Bottle caps for Ni-Cad my 6volt batt paks

[Norm]

  Well since I drink pop that has a red cap and

wife drinks pop that has a green cap......





This works out pretty well, I took a short section of plastic shower curtain rod cover,

( the pink pieces) stick one into one of the caps, a little hot glue to fill in the gap.

  Took some small round head bolts,drilled a hole

in the cap, wrap a rubber band around the whole

works and thats it.

  Now I can charge each 6volt pak with stepper

motors...small solar cell....pedal power generator or whatever....

                Fun !

              ( :>) Norm.

[asheets]

I like it...  it looks like it will work much better than my idea for all my spare rechargable cells -- I took 2 4' 1x2s, ran a dado blade down the middle, lined the dado with foil, stuck the cells in the grooves, and bolted the 1x2s together...

[ghurd]

Looks good Norm!

Batteries, hot glue, and coffee. 3 of my favorite things.

G-

[TomW]

G-;

Don't forget the canis familiaris   lurking in the background. Dogs are people, too.

Cheers.

TomW

[AbyssUnderground]

They're not just people, they're mans best friend too ;-)

[Norm]

TomW,

   Meet Nellie...One of my friends  

 



...She wakes me up 2 or 3 AM...

So I wake her up in the middle of the day....

how do 'ya like me now ? Yuk Yuk !

      ( :>) Norm.

[nothing to lose]

Hey that's a great Idea, I never thought about bottle caps.

I'm not sure if I posted it or not, told Bruce and Ghurd about my PVC battery sticks for the Ni-cad cells, may have posted it?

I take a PVC pipe that the batteries slide into nicely (Stuff I had laying around) and put a cap on both ends. I round a screw or bolt end so that it's smooth and won't cut a hole in a battery.

Drill hole in center of PVC caps to screw in the screws or bolts, fill stick with cells, press on the caps. Tighten the screws just enough to hold all the batteries tight together and to make good contact.

 A battery stick!

Adjustable voltage, just cut the PVC pipe sections to different lengths to fit more or less batteries. Use the section length you need for the amount of cells you need for the volts you want.

 If you have a good spring like used in the base of flashlights you can use that for tension to hold the batteries togther.

Normally I do not fasten the cap onto the pipe, press them on and pull them off, they seem to fit great normally and hold tight. When I do have a loose one, I drill a small hole for a little set screw in the cap, press cap on pipe and tighten the screw a little.

I found this to be a great fast way to make DC power packs, it should work the same with any round batteries using the correct ID pipe, AA, C, D, but I use it for Ni-Cad Cells.

 Keep a few caps made up and around handy ready to snap on pipe, then just cut the pipe to fit the batteries needed. Need 3V or 6V for a radio or CD player or 12V for a fan, just snip off some pipe and load cells then cap.

[Norm]

Well this last batch I got was 3 sticks in series

each 'stick' contained 5cells= 6volts 3 sticks

in series made an 18 volt pak.

I sawed the necks off of the 2 liter bottles

then reamed the necks just enough so they slip

very....tightly onto the ends of the batteries

both ends then screw the bottle caps on ....

I really like the colorful red and green bottle

caps positive and negative.

..12volt mostly to run small inverters.

..12volt fluorescent tubes ....etc.

       Just no end to the fun !

              ( :>) Norm

[s4w2099]

What advantages would these offer VS cheap battery holders from ratashack?

[nothing to lose]

After I posted I noticed your cells and mine did not look the same in a string.

I like your idea like that, I don't have any of the newer packs yet but I think some are on the way. I have all 19.2 volt packs, 4 in series, 4 colunms, total 16 cell packs.

I wire odd volts at times like 9V or 3V using single cells depending what I am trying to power or the speed I want (fans, motors).

[nothing to lose]

 Free to begin with. You can make alot of them at little or no cost.

 My Pvc pipe sticks cost a little but very handy in a nice straight stick taking up very little space.

Also my Cells are a bit smaller than a normal C battery and I geuss the Newer ones will be also, so they don't exactly fit in somethings like chargers or holders made for other C batteries.

