# HOW TO: build 6AA>2D, 9AA>3D, 12AA>4D, 15AA>5D, 18AA>6D Battery Adapters for Mag-MODS



## mdocod (Feb 13, 2008)

*HOW TO: build 6AA>2D, 9AA>3D, 12AA>4D, 15AA>5D, 18AA>6D Battery Adapters for Mag-MODS*

I'll just get right to it here. This is the basic instructions on how to build a battery adapter for a mag-modification. It's a lot of work but might be a fun project if you want to give it a try 

*Materials List:*

1.25" dia acetal delrin plastic rod stock* (white so you can mark it)
0.25" dia acetal delrin plastic rod stock* (white or black)
#10-32 threaded nylon rod stock* (white or black)
1x#10-32 standard duty (not heavy) steel hex nut
1x#10-32 brass acorn nut (plain finish)
4x#6-32x0.1875" pan head philips drive machine screws (any metal)
1x#6-32x0.375" flat head brass machine screw (plain finish)
1x#6-32x0.375" round head brass machine screw (plain finish)
2x#6-32 brass hex nuts (plain finish)
2x0.25"x1" fender washers
a few square inches of copper sheet stock ~27ga thickness works good
*minimum order or amount needed based on adapters size...

*Tools List:*

Miter saw, or radial arm, or cut-off saw, or circular saw with home-made jig to get reasonably good 90 degree cuts on the 1.25" rod. Ideally speaking, a finishing blade should be installed, fast ripping blades will leave an uneven surface but will work, use slower cutting speed to compensate.
Drill press, or if you are really skillful, a hand drill and a vice might work.
#6-32 thread tap (taper tap is fine), I mount mine in the cordless drill to speed things up.
#10-32 thread tap (taper tap is fine).
#36 drill bit
#21 drill bit
#F drill bit
17/64" drill bit
1/4" drill bit
7/32" drill bit
5/32" drill bit
5/64 allen socket
Vice of sorts, ideally on a drill press 
Tin snips (that can cut copper sheet)
various measuring and drawing type stuff. (a good ruler, compass, pencils, markers, etc)
0.5" dia Countersink bit that can cut metal worth a darn.
Bench grinder, or other rotary grinding wheel tool
Optional but very ideal: sheet metal punch with various size bits
Optional: Headlamp (you're a CPFer, you MUST have one of these!) makes illuminating your work area much better!

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The following instructions are based on building a 6AA>2D carrier... only minor changes need to be made to adapt to longer carriers.. those changes are listed at the bottom of this post.

Cut 2 5mm thick pieces of 1.25" acetal delrin using the saw. These will be the end-caps of the adapter.






Cut 1 ~0.025" (less than 1/32") thin piece of 1/25" acetal delrin using the saw. This will serve as an intermediate spacer that holes the cells in place. It needs to be darn thin, thin enough to bend a little and thin enough for the positive "button" top of AA cells to protrude through far enough to make contact with the next cell. 

Cut 3 114mm long pieces of 0.25" acetal delrin using the saw. These will be the "supports" that line everything up.





Cut 1 133mm long piece of #10-32 threaded nylon rod with some tin snips or other solid hand-grip cutters. this will go through the center of the adapter and hold everything together. After cutting, you will need to fix up the ends of the rod so the nuts will thread on smooth. Go to the bench grinder and fire it up. Holding the rod at about a 45 degree angle from the grinding surface, with the grinding angle away from the rod rather than towards it, gently spin the rod around applying very slight pressure into the grinder. This will taper the end of the rod and produce a smooth approach for the threads. You will likely have a bur of material on he end of the rod, the wire wheel on a bench grinder can usually buzz that off nice and easy and also be used to gently clean up the tip of the rod even more. 





find dead center of the 5mm thick 1.25" dia wafers you have cut and mark that spot. You may want to build a jig of sorts to do this.... This is where the compass and other drawing tools will probably be necessary. 





