18650 conversion - need a few pointers

Hey, everyone.
I have a few stunt Ultrasabers that I'd like to upgrade to using 18650s, with an internal recharge port and chassis support. I've found that taking the batteries in/out every week adds up to a lot of wear and tear, so I'm trying to minimize that. (Plus, an 18650 just has a lot bigger charge than 2x lithium ion or 4xAAA.) The idea is: pop off the pommel, and only slide the chassis out far enough to expose the recharge port -- so hopefully this is inflicting a lot less wear & tear. (I don't want an external recharge port for a variety of reasons.)

A friend has already done this conversion, so now I'm trying to duplicate it - but my friend does a lot of saber wiring, so he has a lot of supplies lying around that I don't. So I'm trying to make sure I get everything right the first time. :)

Here's the parts list I have:
* 18650 battery pack
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Pa...?ItemId=494323
* acrylic chassis disk for 18650
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Ac...4&Options=1179
* opposite chassis disk for 1.45" saber
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Ch...?ItemId=494325
* 4x stainless steel 4-40 hex nut
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/St...?ItemId=494326
* 2x 1/2" brass 3/16" OD spacer
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/12...?ItemId=494327
* 4x 1" brass 3/16" OD spacer
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/1-...?ItemId=494328
* 4-40 all thread
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/St...?ItemId=494329
* power jack
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Sw...?ItemId=494330
* power jack chassis parts
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Ac...1&Options=1187

What I could use guidance on:
* which JST connectors do I need? I think I only need 1, but I could use confirmation of such.
* what gauge wire is recommended?
* likewise, what size heatshrink should I get for such?

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I'm guessing there's a zillion posts on wiring diagrams; I'll do research on existing forum threads to find one and link it in here later.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Thanamira

What I could use guidance on:
* which JST connectors do I need? I think I only need 1, but I could use confirmation of such.
* what gauge wire is recommended?
* likewise, what size heatshrink should I get for such?

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I'm guessing there's a zillion posts on wiring diagrams; I'll do research on existing forum threads to find one and link it in here later.

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JST? Why not just hardwire the battery in? Cut of the JST, and solder on your leads an be done with it. Connectors are a failure point. 26 or 28 ga wire should work fine. You can get assorted heat shrink packs. That's what I do.

Tom

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tom Tilmon

JST? Why not just hardwire the battery in? Cut of the JST, and solder on your leads an be done with it. Connectors are a failure point.

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Oh hey, great point. Thank you!

Hmm, there's not a specific diameter of heatshrink that's appropriate to (say) 26 gauge? I would think that overly large heatshrinks wouldn't shrink sufficiently to do the job.

You want to use the smallest heatshrink that will actually fit over your wire connection. Remember 26 gauge is the size of the metal bits of the wire, and has nothing to do with the thickness of the insulation (so you could have two different 26 gauge wires that are different total sizes). You can probably use 3/32" heatshrink for your 26 gauge wire.