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How to make a power bank from batteries. Homemade power bank? it's simple! Power bank from a regular flashlight

Homemade power bank - it's very simple!
I suggest you read the description of my homemade product, perhaps it will give you the impetus to make something similar with your own hands.

On this moment A huge number of power banks of different configurations, sizes and with various additional options are available for purchase.
But I decided to assemble it myself. The reasons that prompted me were quite compelling: reluctance to spend money on a purchase (with a possible lottery), the presence of both charging boards and step-up converters up to 5 Volts. And also the presence of a huge number of batteries lying idle. The situation was aggravated by a friend who brought a dozen 18650 from a laptop.
The photo shows only a small part of the batteries.


I bought cheap power banks for 1 element 18650 in online stores


and bought the 18650 elements themselves, but apparently the experience was unsuccessful, or tension with money gave rise to creativity.
Power banks for 1 cell with a capacity of up to 2600 mAh (classic case) did not allow us to fully charge a smartphone, not to mention a tablet. In addition, batteries purchased on the Internet turned out to be counterfeit real capacity 1000mAh.


I bought 4 pieces, but I decided to open one to make sure it was a fake, but I accidentally shorted the poles and my battery caught fire. Fortunately, I was poking around on the balcony and, without hesitation, threw it from the 5th floor onto the street. It was winter, the temperature melted the battery from the snow and ice, and no matter how much I tried to look for it later, I never found it. That's why I found it in the spring. There are no photos, but it was a pitiful sight. What I mean is that lithium batteries require more careful handling.

I thought about the configuration of the power bank:
Frame
Initially I planned to assemble the batteries in a “pipe”, I saw something like this in a girl’s queue at the post office, but for 2-3 elements it turned out to be some kind of tube with large dimensions, which cannot be put in a pocket. It was decided to place the elements side by side (classic option). Another question arose - what should the body be made of? There was an idea to make it out of fiberglass with epoxy resin and had already started working on it, until at work with electricians I saw a plastic pipe for laying electrical wiring.




The manufacturing process is as follows: we take 2 batteries (3-5 as many as you need), a plastic pipe and a hairdryer (construction), you can try softening the pipe in boiling water, I have not tried this option.
We wrap the batteries with several layers of electrical tape or tape. We heat the plastic pipe evenly with a hairdryer and insert the batteries. Next, the pipe cools while maintaining its shape. All that remains is to push out the batteries and part of the case is ready. Next, we remove the electrical tape (adhesive tape) from the elements so that they can be inserted freely (but without looseness) into the new body. By the way, I didn’t succeed the first time, I stopped on the second attempt, but the body turned out to be a little like a propeller (I eliminated the distortion by sanding both sides).
Cut to length and sand the end with sandpaper or a file.
Next, take a piece of plexiglass, moisten it with dichloroethane (carefully poisonous) and glue it to the pipe.


After 10 hours (dry outside or under ventilation), grind it using sandpaper or any in an accessible way. We get a glass with a bottom.

Scheme


It can be said that there is practically none - 2 wires from the charging board to the battery, 2 wires from the boost converter board to the charging board, which, when the battery discharges to the lower level, will turn off the power to the boost converter. If you bought a boost converter board with a soldered USB connector, this simplifies the design. On USB connector You can connect the two middle pins together. Some phones use a jumper to recognize that they are connected not to a computer port but to a charger and begin to charge with a higher current (1000 mA instead of 500). I had to solder the connector to the back of the charging board. The main nuance is to observe the polarity and try to use red wires for + (any light) and blue (any dark) for minus. Subsequently, the developed habit of using different colors makes life easier.



There are many options, but they all come down to the use of the same microcircuits as well as field-effect transistors as a battery cut-off element during discharge. Oh yes, I used the batteries without protection.
Here you will need a soldering iron to connect the boards to each other and the batteries, as well as pieces of small-section wires (the length is short, not critical).




To suit your taste and color, any one that increases up to 5 Volts and produces a current of at least 1 Ampere.
The board I use does not have protection against short circuits at the output, but I use the device for its intended purpose, so there is practically no chance of burning the converter.
A small drawback - the converter consumes 500 μA (0.5 mA) without load, but it will take 8000 hours to discharge the batteries. Can be neglected.
There was also a need for a soldering iron. I packed the soldered board into a piece and made a hole for an LED - an indicator of the converter's operation. This was necessary for the reason that the boards in the case were not fixed in anything and it was necessary to avoid short circuits.








I recommend using used laptop batteries, cheap and cheerful.
My next power bank will be on batteries from a dead tablet.
We fix the elements together and coat them with automotive sealant, then we connect the contacts + to + and - to -, that is, in parallel.
There is a SERIOUS POINT here! Before connecting, it is necessary to bring the EMF of the elements to the same value. Let opponents write that all this is nonsense and the machinations of enemies, but from my own experience I was convinced of the need for balancing. For balancing, I prepared a 3.5 Volt flashlight bulb, but I was distracted at work and successfully forgot about balancing. I soldered both ends of the elements (soldering is performed in the presence of active flux or soldering acid; simply tinning with rosin will be problematic). You cannot warm up the soldering area for a long time - the battery may fail. The job is done, I'm waiting for the battery assembly to cool down, but it didn't work out that way, the structure started to burn my hand from heating, at first I thought that I had warmed it up so much with the soldering iron or damaged it, but it dawned on me - I didn't do the balancing. I quickly unsoldered it and connected + to + through the light bulb. After about 3-4 hours, I checked the current between the elements, it was no more than 5 mA, which means that the batteries have the same EMF and are ready for soldering.

additional little things(USB)
To complete the design, I didn’t have enough USB port - I took it from some dead motherboard. I desoldered it in a vandal way - using a construction hair dryer.
There was an idea to use 2 USB ports and 2 converter boards at once (separate channels as expected), but there simply wasn’t enough space inside the case. and subsequently the presence of 2nd USB port was not in great demand.
Everything is fixed inside with sealant (if you like a glue gun, you can use one too) The lid is glued and made in the same way as the bottom.






I did not paint the power bank, the original gray color of the body seems acceptable, nothing prevents it from being sanded and spray painted.
After making the power bank, I thought that I shouldn’t have rushed. It was possible to use a kit from a cheap power bank and not reinvent the wheel, but then protected batteries would be required.
options to gut the cheap one, use different batteries

Some nuances in the process of making a power bank:
housing design - use of dichloroethane - poison


It is difficult to remove shavings from plexiglass - they stick (static), it is highly advisable to select batteries from existing elements. I used the Imax B6 charger


2 charge-discharge cycles with a current of 1 Ampere showed xy from xy! There were a decent number of cells with a capacity of less than 800 mAh, they went for recycling (they collect them at work and hand them over). Soldering should be done in the presence of ventilation. The batteries can be soldered with a powerful soldering iron; the boards can be soldered with a low-power one.

Tests
I recently had a trip to the city of Volgograd for the Russian F3K radio-controlled glider championship. This is where the power bank comes in handy. 32 hours on a train doesn’t seem like much, but with nothing else to do, we watched movies and played games on our smartphones and tablets. And if on the first day the sockets in the carriage were not available, then on the second day there was a queue of several hours waiting for anyone who wanted to recharge =)


I put the power bank on charge at night when everyone was asleep, so I didn’t disturb anyone and was happy. The capacity of the power bank was enough to watch a movie and then charge the tablet at least three-quarters.


At the hotel I left it to charge at night, during the day I used it myself and gave it to others. A completely discharged power bank charges in about 5 hours. The capacity turned out to be about 4100 mAh. The discharge current, depending on the cable, reaches 1 Ampere. When charging, the indicator lights up red, when charging is complete it turns blue. Like most 18650 charge controller boards.
When discharged, the red indicator lights up, but it is practically invisible, I did not think through the design thoroughly.











Where would Kote be without her?



Conclusion: there are power banks with reasonable prices and with best characteristics, but the presence of the 18650 mountain and the desire to put my hands to it did the trick. a homemade product was born. Beta version with its shortcomings. My requests are completely covered, sometimes my daughter takes her to school.
The review was difficult, but interesting. Please point out any shortcomings. We will punish the guilty. We will encourage the rest. Missed points will be clarified and doubts will be dispelled =) I'm planning to buy +51 Add to favorites I liked the review +91 +189


Good day Dear friends! In today's article I would like to show you how to make a hiking portable charger for the phone - Power Bank. Its travel qualities include the fact that it can be charged using solar energy. This Power Bank will cost quite cheap, since its assembly will use secondary batteries and cheap Chinese components from online stores. Well, okay, enough of the long prefaces, let's go!




And so, for this homemade product we will need:
- 18650 format batteries.
- Battery cassettes.
- Wires.
- Power Bank control board (can be bought from the Chinese).
- Fiberboard or MDF panels (you can also use plastic, as this will be useful for the Power Bank case).
- Solar panel (battery) 5V.
- Switch.
- Thin plastic tube.

We will also need the following tools:
-Soldering iron.
- Super glue.
- Screwdriver.
- Pen (or pencil, marker, etc.).
- Stationery knife.
- Drill.
- Terma glue.

