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| 9v Battery |
Tools and parts used- A dead 9v battery
- Needle nose pliers
- Soldering iron
- Electronic solder flux
- Electronic solder
- Hot glue gun and glue stick
There is a crimped seam that runs the length of the 9v battery case. Using a pair of needle nose pliers, carefully open the 9v battery case starting at the bottom of the case at the seam. It takes a little practice, patience, and hand strength to complete the operation. Be sure not to damage the six LR61 size cells cells inside. Haven't you always wondered what was inside a 9v battery? Now you know.
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| 9v Battery Case Opened At Seam |
Complete remove the cover once the case seam has been opened the full length of the battery. The top of the battery is soldered / welded to two leads. Break the welds by gently pulling the top away from the battery. The bottom falls away from the battery on its own. Keep the top and bottom. They will be used to make the battery clip. Properly recycle the remaining battery cells and case.
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| 9v battery top and bottom removed from recycled 9v battery |
We apply a thin coat of flux to the battery top inside metal. The flux cleans the metal and helps the solder to flow and form good solder joints. The red lead goes to the positive contact. The black lead goes to the negative contact (the smaller circular contact on the clip). The clip will be wired so that when connected to a 9v battery the positive wire is connected to the positive terminal. Carefully solder the leads assuring good quality solder joints.
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| Red and black leads soldered to inside of 9v battery top |
The final step is to seal the battery clip using hot-glue and the 9v battery bottom. Once the glue is dry, use a sharp knife to carefully trim the excess glue.
Step 5: Test your new clip
The purpose of this test is to both confirm you have correctly wired the leads to the clip and the clip is conducting power from a battery. Connect the battery clip to a good 9v battery. Connect your volt meter across the battery clip terminals by connecting the positive meter lead to the red wire and negative meter lead to the black wire. If your meter shows approximately 9v then you have successfully fabricated a 9v battery clip.
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| Flimsy $2.69 Commercial 9v Clip on Left versus $0.00 cost home-brew 9v Clip on Right |
- This is a fun and easy project.
- This project can save you money (savings $2.69/clip).
- This project would make an excellent group activity such as a boy scout troop electronic night.
- Great way to make a 9v clip if ever in a tight spot (ala McGiver or repairing equipment during a disaster or emergency).
- The quality of the end result is superior in several ways to the commercial off the shelf 9v clip.
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© Michael W. Maher and NJ2X.COM, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Michael W. Maher and NJ2X.COM with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
