How to Make 18650 Battery Holder at Home

Today, 18650 Li-ion cells are widely used in every day to day gadgets like mobile powerbanks, laptop batteries and much more. These cells are very useful and available in various different ampere ratings.

However, to use these batteries in DIY projects, we need specific holders to connect the battery as power source. The commercial Li-ion battery holders are quite expensive, so i decided to make 18650 Li-ion battery holder myself at home. In this instructable, we will learn how to make a 18650 battery holder at home and this technique can be used in making holders for any number of cells & in any series / parallel configuration.

Step 1: Watch the Video

There is no better tool than a video to understand the procedure. A detailed video provides deep insight to the procedure and also makes it easy to follow. However, also visit next steps for additional details and images.

Step 2: Order Parts

Ebay.com

1. General Purpose PCB Board - https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1...
2. Office paper Clips - https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/...
3. Header pins - https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/...
4. PCB switch - https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/...
5. Soldering Iron - https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1...
6. Pliers - https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1...

Amazon.com

1. General Purpose PCB Board - https://amzn.to/2Qqhtnv
2. Office paper Clips - http://amzn.to/2q44oQw
3. Header pins - http://amzn.to/2vDsHe4
4. PCB switch - http://amzn.to/2frXxjk
5. Soldering Iron - http://amzn.to/2r3IX6g
6. Pliers - http://amzn.to/2qFg7rZ

Amazon.in

1. General Purpose PCB Board - http://amzn.to/2lkylJH
2. Office paper Clips - http://amzn.to/2qIBEhb
3. Header pins - http://amzn.to/2vNuuOg
4. PCB switch - http://amzn.to/2wGrgbJ
5. Soldering Iron - http://amzn.to/2qC47qG
6. Pliers - http://amzn.to/2qIxndN

Step 3: Let's Get Started

1. Unfold the office paper clips to 180 degrees such that it forms an "S".
2. Using Pliers, cut the paper clips into two parts such that one part resembles to a "U" shape.
3. Make two such pieces of "U-shaped" clips.
4. Cut a general purpose PCB board to an adequate size according to your needs depending on how many batteries and switches you want to place on it.
5. Insert the "U-shaped" clip at one of the ends on the PCB board.
6. Measure the distance from the inserted clip according to the size of the battery and then insert the other clip at the opposite side.
7. Solder both the clips on the PCB board.

Note: Solder the clips really well so that the copper doesn't peel off when inserting the batteries in the holder.

Step 4: Few Additions

1. Unfold the remaining parts of the clips to make a straight wire.
2. Insert the clip wire adjacent to the "U-shaped" clips such that it forms railing support for the batteries.
3. Make the railing support on both sides, so that battery gets well placed in the holder. Note: Make sure to refer to the images attached above to avoid any errors.
4. Add a switch to the PCB board and connect it to one of the clips.
5. Add two header pins that will be used to connect any peripheral device to the battery.
6. Connect one of the header pins to the switch and other pin to the holder terminal using an insulated wire as can be seen in the images above.

Step 5: Possible Upgrades

1. One of the easy upgrades is to make bigger versions of these battery holders to accommodate any number of batteries.
2. For making bigger Holders, follow the same method of soldering the office clips and then attach the railing at the ends.
3. Now, make connections between the holder terminals accordingly to form any series or parallel configuration.

Note: A TP4056 Charger can also be added to the battery holder to easily charge the batteries and provide under voltage protection to the batteries.

Step 6: Test the Battery Holder

Insert a 18650 battery in the holder and connect any peripheral device (like motors, LEDs, etc) to the header pins. Turn ON the switch and you will find that the battery holder works really well.

So friends, this here concludes the instructable, make one yourself easily at home and get rid of expensive battery holders forever. Stay tuned and don't forget to Follow my instructables to receive regular updates. In case you might have missed, watch the video and see how i made 18650 Battery holder at home.

Make this useful gadget yourself and contact us or share your experiences on our facebook page, twitter and instagram. You can also SUBSCRIBE to our Youtube Channel GOODTECH - Creativity And Science, where i frequently post new and creative content.

I also had a better idea to use 18650 batteries using magnets. Have a look at the instructable here or watch the video below.

Thanks For Your Support..!!

Comments

[ac-dc]

This is not worthwhile. Battery holders for 18650 can be had for about $2.5 USD each (delivered) on various websites such as Banggood, Aliexpress, or ebay. This price is for the fancier ones with a cover, switch, and wire leads built in. Bare holders more similar to what you have made are cheaper still.

There are some substantial problems made worse by the dangers in shorting out Li-Ion batteries.

1) The perfboard copper is not strong enough to support much tension, while you are relying on tension which is (I assume) why you have chosen a harder, high resistance metal like steel from paperclips, so not only is there a risk of the solder breaking off, but even moreso due to the high resistance steel potentially heating up during significant current draw.

2) The side rails you fashioned do not really accomplish much except in a perfect non-mobile environment which is not really the purpose of batteries. You might as well just use zip ties around the entire PCB to keep the cells from moving around.

3) I would just buy ready made battery holders but if you wish to salvage what you have built, then I would put a layer of epoxy on the bottom, on and well beyond the solder joints, and on the top around the battery contacts, paperclip to perfboard junction. Don't forget to seal off the opposite side of the perfboard when laying down epoxy so it doesn't leak through the perfboard holes and make a mess. Transparent magic tape is great for this and can be peeled off once the epoxy sets. The adhesive on the tape allows it to peel away from epoxy that set on the sticky surface.

If you really must DIY, I would sooner advise getting a block of scrap material such as heat resistant thermoplastic, boring holes as cavities for the cells, then end caps with the contacts for electrical conduction, which screw onto your machined block, into brass inserts set into (and might as well epoxy into if you don't have equipment to press fit them properly) the block so it facilitates a good number of fastener insertion and removal cycles to service the cell recharging needs, OR get fancy and integrate USB charging right into the block.

Li-Ion cells should not be used in this kind of makeshift holder as shown. That is a batter project for alkaline or NiMH cells which are more current limited and don't have near the potential to fail spectacularly in a difficult to extinguish fire.

If you just want a quick 'n dirty way to implement a cell or two, do what the R/C hobby crowd does and get cells with spot welded tabs (or spot weld them on yourself if you have the means) then solder wires to those, then shrink wrap the entire assembly, with a BMS board inside for overcharge and over-discharge, and temperature protection.

[pablobj]

Wov, this is an interesting idea!

I've bought some battery holder, but as you say, they are too expensive.

In this manner you can make the necessary holder in minutes....Thank you

Pablo

[Count Volta]

Wov?

Hmmmmm…….

[Techgenie]

Yes, with this method, we can make reliable holders for almost every type of battery. Thanks for appreciating my work.