PDA

View Full Version : Battery Pack Making



Jase Kala Maris
01-04-2009, 06:01 PM
I have some 1.2V 1200mah AAA batteries coming and I'm planning on makeing one of them nice compact barrel rolls.

I just wanted to verify that this is the correct way to wire them up to get 8.4V 1200mah

Thanks in advance.

http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp319/jasekalamaris/BarrelrollAAA84Vsetup.jpg

I'll prolly do it this way so I can keep the wires nice and short.

http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp319/jasekalamaris/BarrelrollAAA84Vsetup2.jpg

Novastar
01-04-2009, 07:21 PM
That's it, Jase--you've hit it on the head. Although Eandori would be the best man to double/triple check with on that.

You can always meter it too, heheh!

I like your second pic too--that DOES really clean up the wiring.

Jay-gon Jinn
01-04-2009, 07:28 PM
That needs to be stickied or put in the wiring diagrams forum! Nice pic!

Jase Kala Maris
01-04-2009, 07:40 PM
thanks guys.

xwingband
01-05-2009, 08:07 PM
Would pictures of one help? I have one sitting here I made.

Tips:
1) I glue them together in 2, 3, and 2 setup before gluing the full seven. I use super glue gel.
2) Then I take solid core wire and strip a few inches. This is what I use to connect individual cells.
3) Scratch the tops of cells. Sandpaper, files, etc... you want to give the solder something to grab to.
4) Solder flux. It makes the whole ordeal so much easier. The batteries and wire are going to leach away heat from your iron and the paste helps lower the temperature needed.
5) Once all done use epoxy. This keeps the soldering from coming undone and as a plus will insulate the end from the walls of the hilt. I used to not do this until shipping beat the crap out of a saber to the point I needed this.

Good luck!

Lord Maul
01-05-2009, 09:07 PM
I moved this to wiring diagrams, and it will go into the next Thread Index update for sure ;)

Back on topic, those diagrams look great. Here is Xwing's battery pack tutorial to go along with his post

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSp9hRKkYDM&feature=channel_page

Goodman
01-06-2009, 01:10 AM
1200mah AAA? May I ask where you got those?

Also, what is your charging solution for this pack? Eandori's the expert on this, so much so that I'm seriously contemplating getting a complete setup from him.

'Would be nice to get some 1200mah though, instead of the 900mahs I have on hand...

Ghostbat
01-06-2009, 11:31 AM
A note about soldering onto batteries:

The sides of the batteries are grounded. This is important to know in case a tiny droplet of solder gets away from you and connects the positive terminal to the side.

This happened to me (of course) and I am supremely lucky I still have use of my eyes as I was an absolute idiot and was soldering battery packs A) with no goggles on and B) in the middle of the desert at least two or three hours from a hospital by airlift. Had I not blinked at the right time things could have gotten VERY interesting.

Don't be like uncle Ghostbat kiddies, wear goggles, and if the battery pack gets really really hot then put it down and back away.

Now you know, etc etc etc GI Joe.

Jase Kala Maris
01-06-2009, 07:36 PM
Some things to think about, I've been having some problems with this already.
I got the batterys and used hot glue instead of super glue... DONT

The problem I've had with the hot glue is that it goes on thick and no matter how lightly you apply it and rush to put the batterys together you end up adding an extra millimeter or so and by the time your finnished you can't fit it in the hilt.

I'm using a dble female with milled slots section so the inside is just a tad smaller(?) and I have to pull the batteries apart and super glue them so the sizing works right. When I put them in the front end fit perfect then the back end jammed, my bad glue job!

This also leads to another problem I tore off some of the plastic shrink wrap on the batteries while inserting them in the hilt and now the outside of the battery will make contact with the metal hilt.

I'm thinking of stripping all the batteries and spray painting them with acrylic paint then super glueing them. Hopeing that this will insulate(comments/suggestions?) them and make this pack just a tad smaller to fit in the hilt. I'm even hoping to be able to put this on a sled for assembly but just getting it in the hilt will work.

these are the batteries I'm useing---
http://onlybatteries.com/showitem.asp?ItemID=14729.63&cat1=14&uid=1401
http://www.onlybatteries.com/webimages/images/14719.jpg

xwingband
01-07-2009, 04:03 PM
I would stick with the heatshrink that is on them and just be careful. Seriously... just line them up on a table and super glue them. It's not too hard if you take your time.

jedimastergarcia87
05-07-2009, 06:05 PM
I was wondering if I can use just one AA battery for my sabers. I cant use a AA or AAA holder because there too wide for my sabers. I'm using a LUXI LED for both sabers with no resistor or buck/micropuck. Am I able to go without a resistor or a puck too? Thanks for the help.

