFf8J8P3GmFICmQWiGQvMiKv0BPgJwmkfABqFLsXyxMpZCAOgODaYcw0NX/GeAAAAYC4BpQAQAA.EweloBhBmSQUwIYHMA28QgIwVyKBQA==
