Button Cell Battery Pack for Experiments or Small Applications.

 Hey everyone! Lets learn how to make a battery pack! Really simple, easy, and cheap. These are great for experiments and tests, or small applications that require 3.0 - 4.5 volts.

(I'm sorry if someone else has posted this before me, by all means post a link to yours in the comments.)

Step 1: What You'll Need.

Alright, you'll need:

Electrical tape.

Wire. (Optional)

Two or three button cell batteries. (The thick 1.5v ones.)

Scissors. (Sorry, forgot them in the picture)

Step 2: Make the Pack.

Get your batteries, and stack them like in picture 2. The first battery has the + side facing up, then put the second one the same way on top, then again for the third battery. Then, get a 3 or 4 inch strip of tape, and wrap it tightly around the batteries, (see picture 3) making sure they are fairly tight against eachother. I find that squeezing from the top and bottom of the pack while wrapping helps keep them tight. If you don't feel they're tight enough, wrap a second piece of tape. Got all that? Good. Now, take your scissors and trim the excess tape off the top and bottom.

Step 3: You Have Two Choices...

Okay! Now, you can leave your pack as is, and use wires from the thing your powering to hook it up. OR, you could add wires! See the next step!

If you chose to leave it as is, I still recommend checking out the next step to see how to hook up wires.

Step 4: Attach Wires.

Alright! So, get your wire, and cut two 2 - 3 inch pieces, then strip a bit off each end of the wires, taking a bit more off one end then the other. Now, get another 3 - 4 inch strip of tape, and tape the red wire's more stripped end to the plus side, then wrap the tape down and tape the black wire's more stripped end to the negative side, and wrap tightly.

Your done!

Step 5: Fin.

Congratz! You made yourself a battery pack!! Now go make something with it!

*NOTES*

So, my multimeter won't register these packs, but they do work!
I'm not sure why it won't register...

And, please, if you want to, send me a picture of something powered by this!

Thanks!!

Comments

[Disho]

Can anyone tell me how I would add a small switch to this?

[Geeks with lasers]

short, simple and to the point :D

Nice ible :D

[bgoodwin9]

I'm using this design for a sonic screwdriver

[GrotBox]

An even better choice may be to use "self amalgamating tape". This is a sort of rubber like tape that is a little stretchy and sticks really well to itself. It is used for sealing electrical connections that will be subject to rain etc. This would be even better than electrical tape because it is stretchy, so if you stretch it when you apply it, it will be trying to contract when you have finished and will therefore ensure all cells and the wires are in really good electrical contact.

[Zem]

Cool! Thanks for the idea!

[mothflavour2]

You know, this is so simple, and something that you think everyone already does, yet I actually haven't made anything like this.  This idea is just so handy.  Rather than messing around with knobs or buttons on a bench power supply, just keep a couple different ones of these in the drawer.

[temp]

I have come to realize that a lot of instructables are just common sense, but tis like woah, why didnt i think of that.

[Zem]

Yup very much so. 

[Zem]

I know! I thought every one did this XD
They are VERY useful, especially like you said, not having to mess with a power supply.
Thanks for the comment!