July 14th Update
I’ve finally ironed out a case for my prototype. The version I’m mass producing should be quite similar.
https://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIaQvPQogVc
July 10th Update
Here is a link to my form if you’re interested and want to be notified when this is ready
A photo of my prototype 10440+10180 option
_ _ _
I have a GT Nano and have found that screwing and unscrewing the little charger onto the tube is a pain to do every time, particularly when I want to charge a both of my 10180s.
Link to interest form, it’s the same as the one listed below old form
I looked at looked and haven’t found anything convenient on the market so I’ve made my own.
The charger will have these convenient battery contacts for easy removal and insertion.
Some preliminary renderings (placement of components not optimized yet)
Chinese PCB manufacturing and production is pretty inexpensive these days and I can 3D print the outer case so I’ve decided to offer this to anyone else who wants one.
I expect this to be ready to ship in mid July. (Prototyping from oshpark to arrive in mid June and if that’s good, I’ll send it to be fabricated)
I’m targeting a price of $10-12 with a shipping cost of $4 to the US and $5 globally in a padded envelope.
I’m using the MC73831/2 charging IC which costs a lot more than Chinese charging ICs but I’m not so trusting of a <5 cent Chinese charging IC’s reliability.
I’ve opted to go for a safe charging rate of 66mA 40mA with an option for fast charging at 120mA for those times when I want to fill my batteries up quickly.
The normal charging rate should take about 2.5 hrs for a full charge and fast charging will take about an hour I reckon. Fast charging will degrade the batteries quicker, imagine charging a 50E at 7.5A! 10180s are pretty cheap though so I’m not too worried and it’s useful to have.
I also added a switch to dim the blue indicator LED so it’s not annoying when I’m using it in my room at night.
Wireless charging is a possibility but I haven’t found an inexpensive source for wireless charging receivers.