Problems with CR2032 battery holder - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: eevdude
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2020, 10:05:04 am
content: Hiya - i'm back again with questions -I've had some simple boards made up for a small project - similar to thishttp://www.technoblogy.com/show?2G8Tand i'm using a similar battery holder as in their project, but it's through hole not surface mount.The problem i'm having is that the contact is very poor on the expose pad on the pcb - and if you knock the board the power cuts out.I've tried applying some solder to the pad to raise the height but that was messy and didn't work very well (probably my soldering iron) and i've tried bending the holder to hold the battery more firmly but that doesn't seem to work either.Is it just a fact of life with these metal holders? I did initially use a plastic mount, but after swapping batteries a few times, the flimsy metal clip bent and eventually snapped off, which is not good.Does anyone that use these in projects have any advice?Thanks in advance - D

author: JackJones
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2020, 10:17:30 am
content: A thick solder blob pushing the battery should definitely help. It's not a perfect solution, but better than a flat PCB contact.TI had similar problems with their SensorTag at one point, they made quite an interesting array of solder blobs to fix the issue:https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/226967/coin-cell-battery-retainer-problems-and-best-practicesThey do sell various kinds of battery contacts that you can solder on to the PCB, that is definitely the best solution. For example I've used this kind previously, works a treat:https://eu.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Keystone-Electronics/2993?qs=BMR1h6ig6pCDPl27r4M65Q%3D%3D

author: eevdude
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2020, 10:21:12 am
content: Quote from: JackJones on November 20, 2020, 10:17:30 amAwesome, i'll order some straight away and let you know how it goes, i didn't even know they existed - thanks & thanks to eevblog for existing

author: hugo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2020, 02:07:56 am
content: QuoteIt would be easier to just add some solder on the battery's bottom side then.

author: bob91343
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2020, 03:09:26 am
content: I have had problems with the Chinese holders, connections snapping off. The Keystone looks good until you get slammed with Mouser's system of making the cheapest stuff expensive. In all fairness, it's not their system. I guess I will stick with the plastic ones.

author: JackJones
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2020, 09:12:37 am
content: Quote from: hugo on November 22, 2020, 02:07:56 amYou can add solder to batteries, I've done it myself a time or two, but I wouldn't really recommend it. Heating up a battery isn't exactly great for them, they might go boom if you're not quick about it. It would be better just to add a bigger solder blob to the PCB. Even then I wouldn't consider it a reliable solution.Quote from: bob91343 on November 22, 2020, 03:09:26 amI don't think the issue is the quality of the holders. I've had the same problem with good quality battery holders from e.g. Keystone. They just don't seem to have enough spring tension to push the battery down. And it's true that the distributors add their fee to the products they sell. I consider it a convenience fee, you get all or most of the stuff you need from a single source. It's not terrible for prototyping purposes.

author: bob91343
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2020, 09:40:57 pm
content: I agree for prototying but for buying one or two items it's impractical.

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2020, 09:45:22 pm
content: Buy better quality battery holders.

author: S. Petrukhin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2020, 10:18:43 pm
content: Look: