21700 Battery Cradle + Board mount

[Russ ModCrate]

I have been working on this DNA 75C Cradle and board mount on and off for a year. My main goals were to get rid of traditional wiring, integrate board mounting and standardize assembly movements.  As of now the entire cradle and be populated outside of an enclosure and the board will power on as pictured below.  I am looking for some feedback on this idea. Normally I don't share in process projects but I would like to deliver something polished.  Let me know if anyone is interested and would like me to post additional photos.

[BillW50]

Of course we are interested.  😀

[Russ ModCrate]

I am about to go to the park with my kids. If you could give me some direction on the angles and parts of the cradle you would like pictures up it would help me with a write up.

[Russ ModCrate]

Here are some pictures to show the wire replaced with stamped electrical contacts. These contacts are nickel plated steel.

[BillW50]

Outstanding @Russ ModCrate! Pictures are perfect too!

[Russ ModCrate]

I took some more photos of a finished build.... Lost my 21700 battery.

[ThaSaint]

First off... That's very innovative thinking and the mod looks sweet! You are pretty good. I noticed that you debossed the battery/board ventilation holes on the bottom. That's smart for many reasons, especially for a keeping water out when it's standing on wet surfaces. 

I've been working on a custom mod in CAD software. I'm trying to design the board support and battery support/contacts right now. My goal is to provide sturdy support but also protection from drops ( I drop my mods alot 🤷) and it's a tough issue. Currently I'm researching different material properties and that's all I'll say publicly, until I figure it out at least, as to how I'm planning on achieving this. This is definitely a cool idea. I have a couple questions for you about it. 

Does it cause any excess/extra heat to the battery or board since they sharing the same material for heat to dissipate onto? Did you apply any other heat release design features to the mod? Lastly, have you dropped the mod yet and how did it fair with the design you have? 

Edited September 24, 2022 by ThaSaint

[Russ ModCrate]

This has been dropped off of lifts from all sorts of heights, even run over by forklifts and bobcats.  If you are interested you can design around my cradle and contacts it does a great job of protecting mods and I've already made the investments for molds and dies.