Now mark each wafer at various points:
3 dots should be 9.5mm from center, 120 degrees apart.
3 more dots should be 7/16 inch from center, 120 degrees apart, but centered in-between the first 3 dots you drew. (60 degrees offset)





drill the center hole in one of the end-caps with a 7/32" bit

drill the center hole in the other end-cap with a #21 wire size bit

drill the points 9.5mm from center with the #36 drill all the way through. 

drill the points 7/16" from center with the #F bit, the rods will go through these holes. The F size bit is slightly larger than 1/4" and will provide the clearance necessary for the rods to slide freely but still hold straight. 





Now, using the countersink bit, chamfer one of the #36 holes on the end cap who's center hole was drilled to 7/32" between 1/16"-1/8" should be enough chamfering. This is for the head of the flat head screw on the based of the adapter to slip into partially, (since the head of the flat head screw is usually taller than the thickness of the washer that it needs to be made flush with)

After doing this, tap #6-32 threads into each of the holes drilled with the #36, and tap #10-32 threads into the hole drilled with the #21 bit. The tapped center hole end-cap is the "top" end cap. 

Using the tin snips, cut up some copper sheet. 2 strips about 5/16" by 2" is about right. Now use either a 5/32" drill or ideally speaking, a sheet metal punch, put 2 holes in each piece of copper about 16mm apart spaced roughly centered or slightly to one side of the strip will also work fine. Also snip the corners off.... here's an example of what they should look like:





Drink a beer, or 2, you deserve it.

Take your 0.1875" #6-32 pan head screws and use them to fasten the copper pieces you have fabricated to the plastic end-caps. On the end-cap with the chamfered hole, make sure to install the copper piece on the side of the end-cap opposite the chamfered hole, no using the chamfered hole. (use the other 2)




After installed the copper, insure that the copper clearances the other holes on the end-cap, then fold the copper over the screw to create your contact points for the cells in the adapter. 

Drill a 5/32" hole in each fender washer ~9.5mm from center. There is a reason for using fender washers with larger center holes than necessary, hitting a hole perfectly at 9.5mm on one of these is not easy, expect some error and move on, it should work fine. Then take your countersink bit and ream one of them out good, Chamfer it a bit, then test your flat head screw to see if it sits flat in the washer, remove enough material for it to be as flat as possible, or slightly sunk in, but ideally, not sticking up. The chamfered washer should be used on the "bottom" end cap and that hole you drilled/chamfered should line up with the chamfered #6-32 hole in the end cap. The other washer does not need to be chamfered, you can use the round-head screw on the top side. 









Now using the 3/8" long #6-32 brass screws, install the fender washers on the face of the end caps opposite the copper pieces. Using the remaining hole to fasten the washer to the end caps. Install #6-32 brass nuts on the other end of the screw. 

Tighten everything down pretty good. Try not to strip out the threads. These threads are surprisingly strong in Delrin plastic, but screwing up now would mean a lot of work, so try not to!

Using the grinder, grind down any of that 1/2" screw that is protruding from the nut on the end-caps. Make it flush with the nut. 

Remember that thin wafer of plastic about 0.02" thick? There's more work to be done!

Mark this sucker with the same positions marked as the end-caps above. (center point, 3 at 9.5mm from center 120 degrees apart, and 3 at 7/16" from center also 120 degrees apart, with the sets of 3 offset by 60 degrees [in-between each-other])

Drill the center 7/32"
Drill the 9.5mm from center points 1/4"
Drill the 7/16" from center points 17/64"

You may find that cutting an additional "thicker" piece of plastic to mount up behind the thing wafer while drilling works better, you'll need to drill out the center first in a jig of sorts, then bolt the 2 pieces together with a #10-32 bolt and nut in the center (optional), a vice can then be used to clasp the nut or bolt-head while it's being drilled. 

