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A Backup Battery For The Chain Gang Winder

In Uncategorized on February 12, 2013 by nicholasandrewray

A Backup Battery For The Chain Gang Winder

Ever since I started to use the Trumeter 7111 counter in the Chain Gang Winders, I’ve been bothered by the fact that the battery wasn’t replaceable. Using a new $40 counter every 8 or 10 years isn’t a problem in an industrial application, but this is a hobby. It’s not a problem for me personally, as I’m 77 now, and what are my chances of outlasting the battery? But for young kids like Finn and Kang, it’s a repetitive expense that isn’t fair. Even worse, the most recent customer is only 13, and given a normal lifespan, and if she stays in the hobby, she’s looking at an expense of better (worse?) than $250 over the years. This is unacceptable.

So, using what I had in the stash, I came up with a cheap, fast, sorta neat solution. You can do it too if you’re so inclined.
Here’s pics…
.015 x .250 from the K&S rack at the LHS. 6" lengths of servo wire, either Dubro as shown or Futaba, or whatever you have.

.015 x .250 from the K&S rack at the LHS. 6″ lengths of servo wire, either Dubro as shown or Futaba, or whatever you have.

Butter the bottom of the neg. strip with epoxy and feed it down under the cell using small nose pliers. Locate it along the diagonal edge of the PC board. Then slip a balsa wedge over the top of the cell to hold things together while the epoxy sets.

Butter the bottom of the neg. strip with epoxy and feed it down under the cell using small nose pliers. Locate it along the diagonal edge of the PC board. Then slip a balsa wedge over the top of the cell to hold things together while the epoxy sets.

Smear epoxy on top of the positive strip and slip it into place as shown.

Smear epoxy on top of the positive strip and slip it into place as shown.

Secure a CR2032 cell holder to the back of the aluminum bracket with 2-face tape and solder the leads on neatly. Sometime around 2020-2022 the original battery will die.

Secure a CR2032 cell holder to the back of the aluminum bracket with 2-face tape and solder the leads on neatly. Sometime around 2020-2022 the original battery will die.

 Go to the Dollar Store, get a new one, and you’re good for ten more years, cheap.
The winder in the picture is a very old aluminum one, having an .063 hook shaft with an .032 hook grafted on. There were a few like that.
Several years ago, I wrestled with a couple of Radio Shack cell holders on a different project and they were a nightmare. I eventually found the British made Harwin, which costs $1.70 against RS’s $1.20 one, but they’re not even from the same planet. I can supply a Harwin cell holder, 2 lengths of the brass strip and 2 lengths of nice soft servo wire for about $4 shipped domestic. If you’re interested in making the mod, and can’t get hold of any other holder than the RS, it might be a good idea to let me put this together for you.
Art Holtzman
GO CHAIN GANG !!!
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