Before you start building a Power Bank, you should understand rechargeable batteries. It was decided to use 18650 format batteries, since this is the most common battery format and choosing a control module for them in Chinese online stores will be as easy as pie. You can buy these batteries new, which will be very good, but you can save money and get these batteries from an old laptop, as the author of the homemade product did. But you must understand that using old batteries Power characteristics Banka will not be very good, there will be slow charging, small capacity, etc.






Let's move on to assembling the batteries into one battery. Our battery will consist of four batteries. In order to assemble several batteries into one we will need special cassettes (photo below), of course you can tie them with electrical tape or glue them with thermal glue, but using cassettes will be much more convenient.




We insert the batteries into the cassettes so that by soldering the batteries, we get a parallel connection.




The next step is to solder the batteries together. Many people already know that batteries cannot be soldered with a soldering iron, as it is very easy to overheat them and they will fail. Most The best way connecting batteries is resistance welding, if you have one, then you are a very happy person and use it to assemble this homemade product. Well, if you just have a soldering iron, then keep in mind that you should solder the batteries for a short time so that the battery does not have time to warm up, and also use soldering acid for soldering. You need to tin the batteries as in the photo, and then apply the wire and solder them.










For the next step we need a Power Banka control board, this fee includes many functions which allows you to make the design as compact as possible. We solder our battery assembly to the control board. Keeping in mind the polarity, there are “+” and “-” markings on the board, so you won’t get confused.




Let's make the body. For the body we will need a wooden MDF panel, but you can use any suitable flat material that you can work with. We cut out a panel of a suitable size and, attaching the control board, trace it along the contour.





Cut out a window for the display. The MTF panel is quite soft and to cut out a window for the display we will need a stationery knife. Just run the knife along the marked contour several times, using force.




Using thermal glue, glue the battery assembly and control board to the MTF panel.






From the same MTF panel, two identical rectangles should be cut, the length of which will be equal to the length of the main part of the case, and the width should be such that the battery fits. And two more identical rectangles of the same width, but the length should be equal to the width of the body. After cutting out the blanks, glue two of them together, those shown in the photo.







Seeing that the LED from the control board was a little in the way, the author decided to make holes so that its indication could be seen and the LED would not rest. And also glue it to the body.






Then on the other panel we also mark holes for USB and Power Bank charging. And we also glue it to the body with super glue.










On one of the side parts we will cut and drill holes for the switch and the off button. We need a switch to turn solar charging on and off.


Next we need solar battery, which should be connected to the control board. Solder should be in the places indicated in the photo and through the switch.











Since our solar battery is smaller than the Power Bank body and it will not be enough to use the wall. For the last wall of the case, we will cut out a small rectangle from the MTF panel and glue it with super glue to the indicated place as in the photo.




And we will glue the solar panel itself to the case and finish assembling the case.

There are many ways to ensure your mobile device external source of energy. Flagship smartphones today are equipped with branded wireless modules for charging. Some people take it simpler and purchase additional batteries for their phone or tablet. Others use solar powered external batteries.

All these methods are good, but sometimes they cost a lot. Therefore, we will use a life hack and create our own power bank from improvised means:

  • regular batteries;
  • smart flashlight;
  • old batteries.

Which one to choose is up to you, but they are all very simple and reliable in their design.

First way

For assembly you will need:

  • 4 AA batteries, 1.5 V each.
  • Plates.
  • Wire.
  • USB connector.
  • Empty match boxes.
  • Glue.
  • Suitable size container for the entire structure.

We take empty boxes and bend them on one side so that a pair of batteries fits in each.

We install metal plates at the bottom of the boxes, thereby connecting the “+” and “-” batteries.

We connect the “+” and “-” of the two pairs to each other in a serial circuit, and connect the USB connector wire to the free contacts.

For convenience, the entire structure can be packed in a suitable container. The device is ready for use.

Important so that the output parameters correspond to the current consumed by your device (at least 1A in total, otherwise the device will take a long time to charge).

Second way

We disassemble the flashlight and connect a 5 V voltage converter to the terminals, observing the polarity. It can be removed from the old mains charger with a micro-USB connector. Solder the wires. We tie the structure with electrical tape for strength and compactness.

As a result, we get 2 in 1: both a flashlight and an external charger for a smartphone.

Third way

This design is prepared on the basis of old batteries from all kinds of household appliances. The total voltage should not exceed 5V. We solder only the side contacts together, since the central ones, as a rule, are responsible for exchanging information with the controllers. Then, as in the case of a flashlight, we solder a current power converter to the resulting powerful monolithic battery.