Install the 3 1/4" rods into the holes on 1 end-cap, then slip the other end cap over the rods, making sure that the brass nuts are NOT in the same channel. Now slip the #10-32 threaded rod up through from the bottom end-cap to the top one and thread it into the top end-cap. Thread it such that it is sticking out about 1/2" over the top, now thread the brass acorn nut onto the threaded rod, once the threaded rod is fully seated up into the nut, crank down on the nut and gently tighten it against the top end-cap. This will help keep the threaded drop from turning while trying to tighten up the #10-32 standard nut that should now be installed on the bottom. 

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For 9AA>3D adapters:
end-caps should be 8mm thick
3/16" pan head screws can be the same or longer if you desire. (but not longer than the thickness of the end cap)
3/8" flat head brass screw should be 1/2"
3/8" round head brass screw should be 1/2"
1/4" rod should be ~169mm long
10-32 threaded rod should be ~190mm long
you will need 2 of those 0.025" wafers

For 12AA>4D adapters:
end-caps should be 13mm thick
3/16" pan head screws can be the same or longer if you desire. (but not longer than the thickness of the end cap)
3/8" flat head brass screw should be 3/4"
3/8" round head brass screw should be 3/4"
1/4" rod should be ~230mm long
10-32 threaded rod should be ~250mm long
you will need 3 of those 0.025" wafers

For 15AA>5D adapters:
end-caps should be ~18mm thick
3/16" pan head screws can be the same or longer if you desire. (but not longer than the thickness of the end cap)
3/8" flat head brass screw should be 1"
3/8" round head brass screw should be 1"
1/4" rod should be ~290mm long
10-32 threaded rod should be ~310mm long
you will need 4 of those 0.025" wafers

For 18AA>6D adapters:
end-caps should be ~23mm thick
3/16" pan head screws can be the same or longer if you desire. (but not longer than the thickness of the end cap)
3/8" flat head brass screw should be 1.25"
3/8" round head brass screw should be 1.25"
1/4" rod should be ~350mm long
10-32 threaded rod should be ~370mm long
you will need 5 of those 0.025" wafers

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enjoy!


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## mdocod (Mar 4, 2008)

*Re: How to build 6AA>2D, 9AA>3D, 12AA>4D, 15AA>5D, 18AA>D Battery Adapters for Mag-MO*

instructions are now pretty much complete, bumping this up for those who are interested. Just needs a few more picts and stuff. I'll get around to it someday


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## rizky_p (Mar 4, 2008)

*Re: How to build 6AA>2D, 9AA>3D, 12AA>4D, 15AA>5D, 18AA>D Battery Adapters for Mag-MO*

well i prefer to buy one from you  :twothumbs


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## cy (May 6, 2008)

*Re: HOW TO: build 6AA>2D, 9AA>3D, 12AA>4D, 15AA>5D, 18AA>6D Battery Adapters for Mag-*

nice instructions... also would prefer to buy from you


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## chewy78 (Sep 14, 2008)

*Re: HOW TO: build 6AA>2D, 9AA>3D, 12AA>4D, 15AA>5D, 18AA>6D Battery Adapters for Mag-*

i might try making one if i dont mess up


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## mikevelarde (Sep 16, 2008)

*Re: HOW TO: build 6AA>2D, 9AA>3D, 12AA>4D, 15AA>5D, 18AA>6D Battery Adapters for Mag-*

I had followed mdocod's step by step instruction and made myself 2 9AA-D, 1 12AA-D and 1 15AA-D parallel adopter for my 3D,4D and 5Dmag. all of them are somewhat crude(coz I don't have a drill press) but works great in all my lights. thanks a lot mdocod for your great step by step tutorial!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

chewy78!! go for it, if it's not too hard for a noob like me, I'm sure you can do it!!


