DIY custom battery storage trays
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- Published on Jan 24, 2022
- A handy 3D script and guide to adjusting the parameters to make a custom tray to store your batteries or other cylindrical objects in a compact manner.
Openscad is a very interesting piece of open source software that lets you create 3D objects with a raw scripting language, allowing complex results from very tight code.
The openscad software can be downloaded here:-
openscad.org/
The script for this project is included at the bottom of this description. You literally just copy and paste it into the text box of openscad to adjust it as desired, and create your own custom STL file for your 3D printing system.
The six variables you can adjust are:-
Width - The number of battery cups wide.
Height - The number of battery cups high.
Depth - The depth of the battery cups.
Diameter - The internal diameter of the cups - slightly wider than your battery.
Thickness - The thickness of the cup walls.
Base - The thickness of the base.
When adjusting the values, be careful not to remove the "=" and ";" as they are part of the script.
To see your changes quickly, press the box with two arrows.
To build the final object press the box with an hourglass in it.
To save your custom STL file press STL. (After building with the hourglass button.)
The STL file can then be used with your preferred slicer (I use Cura) to make the gcode file for your choice of 3D printer.
I recommend making a single test cup (1X1) to test sizes before making a bigger tray of them.
You can also just choose a width and height of 1 to make a single large cup for other purposes.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of TheXvid's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
Here's the openscad script. Copy and paste the text below into openscad to use it.
//Custom battery tray - bigclivedotcom
$fn=50;
//You can adjust these variables.
width=4; //number of horizontal cups
height=4; //number of vertical cups
depth=10; //internal depth of cups
diameter=15; //diameter of cylinder AA=15 AAA=11
thickness=1; //thickness of wall
base=1; //thickness of cup bases
//don't adjust stuff below here
columns=width-1;
rows=height-1;
wall=thickness*2;
dia=diameter+thickness;
cup=depth+base;
difference(){
union(){
//main body
for (x=[0:columns]){
for (y=[0:rows]){
translate([x*dia,y*dia,0])
cylinder(h=cup,d=diameter+wall);
}
}
}
//hollow cores
for (x=[0:columns]){
for (y=[0:rows]){
translate([x*dia,y*dia,base])
cylinder(h=cup,d=diameter);
}
}
} 
Science & Technology
When I saw this the first time I instantly thought, "wouldn't it be great if you used two of them to hold them in place on both ends?" Then I thought, "that idea, plus a set of clips would allow it to be moved and kept as one solid piece." Then I remembered I don't have a 3d-printer.
I had the thought of using a second to hold the top as well. That's when I remembered I don't have a printer.
Like "I want to buy the new ABBA cd" - Oh, I don't have CD anymore ...
If you want or need to get this but don't own or otherwise have access to a 3D printer you can send your STL file to JLCPCB and have them print and ship the units to you.
You might enquire at your local library. The one in my town has one and they only charge a small fee by how long it will take to print, to cover material cost...
@Plain Edged Saw Why the hell not? 😁
For possibly faster print times, set the "thickness" variable to a number divisible by your extrusion width. For a 0.4 mm nozzle, 0.8 or 1.2 should be fine. If you pick 1, it might try to fill out a 0.2 mm gap, which isn't always going to look great.
Too bad the Arachne version of Cura isn't stable yet. It can optimize wall line widths.
@Mladen Mijatov That depends on your extrusion width set in the slicer. If your slicer is set to 0.48mm extrusion width, then the "thickness" variable should be 0.96 or 1.44 for example (0.48 multiplied by 2 or 3 lines you want).
Important point about this, your slicer doesn't consider nozzle output to be 0.4, it's 0.48 because it has to squish plastic. This is not something that's immediately apparent but it does affect slicing because with 0.4 flow rate will ever so slightly be smaller and it might cause problems and be super hard to debug.
thanks for the "tip"
@Janos Nagy J. Huh? It'll actually give you a faster print and better layer adhesion too. There's no reason the line width has to be equal to the nozzle size. Check out CNC kitchen on TheXvid.
Rather than editing the script to change the parameters, you can also use the "Customizer".
If the "Customizer" view isn't shown by default, select "Customizer" from the "Window" menu, then you can edit the width, height, depth, diameter, thickness and base parameters without fear of corrupting the code by accidentally removing the ; or changing the parameter name.
