I am a newbie and this may be a silly question but I am making a AA battery holder that holds 4 batteries in a straight line. The entire thing is made of metal and I have soldered springs to each metal divider to hold batteries in place. I have not connected any wires yet bc when i was testing it to make sure they all fit a a couple of the batteries on the one end we're getting quite hot while the other 2 were not. They are brand new out of the package.

Why are they getting hot is it because I have no wires hooked up yet or am I doing something else wrong?

Thanks.

 

A photo would help a lot.

One guess is that the metal springs are shorted together by the metal box

 

The outer shell of the batteries is the negative terminal. It's shorting to the frame. Add black tape to the outsides of the batteries.

 

Straight away, I think I'm making a good guess in that your battery holder is shorting the batteries. Insulate it dawg.

 

The battery on the left is still getting hot.

 

If the black stick in the photograph to the right is metal, that's your problem. Use plastic, wood, leather, anything that doesn't conduct to hold your spring contacts.

 

If the black stick in the photograph to the right is metal, that's your problem. Use plastic, wood, leather, anything that doesn't conduct to hold your spring contacts.

Ok..i thought the contacts of the batteries needed to touch metal on each side to transfer the current..so I need connect them with wire between each battery?

 

As an example, when you wire two or more batteries in series with a load like the light bulb, the electricity travels through both batteries and through the bulb. If you have a conductor connect the + terminal to the - terminal of a battery, you create a short circuit so that the electricity only circulates within that battery, making it hot, instead of doing what you want it to do.

 

 

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Ok I understand...thanks for the help...one other question...the tube the batteries will slide inside is steel...it is a bit of a tight fit so does it matter if the batteries come into contact with the steel tube inside(not the contacts on the batteries but the body)?

 

Ok I understand...thanks for the help...one other question...the tube the batteries will slide inside is steel...it is a bit of a tight fit so does it matter if the batteries come into contact with the steel tube inside(not the contacts on the batteries but the body)?

That's okay as long as the insulating sleeve on the battery is not scraped off by the tube.

 

Don't make the steel tube a tight fit to the batteries. If they swell, they will wedge themselves so tight in the tube that they will have to be drilled out to salvage the tube. Take up the side to side slack in the tube with cardboard or paper.

 

Don't make the steel tube a tight fit to the batteries. If they swell, they will wedge themselves so tight in the tube that they will have to be drilled out to salvage the tube. Take up the side to side slack in the tube with cardboard or paper.

Ok thanks

 

does it matter if the batteries come into contact with the steel tube inside(not the contacts on the batteries but the body)?

Been there, done that, stopped the fire before it did much damage.
Insert a plastic tube that is bigger than the batteries or wrap each battery in black tape.

 

Been there, done that, stopped the fire before it did much damage.
Insert a plastic tube that is bigger than the batteries or wrap each battery in black tape.

This TS needs to be sternly warned not to mess with the mains.

They could even hurt themselv'es with "proper" batteries!

 

This TS needs to be sternly warned not to mess with the mains.

Who said the mains were involved?

 

Who said the mains were involved?

Just nipping it in the bud before the TS gets crispy.

Like I said - this TS could even hurt themselves with "proper" batteries.