Cases Charger Case Build | iCharger S6 1100W 40A

[Tony]

I have had this charging case for some time now, and I just set my iCharger 306b on top and plugged into the binding posts you see kind of in the top left of the base. It just sat there on top and was never recessed. In this build, I would like to change that.

As you can see in the image below, I have an acrylic base that I built that has the RCH logo in it, and there are LED's to light up the etched logo. I do like this, however I want something different since I no longer have the 306b. The other thing is, I have never utilized the lid for anyting other than the foam you see in the image to keep things from moving around. And don't "@" me, but this is how I found the case when I opened it. I do need a new solution for battery storage.

I do have a drawing of sorts with the measurements of each component that I need to make with the 3D printer, however I do not have the depth on this page yet. I am still in the design phase and have only done a test print of the bucket that the charger will fit in. And no, it didn't fit lol. My printer prints about .3mm smaller than it should, so I need to create a new project for the charger to fit in.

Unlike last time, this time on the charger case build, I want the charger to be flush. However, I do not know where I want to put the charger.... In the Base, or in the Lid. So up above, there is a poll that y'all can vote in to let me know what you would like to see.

Let's hear y'all's opinions on this build, ideas you may have, or what you would like to see .

 

[Tony]

Well, it's been a very long time since I have looked into this project, and I'm happy to say, I'm doing just that. I fired up Fusion 360 last night and did a test print of the charger holder. Not sure what happened, but the walls did not adhere to each other so I'm doing another test print today. It's printing now as a matter of fact. But, I'm not sure how I want to go about doing the entire build, I just know I want to get it done! More to come soon, post your comments or suggestions below.

 

[D.O.G.]

What's up Tony and hope your holidays was a good one . I would mount the charger/power supply and basically anything related to charging on top. Probably some ventilation slits on the out side top so the electronics can breath. Keep us posted as you go.

 

[RandyDSok]

I could see reasons for the charger to be in either location and don't have a preference personally... DOG's suggestion to add vent holes would be worth considering no matter which location it ends up in. I'd mock it up before deciding, my only concern being if the top lid would end up being "top" heavy and not stay open.

 

[D.O.G.]

If you can keep the top @ a 90 degree and counter weight add to the bottom of the case like with lead might work

 

[Tony]

Right now, I have not created any designs that are set in stone. Ventilation will be added, I'm just not sure on what intake fans I want yet.

For the design, the charger will be going in the top. It's not that heavy. Keeping the lid open will be easy as it leans back just a touch. The PSU's will stay in the bottom as they are heavier than all other components combined, and I already have the vents and fan for those in the case. Paraboards will likely be in the bottom as well since that is where the batteries will be.

I want to incorporate some kind of hinge cabinet system for the cables and adapters, but definitely not sure on how in the world I'm going to do that. lol. I think I can do at least two in the bottom and I'm thinking I can recess the paraboards above the PSU's for max space savings.

The top design is still very much up in the air. Right now I'm trying to figure out why my printer is printing and the walls are not adhering to each other. I'm thinking under extrusion, but we will see. I just ramped up my extrusion to 140% to see if it fixes it. And I'm on my 7th iteration of this "bucket" that the charger is going to sit inside lol. I did find out a 7mm radius is perfect for the charger though!

So many options, I'm like a deer in the headlights. No idea which way I want to go...

 

[D.O.G.]

I'm like a deer in the headlights.

Don't say that to loud. A lot of hunters on this site

 

[Chris Hadley]

I’m glad to hear your finally getting to sorting out the charge case Tony. Keep us informed on progress. Lots of pictures
Hippo

 

[Tony]

Well.... Another 6 months has passed and I have this case on my desk again. Right now I'm printing the third and final iteration of my work computer wall mount and thought I would see if I could get anything done with the charge case.

So far, as you can see in the image below, I have created the 'tub' the charger will sit in. It will be mounted with double sided tape inside the 'tub' and should sit pretty flush to the surface, which is only 37mm deep. The top has a total depth of 46mm and measures 315mm top to bottom and 438mm side to side. I'm struggling to figure out if I want it centered, or in the lower right corner to make the wire shorter and give even more storage options. If I put it in the lower right, I can place 3 other small areas for storage. But seeing as this is a lid and everything will be either upside down, or at a 90º angle, it's a little challenging to decide.