DarthHideous
09-23-2009, 01:32 PM
I want to add a recharge port to a saber I have already built and need help. It is running a FX Maul board with 4AAA alkaline batteries. In reading the posts, I can't seem to find a saber with an FX board that has a recharge port and rechargeable battery pack. I know people use two 3.7v for US and CF boards but that's too much for an FX board. My question is, is there a 6v rechargeable battery set-up that I can use for my FX Maul board/Lux 3 and recharge the batteries in the hilt without taking them out to recharge.

If there is one out there, I'm sorry but I missed it.

Novastar
09-24-2009, 06:07 AM
Hideous... the general idea for wiring a charge port remains the same--whether for Li-Ions or Ni-Cad or Ni-Mh, etc., etc. blah blah.

1. Choose some kind of port & plug combination. For example, the canon 2.1mm port. But you don't have to use that one.

2. Figure out what the heck is going to be your way to determine + and - for both your charger leads and your port & jack choices. Get them CORRECT--avoid crossing + & - at all costs, lol. Use a multi-meter to verify.

3. Now it's even more simple. Connect your + port lead... to the + battery lead that goes to the board. Connect your - port lead... to the - battery lead that goes to the board. Done.

Now, I'm simplifying, but... the general idea is that the port is wired into the circuit via + & -. When you plug the charger into the port... there's your circuit.

Rhyen Skytracker
09-24-2009, 07:48 AM
Most of the NiMH recharable AAA type batteries are 1.2V instead of 1.5V. Putting 4 of them together will give you 4.8V, which is plenty to run a MR board. I have done this setup with a recharge port with MR and US boards several times and haven't had any problems.

DarthHideous
09-24-2009, 08:03 PM
Thanks guys. I was thinking of using the new NiMH batteries from the store or something similar.

NovaI already have a recharge port set-up. I just needed some battery info. I do know how to wire it up, I just wanted to get batteries that could be charged inside the hilt and not get too hot.

Rhyen, what type of charger did you use with these NiMH set-ups?

Eco
11-23-2009, 05:11 PM
Okay, I'm thinking about wiring up 5 of the Tenergy 1.2v NiMH 1200mAh into a pack for a hilt and doing it with a recharge port. I know how to do everything, I just need to change my setup because 2 14500's with a 6v regulator was actually only giving my Ultrasound 4.89v.

My question is this: the charger that I ordered (the one in the store) is made to charge 4 batteries at once. I will be charging 5 batteries. Will this cause any problems or just take more time to charge?

Also, I have 8 of these batteries on hand, and I would like to get a little more runtime than an hour, so what kind of combination of series/parallel would still keep the battery output at 6V?

Rhyen Skytracker
11-23-2009, 06:00 PM
DH, I used the red tenergy smart charger from the store. (The red one is for NiMH and the silver one is for Li-Ions) Be sure to get the adapter cable too. http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/21mm-plug-adapter-for-smart-charger-P36.aspx

Eco
11-23-2009, 06:07 PM
Rmmm. Trying not to spend anymore money, as I've got about $2 to spare right now.

alreadyRogue
07-24-2010, 07:59 PM
hi, does anyone know how to wire a 7.2v PCB to the pack, ive been reading around alot and searching a lot but i cant seem to find anything
thanks ~ rogue

EDIT: nvm i had overlooked something, but another question: regarding the MHS spearker mount V3, will a 7.2V PCB fit in the space behind the battery pack, if so that would make things so much easier
thanks ~ rogue

IndustrialAction
03-24-2011, 12:46 PM
I'm planning on building my own battery pack and need just a little bit of clarification. I purchased one of these (http://www.batteryspace.com/productimages/aa/20060614/PA230332.jpg) but it isn't practical to buy them for my builds because they force you to pay a $25 hazardous materials fee for any packages that contain batteries. I have a few spare 18650's laying around so that part isn't a problem.

Since I already know the specs and parts that go into building the pack, I'll be ordering the 8A PCB and the 4.0A Polyswitch. I understand the wiring for the PCB and for the batteries but the thing that is throwing me is the polyswitch.

The site says that the polyswitch is soldered between cells. I need to understand exactly how it gets soldered because the sites and searches I've done aren't specific enough for me. I'm building an end-to-end pack and I just don't quite get how this switch is installed properly. Any help would be appreciated.

PhoenixReborn
03-24-2011, 12:52 PM
You wont need both. the PCB handles the Polyswitch things.

IndustrialAction
03-24-2011, 12:53 PM
If that is the case, then why does the pre-built pack contain both?

Sunrider
03-24-2011, 01:08 PM
Extra protection, CYA for pack makers.

IndustrialAction
03-24-2011, 01:27 PM
LOL, ok, so if I wire it like this, then I'm good to go after a little shrink wrap magic? Do I need to put a plastic spacer in between the cells to make sure there's no contact?

