just saw this, thanks for the heads up. I do have dummy cells, they're 14500/AA, I bought them for that purpose to use in a 9xAA light , so you're right I didn't think of that, they will pass current through them. But would a battery too? Either way, I'll use the dowel to be safe.
On another note-
ordered (2) more QB26800 today, and a vtc6, and shopping has gone down! Thanks aloft hobbies for taking a look Into this! I paid $5.90 ship for (3) cells today, even if it takes a little longer that's ok. I appreciate it!
Shipping sweets along with the product is not very common over here but it happens from time to time. Something I always recommend for occasions like this is Haribo's Goldbären. They also sell them in 10g mini packs for gifting. :))
Well, it was mashed flat and flowing outside the wrapper and all over everything. Was quite the mess to clean up. I suppose i could have put the whole box in the fridge but wanted to get the batteries out to check them out. I emailed them and asked them not to waste put chocolate treats in packages in July.
I did get the incentive to run to the store to purchase a whole bag of peanut butter cups... i love 'em. Yes, they are better kept in the fridge
They melt but harden when chilled. Can’t recall whose it was, but someone left a bag of assorted chocs in my car, or should I say greenhouse, in late summer. Everything was liquid if you tried opening one. Overnight in the fridge, and even though you might have to pick flecks of chocolate from all over the inside paper, they were perfectly edible.
Finally got some time in the work shop, got this rigged up (theres two batteries charging here, thats why theres a rats next of wires).
Thanks TomE and Khas for the idea on doing this, and thanks to whomever told me not to use a dummy cell!
I soldered wire to a 8mm x 2mm neo-magnet (i got a variety pack of 100 neodymium magnets this week, all 2mm thick, from 6mm in dia. up to like 16mm, like $12 but theyll be handy when i need them) and then used a sheetmetal type countersunk washer and torx screw to hold the other end of the wire to the wooden dowel (paint extension pole cut down to about 65mm long). i made one to make sure it works, going to make the other soon. I still cannot find the rest of the 6-pack of aligator clip wires i ordered from amazon a couple months back. so luckily this worked! Soldering to the magnet definitely weakened it, but it still has enough bite to grab the battery with no worries (I could pick the battery up with the connection). i also liked that the countersunk screw holds the wires (charger side) very tightly, less nervousness for me to walk away from the charging setup.
Looks good. Does your charger recognize the resistance to be low enough for the full speed charge rate? That’s probably the last step in determining if it was a success. You certainly don’t want your rig adding so much resistance it takes 2 days to charge this mammoth battery.
Another option if you dont want to mess with soldering magnets is a take on what some battery reviewers use for their test rigs:
You can solder some brass buttons/copper scraps/maybe just bunched up loose stranded wire then clamp it with micro clamp that has no continuity between clamps. I believe the added pressure reduces resistance over just using a magnet to hold. Obviously don’t crush your battery but it’s an option.
Yea, for whatever reason the xtar vc4s charges them only at .5ah. . so it takes about 10 hours to charge them fully unforutnately..
I have many clamps like that (no metal on clamp pads so no continuity through the bar), but how does the bras button / scrap wire play into it? what do you solder it to? i have a package of brass buttons i bought from MtnE.
or are you saying just clamp my wire to each end of the battery terminal then aligator clamp to the charger? i didnt realize the amount of pressure put on the tabs effected the resistence and charge rate. great to know! i could just wrap my battery with an elastic band, around the magnetized ends ? would that effectively do the same thing, and avoid having my woodworking clamps hanging off my desk in my room? lol
Clamping pressure has a big effect and why you will sometimes see poor performance using 18650's in 21700 lights or why battery carriers are very sensitive to their fitment and driver spring. Any weak connection adds to resistance.
If you want just press the batteries between your fingers with some force while you re-set your wooden peg spacer. Hold it tight until the charger does it's auto test and see if it gets the charge rate up.
This may not be your only source of resistance. The material of your torx screw or it's connection with the battery holder contact points may be weak too but I would start at the battery side and just press it all together by hand to see. You used a huge dowel so there is plenty of spring pressure there..
Both orders of mine were delivered today, waiting til I get home.
Home now, 3 tubes arrived, with my 26800 collection. The EA02 and FT02S is compatible. The HK4S came compatible. For the FT03, black and green are ok to me:
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