A nice extra feature would be a small hole near the bottom of the cup to put a copper wire through. That way you can test the voltage of the cells in storage without getting them out.
Just had a fiddle with this (first time using Openscad)... change the last bit of the script to this & and see if its what you were thinking...
//hollow cores
for (x=[0:columns]){
for (y=[0:rows]){
translate([x*dia,y*dia,base])
cylinder(h=cup,d=diameter);
}
}
//Bottom Holes
for (x=[0:columns]){
for (y=[0:rows]){
translate([x*dia,y*dia,-1])
cylinder(h=5,d=5);
}
}
}
(edit: just noticed someone has commented far more detailed modifications below haha)
Also if you happen to spill a glass of water over them it will drain out :)
I used to work in a vertically integrated HVAC electronics manufacturing company. From bare laminated PCB stock to finished product. AA cells came in trays of 144. I always dreamed of using the bare double sided boards and making a ginormous battery of AA cells… then, you know, Tesla started doing it with 13650s.
On the night of the live stream that featured this first time, I was actually going to have a look on eBay for battery holders for all the rechargeables left after Xmas. Perfect timing, and my Prusa MK3S has been spewing them out ever since. Red for discharged, green for charged, and silver for regular alkalines. I found the cups a little too loose and settled on AA=14.7, AAA=10.6.
@Gary Rumain Yep, soft silicone sounds like a good idea.
@Sootikins You could also put them out from the bottom if there was a hole there.
But I think this sort of thing should really be made out of a soft silicone rather than a hard plastic.
@Gary Rumain I think the idea was to space them far enough apart that you can pick up a cell from somewhere in the middle. Reduce the space too much and you can't get your finger in there. Okay if you don't mind working your way in from the edges...
I noticed the same thing. Could also tighten the space up by altering the position of the next row (or column) by 50% to either the left or right (i.e. as in a hexagonal layout).
As suggested in the comments, i added some code to create a hole in the base for measuring or up-side-down storage of button top cells.
1) Add the variable "hole_diameter=5.5;" to the variable list.
My Ikea Ladda (AA) button-top button has a diameter 0f 5.38 mm
Measure the button diameter of your cell or choose a diameter of your liking.
2) Insert the following code after the cylinder();-block inside the for-loop:
translate([x*dia,y*dia])
cylinder(h=base,d=hole_diameter);
It should look like this:
for (x=[0:columns]){
for (y=[0:rows]){
translate([x*dia,y*dia,base])
cylinder(h=cup,d=diameter);
translate([x*dia,y*dia])
cylinder(h=base,d=hole_diameter);
}
}
##################################################
To add nickel strips to have a common negative for each row i did the following:
The center nubs are there to raise the nickel strip to make contact with the negative side and avoid the wrapper of the cell. They can be deleted, but i thought i add them to avoid problems.
//Add all other vatiables above here
nickel_strip_width = 5; //width of nickel stip
//don't adjust stuff below here
columns=width-1;
rows=height-1;
wall=thickness*2;
dia=diameter+thickness;
cup=depth+base;
nub_diameter = diameter/4;
difference(){
union(){
//main body
for (x=[0:columns]){
for (y=[0:rows]){
translate([x*dia,y*dia,0])
cylinder(h=cup,d=diameter+wall);
translate([x*dia,y*dia,base+1])
cylinder(h=.5,d=nub_diameter);
}
}
}
//hollow cores + nickel strip holes
for (x=[0:columns]){
for (y=[0:rows]){
translate([x*dia,y*dia,base])
cylinder(h=cup,d=diameter);
translate([x*dia,y*dia,base+.5])
cube(size = [nickel_strip_width+.5,diameter+wall,1],center = true);
}
}
}
union(){
//nubs
for (x=[0:columns]){
for (y=[0:rows]){
translate([x*dia,y*dia,base])
cylinder(h=.5,d=nub_diameter);
}
}
}
DIsclaimer: I did this in 30 minutes and have never touched openscad before, but the render looks promising.
