Just a quick tutorial on how to make a AAA dummy cell with a Harbo Freight spring. This came about as I was running out of dummy cells from making pen lasers.
They can be found here (item #67582)
200 Piece Assorted Spring Set
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I have tons of springs from buying packages of them. I took out the ones that were not tightly wound and have them in a different spot so here's the rest:
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Pulled out the ones to use:
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There's too much solder paste on this one but you get the idea. Put a bit of paste on the end:
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Melt some solder until it drops into a blob and quicky set the spring end on it and then just add solder as you need to to solder across making one end flat and the other a bit taller:
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I made 10 of them:
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After a bit of cleanup and then shaping as I wanted to with a dremel:
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Put 3 layers of heat-shrink tubing on heating them one at a time:
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Tada:
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They can be found here (item #67582)
200 Piece Assorted Spring Set
![](http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/576x576q90/921/2dWlzK.jpg)
I have tons of springs from buying packages of them. I took out the ones that were not tightly wound and have them in a different spot so here's the rest:
![](http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/922/RQcDyl.jpg)
Pulled out the ones to use:
![](http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/922/5lxtvE.jpg)
There's too much solder paste on this one but you get the idea. Put a bit of paste on the end:
![](http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q50/922/njFwH5.jpg)
Melt some solder until it drops into a blob and quicky set the spring end on it and then just add solder as you need to to solder across making one end flat and the other a bit taller:
![](http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q50/922/B2GFV1.jpg)
I made 10 of them:
![](http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/921/YdoH28.jpg)
After a bit of cleanup and then shaping as I wanted to with a dremel:
![](http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q50/922/wQ0U0F.jpg)
Put 3 layers of heat-shrink tubing on heating them one at a time:
![](http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q50/921/JLgCYE.jpg)
Tada:
![](http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q50/923/UOeQVt.jpg)