I have a battery that I would like to incorporate into my design. I've decided to get away from F1 or F2 type terminals (spade). Rather, I want the battery to be easily replaced, and pretty much snap out and snap in. So I'm looking at the type of connection known as a Pressure Contact, also apparently referred to as a "camcorder connection". It looks fairly simple, with exposed metal areas (one (+) and one (-)) on either side of the inch-thick battery (near one end), each indented approximately 2 or 3 mm.

So, let's just assume I will drop this battery into an interior region of a "hollow" plastic part (rotationally molded). And let's assume that the distance between two interior walls (walls 1 and 2) is just large enough for the battery thickness, and there is a narrow third wall (wall 3) normal to the first two. If we scale things up for a second, and think of a long hallway in a house, with very high ceilings, then the walls on the left and right as you walk down the hall are walls 1 and 2, and the short wall at the end (where a little closet normally is) would be wall 3. Then imagine this giant battery dropped in from above. Staying on the giant theme, since it's working so well, I guess I want to rivet a spring loaded contact into both wall 1 and wall 2, directly across from each other, and very close to wall 3. And I would probably want to solder a giant wire to each of these contacts, which would run on up each wall somewhere. Can someone help me find a standard off-the-shelf "contact" for this situation? Of course, my plastic walls are only about 2 to 3 mm thick, and the dimensions of the pressure contact are approximately as shown in the attached image (sorry, didn't get image up). Better yet, is there a standard part -containing both contacts - that would rivet to Wall 3, allowing the contacts to squeeze onto the corresponding battery contacts when the battery is inserted?

I can't help thinking these types of items exist, but I have had no luck in finding them. I hate to spend time designing/building something from scratch if these things are out there. Thanks a lot for any help you can give me.

Rick

 

Uh, there are several distinctly different forms that batteries come in - AAA, AA, C, etc. Perhaps you could tell us what kind and how many?

 

This is a 12 Volt rechargeable, brick-shaped battery, but a very thin brick. The "pressure contact" terminals straddle one of the two short ends of the brick. An example would be the PS-1223 from Power-Sonic. I would add a link here, but I don't know if I'm supposed to do that. It's a Sealed Lead Acid battery, and about 7" X 2.5" X 1". So, the "pressure contact" terminals straddle one of the two 2.5-inch-long edges.

Another possibility would be to purchase a battery that has no terminals per se, but rather two wires emanating and connecting to a so-called "WL terminal". An example of this battery would be the Genesis NPO.8-12. The female connector is very simple; a piece of molded plastic with metal sleeves embedded, each sleeve soldered to one wire of course. So my question on that option would be: where can I get the necessary "male" counterpart to this 2-position "WL terminal"? I keep searching for "WL plug" and "WL terminal", even on Digikey, and don't get much help...just an occasional self-help automotive reference, etc.