Just started 3-D printing i’m still a bit overwhelmed with it but I’ve had a few successful prints but I intend to keep cracking away until I have it figured out.i would love to give this a try the moment I get some time. have you thought about making a catalog of all your 3-D print files for the different light globes and other really cool stuff that you’ve made. I would love to be able to print some of that stuff off and make my own LED lights. Not sure how you could do it. Thanks again for all the really good info I’ve learned so much from you😀
Genius! I really need to get a printer, every time I watch a vid where someone has produced a really simple item with even a cheap printer I get jealous. I'm currently using the 4 pack holders for my 18650s and using the different colors for charged/discharged, but keeping those wrangled is kind of a pain.
Definitely worth having. Always using mine for printing various tools or repair parts.
This is cool. I haven’t seen this software/language before.
In the second cylinder() you could probably have h=depth as the negative holes go higher up than the height of the solid cylinders. (Maybe it needs to, to ensure there isn’t a skin on the top of the cylinder)
Very cool script!
Since the 2nd cylinder is used to "cut" the cups it's OK when it is a bit higher than actually needed. Avoids certain rendering "bugs" in fast display mode where it tends to show the "skin" you mentioned even though nothing is there.
A single cup could be quite useful as a protective cap to avoid shorts.
I made something similar to store 13/16" and 1" threading dies, but it was a solid block with the dies standing in edge in semi-circular recesses. Made a huge improvement in my tool chest.
Have you tried this with a hex packing? That might be interesting.
The other use for these that comes to mind is first as a fixture for holding 18650s when preparing a multi-cell pack, and also, if you made them bottomless, you could use the open grid as a spacer to hold the cells in place.
With a hex grid and say 9 rows of alternating 6 and 5 cells each, you could assemble a rather fearsome 50 cell battery in roughly 120 mm x 200 mm.
Hey guy, if you make your perimeter a multiple of extrusion width (for a Prusa 0.4mm nozzle it's 0.45mm), you can create dimensional walls that are multiple of extrusion width, which are stronger and print faster, keep on SCAD'ing!
@4Null Sounds about right to me.
So printing 0.9mm with a prusa nozzle would be better than printing 1mm?
Great little script! And you can avoid messing up with the code by enabling OpenSCAD Customizer from the "View" menu.
My "improvement" would be to have it double sided to then you could stack them if you have a lot of cells or limited room for storage other than that simple classic great design
having it double-sided (cups on top and bottom) would make it hard to print, requiring supports for the bottom cups. probably easier to just print 2 of them and glue them together.
Nice one, Clive. I love how compact the OpenSCAD scripts are. At the same time the learning curve is - of course - a little higher to create some CAD, especially for noobs. Me, jumping between OpenSCAD for smaller stuff and F360 if it was more complicated
Nicely explained sir. Never thought about talking around a printout for showing code, but suits this example very well.
Appears to be a simple task to add a small oblong hole for a peice of copper strip to enter each compartment to make battery holders to power projects with. Cable tie the whole thing together and solder a big BMS on the right copper lug and you have any capacity battery pack you want. You can design it around salvaged laptop batteries, especially as battery packs like that are usually have 1 or 2 bad cells and the whole pack is unable to take a charge to protect the rest from over charging them.
A hole in the bottom of each cup would be worthwhile in any case; it would facilitate cleaning. Being able to string wire through a pair of trays (top and bottom) in such a way that you can build a boxed set of batteries having an arbitrary total voltage is a good idea.
The cup mouth could use a lead-in, such as is found on socket and box-end wrenches. An alternative would be to bridge, domed and x-wise, any 4-tuple of cups -- as these cups are least visible when the tray is loaded.
An optional flared base (think: wineglass) would be useful, too, especially on compartments with widths less than, say, 5 cups or some function of the length of the batteries served.
I just figured out via YT how to add a hole, wasn't too bad once I figured out I had to render, not preview to see the hole. Only used SCAD for about 20 minutes now, lol. Just need to look at BMS. I have seen them on Amazon Canada, was going to purchase through there.
@Donn29 loads of ready made BMS boards for all combinations of batteries on eBay, AliExpress, Banggood, and Amazon. Most are ok, just check what you have been sent is the same spec as you have ordered and make sure you give yourself a big overhead (20% is good) just incase the components are not as good as implied.
I have a bunch of cells and have been planning to make a pack, this looks like a good start vs buying some.
Once again Clive, excellent work. I have something similar that stores batteries in order of size. Mine has an inbuilt tester in to. Yours is unique though. If I had a 3D printer I would certainly make this up. It would be great to use in a radio HT battery, sixty AA cells in series would give you the 90v, this would be great for making up the Ever Ready portable 64 size, the vintage radio buffs would love something like this.
