ultimate battery management station - battery management unit

It seems like half of the time I went to that shoe box size plastic box full of batteries and their respective packaging, most of which were left accidentally, empty, I will find 3 specific sizes when I need 4.
Sometimes I find a dead battery in the box, which is even more frustrating, and I was surprised by how quickly my family seemed to charge with the battery.
I later found out that my child generously provided battery needs for most of the children nearby.
It's not that I occasionally help one of the kids pick up their toys and go back, but I'm not planning on starting regular service.
There are a wide variety of battery organizers on the market and some plans, but I want to create a charging station that not only organizes my battery station, but also provides a central and convenient one.
When I turn off the lights at night, I also want to be reminded if I have any batteries that need to unplug the power.
So I created what I call a battery management station that organized my alkaline and rechargeable batteries to hold my charger and cable, provided a center for charging various batteries and lit the lights to remind me that I was charging.
It has a transparent door so I can see how many batteries I have, power strips with USB sockets, storage compartments for Chargers or cables, small drawers for odd size batteries, shelves and battery test meters for placing things while charging.
In this project, I was using the materials laid around me and only purchased a small piece of plexiglass, a power strip and a small light rope kit that I happened to find in sales.
First, I use the top and bottom frame members of the 1x3 cutting battery storage unit.
The top is cut to a length of 23 "and the bottom is cut to 13 ".
I then marked the position of the 8 vertical components cut to 12 "length . ". (Fig. 1)
In order for the battery to line up all in front of the storage organizer, it is necessary to cut the spacers suitable for the back of the compartment.
Using small pieces of scrap, I use a thickness planing bed to get the right size, but it can also be done easily with a table saw. (Fig. 2 & 3)
The spacing of the battery compartment is as follows, and the spacing between each vertical component is "".
Also include the thickness of the rear gasket.
Alkaline D-1 7/8 "* no gasket * capacity: 10. alkaline C-1 1/2" * 1/2 "thick gasket * capacity: 13. alkaline 9 V-1 "* 1/2" thick gasket * capacity: 18. alkaline AA-3/4 "* 1/2" thick gasket * capacity: 24. alkaline AAA-5/8 "* 3/4" thick gasket * capacity: 38. rechargeable AA-5/8 "* 1/2" thick gasket * capacity: 20. rechargeable AAA-1/2 "* 3/4" thick shims * capacity: 30I now need to prepare the vertical parts of the battery storage area from the finger hole at the bottom.
I mark the bottom with a quarter and make sure 2 on both sides of the D battery gets bigger.
After rough cutting with a band saw (Fig. 4)
I cleaned it up with a spindle sander. (Fig. 5 & 6)
At the top of each vertical component, except the leftmost one, because it is the outer frame, I drilled a hole along the top with a forstner drill bit to let the light rope slip through. (Fig. 7)
The leftmost vertical member needs to be modified for the two hinges.
This is achieved with hand gouging. (Fig. 8 & 9)
The vertical member on the far right needs to be converted into a pair of magnets, which will close the door.
This is also done by hand. (Fig. 10 & 11)
The last detail of the vertical component is to use the "forstner drill bit" to drill a shallow groove in the second position of the right vertical component.
This will provide a gap for the screws that hold the knob on the organic glass door. (Fig. 12)
The bottom of the battery manager is tilted to provide access to the battery and easier removal.
I used a joint but it was easy for a manual plane to get the job done. (Fig. 13)
At this point, the rest of the cabinet needs to be cut.
The left side of the cabinet under the organizer is cut from 1x3 to 6 "length.
The right side of the cabinet 1x3 is cut to 20 "length and a 1" hole is drilled near the top to allow the plug from the power strip to pass through. (Fig. 14)
A piece of "x" wood is cut to a length of 10 "as the courage to hide the light rope on the right side.
The bottom shelf assembly is made of a length of 5 pieces 1x3 cut to 4 "with a server as a partition.
2 shelves are 24 "1x6 long.
I circled around the corner with a Sander. (Fig. 15)
Finally, the back of the unit is a piece of "plywood cut 24" wide 24 "high.
The final part to be prepared is the door.
The door is just a piece of 1/8 thick plexiglass, 13 wide and 11 3/4 high.
The frame really just looks like some decor.
I mitched 4 semi-circular molding pieces to match the external dimensions of the plexiglass. I pre-
Hinge drill holes and some holes formed with screw connection make sure some screw holes match the magnet. (Fig. 16)
Finally, I pre-
Drilled a hole for the knob and aligned it with my second drill hole in the vertical part on the right side of the battery manager.
With the exception of the knob, all the holes are widened with a countersunk bit.
After polishing and painting, it is time to start assembly.
Since I mainly use screws and nails, I cover up the area where the parts come into contact so the glue sticks to the bare wood.
I didn't cover the back because I connected it with a screw. (Fig. 17)
I started by positioning and screwing into the top shelf using the 8-1 "wooden screws. (Fig. 18)
Since I use pneumatic DingTalk on finished material, I want to expose the nail as little as possible.
That's why I started in the middle and tried to get out of the woods.
The lower left and right sides have the same screws installed through the back.
Where the side is in contact with the shelf, I used the glue and the 18 th 1 "finish nail. (Fig. 19)
Next, I assemble the battery organizer individually by shooting the nails through vertical members to the spacers at the back to hide most of the nails.
I started with the vertical member on the right and went all the way to his left.
There is no adjacent gasket on the exposed side on the left side, so the nail head cannot be seen on the side.
Vertical components are also glued together, nailed to the top and bottom. (Fig. 20 & 21)
After the battery pack was assembled, I used some 8-1 "wood screws through the back and some 18 #1" finish nails across the right side to attach it to the back. (Fig. 22)
The bottom shelf and partition are then installed with screws and nails in the same way as the rest of the unit. (Fig. 23)
One of the partitions was deliberately sized to accommodate a small plastic box that happened to have one.
This turns into a drawer for a button type and odd size battery.
I also installed the lamp valve in the upper right corner between the right side and the battery manager.
The door is a semi-circular model assembled through plexiglass with some 6 screws.
It is very important to prepare beforehand.
Drill everything including molding.
I opened a few screws in the position of the magnet to help close the door.
I also have small wooden knobs and hinges installed. (Fig. 24)
The magnet is installed in the groove carved in the finish front, and the door is installed by connecting the hinge. (Fig. 25)
The light rope passes through the hole at the top of the vertical member of the battery organizer and is fixed behind the valve with some screw hooks (Fig. 26)
I need to reinforce the back of the power strip connection.
I do this by installing a half inch plywood on the back, with 8 x "screws.
Then connect the mounting screws of the power strip. (Fig. 27)
Some double sided tape was used when installing the battery meter.
The light cord only needs to be plugged into the power strip so that the light turns off when it is not charged and the power strip is off.
The unit is now complete and can be seated on a table or mounted on a wall. (Fig. 28)
I have had this unit installed for a few weeks and the improvements are very significant.
Eliminating the clutter of old battery boxes is as valuable as the function of the new battery station.
Rod Gunter, executive director of Gunter Building Solutions, has more than 20 years of experience in the home Building and cabinet industry.
Rod is responsible for building more than 200 homes worth more than $500,000.
Rod has trained large groups, including all major home centres, in sales skills, construction techniques and sustainable natural wood products.
Rod and his family live in Hollis Springs, North Carolina.
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