Hi everyone,

I am trying to work out whether this AA battery contact (picture attached below) part has a name, whether it can be purchased or whether it is a custom made thing. I have spent a long time searching for battery contacts, strip, wire, thread.. to no avail!

Any suggestions on what it is usually called, where I could purchase something similar, or whether it is indeed a custom thing?

Thanks so much

 

"Battery negative terminal spring" brought up "battery pole contact anode negative"


Close, but not exact. Lots of stuff to look through. BTW, don't be put off by calling the negative pole of a battery the anode. That's what Faraday did.

 

"Battery negative terminal spring" brought up "battery pole contact anode negative"
View attachment 148492

Close, but not exact. Lots of stuff to look through. BTW, don't be put off by calling the negative pole of a battery the anode. That's what Faraday did.

That is close! I have never thought of calling the negative pole of a battery the anode before, thank you for the tip. I just found this through your search suggestion:

Which is close, but still not exactly what I am after. I am looking for something with no positive terminal at the end of it. The other end of the contact in my question connects to a DC motor with a cap on it (see below). I am also interested in where to find these sorts of components too but no idea where to start. I know there is a bible of components out there that will answer my question but no idea which one or how to find it!

 

That is like trying to find an exact replacement for a knob on a consumer radio. You might find it, but the wait will be long and the price quite high.

My approach for the "repair" would be to scavenge the part from a battery pack or other device.

As for attaching it to the stub on the motor, ordinary solder might work, but silver-bearing solder might be a little stronger -- not "Silver solder" per se. If ordinary solder doesn't work, my options would be spot welding (e.g, a battery tab welder) or mechanical + solder. By mechanical, I mean rivet or copper wire. Keeping the right pressure will be a problem.

Another alternative might be to bend the positive terminal out and install a typical AAA battery holder on the back of the motor. That will address the problem of keeping pressure on both ends of the battery.

Finally, if it is an ordinary battery, you could also just solder wires from the battery to the terminals on the motor. I would not recommend that for a lithium-based battery, unless you have experience with that type. Of course, that solution might create a problem for turning the motor off.

 

That is like trying to find an exact replacement for a knob on a consumer radio. You might find it, but the wait will be long and the price quite high.

My approach for the "repair" would be to scavenge the part from a battery pack or other device.

As for attaching it to the stub on the motor, ordinary solder might work, but silver-bearing solder might be a little stronger -- not "Silver solder" per se. If ordinary solder doesn't work, my options would be spot welding (e.g, a battery tab welder) or mechanical + solder. By mechanical, I mean rivet or copper wire. Keeping the right pressure will be a problem.

Another alternative might be to bend the positive terminal out and install a typical AAA battery holder on the back of the motor. That will address the problem of keeping pressure on both ends of the battery.

Finally, if it is an ordinary battery, you could also just solder wires from the battery to the terminals on the motor. I would not recommend that for a lithium-based battery, unless you have experience with that type. Of course, that solution might create a problem for turning the motor off.

Thanks so much for these detailed answers! I am still keen to see if there is anywhere that does manufacture / supply the component but good to know of the best DIY options out there.

 

If it is just the negative spring contact you need, you can make your own with stiff wire sold at most hardware stores.

 

Or go to the nearest "dollar" or "pound" store and get an item that uses AA batteries and cannibalize contacts from it. Or even cheaper, have a look around and find something using AA's that doesn't work and take it from it.