Post B9924J7WD0yEDIAhNI by skullvalanche@gladtech.social
(DIR) More posts by skullvalanche@gladtech.social
(DIR) Post #B8zwfwHzw8auIsDlAW by mntmn@mastodon.social
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anyone with 3D modeling skillz up for contributing a little case for these bad boys? https://shop.mntre.com/products/protected-battery-board the idea is to have a case where you can mount a pair of these, put in 8x 18650 LiFePO4 cells and have a slot where the 2 picolock cables can come out. we're launching the MNT Station soon, which is a desktop/server case for the MNT Reform mainboard, and it has holes on the back where these cables can go in.
(DIR) Post #B8zws3wNJc7hVZt6rw by mhoye@cosocial.ca
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@mntmn is be interested in something adjacent to this, as a person who bought the 2nd gen clips for the original Reform. Repurposing those into battery packs would be good.
(DIR) Post #B8zxD4BdaxxQLx2gQC by wonka@chaos.social
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Ooh, I want those, and a charger to connect to the PicoLock, and a USB-C output board to connect to the PicoLock, with appropriate voltage and current regulation.@mntmn
(DIR) Post #B8zyuQ1uMJNIVKj97o by mntmn@mastodon.social
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@mhoye that should be 100% compatible mechanically
(DIR) Post #B8zz4tbpEqjJ8fWUiG by mntmn@mastodon.social
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@wonka yeah so one could either use the classic reform's charger circuit (battle tested, but the chips are perversely expensive now, ltc4020 and ltc6803-4) or extract the more modern and cost effective, but also more complex circuit from the reform next. the reform next can charge either one or two 4x packs in parallel, and can set the charging voltage in software, while the classic is fixed to 8S operation.
(DIR) Post #B900Unj1pwmoNEoCae by grmon@chaos.social
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@mntmn I wish
(DIR) Post #B902IBtmqgofUSxJ9U by skullvalanche@gladtech.social
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@mntmn I'm willing to give it a shot.I’d need some caliper-level measurements/dimensions to go off of… also a picture of the board from straight-on rather than at an angle would be helpful.Do you have these in-hand?
(DIR) Post #B902dyoWBALHHLsg0O by mntmn@mastodon.social
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@skullvalanche yes, can do, would a STEP model be helpful as well?
(DIR) Post #B902sU86XnBCSQxVqa by mntmn@mastodon.social
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this is how the main device looks like BTW (MNT Station)
(DIR) Post #B902yx6thxTu4oTi8e by skullvalanche@gladtech.social
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@mntmn possibly? can't hurt.
(DIR) Post #B9031W0gvDzYtbnV2W by mntmn@mastodon.social
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@skullvalanche i just posted some pics of the main "MNT Station" device, for design language orientation, and on the 3rd pic you can see two slots in the upper center area, where the wooden photo background shows through. those are the slots where the cable can be fed through. https://mastodon.social/@mntmn/117032304719061306RT: https://mastodon.social/users/mntmn/statuses/117032304719061306
(DIR) Post #B903EhLs47NfpszRyq by skullvalanche@gladtech.social
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@mntmn righto -- so the goal is something that looks similar and behaves a bit like a sidecar battery pack?
(DIR) Post #B903KdD4NV02j9hcLw by mntmn@mastodon.social
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@skullvalanche exactly!
(DIR) Post #B903oYcO0wSXAqoWqu by skullvalanche@gladtech.social
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@mntmn hmm, found the kicad files and managed to extract this -- is this accurate to the final PCB dimensions?
(DIR) Post #B903x3NjWGs8u10lg8 by mntmn@mastodon.social
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@skullvalanche ha, you're quick, i was just drawing on extra dimension, but you got the same file anyway :D yes, that's accurate, at least the screw holes and components, the outline can have a bit of play due to pcb manufacturing constraints, like +/- 0.2mm
(DIR) Post #B904AWR8nyjymO1mPw by mntmn@mastodon.social
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@skullvalanche if i managed to include all the 3d models, you should have the battery holders also visible in 3d mode, and can just export a STEP model from the main PCB screen. the batteries will push the metal holders slightly out of course, but i guess you'll just account for a few more mm
(DIR) Post #B905DJunusIcldngqu by argv_minus_one@mastodon.sdf.org
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@mntmn Oh those are #battery holders! At first glance, I thought I was looking at an #integratedCircuit designed by crabs. 🦀
(DIR) Post #B906KTReyyqEIz8xkW by skullvalanche@gladtech.social
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@mntmn yeah, I'll need to add a mm or 2 of space just to allow for variations... mostly right now I'm just trying to sketch the footprint of the board. should be easy enough to model a box around that once I have that.
