Bespoke Battery Packs
Your battery doesn’t fit in that broomstick? Build one that does!
The first pack is fairly self-explanatory. Separate the pack into two, two-cell units. This makes it easier to fit into narrow fuses and saves having to take servo trays out:
The second is a ballast tube battery. It can sometimes fit under the ballast tube. I use it in my AVA tube and under my Royale XC tube. Comes in handy for those very long flights for XC or for the LSF eight hour task. It is made up of two, four-cell packs in parallel. Two 2400mAh four-cell packs make a 4800mAh double pack:
Step 1
Solder together two, four-cell units. I use Soder-Wick fine braid (see Resources), since it solders well and bends easily:
Step 2
Lay the pack out straight. I usually put a piece of tape around each joint to keep it together:
Step 3
Solder the two, four-cell packs together in parallel. Positive-to-positive in the middle. You can do negative-to-negative also if you wish. Attach a good length of appropriately colored wire also:
Step 4
Lay this out straight and solder the negative wire to the bottom and top of the pack. You now have two, four-cell packs in parallel. I shrink tube the pack, but it will work fine with just taping it together:
You could also use a single, four-cell tube pack, if they are the same type and amperage battery, and connect to your receiver along with your normal nose pack. I have the same type four-cell pack in the nose of my Royale XC and with the three in parallel, I actually have 7200mAh to run on.
Until next time!
©2022 Tom Broeski
Resources
- Soder-Wick — The specific product mentioned in the article from the Chemtronics website: “the world’s leading brand of desoldering wick…is the fastest, cleanest and safest wick in the industry. It significantly reduces rework/repair time and minimizes the risk of heat damage…”
- Soldering Wick — As found with a simple search on Amazon. There are lots of alternatives to the Soder-Wick branded product — the $3 stuff works just fine.
Also by the Author
- Tom’s Tips — The complete compendium as presented on the pages of the New RC Soaring Digest.
All images by the author. Read the next article in this issue, return to the previous article in this issue or go to the table of contents. A PDF version of this article, or the entire issue, is available upon request.