I think with Norms way he could even make a double end cap, plug 2 sticks together for 12V or 3 for 18V etc.. where I normally change the length of the PVC pipe to hold the number of cells needed.

[Norm]

 Yeah I got a couple of those 4 x 4s also

no problem 1 + 4 = 5 and I still get 6volt sticks.

 I notice so many seem to just give up on a

project because they can't get enough voltage

to charge a 12 volt battery .... when you could

charge 2-6 volt batteries?

              ( :>) Norm.

[nothing to lose]

Yes, or if you get too much voltage also.

A genny I am flying now makes high volts at low amps about 0.3, not good for 12V or much for 24V, ok for 48V but still drags it down. Perfect for 60V-120V though. Wire up 3-6 Bruce packs and it does a good job charging them.

I might get a grab bag of VCR parts from a friend, heads and motors. I'll be looking for 2Vdc and above for minigens. Anything enough to charge 1 or more cells in series.

Then make sticks to hold the correct number of single cells to match the gennies power.

I should have went to get the parts last night but was busy stuck at home, maybe tonight?

[Norm]

Yep...I imagine even those car heater blower

motors would charge some half dozen ni-cads

at about 600 rpm....have to try it one of these

days.

Keep me updated...you probably can make and

finish dozens of projects to my one....I start

too many projects at once ideas...ideas....

my downfall !

          ( :>) Norm.

[Norm]

.....Ni-cads in parallel ...that is....

[s4w2099]

thats Why I am telling. PVC pipe cost money for me. i have to buy it from the home depot. I have a little genny that can not charge anything over 6V and I am charging nicd but I cant figure out how to power my laptop from NiCds. I will have to series many of them to get to 16Vdc.

[Bruce S]

Norm & NTL & Ghurd-

  Boy have I gotten lazy or what:--)?

I'll keep sending them you keep making them into to whatever you think up:--)

I having too much fun just reading these:--)

On the serious side though, it is wonderfull reading the stuff you guys came up with to keep using these and not having these go to some high-priced recycler.

My big project now is to wire up a bunch of these for Amy's new 48VDC scooter.

The darn battery pack that came with the bike is 1/2 the entire bike weight.and only 48Vdc @ 12Ahr:--(

Keep it up guys:--)

Bruce S

[nothing to lose]

".I start

too many projects at once ideas...ideas....

my downfall !"

Mine also!

Recently I have not done anything and still got just as much done, figure that one out

[nothing to lose]

"I'll keep sending them you keep making them into to whatever you think up:--)

I having too much fun just reading these:--)"

Ok, well I have something big in mind, just waiting on about 200 more packs though :O

Just joking.

[Norm]

  Alan, I had something like that....except I used a

couple of rulers small round head bolts wired

in series...some rubber bands to hold them

together...I see nothing wrong with your idea

except you used too much wood ?

            ( :>) Norm.

[fungus]

Bruce-do you still sets of nicads left? I'd love to get  a few although shipping to Scotland may be a bit high. If you still have any then email me at aicchalmers AT btinternet.com

Thanks,

[Norm]

I've modified these making use of more of the

bottle......



 this saves the cost of pvc pipe.....

wrapped plastic around the stick wrap a couple

of rubber bands around temporarily then wrap

banding tape....makes a nice snug fit....put

the plastic tubes in end caps and hot glue....

Sleeve and caps slide right over the ends of the

'stick'...very snugly!

                  Fun !

                 ( :>) Norm

Thanks very much for the Ni-Cads Bruce

Your little motor does a dandy job  of

handcrank charging  these while I'm watching

my little TV....they can run the inverter

while I'm charging another set.

[s4w2099]

wow, and for ho wmany hours can you see TV with NiCds this capacity? It sounds neat to me.

[Norm]

 How many hrs?  ...well one 12volt pack would be

1.3 amp hrs. This tv I have is a 14 inch monitor, an old one so it takes 75 watts...

so 1 12volt ni-cad pak would be 12 x 1.3 or

15.6 watt hrs. It takes about 5 of these packs

to run it for an hr.

