Almost all modern cameras use Lithium-Ion batteries. They're small, rechargeable, and quick to swap when one gets empty.

But the problem with Li-ion batteries is the fact that with time, they start to degrade. A two-year-old battery will drain much faster than a new battery. Also, it's always great to have a few backup batteries when doing longer shoots or going traveling.

However, it can become quite a challenge to keep track of which batteries are charged and which ones are empty, when they all look the same and some are only half-working.

So I decided to make this quick and simple camera battery organizer. This project will focus on making a station for the Sony NP-FW50 batteries, but the same concept could be used with any camera brand.

Let's get started!

Step 1: The Concept

The charging station will be divided into three zones:

A row for charged batteries
The charger with its switch
A queue for empty batteries in case the charger is already full

As battery chargers usually don't have a switch, we will be adding one in the USB cable. It will allow us to turn the charger off without having to unplug it completely. Using a toggle switch will also give us satisfying tactile feedback. The electronics for the switch will be hidden in the black box near the charger.

Step 2: Modeling and 3D Printing

After taking measurements from all the real-life objects model them in Fusion 360.

Place them as you wish, then, create a wide base that partially incorporates all the modeled elements (batteries, charger, switch housing). Using the combine function, you can subtract all those bodies from the base, turning them into cavities.

Then, using the offset surface command, you can add a 0.1 mm gap between the charger and the base, and a 0.25 mm gap around the batteries. Those tolerances will account for any errors made by the 3D printer, and make it possible to mechanically put everything together.

If you're designing your own base, a quick tip to avoid wasting filament and time, is to first make a smaller test print of only one section of the model, to then refine the tolerances before launching the full print.

Feel free to replicate some design features of your charger (chamfers, fillets, rounded corners), to make the design of the station look like one complete package. I added 1.5 mm chamfers on all the edges.

For the colors, I printed the base with white filament to make it easier to see which slots are filled at a glance. The housing for the switch was printed in black to match the charger.

Step 3: The Switch

Because the camera charger doesn't have a switch by default, we will be adding one. I didn't want to make any modifications to the charger itself, so the switch will be placed separately in an exterior housing, in the way of the USB charging cable.

The +5v and Ground connectors of a USB C breakout board can be soldered to a snipped-off USB cable, with a toggle switch in the +5v wire. Add heat shrink tubing or electrical tape to avoid any accidental short circuits.

Finally, house the electronics in the 3D printed enclosure, cutting holes where needed and fixing the USB C board in place with hot glue.

Step 4: A Different Texture

The flat surface designed to hold the empty batteries sounds very plasticky by default. You can add a layer of leather, felt, cork, or any other natural feeling material on top, to hide the 3D-printed nature of the base.

Use glue that works with your choice of material to keep everything in place.

Step 5: Rubber Feet

To keep the stand from sliding around, you can place some rubber feet in the corners of the stand.

Step 6: A Little Tip

If you're dealing with lots of similar-looking batteries, you can label them to make them easier to manage. I used some custom vinyl stickers on mine, but a simple hand-written number on a piece of tape also does the trick.