Peter_Pan

My apologies, as I'm not an RC modeler and have no idea the best place to ask this. I DO have a project that will require a small LIPO 3 cell pack such as the Rhino 1350 3 cell or the Blue 1300mH pack such at this one from hobbyking...

hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=6308

The project is completely unrelated to RC... it will actually be a practice size guitar amplifier. And I'm going to need to either fabricate or find a battery compartment with a snap fit cover. As it turns out, the electric current demands of my amplifier will be small compared what is typically expected in the RC world, so I don't expect trouble from overheating. But anyway, its not the kind of thing that will be easy to fabricate from scratch, or in quantity if I decide to someday sell these amplifiers or make them for other people. And unlike traditional batteries, there doesn't seem to be many off the shelf battery holder options like I need. So I figured if there was ANYTHING like that available, you folks would be the best ones to ask.

Thanks for any assist.

mkiiina

iTrader: (71)

Try the battery tray from a losi 8ight and use battery straps.

edit, just realized you were looking at much smaller batteries. in that case just use 2 battery straps

Peter_Pan

Thanks Mkiiina. You know I think I could use something like that, but I'm a little leery of having the battery visible and exposed, at least for my situation where it will be visible. So I need something with a cover. I think if I just go with a tray kind of thing, I might be able to have something vacuum formed for me. But for a cover, I was hoping to find something that would just snap shut rather than have to be screwed down.

AbstractZen

iTrader: (2)

Try this place:

http://www.rc-monster.com/proddetail...MFPbatterytray

The problem you're likely to run in to with that battery, is that it's roughly half the length of a "standard" lipo. If you were to increase capacity (mah), your amp would not only last longer between charges, you'd also have a easier time finding a tray. Good luck with your amp. Sounds interesting!

This one closes from the end. Only one I know of without digging, though.

http://www.hpiracing.com/products/en/85261/

Peter_Pan

[QUOTE=AbstractZen;10321424]Try this place:

rc-monster.com/proddetail.php?prod=RCMFPbatterytray

The problem you're likely to run in to with that battery, is that it's roughly half the length of a "standard" lipo. If you were to increase capacity (mah), your amp would not only last longer between charges, you'd also have a easier time finding a tray. Good luck with your amp. Sounds interesting!

This one closes from the end. Only one I know of without digging, though.

hpiracing.com/products/en/85261/

AbstractZen: Well I'm trying to make this amp as small as possible, so naturally I was thrilled to start seeing 12V LiPO packs so small in the past few years, and especially starting to see them be considered a bit safer then when they first came out. I think you're right though. Its going to be hard to find something off the shelf. I already am resigned to having to have some custom switch panels fabricated, so I just might have to bite the bullet and do the same with a custom battery box. Especially if I have an eye to marketing my amplifier at a good price, I have to avoid paying the price of 2 battery packs for a box to put it in ;-). Maybe if it was made of something special like protective metal.

mkiiina

iTrader: (71)

I'd be careful using a completely enclosed battery compartment. Depending on orientation the battery leads usually extend in slightly different orientations. You may be locking the end user into a specific battery.

What are your overall dimensions?

Peter_Pan

I'd like to keep the overall length of the compartment to 4inches max, 2 inches wide, and an inch deep. For the couple of 3 cell packs in the 1300mAh range I've looked at so far, that seems to give me some room to spare on the battery itself, and I assume batteries of the same capacity would only get smaller. But yeah any container that doesn't have tons of extra room is going to limit the choices. And yes... the battery's main power leads could be a problem too. I was hoping that in my case, since I'll absolutely never exceed 2 amperes (maybe 3 peak), I should be able to cut off the main heavy power leads and just plug the pack's balance/charge plug (which usually has smaller and much more flexible wires) into a a mating male plug. At least powering the prototype that way has worked so far. It does kind of inconvenience the end user who then has to contend with cutting off the main leads when its time for a new battery, and there's always the chance that someone who doesn't know any better will try to cut both + and - leads at once with a metal tool and blow up the battery along with himself!. Hopefully I won't have to resort to that, and will be able to simply cut a hole where the main power lead harmlessly passes through into an insulated safe area. I would hate to make something that needs to be small any bigger just for the sake of unneeded leads.

As usual projects mushroom into cans of worms, but the devil is in the details right? Even more evidence that a custom made compartment will be best.

Peter_Pan

I'll tell you whats really getting OLD fast, ever since I decided to power my project with a LIPO pack. I realize a lot of the hobby places that sell these batteries at reasonable prices are china based. But it would be nice to be able to at least find one you can contact and ask a question! On the one hand there's "HobbyKing.com" that has lots of good stuff, but absolutely no way to write to them (yeah they have a chat line but it never works), then you have hobbypartz.com that also has some good choices, but simply doesn't answer any questions. Can anyone recommend any suppliers of reasonably priced LIPO packs, that with actually respond as if you are... I dunno... a "customer" maybe? (GRRRR!)

mkiiina

iTrader: (71)

What kind of questions do you have about the products? I have had poor luck talking with HK in the past but their products (especially batteries) are pretty good! Hobbypartz is based here in the US iirc.

halldor

HobbyKing has a very nice discussion system that rewards customers that help each other out. You can actually get very helpful answers there.

Peter_Pan

Well I sure would like to know how because they have several items of interest to me. But there isn't an email address or contact form anywhere on their site. There's a phone support line which looks line an international number, but it always says "CLOSED" whenever I've looked. There's another link that requires a log in for existing customers, but that kind of precludes sales questions. And like I said, their chat line doesn't seem to work anyway. I've tried two different browsers over a weeks time, and it just produces a rotating "wait" indicator, but never actually connects.

halldor

On the product page. Click the "Discussions" tab (below the product description) and then "ask a question". If it's a popular product you'll get some answers.