How to Make Small Battery Holders

I needed some small battery holders for a project and although they are not very expensive to buy online the cost of shipping to Canada (and the amount of time it takes) is ridiculous.  So instead I made my own battery holders using a glue gun and some bits of metal.

Step 1: Materials and Tools

• Glue gun(low temperature*) and glue
• Small scraps of metal
• Pliers
• Batteries (best to use dead ones)
• Dremel, cutting tool and mat
• Helping hands

*I find that with low temperature glue guns the glue doesn't seem to stick very well making it easier to remove the batteries

Comments

[uriboni]

I made something similar but with polymorph plastic instead of glue, and a couple of flat-headed screws for the connectors.

The advantage of using screws is that they can be tightened to hold the batteries in place better, and if you put a nut on both sides you can do away with soldering the wire. Just twist it around the screw then tighten it and it will be secured between the screw head and the nut.

[ChrysN]

Using screws is a great idea thanks for the tip. Especially using a nut to prevent having to solder the wire on (I'm terrible at soldering).

[javajunkie1976]

Wish I had known about this when I made my 5 minute safety light! I ended up soldering the wires directly to the battery. Great idea.

[NaturalCrafter]

This is great because many times we have to replace a battery holder quickly. Never thought of the simple approach.

[angler]

cool, i like the glue gun approach!

[ChrysN]

Thanks!

[JoshuaZimmerman]

Smashing idea! I've been trying to find an easy way to make a little battery holder for weeks, and this might do the trick!

I'm trying to get two little 1.5V button cells together for a flashlight, and the best option I came up with was using some shrink tubing and getting a tight fit that way. The downside being it was impossible for the user to replace.

Thanks for the awesome idea!

[2ManyProjects]

My first thought was, "Crap! Why didn't I think of that?" I will never buy a battery holder again!

[matstermind]

the universal hot glue, melted duct tape :D

[toxa]

cool!

[zack247]

another way to make the battery holder in a specific, clean shape would be to take the shell of a dead PSU and place your components (with a little bit of glue to hold it) against two sides and the use the other half of the shell to press on the 3rd side. apply the glue, press it, and then you have 3 sides less to refine, i do this a lot with headphone plugs that need to be resoldered. You dont need any oil or anything just make sure that you dont clean too much dust off (the glue will stick to the dust, not the metal) or have the shell quite cold, leaving it in the coldest room in the basement or in the freezer for a while should get it cold enough that the hot glue wont stick.

overall, great 'ible! i never thought of making them this way.

[ChrysN]

Thanks, great suggestions.

[colinlewis]

In step 3, where you have the battery and metal piece together in an alligator clip, it looks like you have a short circuit through the clip. Better to have an insulator in there somewhere, right?

[laxap]

Maybe it's a dead battery just used to build the holder?

[ChrysN]

Yes, I just used a dead battery to mold the holder.

[laxap]

May I suggest that you clearly indicate it in step 3?

Will you post your target project(s)? Apparently fabrics+LEDs...
I'm curious!

[laxap]

Oh, Robot T-Shirt!

[ChrysN]

Good idea, it will prevent confusion.

Aside from the t-shirt I haven't had time to make them, I had a necklace in mind for the smaller battery holder.

[blackrock112]

Much easier is to solder those things from old stuff, those CR type battery holders u can get easily from old motherboards + u get a battery that is probably still alive! :)

[Kryptonite]

I likey, good 'ble!