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h413/IndustrialAction/18650E2EBP.png?t=1300998352

Azmaria Dei
03-24-2011, 03:40 PM
on a side note, please remove your link to the battery pack place - they sell similar things to what Tim does and it's disrespectful.

as for the polyswitch, it's completely unnecessary in anything unless you want to force your battery pack to cap out at a certain output. all Li-Ion PCBs have them built-in. as for contact between the cells, there's no need since the 2 contacts indicated are wired together anyway. oh, and the PCB is nowhere near that big. the 7.4V ones are generally about an inch long and half an inch wide or so.

IndustrialAction
03-24-2011, 04:24 PM
Azmaria, on your first point, there's no need to point things out like that publicly. PM me. There was no disrespect intended. Simply didn't realize that Tim had similar components since he doesn't have the battery pack I used previously. I've since removed links to stuff he sells. As for your other db comment, thanks for pointing that out. My 5 second paint drawing wasn't to scale. I appreciate you calling me out for it. The question was about wiring for the pack, not the size/scale.

Anyway, back to my last question that was actually on topic, does anyone think a plastic wafer between the batts would be a good/necessary idea? Yes, they're wired together but at a different point (the PCB) rather than at their point of origin.

jin starkiller
03-24-2011, 05:14 PM
Ok if i'm getting this correctly

pos from battery A goes to B+ and neg goes to com
pos from battery B goes to com and neg goes to B-

is that correct??

Tanimal
03-24-2011, 05:17 PM
Dude, settle down. No need to snap at Az. If you read elsewhere on this board, its quite often that someone gets told on the board to take down a link. And its not like she was insulting you by saying the pcb wasn't scale. I'm sure she was just clarifying to make sure you weren't mistaken about the measurements. You've only been here a month, no need to try and make enemies.

IndustrialAction
03-24-2011, 05:20 PM
Ok if i'm getting this correctly

pos from battery A goes to B+ and neg goes to com
pos from battery B goes to com and neg goes to B-

is that correct??

Yup, that's what I got from instructions I've dug up.

jin starkiller
03-24-2011, 05:43 PM
ok getting ready to do this tues when my parts arrive ....thanks

Azmaria Dei
03-24-2011, 05:54 PM
IndustrialAction, please don't get snappy, i'm trying to HELP you so you don't get warned/etc... by a MOD. me doing it publicly and you responding publicly means there's no further action needed. it also helps the other new people to HOPEFULLY not do that same thing in the future. Tim sells all the materials you need to make battery packs, as well, which is why that link is bad. AND i answered your insulation between the batteries question as well, if you didn't notice.

Tanimal - you used the wrong pronoun. please refer to my avatar for further guidance. but thanks for looking out.

Tanimal
03-24-2011, 06:58 PM
Ha, sorry about that. Blacks and purples all look the same to me so all i could see was a black blob with a white line with out looking at it reaaally closely. edited.

Azmaria Dei
03-24-2011, 07:02 PM
Ha, sorry about that. Blacks and purples all look the same to me so all i could see was a black blob with a white line with out looking at it reaaally closely. edited.

gotcha. ^_^ no worries then.

Jedi-Loreen
03-24-2011, 07:15 PM
IndustrialAction, please don't get snappy, i'm trying to HELP you so you don't get warned/etc... by a MOD. me doing it publicly and you responding publicly means there's no further action needed. it also helps the other new people to HOPEFULLY not do that same thing in the future. Tim sells all the materials you need to make battery packs, as well, which is why that link is bad.

Azmaria is quite right.

jin starkiller
04-04-2011, 10:28 AM
ok I am having problem with my battery pack
I have wired it this way

pos from battery A goes to B+ and neg goes to com
pos from battery B goes to com and neg goes to B-
P+ is the pos for the pack
P- is the neg for the pack

is this correct

if it is not sure but think bad pcb because getting no juice
won't light up a accent led connected to the pcb
but works without it

Azmaria Dei
04-04-2011, 11:16 AM
plug it into your charger for a few seconds. PCBs come in a 'protected' state until you do that.

jin starkiller
04-04-2011, 12:27 PM
thanks az ....thought i had a bad pcb or messed it up somehow ....all good now

Jacen Solo
04-19-2011, 04:06 AM
With Tims 7.4v Li-Ion PCB (shown below) what are the red and black wires for?

http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee508/galactica91/Lightsabers/Prototypes/IMG_0095.jpg

Azmaria Dei
04-19-2011, 05:19 AM
those are for a 'gas guage' or a PLI. i pull the plugs off and toss them to the side.

Jacen Solo
04-19-2011, 09:57 AM
Thanks for the help Azmaria.