I always enjoy these videos. I dont have a 3d printer, or any real reason to get one but I do get a bit of joy watching you declaring variables to make things infinitely adjustable.
Totally ingenious! I have been looking to organize my battery drawer for some time now. I have a plethora of 18650's I've been trying (and failing) to keep organized, and this is the solution. You my friend, and brilliant with many facets in thinking and tinkering. Thank you Clive, you're a modern day Leonardo da Vinci.
Thanks Cliff: This started me using my 3D printer wich was standing idle for one year now...i love it! Many thanks to you!
You are great ( not only in size but also as a human ! )
A quick note about the buttons you mentioned: they have easy to remember hotkeys ;) quick refresh is F5, render is F6, and save STL F7.
I genuinely love the printed screenshot. Far better to be able to physically point at the parts of the image with a finger or a pen, rather than moving the mouse around as would have to be done if it was an electronic image in the video.
And very 'Big Clive' as well - I always love the printed images you bring into shot as they are such a clear way of showing things!
An indent in the bottom would allow for cells to be placed upside down (and still stable). That orientation could then signify "empty" to separate them.
That was my only thought, else it was perfect for what it is :)
OpenSCAD is kinda so-so in rendering solids. I've found extruding 2d geometry to be way faster. So extruding circle vs cylinder. Probably makes little difference here, unless you want a 1000*1000 battery holder :p
Something really interesting i found poking around just now... changing $fn value around causing significant performance differences... not always in expected ways... e.g. (for my system at least) changing to 60 it gets a little laggy... or 100 is very laggy... but at 105 (ot even 205) its butter smooth drag the viewport around.
There's something just so awesome about seeing 3D printing working with electronics. Even in simple cases like this.
I get the feeling Clive is like myself and 99% of what comes off his printer is something useful. I've never really used OpenSCAD, I prefer a drafting type CAD to a mathematical type, though. 😀
@bigclivedotcom same. It sure makes for amazing enclosures when they are tailor-made to the project. Between printing that, and custom trays for organizing supplies at the workbench, I don't have the time or desire to print the things I see so many people getting 3D printers for. 😃
I just tend to make technical components.
Ok, here is the optimized code for the tray I came up with.
Features: Makes full use of the customizer (which allows to save different profiles for later use).
Checks if you try to create a tray larger than your print bed (adjustable).
Wiggle room for batteries adjustable. (Between 0=press fit if battery on specs and printer precise, and 2mm in 0.1mm steps)
Includes most common battery sizes by name.
//Custom battery tray - bigclivedotcom
/*[Printer bed size]*/
//Printer Y
maxwidth=250;
//Printer X
maxheight=250;
/*[You can adjust these variables]*/
//number of horizontal cups
width=4; //[1:20]
//number of vertical cups
height=4; //[1:20]
//internal depth of cups
depth=10; //[0:5:80]
//diameter of cylinder AAA=10 AA=14 16650=16 18650=18.6 21700=21 22500=22.3 C=26 26650=26.5 D=32 4680=46
diameter=14; //[10:AAA,14:AA,16:16650,18.6:18650,21:21700,22.3:22500,26:C,26.5:26650,32:D,46:4680]
//thickness of wall
thickness=1.2; //[0.1:0.1:10]
//thickness of cup bases
base=1; //[0:0.2:5]
//wiggle room for battery; 0=press fit => might damage tray or battery
wiggle=1.0; // [0:0.1:2]
/*[Hidden]*/
$fn=50;
//don't adjust stuff below here
diam=diameter+wiggle;
columns=width-1;
rows=height-1;
wall=thickness*2;
dia=diam+thickness;
cup=depth+base;
echo(width);
//main body
translate([((diam+wall)/2),((diam+wall)/2),0]) //put 1st cup edges at 0;0
union(){ //file optimisation
for (x=[0:columns]){
for (y=[0:rows]){
if((((y+1)*dia)+thickness)
I've been trying to convince my Wifey to allow me to spend an enormous amount of money on a 3D printer, now thanks to you and this video, I think I can! 😜
I'll let you know how it turns out. 😁
I've been happy with my USD 150 Anet A8 for almost five years now. It helps that nearly every part is generic and easily available from 3rd parties
Maybe you could talk your local library into obtaining one. Ours has a couple though they leave it up to the user to know what they're doing, there's no tutorial or class.
