Jiffypins RULE!! - (The Battery of
Living Dangerously !!)
Ok, I know there are those of you out there who feel you lead dull boring lives and are looking for risky things to play with and more things to worry about. Well, then this dainty little setup will be right up your alley!
The idea is that you have a minimum of wire flopping around and getting in the way, so the airborne installation will be neater, lighter and just generally COOLER!! (and who among us can't use a little extra cool?)
The only minor downside (ok, it's not so minor) is that you'll have to be really really careful because having both connectors rigidly attached like this makes it very easy to short them out if both pins touch a metallic object at the same time. If this happens you'll get sparks, maybe a ruined cell or two (or even the whole pack), maybe start a little fire and any number of other mishaps (the point here is BE CAREFUL.... BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL!!) Anyway, if you've considered all the things that can go wrong and you're still willing to try it in your quest for ultimate cool read on:
- Start by snipping off the solder cup on a pair of connectors.
- Tin the ends of the cells, tin the "mushroom" Jiffypin ends and solder the pins in place.
If they end up a little crooked just bend them straight. (Don't worry about this step. The pins will only bend at the thin section on the bottom which is harmless. Even better, bending the pins gives you a chance to test the strength of the solder joint since it's better to have it break off now instead of when you're flying.) If the pin does come off just resolder it and be careful not to jiggle it or disturb it until the solder gets a chance to harden.
- To "wrap things up" I pressed a piece of thick paper tape over the pins and then shrunk some red and black 1/8" tubing over each pin. I find it easiest to leave the pieces a little long at first and trim them after they're shrunk in place.
- Cover the pack with some super-wonderful Clearly Superior heat shrink tubing and you're all done.
- Pack with connectors.
- When not in use a simple piece of silicone rubber tubing will keep both pins safe.
|
|