(DIR) Post #B9074AOm84qwYQaA4W by mntmn@mastodon.social
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@skullvalanche haha oh yes that's cool! btw are you doing a box for a single one (vs 2)? that's actually a good idea probably, more flexible that way
(DIR) Post #B908Ct2O99R5GophT6 by skullvalanche@gladtech.social
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@mntmn I can do both a single and a double version.Also was pondering if it makes more sense for them to be side-by-side vs. stacked, or length-wise.Maybe I'll do a few variants if I get bored. 😂
(DIR) Post #B909bXEATMo4ozexeK by mhoye@cosocial.ca
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@mntmn I never doubted you for a second.
(DIR) Post #B90HKqLmv7DuqAm9mS by mntmn@mastodon.social
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@skullvalanche meanwhile i checked how this can sensibly be mounted, i think this is an OK configuration, reusing the vesa mounting holes that we have on the back.
(DIR) Post #B90JxCisO8jV8izjHM by skullvalanche@gladtech.social
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@mntmn Okay, looks like side by side configuration in the enclosure makes the most sense then. 👍
(DIR) Post #B90VZaG8QaJGdX3ROi by mntmn@mastodon.social
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@skullvalanche here are the STEP 3D models of the main enclosure https://source.mnt.re/reform/mnt-station/-/tree/main/station-case/station-enclosure-20251201?ref_type=heads
(DIR) Post #B91GeURo9u2huCM7ns by ruff@librem.one
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@mntmn using in it for couple of years in my wiring closet at home as emergency power backup for network equipment.
(DIR) Post #B925s5ZAYhk0SD2aXo by mntmn@mastodon.social
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@ruff ohh interesting, what kind of BMS are you connecting them to?
(DIR) Post #B92fXjqhBrFlenpmAS by ruff@librem.one
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@mntmn tbh i don't remember already and looked through all my past order history for last 3 years i cannot see it. Found only white 100A 5S BMS but i use it for different battery assembly. For that box I remember was using green pcb 20A 4S LiFePO4. It was 4s2p assembly so both packs wired in parallel to 4S terminals (to 12V power rail)
(DIR) Post #B98JdcpWQO95XYDjjE by skullvalanche@gladtech.social
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@mntmn okay, before I start pondering how the lid will look/lock in place, I just wanna run this past you so I don't go too far off the rails. 😅The bigger holes are the same positioning and diameter as the 100mm VESA mount holes.The small holes line up with the holes in the battery board PCBs.The slot should(?) be big enough to handle the pass-through to the other enclosure.The rounded corners should match the main computer enclosure, for aesthetics.Any thoughts/concerns so far? Here's the onshape document so far -- https://cad.onshape.com/documents/c90a7d7c275e04a316862928/w/9f8c801748449da557672f66/e/48ab3a2ea61bb8339ec01e7b?renderMode=0&uiState=6a75f6bc4315c6d048cfeef1#3dDesign #3Dprinting #CAD
(DIR) Post #B98aejnFicy0eBH7qa by mntmn@mastodon.social
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@skullvalanche hey, this looks great! the shape + holes look good. my only nit so far would be that the right battery pack is a bit too far left, compared to the left pack which seems positioned correctly.
(DIR) Post #B98c2sw7TcaXuLV7gW by skullvalanche@gladtech.social
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@mntmn oh, hmm, must've missed centering something... will adjust.
(DIR) Post #B98clkRpspNcc2jDii by mntmn@mastodon.social
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@skullvalanche i just imported it + the STEP exports from kicad into FreeCAD and the packs should fit fine i think, and the vesa holes are aligned. but the cutout for the cable is also not horizontally centered, and the vesa holes are also not horizontally centered in the case.
(DIR) Post #B98dBhK0869WRgRBOS by mntmn@mastodon.social
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@skullvalanche and finally, it would be best to move the cable opening further towards the wall so there is more overlap between the holes, otherwise it will be hard to get the cables through
(DIR) Post #B98fQtcqrj1grFd5v6 by skullvalanche@gladtech.social
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@mntmn okay, fixed the centering issue, adjusted the cable opening (made it a bit longer and closer to the wall)
(DIR) Post #B990uzMADlD6MB0xH6 by mntmn@mastodon.social
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@skullvalanche ok that looks very good, awesome, thank you!
(DIR) Post #B990xykgvNknLouegq by mntmn@mastodon.social
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@skullvalanche we can try to print it at MNT on monday to see if the handling works out
(DIR) Post #B9924J7WD0yEDIAhNI by skullvalanche@gladtech.social
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@mntmn awsome, curious to see how that goes. I've never tried designing for something I didn't already have physically in my hands. 😂if you have an onshape account I'm happy to grant edit rights. ... or I suppose you can just take the step file and run with it.I'd do it in FreeCAD, but my FC skills are... pretty bad and I haven’t the patience to get better at it yet. 😅