They're less expensive nowadays than you might think.
If you want to reduce some cost, you could consider to buy a kit and build it yourself. That can be fun as well.
I have an Ender 3, they're great value.
I bought the cheapest one I could find. I found it the best way to learn
I made something similar to this a _long_ time ago out of Lego. If I had a 3D printer I would definitely print some of these.
a little addition: on a 0.4mm nozzle, you shoud use multiples of 0.4 for the walls - this will print much faster.
If you could make a place to clip 2 on the tray. That way you could use one each end of the batteries and clip them together with an intermediate piece.
This would keep them together for transport in a toolbox etc. Very handy for the trades person on the go!
Extremely useful, and things like these are not only unique to BigClive's channel - doubtlessly one of the best and most enjoyable on the Web - but it is also smart, handy, useful and educational. I presume this design could also be fairly easily adopted for designing battery packs, which would be perfect. Thank you so much - all of this effort is very much appreciated, BigClive!
If I had a 3d printer I would find it useful for sure! Something for my retirement! Great video - thanks.
Really need to get a 3D printer sometime soon. I was thinking it'd be nice to be able to make a holder for different sizes 18650, AA, AAA, etc that were all together but all you'd need to do is use a couple drops of glue to join the different sizes together.
The Ender 3 Pro v2 is $240 on Amazon, and a GREAT printer.
That's a cool idea, you could arrange the cellholders into cool shapes if you did that, like lettering. 👍
Thank you Clive. I have printed out units for AAA, AA, C & D batteries and cleaned up my battery shelf.
Would using an isometric (triangular) pattern save more space?
Would be interesting to see if an isometric pattern is stronger too
e.g. how much it flexes when a full tray of batteries is picked up.
@Janos Nagy J. The 'not-enough-gap' argument applies, _ceteris paribus_ , but if you change other parameters (e.g. cup wall thickness), or taper the cup wall so as to minimize 'joined-up-ed-ness' at the mouth, you can mitigate accessibility issues of the isometric configuration -- to the point of allowing the tray to act a bit like the inverted skin of a cross-hatched mango. However, that makes access a two-handed operation. It depends on what you want -- pure (compact) storage or storage+accessibility.
But then you cannot pick a cell from the middle as there will be little to no gap for the finger...
I found out that some bullet storage cases are almost perfect for AA and AA A batteries. They are just a little tall which isn’t a problem
How about a ground plane in the bottom, so you can check battery voltage of each cell by just by moving one meter lead over the tops of the
cells.( the other lead on ground plane).
Suggestion: put a 5.5mm hole in the bottom layers so you can put batteries in button down vs button up to differentiate between charged and un-charged batteries. personally I use ammunition storage boxes from Case-Gard.
New to OpenScad but this seems to work:
//hollow cores
for (x=[0:columns]){
for (y=[0:rows]){
translate([x*dia,y*dia,base])
cylinder(h=cup,d=diameter);
//anode hole
translate ([x*dia,y*dia,base-3])
cylinder (h=6, r=3,$fn=50);
Thanks!
Awesome!! Though personally I like and have a bunch of the snap cases I found a whole load of EBL ones in the garbage once 👍
If you leave a hole in the base, you could use this to print trays for DIY rechargeable battery packs.
It would be cool if you could specify hexagonal packing to make it more space efficient.
I chose the grid to make it easier to get fingers in to take out cells.
On thingiverse there are battery holders that are like mini milk crates. I printed some out a while ago and they're really nice, plus they stack nicely.
I would guess that if you make the cells squares it should print faster and use less plastic since everything is all straight lines.
You could add an optional diagonal "X" between the battery "cups" if rigidity is desired.
Fairly cool, might have to give this a try. I have been using some old synthetic plant pot stuff (the green stuff you squished fingers in as a kid). Used allot today on funeral flower displays. But its messy and not ideal.
Oasis foam?
Excellent! Thanks Clive. My Mac is a bit pissy about loading this due to it not being compliant with all the Apple security requirements...but it can be persuaded to play, and works well.
Don't even have a 3D printer yet and still tried it out :D Thanks Clive, very neat.
