Power your project with a Lipo

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Finn Hammer
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Power your project with a Lipo

Post by Finn Hammer »

All,

At the risk of appearing obtuse, I hereby want to share a method I just succumbed to, because I am in a bit of a hurry to finish a project.

Don't we all hate to buy batteries for our little hobby gadget, this could be anything, in my case here it is a nice litle Tesla Coil Sequencer, but it could just as well be a Neutron counter or your modified flashlight.

Anyway, the project fits into a small Hammond cast alluminum case, and I want to be able to charge the battery from a USB connection, because they are available everywhere.
Search EBay for "lipo charger module", and you will find a variety af TP4056 based charger modules, they cost a couple bucks each and are a dream to work with.
Here is the Lipo battery glued in place and the charger module is on top of it.
Here is the Lipo battery glued in place and the charger module is on top of it.
Now it is time to heat the soldering iron and the hot glue pistol, and first you glue the battery in place, then you position the charger module right on the battery and scribe a line on the inside of the case, at the center of the USB receptacle of the charge module.
Here are the 3 holes needed, one 8mm, the other 2 are 3mm, (or matching the diodes you have)
Here are the 3 holes needed, one 8mm, the other 2 are 3mm, (or matching the diodes you have)
This line must be transferred to the outside of the case, and a 8mm hole drilled at the center of the case, intersecting that line. Next two 3mm holes must be drilled just next to it. They take a red and a green led that replace the charge monitor leds that are surface mounted on the board, but become invisible when you close the case.
The hole mount leds are soldered right to the evacuated pads of the surface mount leds that we don't need anymore.
The hole mount leds are soldered right to the evacuated pads of the surface mount leds that we don't need anymore.
Since all parts are glued in place, the connection of the charging monitor LEDs becomes very quick and easy, you don't need stranded wire inbetween LED and board, and no heatshrink either. Just unsolder the surface mounts and plug the hole mounts in instead.

Next, Just bury the connections in hot glue.
The hot glue keeps the soldered connections nicely strain relieved.
The hot glue keeps the soldered connections nicely strain relieved.
From here, just run the positive lead from the battery up to the power button, and back to any little boost converter you got from EBay, set it to your projects desired voltage, and off you go.
A nice litle boost converter takes care of the voltage conversion from the varying battery voltage and up to your projects desired voltage needs.
A nice litle boost converter takes care of the voltage conversion from the varying battery voltage and up to your projects desired voltage needs.
You can refine this procedure in many fine ways, but this is how I do on all my gadgets these times, and they never fail.

Cheers, Finn Hammer
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Richard Hull
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Re: Power your project with a Lipo

Post by Richard Hull »

Hot glue is a major mounting system here in my lab. Sometimes it is the best solution and saves a lot of hassle in boring holes and installing board standoffs. I call this "quick and dirty construction". It allows quick projects to move forward. It also means that the boards and boxes can be reclaimed years later to serve in newer projects, as hot glue can, often, with a little more effort than it takes to say, be dislodged and the boards and containing boxes and fixtures reclaimed.

Knowing the limitations and advantages of the use of hot glue in electronics projects is an art form, in itself. There is no shame in using this versatile, instant stick, easily seperable material. Its strength is limited, but as long as it is not subject to large knock-about or load forces in service, it is a great replacement for the more tenacious epoxy.

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
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