Battery Organizer

I got tired of my batteries roaming wild in my junk drawer and decided to build them a new home.

Each of these designs will make a rack that measures 192 mm x 145 mm (7.5" x 5.75")

All files are also available at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3429076

Step 1: Assorted Battery Holder

I originally designed it to have a solid base, but then I reworked it to have a mesh base to cut down on filament use and print time.

The top and bottom are each 5 mm high.

To maximize filament and time efficiency, print the base of your choice, as many spacers(see next step) as you think you will need ( I used 2 D, 1 C, 2AA, 2 AAA, and 2 9V) and then a top to match.

The pre-made assorted battery holder (battery holder mesh base.stl, Battery holder top.stl) will hold:

4 D cell

5 C cell

40 AA

30 AAA

4 9V

8 CR2032 button cell batteries

Step 2: Spacers

These spacers are all 20 mm high. Combined with the top and bottom from the previous step, the holder will be 30 mm high.

Step 3: Make Your Own

In case you have different battery needs, here is an assortment of different sized battery rings separated by size as well as a mesh base.

Feel free to mix and match to suit your needs.

Step 4: Size Specific Racks

Here are a few racks designed for just one size of battery per rack.

The D cell holder (Battery holder D cell only.stl) will hold 20 batteries

The C cell holder (Battery holder C cell only.stl) will hold 35 batteries

Step 5: Reworking the Design to Be More Efficient

In order to make a more efficient print I retooled the rack for the C cell batteries.

The modified files, Battery holder C cell only short top.stl, and Battery holder C cell only short bottom.stl.

Using these files and 5 of the C cell spacers will make a rack that will still hold 35 C cells, but it will take about half of the amount of filament to print and be done in just over half as long.

Comments

[Makerneer]

Nice instructable, thanks for sharing!

[Lorddrake]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it

[Louis1246]

I really like this idea and will certainly put it to use. I'm a little confused though. Do I print out the mesh bed separately and next print the battery holder bottom, standoffs and top and set them on the mesh? Also is everything printed at 0% infill? Thanks

[808041]

WHat kind of 3d printer would you recomend?

[Lorddrake]

I can not give a fully informed comparison between 3D printers since I have only used the 3D printer that I have, an Ender 3 Pro made by Creality. I have nothing but good things to say about it . Set up was easy, it is very user friendly, a fast learning curve to get it all dialed in. It retails for under $300, so it is a great beginner investment.

[kimtyson]

Nicely organized - however, I cannot download the PDF for this one. 404 on the PDF links.
Instructables do not return or acknowlege my support request emails. Is this happening to anyone else?

[seamster]

This is a known issue that is actively being addressed by the site's engineer team. We're hoping to restore functionality of the download-as-PDF button very soon.

[marcm92]

The download selection just ends at a cannot find notice! Perhaps you could ask "instructsblrs" to re target the download icon for this.
Great idea and I'll print off a few for all my rechargeable batteries.

[FredR30]

Just to remind you to cover them afterwards to increase battery life by avoiding discharge

[LeslieGeee]

Nice idea, thank you for sharing. For those of us who do not have a printer your idea can be worked in wood with hole maker drill bits. If you want to save of the filament you could try attaching a thin piece of MDF or plywood to the bottom of your holders. :)
As I was looking again at your first picture, PVC pipe can also be used and attached to each other with PVC glue. You can use larger diameter pipe to store multi AA & AAA batteries. I was also thinking if a person has a work room the battery storage can be adapted to hang on a wall so that drawer space is saved. :)

[Lorddrake]

All very good idea. thanks do much for your input.

In case you want to make a holder out of wood, the dimensions of the batteries I used in the holder are:
AAA - 10.5mm / 0.41 inches
AA - 14.5mm / 0.57 inches
C - 26.2mm / 1.03 inches
D - 33.2 mm / 1.3 inches
9v - 26.5mm x 17.5mm / 1.04 x 0.69 inches
cr2032 - 20mm / .78 inches

[LeslieGeee]

Thank you :)

[LarryG7]

You must have a lot of extra time on your hands! Good explanation of how to develop a procedure to make the different size holders. But now you have to remove the batteries from their packaging and put them in the holders.

[Lorddrake]

not nearly as much free time as I would like LOL. Batteries never seem to stay contained in their boxes once they are opened in my house. Batteries seem to breed in my junk drawer the way wire coat hanger breed in empty closets :)

[Bilal20]

Awesome!

[Lorddrake]

thanks

[AnandM54]

Great idea !!

[Lorddrake]

Thanks. If you make one please post it in the I made it section