Clean and simple 👍 I really need a 3D printer. Maybe a bunch of PVC caps glued together are an alternative.
Interesting! Will have a go at this. Also, some very productive comments below, going the same way as my initial thoughts - make holder with hole for contacts.
Very nice. Thank you. I'm going to make a top and bottom for some 18650s with this.
Ok i need to go and print some of these. Really nice idea Clive. Thanks for the inspiration.
Great to see that you did a short on it - Get people to see how a short can be more than just as braindead video and can show useful stuff.
As said there - I need a 3D Printer / want one for useful stuff like this.
I always appreciate the work you put in everything you do.
Edit: You culd maybe edit that script to have a "top cap" that basically is two cups stacked together at the bottom so you can stack batteries on top of each other.
This will be VERY useful. Thank you very much for providing the script.
With upping the cup sizes, this would make for a nice screw tray for active projects. Thank you!
That battery holder might have worked perfectly for 18650 packs if you made provisions for cutouts to set nickel strips in.
You can use this script to make 18650 battery packs. Just need a hole for the nickel strips to spot weld directly onto the cells.
Could you set "base=0" to get cups with no base? Then you could use a sheet of metal as a base, so that all the negatives are commoned. If you connect your multimeter negative probe to this plate, then you can run the positive probe quickly across all the positive to check charge levels
A zero will result in open rings.
Perfect. I saw those printable full blown battery storage boxes and whatnot online and those take enormous amounts of filament when all you really need is this unless you carry them with you
I tend to keep my ammo in the box or in magazines, so I don't need something like this right now. It looks cool, so I'll check it out later. Thanks Clive! Good luck!
It could definitely work for ammo.
Great! Thanks Clive - will have to give this a try :)
Thank you, Clive. It looks nice but I'm not yet sold on the 3D printer technology yet.
I printed a Pastrami sandwich, but it was disappointing. More development is needed.
Great idea! Thanks for sharing! 👍😊
For some reason I thought this was going to be wiring them all up into a big battery, and waa wondering how you'd condition 64 mixed batteries!
Super small point to make (and I might repeat what somebody else has already said, I'm not intent on rifling through the comments), if the aim was maximum space efficiency I'd recommend shifting every odd column/row by half the diameter, then move the rows/columns in by (√3/4) diameter. If I didn't make a stupid mistake, that should give you a sort of honeycomb shape (fancy name: hexagonal closest packing) with less than 10% of wasted space between the batteries, compared to about 21% with this square packing.
I wish I was better at openscad or I would've attached a quick edit of the script, but the syntax doesn't want to agree with me. Shouldn't be more work than just changing the translate to "translate([(x-sqrt(3/4)*dia, (y+0.5)*dia, 0])" on every odd (or even) column.
I just wanted to drop in here to say:
I found this very useful. Thank you Big Clive!
This video has pushed me to get a 3d printer. I think it will suit me very well for custom enclosures for electronics. Arduino ect
I am absolutely going to use this for my 18650 collection.
i make these for my 18650 cells, and the method i use is to store my charged cells with the anode+ side up and then when theyre discharged I put them with the Neg- side up!
just got my 3d printer for christmas and these were the first thing i made
thank you for the 3d printer scripts been making light globes and the cluster is a favorite for the family they all want one with custom colors. please keep up the great work. you have renewed my interest in electronics after 30 years
I see another use for this idea...I sometimes buy a tray of beers in my local supermarket, but the cardboard bottom is woefully unstable and wobbly when carrying the tray. If you scale up the 3D print (and possibly amend thickness and height of the cups for rigidity) it would be a help for carrying and storing 6, 12, 24, 30 or any number of cans. It could also be used for storing empties until you return them for the deposit (or dispose of them responsibly, depending on your region).
It will work for beer cans as is with suitable sizes.
Cool solution for 3D printer owners. 👌 If you don't own one like me, use Wrangler's idea of plastic ammo boxes - protects them from rattle, dust and humidity. 😉
if you expand the depth to be pertruding off the end, can you produce a stackable platform?
It's viable, but I don't recommend stacking them.
I like this! More 3D prints! :)
It seems the measurements are 1=1mm, so I'm guessing you can easily make these trays fit pretty much any cylindrical objects.
Yes. Lots of uses. From screwdriver bits to bullets.
