Bebop 2 - Balanced Charger Lead Adapter

thingiverse

For a while now, I've been eager to use a balanced charger with my Parrot Bebop 2 batteries rather than the standard factory charger, but the battery connector itself is notoriously difficult to grasp. So, I decided to use the original Parrot Charger lead, then create an adapter so that I can plug it into my standard balanced charger (in this case, a Turing Accucell 6). It's a straightforward plug and if you make it, I recommend using an SLA printer or very high-quality FDM (I tried it on an FDM and it didn't come out well, but on the SLA, it comes out perfectly mainly due to the size). For the pins, I discovered that the pins off of an old VGA plug worked flawlessly and were the right size to fit into the Parrot charger lead socket. So, I liberated the VGA plug for its pins, then simply soldered the pins to one end of a balanced plug, then fed them into this 3D printed socket and used some fast-dry epoxy to lock the pins in place. It's advisable to trial-fit the pins in the plug and then into the Parrot charging lead first. Once done, you can then monitor each cell as your balanced charger is charging your batteries. Print Settings Printer Brand: Formlabs Printer: Form 1 Rafts: No Supports: Yes Resolution: 0.2mm Post-Printing Steps to making the adapter: 1) Print the plug, clean and prepare. 2) Get yourself 4 pins that fit into the end of the original Parrot charging lead. I used 4 pins out of a gutted VGA cable; it fits perfectly. 3) Now you need a balanced plug with leads for your own charger: a balanced plug at one end and 4 wires at the other. 4) Pass those 4 wires through the newly printed adapter, ensuring that you get the order right for your charger and match it to each cell as seen in the schematic. 5) Solder the pins to the wire and gently pull them back into the adapter housing. 6) It's a good time to test-fit this onto your original Parrot charging lead. 7) Lastly, use some epoxy resin at the back of the adapter plug to secure the 4 pins. I actually did this while the adapter plug was connected to the original Parrot plug, just so that the pins were aligned and in exactly the right places, but be cautious not to let resin leak through into the original Parrot lead (it shouldn't if your printer managed to print cleanly).