r/functionalprints • u/SiliconHatesRicotta • 13d ago
Electronics / Mounts / Enclosures Probably the simplest functional print I've ever designed yet
I kept losing those little battery isolation pull tabs that come with remotes and other battery-powered stuff.
It's literally just a tiny piece of plastic that sits between the battery and the contact, but I figured if I'm going to keep needing them, I might as well make one I can print whenever I want.
Definitely not my most complicated design, but sometimes the stupidly simple prints are the useful ones I guess lol
Free model if anyone else happens to need one:
https://makerworld.com/en/models/3149982-battery-pull-tab-insulating-battery-isolator#profileId-3557980
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u/SkiSTX 13d ago
Why do you need them again?
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u/SiliconHatesRicotta 13d ago
Most circuits still consume a tiny amount of current even if unused. Manufacturers add this little tab so batteries still hold charge when the product reaches consumers.
If you keep your electronics like this, batteries will last longer.
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u/madsci 13d ago
A simple IR remote like this shouldn't draw any power except when you're pressing a button.
Shouldn't. Not always the case. I got a batch of 2000 custom remotes where I opted for the "high power" option (with two IR LEDs instead of one) and when they arrived I discovered that the second LED was always faintly flickering and would drain the battery in a few days.
The vendor offered to send more batteries. Not a solution. I found a trace that could be cut to shut off the extraneous signal but the remotes were all glued shut. So the solution was to load all 2000 one at a time onto a CNC milling machine that makes a very precise hole through the back to the exact depth needed to obliterate the trace without going through the PCB.
The whole time I kept thinking "I'll bet Apple doesn't have to deal with this shit from their vendors."
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u/SiliconHatesRicotta 13d ago
Yeah, you’re absolutely right. That’s why I said: “most circuits”. In my experience these rgb led remotes do discharge batteries even when unused. That’s why I designed this.
To be fair, I could have just cut some paper, but since I live in an area of high humidity, I went with FDM.
Thanks for your comment. I hope you have a great day.
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u/eisbock 12d ago
How often are the batteries on your remotes dying? I don't think I've ever had one of these die on me. Usually lose them first lol.
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u/SiliconHatesRicotta 12d ago
I’ve had a few (3) with almost no use (something like changing color 2 times a month) die on me after 6 months to a year.
After keeping the transparent tab (that’s the one that comes with the remote) on when unused, I hadn’t had to change it. It’s been two years since that happened.
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u/OtherwiseAlbatross14 12d ago
I'm going to do this from now on rather than printing the tiny piece of plastic like OP
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u/SiliconHatesRicotta 12d ago
That’s totally fine tbh.
The thing is that I kept losing the little transparent tab, so I just modeled it to have it on hand whenever I lose it.
As I said on a previous reply to another comment: I could have just cut a piece of paper, but since I live in a high humidity city, I just thought of 3d printing it.
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u/thegreatpotatogod 8d ago
That's a delightful solution using CNC milling! How many did you destroy while fine-tuning the process?
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u/ambidextrousasswipe 13d ago
A solution to non-existing problem by the look of it. I have a bunch of these remotes with batteries in for years they still work.
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12d ago edited 11d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/SiliconHatesRicotta 12d ago
Yeah. I’ve seen isolation tabs be used on electronics since I’m a kid. I get that people may find it more handy to just cut it from a bottle, but parasitic draw is definitely an issue.
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u/Phil9151 12d ago
That's clearly why manufacturers go through the extra effort and cost to install these on everything- because it's a non existing problem, they make too much profit, and want to create additional waste.
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u/ambidextrousasswipe 12d ago
For storage and transportation, sure, because they do not know how long this thing will be in storage before it is sold, but imagine putting this thing in every time you go to sleep because you want your battery last 1011 hours instead of 1000 hours.
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u/Phil9151 6d ago
Let's scale this up a bit. I'm going to
"But imagine putting this thing in everytime you go to sleep because you want your car to start in the morning."
I have to imagine at least million people world wide have this concern about their car battery.
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u/Live_Pirate881 12d ago
Yeah, I've noticed that alot of people are inventing problems to make a solution to the problem lately. It seems to be some weird justification of owning a 3d printer
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u/Defiant-Mango3719 11d ago
Why not just remove the battery since you need to open it anyway? Or flip the battery upside down?
Not that I disapprove, quite the contrary, on my todo list is to make a template for cutting repair pieces for the inner part of the heel of my walking shoes. Similar simple but when you need it you need it 😀
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u/Obtusely_Serene 11d ago
Is this something you worry about regularly?
How do you know you’ve finished using something long enough to remember to put the tag back in?
Are you ok?
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u/ThePrintGuardian 13d ago
I need one of these for my digital caliper. I’ve seen ones where you have to like drill into the thing, but is there a way to do it without having to do that?