building SLA soldering help...

[Swampy]

Now that Ive got some extra wires from my broken sla, Im gonna use them for the extra sla I have sitting around, but I have some questions. Im using the directions from here: http://www.marchingant.net/battpack.htm. I have a question about soldering the wires onto the batteries... On the site, it just says solder to terminal, but Im not exactly sure what I want to solder to. Should I put the wire through the hole??? How do you solder to the terminal? Does my question make sense??? FWIW, the terminals look like these: THANKS!!!!!!

[nickgregory]

I cant see your picture, just the red x, but for the terminal, there is usuall a piece of metal sticking up both on the positive and negative end...solder to that.

[Swampy]

right, they've got a little round hole in it, just solder over the hole? Terminals look like these... http://www.jkelectronics.com/prodpge/powersonic/pictures/612picture.htm

[nickgregory]

the terminal is that piece of metal.  Solder to that...then once you have done that and let it cooled use electrical tape over it to seal it off and help keep the connection

[Swampy]

right, they've got a little round hole in it, just solder over the hole?  

[jpschust]

ok what i tend to do when i make them now is i slide a piece of shrink tubing up the wire then i strip the end and push it through that holemaking kind of a U that holds the wire to the terminal.  then put some solder on that baby and let it cool.  slide the shrink down and heat it with a match or lighter and boom (not BOOOM) you have a nice connection.  

[nickgregory]

definitely can slide it through the hole, that would help for a secure connection.  the ones I currently use just have the connecting wires soldered to the top of the metal terminals, then the whole thing is electrical taped down.

[Swampy]

thanks for the help guys! +T Im gonna solder it tommorow morning, Ill let you know how it goes.

[jpschust]

no problem, ill be around most of tomorrow (im basically snowed in, the roads are like hell here) drop me a line if you need any help.