Homemade hard battery clips! :P

[NaBo]

Anyone else out there as... err...  "thrifty" as me???

I pull apart my dead 9V batteries, take the snaps, the bottom and the little rubbery pad...  solder wires to the snaps, and super glue the pieces together!  Tada!  Free battery snaps!  ... I SAVE 30 CENTS FOR EVERY BATTERY THAT DIES!!!  X-O!!!

Okay, so maybe it's not that spectacular.  But I was somewhat proud of my little idea.   :lol:

[sir_modulus]

Yup...I learnt that trick from good ol' Mark Hammer (thanks buddy)

Cheers,

Nish

P.S. Good job! Keep thinking along those lines...hmm...distopedal in a battery?...makes ya wonder...

P.P.S. My bud used to load old battery (nine volt) slugs in his shotgun :shock:

[Mark Hammer]

Um, look here for an illustrated guide: http://ampage.org/hammer/files/DIY-snaps.pdf

If you can't get it directly, go to: http://hammer.ampage.org , scroll down to page 5, and right click on the link and save to your hard drive.  Open up from there.

I use hot melt glue and also have added a piece of heat shrink at the junction of the "T" these days for strain relief.

Not only do Duracells make fine batteries, but their connector "caps" reveal exquisitely solderable brass lugs with a small bit of scratching.  They also don't melt like many of the cheaper batteries.

In my case, it's not so much a question of thrift as much as I like being able to use decent 22gauge hookup wire that can withstand the tugging required for a 9v battery that has a secure grip.  Once the leads are soldered to the board, I put a dab of hot glue around the base of the lead for further strain relief.

I guess it's the Canadian in us that makes us environmentally conscious enough to recycle, eh?

___________________________________

When it doesn't work, ASK a hammer :lol:  :lol:

[NaBo]

:shock:!  I came up with a Mark Hammer idea???  Alright!  I'm definitely making progress!

Must be the "environmentally conscious Canadian" thing... I mean, if we're burning through these alkaline batteries like crazy in our guitar-related paraphernalia, the least we can do is remove the casing and keep those little plastic ends from causing mother nature any harm...  heheh  :wink:

I also use 22 gauge... for well, everything.  Mainly for availability... I think I read a post where you commented on Supermetronic's wire?  I did manage to find 24 gauge at Active Surplus but it didnt really strip as easily.  Only issue I have with 22 is that I usually have to clip a few strands off to be able to get it through the holes if I'm using perf, but I like it, and its always a couple blocks away if it need it (along with 95% of everything else I'll ever need).

[ESPguitar]

LOL!  :lol:

:wink:

[Mark Hammer]

Oh heck, it wasn't MY idea.  I'm sure someone else did it before, but never bothered to post a document.

I'm even more obsessive about batteries than that, though.  I get my alkalines as slightly discharged castoffs from the wireless teacher mics in distance education, and keep them alive on life-support systems by recharging them.  Once it becomes impossible to revive them (you can bring a 9v back to life easily if it hasn't dipped much below about 7.5v, but after that they're goners), THEN I chop they little heads off and turn 'em into snaps.

As for getting stranded wire through holes drilled with a bit suitable for resistors and caps, I find that the pre-tinned stuff works great, BUT you make it easier on yourself if the wire end is cut with a sharp blade rather than something like end-nippers or wire cutters.  Those things tend to spread the wire end as they cut, where a sharp blade tends to preserve the cylindrical nature of the pretinned wire.  I also find that when working with untinned stranded hookup wire, it pays to have a bottle of liquid flux handy and dab just a tiny bit on the end of the wire.  The solder spreads more readily, without clumping, leading to a smaller diameter tinned end and easier fitting into the hole.

[petemoore]

Peels right back with pliers and wire cutters...keep hands away from sheared metals.