DIY Lithium Battery Pack
The reason that more and more people are using Lithium batteries is that they produce more voltage than nickel-based batteries. Having said that, if you place those same Lithium batteries in a pack, you can produce even more voltage with the combined batteries. Therefore, the ability to make these packs on your own will save you money in the end.
Items you will need:
- Lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries
- Marking pen
- Wire stripper/cutters
- AWG 18 gauge wire
- Electricians tape
- Ascertain what the voltage of your battery operated device needs to operate. This can be found on the label of the device.
- Divide the voltage required by 3.6 (the voltage produced by one LiPo battery) to get the batteries needed to power the device. If the answer to the division is not a whole number round up or down accordingly.
- Mark the batteries using the marking pen. If you need four to make the pack, number the batteries 1 through 4. Wrap the batteries with the electrical tape tightly to keep them in place. Wrap securely.
- Cut strips of wire with the wire cutters. You will need two strips long enough to reach the distance between the battery pack and the terminal of the device so you need to measure that distance. All other strips need be only long enough to reach between the battery terminals within the pack. Cut one less strips than you have batteries. Four batteries you will need three shorter strips.
- Strip off about 1/4 inch off each wire you just cut. The exposed wire will attach to the battery terminals. Use a 1-inch strip of electrical tape and attach one of the long strips of wire to the positive terminal of battery labeled number 1. Then attach to the positive terminal on the device.
- Attach a short wire the negative terminal of battery labeled number 1 and tape it with electrical tape. Then the other end of the wire should be attached with the same method to the positive terminal on battery labeled number 2.
- Continue attaching the short strips in this manner for however many batteries will be in the pack. At the end, the last short wire will be connected to the positive terminal on the last numbered battery.
- Attach one end of the last remaining long wire to the negative terminal of the last numbered battery. The other end of the wire attaches to negative terminal on your device. At this time wrap the pack securely as to cover all terminals making certain the two long wires remain available for connection to your device