Many of the world’s client electronics producers adopted the blueprint set by Apple and now put inside rechargeable lithium batteries of their units. However there’s a nonetheless a marketplace for good ol’ long-established rechargeable NiMH AA batteries. Whether or not for classic electronics or trendy units that don’t have a value justification for inside batteries, rechargeable AA batteries can come in useful. However preserving them charged up and able to go is a giant inconvenience, which is why Max.Ok constructed this fully over-engineered computerized battery charger for NiMH AA batteries.
Max.Ok designed this system, referred to as SPINC, to be as easy as attainable for the person to function. Simply drop a handful of batteries into the hopper on the prime (orientation doesn’t matter) and it’ll care for the remainder. It should seize a battery, push it down between the charging contacts, detect the polarity, and begin the charging course of. As soon as the battery is full, the system drops the battery right into a chute with its mates, the place the person can seize contemporary batteries every time they want them. There’s even a pleasant show on the entrance for standing data and it additionally reveals the date and time, so the system can double as a desk clock.
Except for the very helpful polarity-correction circuit, SPINC makes use of fairly typical charging {hardware}. It might probably fast-charge NiMH AA batteries at as much as 1A and Max.Ok created a customized PCB to maintain every thing tidy. The stand-out options are the beautiful design, the motorized feeding mechanism, and the show.
There isn’t a substitute for good design and Max.Ok did a implausible job with SPINC. The enclosure and mechanical parts had been 3D-printed, however the system nonetheless has a premium look. Contained in the enclosure is a servo-actuated, 3D-printed mechanism that grabs batteries from the hopper and holds them between the contacts. After charging finishes, that very same mechanism drops the batteries down the chute. The show is a 2.7” 400×240 LCD from Sharp with a touchscreen, so customers can set the time and alter settings. A Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller handles that and controlling the servo motor.
For those who’re thinking about making your individual SPINC system, Max.Ok uploaded the entire mandatory information to GitHub. You have to to order the customized PCB and that requires a number of small SMD parts, however the outcomes appear to be price it.