Li-on Battery connectors

Support Finding Parts
1

Hi All.

Like many others, I have a good quantity of mobile phone batteries from Nokia and Samsung that are in good working order and up to 5000mAh capacity that I would like to use to power various devices such as Picos, ESP32s, etc…

These tend to have small, recessed contacts that mate with spring loaded connectors in the phone body.

Is anyone aware of some sort of mounting hardware/adapter/connector that will simplify the use of these batteries?

Cheers.

2 Likes
2

Hi Alan,

That sounds like a great project to re-use what other people would see as e-waste.
You could use a sprung connection like a pogo pin - it would be up to you to craft / 3D Print / come up with a sturdy mounting solution.

These ones look promising: ADA5381

1 Like
3

The contact patch on a pogo pin is miniscule. Good for data. Not necessarily good for power. You might melt things.

1 Like
4

Hi Aaron,

Good point, there will be a limit to how much power you can pull through the pogo connectors but using them as a power connector isn’t entirely unheard of in the DIY electronics space. There are a number of Pi Zero HATs that use pogo connectors for power. It really depends how much current you anticipate you will need to flow through the connector.

1 Like
5

Hi Trent, Aaron,

Not actually unheard of in the professional arena either. Particularly in the field of automatic (computer driven) testing where an array of this type of connector was affectionally known as a “bed of nails”.

There are lots of different profiles as well. For power you would probably use one with a larger flat head to get a decent contact area and use the sharp points or rounded ones for light signalling etc connections.

Larger ones can be made fairly easily with a couple of brass screws, springs, 4 nuts and 4 washers.
Cheers Bob

Cheers Bob

2 Likes