    4 people on a glider swing can quite easily

power a generator to keep a 32 inch tv running.

...or charge 8 or 10 ni-cad paks in an hr.

 ( rough estimate)

                    ( :>) Norm.          

[Bruce S]

Norm;

  Wasn't able to get back with anyone 'til today.

Got a picture of that hand crank? did you take the 200:1 part off and make it easier? or leave it on adn build up a crank to fit on the gears?

I like your sticks, those are way (uber) cool :--)

Bruce S

[Bruce S]

NTL:_)

  Okay you're down for 200. Got that other "special" item ready for you:--)

Be looking for UPS later this week.

 Did I send you one of those little motors? if not let me know and I'll throw one in too.

Bruce S

[Bruce S]

fungus;

   I constantly get these. You are correct, getting them to Scotland may be a little hard. I have a few friends still there that work in hospital, let me see if they still have some. Otherwise we can work on getting some there:-)

Best bet would be to send a high amount like 50+.

Generally they want them sent via express and I have to clear it with customs, being they are batteries and all.

Let's see what we can do OR if I have someone flying in to Gatwick<-sp? maybe thay can leave them for you to pick up.?

Bruce S

[fungus]

Well I'd only like a few; 5 maybe..

I'll have to see about them; if there is some people around here who can get them that would be even better :-) although recycling laws here are pretty strict.

[asheets]

I had a lot of cells, and bolted the wood pieces together every 12 cells.

[Norm]

Bruce,

   Here is the crank....looks flimsy but I plam

on making a heavier one in the future I was in

a hurry and anxious to see how well it (the

generator worked.....



next plan...an extended 1 inch 4inch long shaft

,so I can wrap a small rope around see how many

foot pounds per second to put out x milliamps.

[nothing to lose]

Motor?

 Not yet.

Ok, I'll be watching for UPS with great interest

[nothing to lose]

Using Norms or my type Battery sticks you can make as many holders as you want for 6V charging size to hold the correct number of cell single cells.

Then make more sticks to hold those single cells to add up to your 16V needed. Dump out the cells when low from the laptop sticks and replace with charged cells. Stick the low cells in the 6V sticks to recharge them. Make as many sticks as you need, series the 16V sticks for the amps you need for the laptop.

 May not be great for using on a airplane, but if you use the lappy around home it may work well since you can sit or mount the sticks in any convienet location where you most use the lappy.

I'm not up on laptops so can't give much advice on those or the batteries for them.

 To recharge the laptop battery at 16V you may be able to rig something up, like charge single cells at 6V, series 3 sticks for 18V, dump those to the laptop battery. But check  with others for best way to do this, I don't want to give advice that fries an expensive laptop battery!

If you have a 12V adapter to use the laptop in your car and able to recharge the battery from the car, can you wire some 6V sticks for 12V then connect to the 12V adapter?? Just a thought.

As for the PVC pipe, look around for scrap used sections or check construction sites for free cutoffs, maybe check with the shops/stores that cut the pipe for people.

 I get free Plexy at times in odd sizes or shapes (broke) from an ACE Hardware, cutoffs they don't want. When I am at the store anyway I might as well ask for free stuff I might use later. You might find shorter PVC sections that way free.

I already had the correct sized PVC in long full lengths, bought a bunch at an auction years ago for a couple bucks, very cheap! I never used it for anything till I got Bruce packs. I forget what endcaps cost me, a few cents each?

 You could use other things than caps, just I found it fast, easy, and cheap, but many other ways. Maybe bore a hole in a piece of scrap wood for a tight fit and make your own caps.

[nothing to lose]

Wow Norm, your right on the ball there.

I already had my PVC pipe but I like your idea and may try something like that myself.

 I don't have a crank charger motor yet, Just saw Bruces post, maybe I will have one soon

That will be fun

Yes, thanks for everything Bruce. I know I said thanks in e-mails before, but thanks here also