Securing your Battery

Securing a battery into a plastic case can be challenging.

The most secure way would be to bolt some brackets into the box which would hold the battery rigidly in place. This may however break the waterproof integrity of the case, so is not ideal.

A method which I have found to be quick, easy and good enough, is to use strips of adhesive Velcro.

In the example shown, the case has curved corners between the sides and the bottom, so I’ve used some plywood as a standoff to create a 90 degree angle, held in place by Velcro.

I’ve then covered the side of the battery in contact with the box bottom with adhesive Velcro and stuck it down. When the box is in use and horizontal, the weight of the battery pushes down on the Velcro, and when the box is standing upright, the weight is taken by the plywood packing so does not stress the Velcro.

In normal use, this seems to adequately hold the battery in place. Dropping the box from a height on its left hand end might dislodge it, but that’s not a risk I feel the need to mitigate, given the use case I have.

If the battery does become loose, it can be easily Velcro’d back in position.

I put the battery against the side to take advantage of the bracing it offered, but it does make the box a bit unbalanced when carrying, so if I did it again I’d put the battery in the middle, and probably use a LiFe battery to reduce the weight.

Power Distribution

When building Go Boxes, I used to find connecting together the power distribution cables for the equipment a hassle, until I found these Wago connectors in an electrical distributor. They are widely used in the UK for house lighting wires and come in 2,3 and 5 conductor capacity.

As they are quite small, I bought a box of 5 conductor units with the view that even if I only need 2 or 3 for some applications, they don’t use up much space, and if I need more connections than I thought, they are available.

power1

The connectors are rated at 32 Amps and capable of taking up to 4mm square cable, you just lift the lever and slide in a stripped cable, then push it down for a secure connection. Use one for +ve and another for -ve & job done. A decent length of the insulation slides into the connector so shorting to the metal panel below is not an issue.

The main picture shows a project I’m just getting started on with the first wires connected, and the pic below gives the part details.

Power2

I also use a lot of this Acrylic foam tape which is very sticky, holds well and doesn’t lose its grip with time.  While described as foam, the material is more a clear plastic somewhat stretchy gel, a couple of mm thick with adhesive either side. This helps if the surfaces are not completely smooth/parallel.

Its perfect for sticking these Wago connectors down, and for mounting other lightweight parts.

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