The base in the bottom is a no brainer. I will pretty much keep what I have now. The back section is for the dual PSU's and they do have a case fan to assist with cooling. The front section will be split into two sections for cables, balance boards and so on.

My printer is limited to 220x220mm so I will have to print 8 different sections, 4 in the top, 4 in the bottom, IF I put the charger in the lower right. If I center the charger then it will be 9 prints.

I love the design phase, but hate the design phase at the same time lol. Almost a year later from the initial idea and still have not locked anything down yet...

 

[Tony]

So just ran into one function issue. The fan on this charger is on the right side and is an exhaust. This means I will have to find a way to do an intake on the left side and use a fan in the case to pull the heat out. So negative pressure on the intake side. Wonder if I can create a fan shroud in the 3D print and mount a fan under the surface as an intake to push air into the intake of the charger. I do have some small Noctua fans that I could possibly use. hm.....

 

[Tony]

Okay, I want you all that have 3D printers to take a look at this and tell me what you think. After I added the rest of the structure to mount it inside the case, I realized the Rc-Help.com logo had to do as I have to print this upside down for best results. I will be using Tree Supports to keep the print as clean as I can.

Let me know what you think and if you can think of any modifications that can be made. Note, as of this file, this is a 1 day, 16 hour print, so it will take quite a while to print. Note, I did have to go down to 218.6mm from 219 for it to work in Cura for my printer. It's supposed to have a 220mm print bed, but yea, wouldn't allow it.

PLA
212ºF Filament
60ºF Bed
100% infill
Tree Support

 

[bigone5500]

I absolutely love the case I built. The wiring doesn't look all that tidy but it gets the job done. I can unplug one of the parallel boards to use pigtail Connectors as needed. FYI: I used a Y splitter to connect two boards together. One has pass-through so the third doesn't miss out. I think I had to re-pin one side of I remember right. Maybe not. Been too long.

 

[Tony]

That is kind of how mine was for a long time, it just never felt "finished". And that is what I wanted to do with the S6. Make something that was finished rather than just saying "ah well, it works". Definitely not knocking yours in any way shape or form, I just needed a new project lol. But may end up going to back to "yea, it works" for a bit while I design some more just to get something that will charge a pack.

So speaking of an update...

You know, I don't mind leaving a 3D printer running all night. Done it quite a lot. And to be honest, the part above in the file that I created taking almost 2 days to print is not an issue. The issue is that is one of either 8 or 9 panels that I have to create. So just print time could literally take a half a month to complete! I don't know if I want my printer tied up for that long. Granted, the other prints will not be as complex (this section is not complex, but has more parts than the others will most likley) so the other sections may go faster, but man that is a LOT of time.

Still mulling it over as I have had to correct some issues on the file above. One being, no finger hole to adjust the settings since the button is on the side of the charger... Bad place for it IMO.

 

[bigone5500]

Time is money. May be best to hire it out to be printed.less wear on your printer.

 

[Tony]

eh, that part I'm not worried about. Can always purchase replacement parts. Maybe I should use this as an excuse to get a second or nineteenth printer....

 

[Tony]

Just over 2 years ago was my last post in this thread and I just happened over this thread when I saw the box with the S6 charger in it that is still on the shelf and has still not been used. That is when I saw the STL file that I uploaded here and no matter what I did with that file, I could not get it to successfully print to save my life. So today I pulled the file that I have all but forgot about and decided to print it.

I had thought I had an issue with the file. Something had to be wrong I thought. So I loaded it up into my slicer, removed most of the basic print and just printed the center section that holds the charger. It's in my printer now and is printing, what looks like, perfectly. This is the test print to see if the charger fits and if it does, I think I may just have to finish this charger case.

So far, I have only had one failed print on my new printer and that was a quad hanger that was way too small, I didn't do bed leveling and I was using filament that was older than dirt and dusty as all get out. If anyone is needing anything printed, hit me up by sending me a pm (conversation) and we will make it happen. Hopefully I don't forget about this charger again and I have an update to this post soon.

 

[Tony]

Definitely needs some tweaks on the settings, but the print finished for the first time and all in all, it fits pretty well. Needs just a slight bit of tweaking on the corners of the charger to fit perfectly. Now, I just need to find the original file so I can adjust the radius. Pictures are less than optimal but just happy to see that all ports are open and clear.