Just wundrin.
Has anyone built their own packs using cells with tabs?
How do you solder the tabs without investing in an expensive battery spot welder?
I have years ago building 7.2V packs for R/C cars. I bought Sub-C NiCads from Radio Shack that had solder tabs spot welded on one end. I joined the tabs with wire and solder. No problem heating them up with an iron.
They worked just as well as the made-up packs. This was when you could build a pack for half of what you could buy one. Today, the imported packs are so cheap it doesn’t pay to build them up. If you are trying to fit power into a specific space, then a DIY custom pack makes sense.
I wonder if it would make any sense to strip down a pack rather than buying tabbed cells.
You can solder the tab to each other. when I make packs from D cells, I cut the tabs flush with the side of the cells and then solder the tabes together. Then, I put shrink tubing around the batteries.
I’ve made up a few 14.4v packs from sub C NiHM batteries with tabs. Usually solder wire from one tab to another and duct tape the whole mess together in whatever form it needs to be to fit a location. The soldering iron I use is a cheapo from RS. Doesn’t take a lot heat to make a connection.
Ken is correct.
It takes very little heat to solder wires to battery tabs. So little that the cells do not get even warm.
The only cautions I would offer are:
Don’t mix cell sizes.
Don’t mix cell capacities and
Don’t mix cell chemistry.
I used wire jumpers between cells when I did it, tin your wire ends and no worries!