Now look at Figure
7 closely. This
diagram is the heart and soul, the meat and potatoes,
the Yin and Yang of the whole battery pack making process.
Notice that each cell’s positive tab (red)
is connected to the next cell’s negative tab (black).
Start with cell number 1, which will have its negative
tab on top. This tab will serve as the negative terminal
of the battery pack and does not get soldered to another
tab. Battery number 2 is positioned so its negative tab
gets soldered to cell number 1's positive tab. This process
conti nues
until the positive tab of cell number 14 is the last
tab available. Cell number 14's positive tab will serve
as the positive terminal of the pack.
WARNING ! !
When handling cells, make sure that
you do not touch a cell’s positive
tab to another cell’s positive tab, or a negative tab to another negative
tab. Bad things will happen. There is a good chance of personal injury, and
you will most likely destroy both cells. Again, don’t touch positive
to positive or negative to negative tabs. I mean it. If you are using the same
cells as I used, keep the rubber protective cap on the tabs until you are ready
to solder.
After the cells are positioned correctly
and before soldering, I glued the cells together using
a silicon-like adhesive called “Outdoor Goop” (See
Figure 8). This stuff sticks to everything, has a good
working time, and when dried forms a very good bond between
surfaces. Some
people think that duct ta pe is the answer for all of
the world’s ills, but for me give me
the Goop.
Figures 9 and 10 show a cell with a seam
of Goop and three cells gooped together. Cells from the
adjacent row are also glued to the first row of cells.
 
Using Figure
6 as a guide,
cell number 1 was glued to both cell number 2 and number
10. Cell 2 was glued to cells 1, 3 and 9. I had to leave
an open gap between cells 3 and 4 and between cells 7
and 8 in order to accommodate the posts that attach the
locomotive shell to the running gear. If all that is
too confusing, don’t worry
about it and just look at the photos.
Once all the cells have been glued and
set, its time to make this pack functional by soldering
the cells (tabs)  together. Study Figure
7 until it makes
sense. Start soldering the tabs together by applying
a generous amount of flux to both tabs. Load your soldering
iron with solder and press the two tabs together while
applying the solder until it bonds the two tabs (See
Figure 11).
When you are done soldering the first
10 cells (bottom layer), it should look like Figure
12.
Cell number 1 is in the lower left corner and cell number
10 is in the upper left corner. Continue with the final
four cells (upper layer) until you get something that
resembles the finished pack (Figure
13). I added a foam
separator between the upper and lower layers of the pack
to prevent them from touching each other. All that's
left to do is add shrink wrap or electrical tape to protect
the pack and you’re ready to charge that baby up. 
To summarize this highly technical article:
- Decide what type of battery to use.
I vote for Nickel Metal Hydride, but don’t let
me influence you.
- Determine where the pack will be located
in your locomotive.
- Design your battery pack so it will
fit in your locomotive.
- Glue those cells together.
- Solder away. Remember...
ALWAYS POSITIVE TO NEGATIVE OR NEGATIVE TO POSITIVE,
BUT NEVER POSITIVE TO POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE TO NEGATIVE.
Good luck. I’m off to make mistakes
on other parts of my railroad.
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