Finally Soldered...

Dukester

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The soldering job is done on my CBP 1650 "AA"'s. There was a bit of a learning curve. Learned that the broader the base of the drop the more inclined it would stay joined to the cell. I had to redo a few of the cells. When I went to file down the drops they would break off. After close examination of solder drops that stayed put and ones that would break I determined that more the better applies to the base of the solder drop. Anyway, my 1650's are charging right now... Another concern I have is if the batt's will be able to fit into EL 3 to D Adapters. Looks like the 1650's are 1/32nd bigger in diameter than my 2500mAH Energizers.
 

kitelights

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Please be very cautious. I know that there are many here who do this (and make battery packs) and several are much more experienced and knowledgeable than I am, but soldering to a rechargeable cell can be very dangerous. There's much more involved than just getting solder to stick.

There is a porous membrane that allows the cell to outgas. If you overheat the cell when soldering and melt or destroy the properties of the membrane so that it won't allow the gases to escape - you've got a potentially very dangerous opportunity for trouble.
 

udaman

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[ QUOTE ]
Dukester said:
The soldering job is done on my CBP 1650 "AA"'s.
/ / /
Another concern I have is if the batt's will be able to fit into EL 3 to D Adapters. Looks like the 1650's are 1/32nd bigger in diameter than my 2500mAH Energizers.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmm, I hope this is not true, how do you determine that it 'looks' like they are 1/32th bigger? CBP's site has all of their AA as 0.55in in diameter, which is less than 14.0mm. Energizer 2300ma's which don't fit 4 across into my D-cell M*g, are at about 14.25mm, which is still less than 0.56 in. If your 'looks like' is true, these 1650ma must be more than 0.56in. Which would mean that CBP's site is wrong. Mike stated that the cells he tested, measured the same diameter as the 1400ma version.

At 0.56in, these cells would be of limited use, could not work with the 8AA-2D adapters at all. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Duke let us know how they fit.
 

Dukester

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I will let you know today or tomorrow. I do know that the EL 3 to D Adapters have already shipped according to the Email Notification I got from the USPS a couple of days ago.

I cannot find my Micrometer so measuring the diameter would be more exact than using a tape measure in which I used last night. I am still almost certain that the CBP 1650's are approximately 1/32nd larger in diameter than my 2500mAH Energizers.
 

LitFuse

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Be aware that just because you have successfully blobbed your battery, all may no be well. I was very pleased with myself after I did the same thing to a couple 17670 Li-ion cells, but they suffered dramatically shortened cycle life. I don't know conclusively that it was the extra heat from soldering, but it seems like more than a coincidence since I have two other cells that I used magnets on that are still going strong.

Also be aware that the USPS notification only means that Wayne has printed the label, not neccesarily shipped the order. FWIW.

Peter
 

LitFuse

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[ QUOTE ]
Dukester said:
The solder I used had a rosin flux core...

[/ QUOTE ]

If you do this again in the future, be sure to pick up some liquid flux. It will make a dramatic difference in the ease of accomplishing this. Flux is your friend. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Peter
 

Dukester

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LitFuse - Thanks for your comments, only time will tell if I did any kind of damage to the cells... Most of the cells I did not even touch with the iron and the ones I did touch I only left on for a couple of seconds cause I have a 140/100watt Weller Iron. My thinking is this. If the cells can deal with the violent nature of charging or cooking the cells(whatever you'd like to call it)I would think they could stand a solder drop that cools in quick fashion. I checked the tiny magnets at Radio Shack. They would work easily in my ALLTEK Universal Chargers but not my 60 minute 4 channel "AA" Cell Charger, the tolerances are too close for entry/exiting channels and the magnet would be pushed off.

As for the 3 to D Adapters. I think you are right on the money. I checked the tracking and things have not changed for the last couple of days so here I thought I may get them today or tomorrow whereas they probably have not even shipped yet!
 

Bullzeyebill

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Dave, using EL 3to D's, you are going to have to be very careful about over all length, and you might have to file down your buttons. This is because the plastic tabs that hold the top on the adapter are sort of fragile, and the force of an over long batterey(s) will probably break one of the tabs. Just take measurements. Won't hurt to go for minimum overall length, so you can charge cells and fit them in adapters. You will actually have an advantage over using cells with fixed buttons in that you can taylor the overall length to fit in adapters without any stress and still be able to charge your batteries.

Bill
 

Chop

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Dukester,

I'm not a soldering expert, but when the solder blobs don't stick, it's because the item that you were soldering to wasn't brought up to temp. I suppose the blobs that fell off can be compared to cold solder joints. The size of the blob has nothing to do with the solder sticking. It's just that the size of the blob had sufficient heat to transfer it to the battery to heat the area of contact enough to make it stick.

When you solder, it isn't a matter of melting solder and dripping it onto whatever it is that you are soldering. You shouldn't be using the iron to melt the solder. You should be using the iron to bring the item to be soldered up to a temp sufficient to melt the solder. In other words, when you are soldering blobs on a battery, you aren't supposed to be applying the solder to the tip of the iron as it touches the battery. You're supposed to be applying the solder to the top of the battery, which should be hot enough to melt the solder itself. If it isn't, then you aren't getting a good solder joint, so to speak.

Having to bring the point of soldering on the battery up to such a high temp is what makes putting solder blobs on a battery so dangerous.

When I solder blobs, I use a very broad tip to transfer as much heat as quickly as possible. That way I can get in and out really quick, to avoid heating the whole battery.

If I misunderstood what you said above, I apologize.
 

Dukester

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Chop - No, you understood correctly. You passed a long some sound advice. I am in no means a soldering expert, in fact far from it...

Thanks again.

Dave
 

udaman

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Sorry, as usual I get in after the fact...too slow.

Yes, you do usually need some heat applied to the battery itself in order to get the solder to bond. The smooth metal surface of the battery is also a problem. Better to prep it by roughing it up slightly.

I should have linked to this thread, but too slow /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif . I do think that some NiMH can endure more heat than some think, when soldering, but I have no proof. But it is best to use higher quality irons or a tip that provided a lot of head quickly, as Chop points out.

Sn96/Ag4 the best solder for solder blob contacts

TigerLight Custom Batterypack construction details

If you have lots of time, read up on soldering at Metcal.

http://www.metcal.com/tips/1.3.1.htm
 

Ginseng

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Duke,

You can rest assured that folks have been successfully soldering battery sticks for a long time. Read Jim Sexton's primer, use a hammerhead tip, liquid flux, prep the surface and you will be in good shape. There are ways to manage the heat on the cell. And practice. A lot. Check your joints and practice. If this is something you don't want to do with any regularity, my advice is get someone knowledgeable to do the few packs you need. This is not a casual skill.

Once you get the hang of rolling your own, you'll find that it is a skill that will serve you well in the long run as you get more creative in your modding.

Wilkey
 
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