So my first official welded pack is not going to be an ESK8 pack sadly, it will be a hoverboard pack. I got a hoverboard on facebook marketplace for $40 and I plan on restoring it (As a little gift). One of the main things to do is build a new battery. The old battery was made horribly. 8 x 0.1mm nickel and no P group insulation.
I dismantled the pack and am recycling the cells, I plan to reuse the BMS as it doesn’t look too bad and it makes fitting the same form factor easy.
Awesome build log
Your blade tests look strange to me, as I would expect a stronger gradient. Maybe you can make a test weld with 0.1J, this should result in a near zero pulse duration and little effect on the nickle strip. If you don’t get that then your calibration is probably off, in that case check/faster all screws (also the electrode set screws, but be careful there as they thread into copper), clean the tips, and make sure to press the tips together hard during the SHORT test. Make sure that you don’t get any sparks, otherwise repeat.
I used the black HMA that ZachTetra uses and it turned out pretty well. By the end I was getting nice smooth lines of glue between the cells. Either way it was getting covered with fish paper.
Also I have a question, how do you all get the fish paper perfectly aligned? On many I had to trim off some excess as it was at the slightest angle at the end of the wrap.
Welding begins:
First weld of my first real pack! Real history for me right here
Hey guys, I just recently finished my 8th (I think) battery build and now I’m out of them to build! If anyone wants me to build them one for them, I would be estatic to do so for a low cost.
I’m a high school student (don’t let this discourage you) so right now I’m doing a lot sitting around at home with school being mostly online. I’m not trying to do this make a ton of money, but its something I love to do (It brings me back to building Legos like when I was a kid) and a little bit of extra cash here and there wouldn’t hurt to fund my esk8 expenses. (belts and tires start to add up quick ) There’s just something about putting on some Spotify and building a pack that is just so satisfying.
Quality and safety are my #1 priority, and I’m willing to put in as much time and work as possible to make my batteries the best. When I’m bored on a car ride or even on the ski lift, I’m usually reading the battery builders club thread. I’ve picked up many tips and techniques along the way and so far I’ve gotten several compliments on my work. The builds will be posted here too so kind I know there are many eyes on me.
For my first few builds, I plan to start with costs low to encourage sales, as right now my priority is to build my portfolio and gain more experience. Maybe somewhere around a $50 start cost and $2-3 a cell plus BMS and any extra costs, but this is subject to change. I feel like this is a very reasonable and affordable starting point.
For warranty, there is not much I can offer but I will fix the battery if it is DOA for free as long as the buyer pays shipping back to me. For a limited time I can also try my best to make things right within 35 days of you receiving the battery. If the battery is tampered with or mistreated in any way or used outside its ratings, the warranty is voided.
Feel free to send me a PM if you have any questions or are interested in a battery.
Thanks for all the compliments and advice so far!
Edit: Forgot to mention this is only within the CONUS and through PayPal.