The Makery recently acquired a large (6s, 5 amp) LiPo battery for running various things around the shop, most notably electric scooters.  Given scooters’ tendency to wreck, and Makers’ tendency to be hard on their equipment, we determined that a few upgrades were in order. The battery is housed in a polycarbonate box, along with volt and amp meters, and a 100 amp circuit breaker. The only output (right now) is an XT60 connector for discharging, though we’ll be adding dedicated charge connector as well, so the protective case need never be opened.

The plan isn’t without a few faults: The case is no longer waterproof, not least of which because the circuit breaker isn’t. Also, the ammeter is a bit flaky, only reading values below around 2 amps “sometimes” (Even though the documented range is .1A -> 100A).

Additionally, the blinky displays are a source of distraction when scootering… Who wants to watch where they’re going when there’s red, blinking numbers at their feet?

Overall, a slick project (even if I don’t have a complete internal picture) that’s certain to be used almost every day.

Filed under:
Omaha Maker Group, Projects by Kevin