It is advisable to pack the entire structure in a compact container - a cream box or a soap dish.

Thus, you have made another external charging unit for your device.

This is the best DIY power bank you've ever seen!
And now you can make your own. All examples of electrical parts and housing are described here. I'm sure you can come up with your own ideas for making the case, but feel free to use mine.

This power bank has 4 USB outputs high current in total giving 10A and a real volume of 30000mAh from a 1S1P lithium polymer battery. And... it can be charged in just 1 hour! Charge all your devices from one source!

Watch the video for all the specifications and some instructions on how to make a power bank.

Step 1: Ingredients


To get started, you need:

  • Battery
  • Battery Management System (BMS)
  • Charging module
  • Boost Converters direct current
  • Various trifles ( USB connectors, wires, fuses, banana plugs...)
  • Frame

Step 2: Battery


First, of course, we will deal with the battery. The part that powers our entire external battery. If you want a powerful device, it needs to be big. This circuit is designed for one lithium battery. I used a battery from Kokam. I was satisfied with the 30000mAh figure. You can choose a larger or smaller capacity option depending on what you want to achieve.

Kokams are quite hard to find and expensive, but don't worry. If you could not find such a power bank, you can connect several smaller batteries in parallel to obtain the same capacity. The voltage will remain the same. Thus, all small batteries used for models with remote control and toys. Just connect them as in the photo. 18650 batteries will also work for our needs!

Don't forget the fuse. I used a 40A fuse, since in my case the current is in fast charging equal to 30A. If you don't plan on charging it as quickly, you can use smaller fuses.

Step 3: Battery Management System (BMS)


Lithium batteries cannot be “overcharged” or “overdischarged”. To protect them from such cases, we use a simple 1S BMS board, which can be found cheaply on Ebay. Just find a BMS that can handle enough current. Mine is rated at 10A. Connect everything as shown in the photo.

Step 4: Charger



I have two options for charging: fast and slow. You can choose one or the other, but I wanted both to be available.

The first and slow option allows you to use any charger with micro USB to charge the external battery slowly. To do this, you need to adapt a charging board that will lower the voltage to 4.2V and charge the battery. (search on Ebay: 1s lithium battery charging module TP4056). The current will be limited by the charger's output current (usually up to 2.1A). This module can also support 3A current, so it will charge from a 3A charger as long as it supports that output current. Connect everything as shown in the photo.

If you have a charger for external lithium batteries, you can add a fast charging input. Simply add two banana plugs and connect them as shown in the photo. Your charging limit is now limited by the amperage of your external charger. I use a 30A Reaktor charger so I can charge my battery in just 1 hour.

Carefully! In the photo, the banana connectors are connected after the BMS board. Do the same if your external charger does not produce more than 10A. If it charges more than 10A, connect the banana plugs immediately after the + and - fuse of the battery before the BMS. This is how my external battery is assembled. Only do this if you know what you are doing. Unprotected charging may cause a fire!

Step 5: Switch


Use the switch to turn your power bank on and off.

It is only used for power bank mode (DC modules and display), so you can charge your power bank even when it is turned off.

Step 6: DC-DC Boost Converters


DC-DC boost converters will raise the voltage to 5V. This is what you need to charge your USB devices.
Converters can be found on Ebay, I used 2 pieces of 5A LM2587.

Carefully! Please follow the instructions in my photo before connecting them to your power bank. You need to set the voltage at their output to 5-5.3V, otherwise you may damage the device you connect to charge.

Step 7: Putting it all together


Once the DC/DC boost converters are set to the correct voltage, connect them as shown in the photo. Add as many USB ports as you need. 2 ports per 5A DC module - best option, allowing you to quickly charge all your devices.

Here's another video that includes all the previous instructions and photos to help you get it right.

It took me a little time to make this case. I designed his model in Autodesk program Inventor. Then I found someone who could cut it out of aluminum. I sanded the outer surface, painted it and finally engraved it. This case fits the battery I used. And you can make the body from any material and any shape you like. The main thing is that all parts and the battery fit well inside. My first thought was to make the body out of wood, but I changed my mind and made it metal :)

Happy charging to you!

Modern smartphones and tablets consume a large number of energy, so the battery must be charged frequently. The solution to this problem is purchasing an external battery. You can make a Power Bank with your own hands. Self-assembly has advantages and disadvantages that must be taken into account before starting work.

An example of a DIY power bank.

