A battery cell is like an egg. It comes with fixed capacity and voltage. If you need to increase the voltage, get multiples of these cells voltage.
Just like you can’t get half an egg, you can’t get half a cell, especially with voltage. The capacity of these cells may vary with the cell sizes.
For example, lead-acid cells are two volts nominal, the NiMH cells are 1.2V while the lithium technology may go up to 3.6V.
If you want more volts, all you have to do is arrange your battery module in series. Where you need to reduce the voltage, use a voltage regulator. You may also convert the direct current to alternating current.
When your current needs exceed what a single cell can offer, arrange the cells in parallel. It’ll give you more capacity and runtime.
The following steps will help you make the best battery pack module.
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Get the Right Batteries
With some few tricks, you can convert your phone battery to a lithium pack. The alternative is cheaper than Lithium-polymer packs.
The batteries will work best with your speakers, DIY robots and anything else that need a higher current source of power.
As you’ll note, the phone batteries are specific for your phone. But adding a fail-safe circuit on its top helps prevent faster draining of your battery.
In removing these limiters, you’ll be able to get full power from the batteries.
But why do you need to upgrade to lithium batteries? Well, they’re the best batteries you can get in the market today. They’re small in size, higher power and charging capacities.
If you have your old phone batteries, you may want to put them into good use. If not, buy cheap generic batteries. They’ll work just fine.
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Clean the Batteries
Once you choose your old phone battery, it’s time to clean it. Start by removing the label.
As you’ll note it’ll leave a sticky residue. With a clean cloth and some drops of alcohol hand wash, you’ll be able to remove the sticky substance.
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Make a Small Opening
Use your thumb to create an opening on your battery’s head. The opening needs to be large enough to allow your hobby knife through.
You’re probably worried, well don’t. The cap on top is just a circuit. The battery won’t explode by removing it.
However, you need to be careful not to short circuit the lithium battery. It’ll explode.
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Rid the Battery of the Limiter Circuit
You may use your knife to rid the battery of metal connectors. However, be careful not to tamper with metal ribbon connectors.
Remember, you can’t smoulder them. They’re made of aluminium. As such, the ribbons are the only option you have for attaching wires on this battery.
Insulate Your Battery
Always insulate your batteries with a tape. Their bodies consist of aluminium which is a good conductor of lead. You don’t want your batteries to short.
After this, you can stack the batteries in parallel. In doing this, you’ll be increasing their voltage.
Once you stack them, choose their special chargers. A lithium battery is highly sensitive to overvoltage.