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## sinister (Nov 21, 2008)

*Re: HOW TO: build 6AA>2D, 9AA>3D, 12AA>4D, 15AA>5D, 18AA>6D Battery Adapters for Mag-*

Hi mdocod,

I am hoping that you offer kits for sale. Actually I only need the materials so I can cut, drill, hack, mutilate the parts and build myself a 9AA to 3D convertion. The setup will be 3S3P. The parts that I will be needing are:

1.25" dia acetal delrin plastic rod stock* (white so you can mark it)
0.25" dia acetal delrin plastic rod stock* (white or black)
#10-32 threaded nylon rod stock* (white or black)
1x#10-32 standard duty (not heavy) steel hex nut
1x#10-32 brass acorn nut (plain finish)
1x#6-32x0.375" flat head brass machine screw (plain finish)
1x#6-32x0.375" round head brass machine screw (plain finish)
2x#6-32 brass hex nuts (plain finish)
2x0.25"x1" fender washers
Thanks in advance.


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## mdocod (Nov 22, 2008)

*Re: HOW TO: build 6AA>2D, 9AA>3D, 12AA>4D, 15AA>5D, 18AA>6D Battery Adapters for Mag-*

Hi sinister, 

I have never sold material kits before, usually just completed adapters. I can build you a series/parallel adapter if you need one, or maybe we can work something out, PM me....

Eric


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## sinister (Nov 24, 2008)

*Re: HOW TO: build 6AA>2D, 9AA>3D, 12AA>4D, 15AA>5D, 18AA>6D Battery Adapters for Mag-*

I sent out a PM a few days ago. Did you get it? Thanks


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## exodus125 (Dec 5, 2008)

*Re: HOW TO: build 6AA>2D, 9AA>3D, 12AA>4D, 15AA>5D, 18AA>6D Battery Adapters for Mag-*

does anyone know if this is the way the batteries are lined up? Im assuming this is how, but just want to make sure.


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## mdocod (Dec 5, 2008)

*Re: HOW TO: build 6AA>2D, 9AA>3D, 12AA>4D, 15AA>5D, 18AA>6D Battery Adapters for Mag-*

Hello exodus125,

I've reworked your picture to be accurate.... (I hope  I just woke up)






that's the proper series arrangement for the cells. 

In the future, just ask questions here regarding the how-to for building an adapter, no need for a duplicate PM, Thank You.

Eric


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## ktafil (Jan 19, 2009)

*HOW TO: build 6AA>2D Battery Adapter for Mag*

Hi there,

I like to share my 6AA>2D adapter home made version:

*Parts:*

Tape
Standard electrical tube 3x100mm
1 second glue
Thread rod M3x115mm (3x)
Nut m3 (6x)
Rivet 3x5mm (6x)
Rivet 6x4mm (2x)
Washer M5x32mm (1x)
Spring, I use two that I cut down
Solder wick
Custom made flanges 3mm thick round 32mm (2x) (can also be made from waterpiping lid's, for 50 eurocent i found these round 32mm 3mm thick PVC)







*Tools:*

Solder iron
Drill 4mm 3mm and 2.5mm
Sanding machine
Dremmel (or look alike, I don't have an original one....)
sharp knife
Rivet pliers
Cutting grip
Thread tap m3

*Let's get started:*

- Firts you take the 100mm electrical pipe.
Draw 6 lines over the complete length deviding the pipe in 6 parts.
Flatn 2 of these 6 parts. these 2 have to be next to eachother. Do this with the sanding machine and sand of about 0.5mm.

Cut out 2/6th of the pipe on the opposite side of the flatned parts over the complete length. This will become the battery clamp in the middle.

Leave the clamping in the middle (about 20mm) and cut the rest on the sides of the pipes.

Cut the pipe as shown in the picture:






If you made 3 of these you can glue the sanded parts together with 1second glue.

- Now you are ready to cut the m3 wire rod's.
Cut three of these at 115mm. Put a nut of m3 on each side.

