MOD: 8881 PF Battery Box

[dr_spock]

I modified the 8881 Lego Power Function Battery Box to accept a 9V AC-to-DC power adapter. I installed a 1/8" plug in the box to connect the AC/DC adapter. Now I can power my GBC all day without having to change batteries.

[1974]

What is the point if that? Why not just use your PSU to power your GBC directly? You destroyed a batterybox, you could just have cut up a PF cable instead

[Doc_Brown]

arrh another doctor! cool. Modifying stuff is fun! :D I can see a multimeter so you know what you are doing? :P

what you have done looks very neat and professional, sweet!

[Philo]

What is the point if that? Why not just use your PSU to power your GBC directly? You destroyed a batterybox, you could just have cut up a PF cable instead

OTOH you generally end up having too many battery boxes, while you have to buy extension cables... And here you get a power/direction switch + a power led as a bonus!

Neat hack ;)

[kieran]

OTOH you generally end up having too many battery boxes, while you have to buy extension cables... And here you get a power/direction switch + a power led as a bonus!

Neat hack ;)

completely agree this is a good idea, more for nothing think. I still prefer the 9V train transformers as you can set the speed as well, but this looks good and takes up the space of a battery box in a model as well, nice one

[dr_spock]

What is the point if that? Why not just use your PSU to power your GBC directly? You destroyed a batterybox, you could just have cut up a PF cable instead

I have extra battery boxes. For me, it is less of a loss to sacrifice a box battery in trying this out than a cutting up a PF cable.

arrh another doctor! cool. Modifying stuff is fun! :D I can see a multimeter so you know what you are doing? :P

what you have done looks very neat and professional, sweet!

Thanks. Yes, a multimeter is quite handy to have.

OTOH you generally end up having too many battery boxes, while you have to buy extension cables... And here you get a power/direction switch + a power led as a bonus!

Neat hack ;)

Thanks. That's true. I have more battery boxes still unopened in the plastic bag. Not sure how I ended up with so many battery boxes.

completely agree this is a good idea, more for nothing think. I still prefer the 9V train transformers as you can set the speed as well, but this looks good and takes up the space of a battery box in a model as well, nice one

Thanks. A train regulator would be sweet. Hope to get one some day when the financials permit.

[Myxo]

Are there is an easy way to do this that still lets you use the battery box as designed. Cut two lengths of wooden dowel to a little less then length of a AA battery place a drawing pin in the end of each to both hold the wire from the DC power supply and act as a terminal. Place this into the batter box in place of the battery (you will need to work out were and get the polarity right). Then cut a small notch out of the cover for the wire and its done. I have not done this to a PF battery box but it is how I run my NXT brick.

[Philo]

Something like this (RCX era...) - using hot glue sticks and scavenged old batteries ends.

[DLuders]

@ Myxo and Philo: Good idea, but I noted that your old Lego Mindstorms RCX 1.0 programmable bricks already has a plug receptacle for the charger's 9V AC-to-DC power adapter. For the Lego Power Functions Battery Box, one has to drill a hole in the side of the box and glue a female 1/8" plug receptacle for the adapter's male tip.

@ Philo: I recall that you wrote this topic about the Lego Power Functions Battery Box, complete with picture instructions on how to access the inside:

[Philo]

Good idea, but I noted that your old Lego Mindstorms RCX 1.0 programmable bricks already has a plug receptacle for the charger's 9V AC-to-DC power adapter.

Yes, but they are rare and expensive... and the plug was for a simple transformer (AC-to-AC), not a DC one (though I don't think using DC would have harmed, even if that meant double duty for two of the 4 diodes of input rectifier bridge).

Anyway I built this hack to directly power RCX with DC power, bypassing the losses of input rectifier...

[Bobo08]

On 2013-7-5 at 2:44 PM, Philo said:

Something like this (RCX era...) - using hot glue sticks and scavenged old batteries ends.

Philo, I think this is the best way to get "free" power . I just found an old 9 volt  ac/dc converter and used small screws with the wires soldered to them then inserted them into glue sticks. Thank you for you idea!

Edited June 19, 2017 by Jim
Removed image from quote

[Jim]

16 hours ago, Bobo08 said:

Philo, I think this is the best way to get "free" power . I just found an old 9 volt  ac/dc converter and used small screws with the wires soldered to them then inserted them into glue sticks. Thank you for you idea!

Hi. You are reviving a 4 year old topic. Please don't "bump" topics and please remove image from the post when you quote someone. There's a link in my signature to the site guidelines.

Thanks and have fun.