Advantages and disadvantages of homemade products

The positive qualities of a homemade device include the following:

  1. Relatively low cost. Capacious external batteries cost at least 5 thousand rubles. Cheaper models do not meet the user's needs or quickly fail. In the presence of necessary materials You can assemble an inexpensive, powerful power bank yourself.
  2. No difficulties during repairs. The device has a removable housing, making it easy to dismantle and replace parts. In addition, the person who assembled the device is familiar with the type of electrical circuit.
  3. Possibility to obtain the required capacity. At home, you can assemble a 6000 mAh battery.
  4. Environmental Safety. Good for the environment reuse lithium-ion batteries with faulty controllers.
  5. Non-standard design. Strange appearance The housing is considered attractive by some users.

Disadvantages of manual assembly:

  1. The complexity of the process. The power bank may take several days to produce. To assemble the device correctly, you need to have some skills.
  2. Unattractive appearance. Homemade device almost impossible to make compact.
  3. Lack of some materials at hand. Some parts are difficult to find even in specialized stores.
  4. Short service life.
  5. Lack of LED indicators. These details help you track your phone's charging progress. The shutdown button may also be missing, which causes inconvenience during operation. Adding keys to electrical circuits complicates the assembly process.
  6. Failure of the battery being charged. This risk is present when using any power bank, but when assembling it yourself, this probability is higher.
  7. High cost. This happens, for example, when using a charge controller.

By the way, read this article too: Onda M2 new mini-computer for $200

Manufacturing materials

You can make a Powerbank with your own hands from any type of power source. The most commonly used materials are:

Regardless of the type of base, you will need a charge controller and a USB connector.

All parts must be in good working order.

Components of Power Battery bank.

From phone batteries

The use of this method helps to create a capacious, convenient device. To make a power bank, you will need 6 high-capacity batteries. The assembly is done like this:

  1. 3 batteries are placed in a stack, which is secured with tape. The contacts are directed in one direction. The same steps are repeated for the remaining batteries. When gluing, avoid getting tape on the terminals.

The device, assembled from telephone batteries, allows you to charge the gadget 4-5 times. For charging powerful smartphone or a tablet it will not work.

From AA batteries

It is not difficult to assemble a power bank from finger batteries. The resulting device is not particularly high-capacity or reliable. However, the device is suitable for emergency charging of the gadget. They assemble it like this:

  1. Cut off the tops of 2 matchboxes and glue their bases together.
  2. Each box contains 2 AA batteries. The poles point in one direction.
  3. Stationery staples connect batteries located in different boxes. When combining terminals, polarity is taken into account. The staples are fixed with wire. Adhesive tape is not recommended as it may cover the contacts.
  4. The resulting structure is placed in a plastic container. The boxes are glued with hot glue. The location where the connector will be installed is determined in advance in the case. A short cable is connected to the USB port. After this, the connector is securely fixed.

After completing all the steps, you get a small power bank that you can carry in your bag.

Homemade Power Bank from a AA battery.

This method allows you to create a capacious and powerful external battery. It can be used as a charger for energy-intensive gadgets - laptops, tablets.

The elements must be in good working order. Old batteries with a burnt-out controller will do. The assembly is done like this:

  1. Prepare 8 18650 batteries. Find a container that will serve as a housing. A hole is made in it for the connector and the power button. This power bank can be supplemented with keys.
  2. Assemble blocks consisting of 4 batteries. The positive terminals should face one way, the negative terminals the other.
  3. Both blocks are placed in a plastic container and fixed with hot glue. The structure is soldered to the system for turning off the car charger.
  4. The USB output is connected to batteries and a switch.

Power bank from a car charger.

The capacity of a homemade power bank is enough for several charging cycles of a powerful gadget. Start charging by connecting the tablet and pressing the power button. Stop the process by turning the relay to the “Off” position. After this, you can disconnect the gadget.

From a flashlight

External battery can be created from a simple flashlight. To do this, you will need a lighting device that consumes 3.7 volts, a converter, a connector and a controller. The available 3.7 V needs to be converted into 5 V needed to charge the smartphone. The power bank is assembled as follows:

  1. They disassemble the flashlight and find a resistor with an LED. The latter is disconnected.
  2. Remove the metal contact that was used to charge the flashlight and replace it with a voltage converter with a USB connector.
  3. Both contacts of the flashlight battery are soldered to the controller. The controller terminals are marked with “-” and “+” signs, which are taken into account during assembly.
  4. The resulting structure is connected to the converter. This part is connected to one of the switch contacts.
  5. The converter is checked with a multimeter. If there is no voltage, the part is combined with another contact. The device must function.
  6. The controller and converter are glued to the case, then the battery is installed.

After assembly, you get a convenient and interesting power bank for your phone.

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