#4843047
That I can understand, but I know Chris' she'll is hallow...

There are many reasons to mount the battery on the outside, your reason being one of them... Convenience and lacking space are other reasons...

Just thought I'd ask, out of curiosity and discussion... people looking at this thread can learn as well, as mounting the power source is one of the big decisions that we all have to make... Mine takes a crapload of space, as I have 3 batteries... =P
#4843056
Mostly convenience yes. I'm looking into buying the same battery you have in your pack Phil. I notice there is an on/off switch on the battery itself and I'm not really keen on the idea of having to remove the switch or re-wire it (like the blue brick).

If the battery you have Phil doesn't require to be turned on and off between charges then I'm all for keeping it inside the pack.
#4843057
If you don't want to modify it, then mounting it outside is what you want... the batteries I have must remain turned on, even when charging, so what I did (and what Julz did) was open up the battery, and remove the red LED that tells you whether the battery is turned on or off, because when not in use, that's the only thing that would truly drain the battery (although, I'm sure it trickles down to dry over time)...
#4843058
One of the biggest reasons I mounted my batteries on the inside was weatherproofing... not 100% protected, and not perfect at all, but it works for the most part... my pack has survived two downpours so far!
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#4843060
Alan Hawkins wrote:I always thought the blue shrink wrap was to provide a bit of protection from the elements.
Hmmm. That gives me an idea. I remember seeing this clear film that people sometimes put inside their home during the winter to avoid drafts. It can be applied with a heat gun. I'm sure it's a non permanent and might be a great way to protect the batter from the elements if it lives outside my pack.
#4843062
Alan Hawkins wrote:I always thought the blue shrink wrap was to provide a bit of protection from the elements.
I dunno, I've never seen or used a blue brick... I used a different battery that was suggested to me by Julz and mburkit... http://www.usledsupply.com/shop/12v-bat ... 00mah.html
#4843844
Alright, assuming I properly mount the brick to the outside of my pack (how I'll do that is still TBD) and wire it to both my cyclotron and power cell light kits, how do I go about wiring it to my gun kit? Obviously the wires in question will run through the 3/4" tubing into the cavity inside the synchronous generator, but how do I do that exactly? I'd like to get these questions out of the way before I actually buy all of my light kits.
#4843848
If you're getting the GBFans kit, you only need to provide power to the sound board... the sound board will distribute the power everywhere else, ad long as it's all connected properly...
#4843851
TheKevinShow wrote:Alright, assuming I properly mount the brick to the outside of my pack (how I'll do that is still TBD) and wire it to both my cyclotron and power cell light kits, how do I go about wiring it to my gun kit? Obviously the wires in question will run through the 3/4" tubing into the cavity inside the synchronous generator, but how do I do that exactly? I'd like to get these questions out of the way before I actually buy all of my light kits.
I ended up using SCOTCH brand dual lock strips to mount my battery to the outside of my mobo. Not pretty but very secure. They come in black and clear. About $4 a pack, you can find them at Home Depot.
#4843864
pyhasanon wrote:If you're getting the GBFans kit, you only need to provide power to the sound board... the sound board will distribute the power everywhere else, ad long as it's all connected properly...
I'm not doing sound, as far as I can tell at this point. Due to the limitations on space that my scratch build provides, I don't have space for any kind of speaker.

Unless, of course, I mount the speaker outside as well... Hmmm...
#4843867
Not even a small 4" speaker?

Anywho, I'm almost certain that you can also plug the power into one of the boards, and it still routes it to the other boards... The GBFans kits are very well designed and very user friendly...
#4843880
This is for doing away with the draining switch/LED that comes with the battery and running to a DPDT "center off" switch.
I posted this on my build thread (for a blue brick) but I have to post a warning before going into some detail...

At your own risk: Altering a battery in such a way will allows contain the possibility of shock, burn, explosion, mangling, or death. I am in no way responsible for any damage you cause to yourself or the battery.

With that out of the way, this is what I did. If it helps any of you...awesome, if not...I can explain into greater detail.

From my thread, a quick illustration...
Image
Basically, it's like this:
-You'll want to carefully open the top of the battery using a razor knife of sorts. I made my incision at the top 45°.
-Peel back the blue shrink and also the sticky fiber plate just under. You'll see everything as seen in the 1st illustration.
-So, you're simply going to snip the positive and negative wires running from battery; just NOT at the same time. Cut one at a time and cover your first cut wire with tape (to prevent touching anything). I always choose ground first.
-Next, you'll want to separate the barrel connector wires from the LED/switch (from ground) and from each other (from positive).
-Solder a barrel drum onto the wires coming from the batteries (as seen in the 2nd illustration)
Image

-Once that is complete, so long as you're using a DPDT "center off" switch, run the battery wires to the 2 middle soldering tongs. You'll want to use the opposite barrel drum as seen in the 2nd illustration.
-Run wires to the item(s) that you want to power (as seen in the 2nd illustration). On mine, 1 battery powers the soundboard, whilst another battery powers the vent unit and Bluetooth receiver/amp. Be sure to hook up the positive and ground wires according to the item's spec and not my drawing (LOL!)
-Run wires to your choice of charging port (as seen in the 2nd illustration). I used the XLR provided by nstevic01 with his Spengler plate.
o If you want to use the XLR switch, it needs to be taken apart. The part and the jack are labeled with numbers; match up the numbers accordingly.

