Custom R/C Lipo Battery Charge Box

thingiverse

Decided to make a nice field charge box. I wanted recessed mounted and secured and clean look so I decided to make my own at a fraction of the cost of getting a custom one built. Printed on a prusa mk3s. Some revisions have been made. Like better placement of holes for the components. But it's essentially exactly what you see in the pictures. First- Print all the Trays. There are 4 total and they are the base for the panels to screw onto. The charger and input trays have screw holes to attach to each other. I did not bolt all 4 together on mine but you can certainly do that if you want it more secure. It's more serviceable if you dont screw all 4 together. Second - Print your panels. These are much quicker than the trays. ****UPDATE: If you have a bigger printer or a cnc, I was able to make a full size panel using 3mm ABS sheet. This keeps everything locked together much better and offers a cleaner look. File is Main Charge Panel***** Third - print 4 of the balance board brackets Build List: -Harbor Freight Apache 4800 Box -2x Tookit RC M6D chargers -Power Supply. I used a Mean Well 24v 750w. You can use 12-24v. 1000 watts is what you really need if you want to supply the chargers full power. I just used what I already had. -2x 30mm fans. Get whatever voltage your power supply has. Or you can use a BEC to convert the voltage to whatever you need for the fans. -12 or 14 gauge wire for the panel mounted xt60 plugs and power supply to chargers Probably like 10 feet of red/black will be enough. Links for other parts I used: https://www.progressiverc.com/products/fan-grills-for-prc-cases?variant=34490694992007 https://www.progressiverc.com/products/balance-lead-extensions https://www.progressiverc.com/products/xt60-charge-extension https://www.progressiverc.com/products/ac-power-cable-3-feet?variant=34490695155847 https://www.progressiverc.com/products/ac-adapter-for-prc-cases?variant=34490713964679 https://www.progressiverc.com/products/panel-mount-female-xt60-connectors-2-count?variant=34490828619911 https://www.ebay.com/itm/274699308174?hash=item3ff55acc8e:g:pWcAAOSwkiZgOa8G **You must use balance boards similar to this. It is designed around this style board. https://www.ebay.com/itm/261599288052?var=560474694627&hash=item3ce8885af4:g:7pAAAOSwuLRZ2CXU Quick Tips: I used a couple of 2x4's stacked together on each side of the charge box to help hold up the trays. Once the trays are screwed together in the middle, it's very rigid and doesn't flex inward. Plenty of room in the middle for the power supply. I used some heavy duty velcro to hold it in place so it doesn't move around. I mounted my A/C quick connect on the back of the box away from the power supply. Used a dremmel to cut the shape out. Once you have everything mounted, you can drill a couple of small holes on the sides that go through the trays and then you can run some screws into that as it keeps the trays in place. Mount the 30mm fans so they are exhausting air out of the box. It should be pulling fresh air in through the vents near the chargers to circulate air. I don't have a solution yet for holding the extension cables and balance plugs yet. I am going to make something that sits inside the lid for an all in one grab and go solution. I used m3x20 screws with nuts to hold the trays together. I used m3x12 screws and nuts to hold the xt60 panel plugs in. I had to dremmel some of the material out of the xt60 plug to get the m3 nut to work. I think they have 2.5mm nuts in them already which is an odd size. I used m3x12 screws and nuts to hold the balance board brackets in place. I bought #6 sheet metal screws to screw the panels onto the trays. They have a bit more thread so it bites down unlike using m3 screws.