I added $fn=200 to the cylinder parameters to create higher resolution models, which was something I desired as I'm printing much larger sized trays for other random objects.
Thanks for the handy script!
Oh right, I haven't used OpenSCAD much, thanks for the tip!
You just need to change it once at the top of the script.
You could ‘cell’ these Clive, what would be the ‘charge’? I’ve ‘accumulated’ a lot of batteries lately and definitely a ‘positive’ way to store them.
Yaaaay, more openScad scripts for making useful things!
suggestion:
1. put a second tray on top to make it a "transportable battery box"
2. design: make inserts/dents on the underside of each tray in the middle of all 4 sides
3. design a clamp that fits into these dents, so the both trays can be clamped together, like a battery transport box. The clamp desing should be "springy".
4. make the same for 18650 cells (i guess, only the diameter of the cups have to be adjusted for 18650?)
these are no demands, just merely suggestion to improve the design. I would like to have one of these, seems to be a very useful thing to have.
Good idea and doesn't use a lot of material 👍❤️😎
How cool would it be to make a top identical to the bottom and add springs and tabs for super high voltage packs or lower high amp ones. Bet it would be easy to add clamps to hold it all together.
Obviously, there are similarities in this video, how you showcase and explain the code, to how you explain and trace out circuit boards, but you didn't go over the full code, which makes me question whether you've hidden the real secrets of circuit board design all these years :-D
CLIVE!!! Please add a way to connect them together. Maybe a snug fitting set of dovetails? So as one needs more battery slots, one can add them making single unit by simply snapping them together.
Hi Clive, IT would be cool if you could grab some of so called cell phone jammers and tear it apart, maybe even check it with oscilloscope… There are bunch of them online with 6, 10 and more antennas which are of the same size (🤣🤣🤣🤣) claiming to work on different ranges…
Cool :) Automatic array generation is fast and fun.
Excellent Sir, most you find on thingi are not just right for what is needed for your particular use, and modifying a stl is not the easiest thing in the world when I'm still 90% Fusion360 clueless.
With the right size hole/cup this could be really handy for as a 1/4" bit-holder or to wind-up trypophobiacs ;-)
Great video. I have a need for some ADJUSTABLE trays. They ones I made in the past were fixed in size and didn't work for my requirements.
Useful project. That should get some structure back into my drawers...
I like this good idea.. More safe away from fire. "the leads on batteries have been known to touch the leads on other batteries and spark fires" that why more safe.. Thank you so much. I did copy from description because I really need it this.. you are best!!!
I bet this one is very soothing sounding as well, depending on how well your printer does curves.
@Harry Cairney Patrons get to see videos a few days early.
Just seen that you commented 4 days ago but the video had just come out for me? How does that work?
a small hole or indent on the bottom for the battery tips might make them stackable. not great if they are loose tho.
Neat idea, you need a top and bottom that somehow latches the whole thing together in like a pack
I may add an extra stud hole in each cup. A rubber band or two will hold two frames together with cells in between.
I sure could use some of these. leaving them scattered in my kitchen drawer isnt the best idea. Lol thanks Clive!
It's cool but you'd fit more in a smaller space if they were arranged hexagonly
The code below should be faster than yours, as it only two loops instead of four:
//cup loop
for (x=[0:columns]){
for (y=[0:rows]){
translate([x*dia,y*dia,0]) //cups
difference(){
cylinder(h=cup,d=diameter+wall); //main body
translate([0,0,base]) //hollow core
cylinder(h=cup,d=diameter);
}
}
}
P.S.: I hope the comment doesn't screw the whitespaces up. In case, here a pastebin of it: /a391ruCa
Edit: Second try. Seems YT doesn't like pastebin.
That's a beautiful print. What printer do you have?
@bigclivedotcom Thanks, but I meant the piece of paper haha
FLsun Q5.
For My Fellow 'Muricans: If you set the width to 9, height to 10, diameter to 10, and thickness to 0.5, you can print a tray that will neatly hold 3 standard-capacity magazines worth of .223 and fit in a Harbor Freight plastic ammo box with 2 per layer and a space in between to lift them out.
Great idea. Thanks for your video.
would it be easy to have a hole in the base instead of drilling so you could weld tabs across positive and negative to make your own battery packs
Very easy. Literally one or two lines of code.