- Now we are going to make the end flanges.
Devide the flanges in 6 (I drew a template on cartboard first)
Drill the holes 2.5mm for the m3 rods 4mm from the side (3x)
Drill the holes 3mm for the rivets 6mm from the side (3x)
In red in the picture you can see wich become the positive contacts (plus) and the negative contacts (minus).
The negative sides will have springs.
In Red you see how the wireing goes to put the 6AA's in series.






Now you can Rivet in the pos and neg sides. They are connected with the copper wick, i used double wireing to alow high currents. The wick goes all the way to the top of the battery springs. This to be able to alow these hihger currents. (sorry, no detail pic, look in the end product photo)
The left in the picture is the neg side, the right is positive.






The insulation on the outsides of the flanges is tape, and on the neg side the washer is riveted on. (Now left is pos and right neg!!)

- Now all the pieses can be assembled to the final result.
















I hope this is usefull to some people overhere.
This holder is made with simple parts from the DIY shop so no really special tools like a lathe are needed.
This is why I added this to the how to build page.

The holder is exact the same size as 2-D cells, so no spring shortening is required!

I use this one on a 2D-ROP and I pull 4.15Amps at the tailcap.
I read on this forum that this is a good value, this also means the holder has a low internal resistance. I am very happy with these results for the holder.

Ktafil


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## Daekar (Jan 31, 2009)

*Re: HOW TO: build 6AA>2D, 9AA>3D, 12AA>4D, 15AA>5D, 18AA>6D Battery Adapters for Mag-*

I thought I'd give everybody a little help finding material for this build... we purchase all sorts of items from McMaster-Carr at my workplace and they happen to have what is required for mag-modding:



mdocod said:


> .25" dia acetal delrin plastic rod stock* (white so you can mark it)
> 0.25" dia acetal delrin plastic rod stock* (white or black)
> #10-32 threaded nylon rod stock* (white or black)
> 1x#10-32 standard duty (not heavy) steel hex nut
> ...


 
A little disclaimer - the quantities you'd be ordering through McMaster-Carr are a tad high for somebody making just one battery-adaptor. The prices may not be the best out there either, I'm not sure... but they sure as heck are convenient. For those hunting Delrin or other similar materials from another source, you might try US Plastic.

Thought I'd add in a few pictures of the 4AA-1D adaptor I made. I would say it is crude at best, but it does the job! Here we go...






Yes, that is solder braid and superglue... :huh:


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## mdocod (Jan 31, 2009)

*Re: HOW TO: build 6AA>2D, 9AA>3D, 12AA>4D, 15AA>5D, 18AA>6D Battery Adapters for Mag-*

Daekar,
ktafil,

Nice work guys! Glad to see that the instructions here have inspired some creativity!!! Decent adapters can be put together, crude looking doesn't mean that they aren't great performers! It's a great learning experience. 

I also recently was made aware of mcmaster-carr and have to agree, they have a REALLY impressive selection of materials and nuts and bolts. I can get a lot of it slightly cheaper elsewhere, but they carry things I CAN'T elsewhere, I foresee many future orders with them for more rare fasteners that I am going to need for complex designs coming up soon...


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## Aircraft800 (Oct 25, 2010)

*Re: HOW TO: build 6AA>2D, 9AA>3D, 12AA>4D, 15AA>5D, 18AA>6D Battery Adapters for Mag-*

Bump! Cool Thread! You have really came a long away since this build!


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## wquiles (Oct 25, 2010)

*Re: HOW TO: build 6AA>2D, 9AA>3D, 12AA>4D, 15AA>5D, 18AA>6D Battery Adapters for Mag-*



Aircraft800 said:


> Bump! Cool Thread! You have really came a long away since this build!



+1

I consider the custom packs he designed for my PhD-M6 project as the best he has done. LOTS of though, and detail went into making these custom packs!


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## Walterk (Oct 25, 2010)

*Re: HOW TO: build 6AA>2D, 9AA>3D, 12AA>4D, 15AA>5D, 18AA>6D Battery Adapters for Mag-*

For more theorie on this subject:
Google: Duracell.com->design tools-> battery contact guide


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