***Important safety tip via Phil: Be sure to have all of the same polarity wires on the same side of the DPDT switch***

Lastly, I stress using a DMM (digital multi-meter) to check the polarity of wires and barrel connectors.
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#4843950
Man...I also like this thread! Alan, another great idea! ;)

Although, going back, I wish I could edit my post. The grammatical errors are killing me! That's what I get for posting from my phone though...
#4845372
goldenhawk wrote:Al, doesn't the power switch have to remain on in order to recharge the blue brick?
Ackk, I have been trying to figure this out for weeks.....well I havent been trying really hard but I was curious all the same.
#4846165
Maybe a noob question here but I am fairly new setting up electronics and stuff, so I just got everything I required and it all works so I am really happy and all but in the OP Alan mentioned hooking up a kill switch, so heres my noob question how would I go about doing that myself? Oh yeah and where would be a good place to put it on my pack? I would be grateful for any help with this.
#4846172
Matt Campbell wrote:in the OP Alan mentioned hooking up a kill switch, so heres my noob question how would I go about doing that myself?
Specifics depend on your setup, but in general, the best place (in my opinion) is on the positive side of the battery before it hits any electronics.
Matt Campbell wrote:Oh yeah and where would be a good place to put it on my pack?.
Recommend a place where you can reach it while wearing. I placed mine on the Spengler plate but other areas on the Motherboard around the lower back might also be good choices.
#4846217
bishopdonmiguel wrote:Specifics depend on your setup, but in general, the best place (in my opinion) is on the positive side of the battery before it hits any electronics.
Sorry it was late when I typed that and I typed it how I thought it, and I should have been more specific. So I have an extra toggle switch like the ones in the wand so I thought I'd use that for the kill switch, so obviously the wire has to connect at 2 points but the toggle switch has 3 prongs on the bottom, so which 2 prongs would I connect to? And like I said I'm fairly new to setting up electronics so how would I go about connecting the wires so they will stay connected and not fall off?
bishopdonmiguel wrote:Recommend a place where you can reach it while wearing. I placed mine on the Spengler plate but other areas on the Motherboard around the lower back might also be good choices.
Honestly I don't know which one the Spengler plate is, but I definitely don't mind having to put the pack on for any reason (or for no reason at all works too) so if I have to do so to see where it would be easiest to reach to put the switch I guess I'll have to do that.
#4846232
Matt Campbell wrote:I have an extra toggle switch like the ones in the wand so I thought I'd use that for the kill switch, so obviously the wire has to connect at 2 points but the toggle switch has 3 prongs on the bottom, so which 2 prongs would I connect to? And like I said I'm fairly new to setting up electronics so how would I go about connecting the wires so they will stay connected and not fall off?
3-pins means it's a SPDT switch. Center pin is common. Depending on the switch position, ONE of the outer pins will close the circuit with the common. It doesn't matter which outer pin you use. In one switch position, your circuit will be open (off). In the other, your circuit will be closed (on).

You connect the wires to the switch with a soldering iron and solder. There are ways to physically wrap a wire to a connector but with the small gauge stranded wire used here, it would be difficult and unreliable. Soldering is easy and there are undoubtedly videos on YouTube that illustrate the basics to get you started.
Matt Campbell wrote:Honestly I don't know which one the Spengler plate is
The Spengler plate is located on the outside Motherboard near the bottom. It is an optional component but is a convenient place to mount controls. Here is my setup controlling two internal batteries using a 7-pin XLR connector for charging.
Image
Last edited by bishopdonmiguel on September 18th, 2018, 5:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
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#4904425
For the charging port that gets mounted on the motherboard to make it easier to charge the battery, does that have two or three prongs on the back side for wiring? I'm looking on Amazon and don't really know what one will work.

Also, is the kill switch also mounted on the motherboard to hit from the outside of the pack?

Thanks!
#4907313
JimboJohnson wrote: August 2nd, 2018, 5:55 pm I am currently making a pack, do you have a female one to handout? thanks!
The original poster hasn't been online since April, though I'm sure you'll be able to locate the female connector through a site like eBay.
#4908401
I want to make sure I have this correct. I have an SPST rocker switch with 2 terminals. When I wire it in, I want the black wire from the battery to connect to the line terminal on the switch, and then run a wire from the load terminal to the GB sound board. Is that correct?
#4908955
I'm curious if anyone has mounted the 12V battery with the recharge switch against the back and cut a hole out of the back so the switch can be accessed? I noticed everyone laying them flat. Guessing there isn't enough space. OR close to the side of the pack so the recharge button is exposed there?
#4909036
This post may contain an affiliate link that helps support GBFans.com when you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Stryfe21_2 wrote:What kind of coupler is being used to go through the motherboard? I’ve done quite a few searches on the web and I haven’t found any results. What is the coupler called?
Is this what you are talking about?
https://www.amazon.com/WGCD-Adapter-Pig ... d_pd_title
#4909158
This post may contain an affiliate link that helps support GBFans.com when you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Thinking of getting those wires/ panel mount connectors linked in the post above. But I do not see what gauge that wire comes with, anyone use them, and know if they work well with the pack set up?

Also looking at using this switch, but should I get one with wire leads or without?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004WLKC/?c ... _lig_dp_it

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