Best Way To Secure Polymer Li-Ion Batteries In Case

[Mr. Saturn]

Ok, this may be a dumb question. I'm trying to finish up some work on my portable and I've gotten to the point where I am going to need to place the batteries inside the case. So my question is: What's the best way to secure polymer li-ion batteries inside a case? I was thinking about velcro-ing them in, but I have no idea if this is possible / safe. Also, do I need to insulate these batteries some how? Like wrap them up in electrical tape or something, or would they be ok to leave in the case as is? If the batteries some how touch other components I assume that is bad? The batteries I am using in my portable are: http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?P ... rodID=3103 (I have a protection circuit).

Thanks for all the help guys and I apologize if this is basic knowledge.

[argelfraster]

velcro is fine.
After you are done soldering onto the + and - strips on the batteries just cover them with hot glue, thats about all the insulation you need.

[DopestKidEva]

yeah, i dont think it will be a problem if you make sure all your soldering is covered. I wouldn't wrap it in electrical tape because it would get hotter. I think maybe you can tape it down but, not wrap it.

[Life of Brian]

I usually put some electrical tape over the metal tabs, and then use a bit of hot glue to secure the tape down. I don't want any shorts circuits with those suckers! As for securing it in your case, velcro is actually a very good idea. It holds the batteries firmly in place and is easy to use.

[Kurt_]

+1. You could probably also use some popsicle sticks (or other strong and thin supports) and hot glue to hold them firmly to your case, velcro might rattle around a little unless something was keeping a little bit of pressure on it (Like a piece of cardboard, I think that's what I used). Velcro seems kind of temporary for a permanent component, but it'll do the job.

Here's what I mean:

Code: Select all

________________
|C| |_Batt_| |C|

Where the "C"'s are columns of some kind (glued and stacked popsicle sticks), and the battery is viewed from the top and secured with low-temperature hot glue to the support up top, and the bottom is one side of your case.

[Triton]

double sided tape works

[Mr. Saturn]

Thanks for the feedback and quick replies. Sounds as if velcro will do the job, and if the batteries are still loose or in danger of touching soldered components I will look into making some type of housing for them. Thanks again and I'll try to get some pictures up soon.

[bacteria]

I find hot gluing batteries to the case directly works great. As LOB says, cover the metal tabs with electrical tape to stop shorts (and any boards it may come in contact with). Velcro is fine if you need to remove the cells, however they take more space up, and removing Li-po's from velcro might damage them. If you don't want to secure the cells in permanently with hot glue, strap them in place with strips of plastic and hot glue them to the case instead.