Battery question for @Vincent, are you aware how much it the voltage and mAh matters? I’m finding a variety of options but they aren’t all 3.7v & 3400mAh. Often it’s 3.6v, and the mAh can vary quite a bit.
Thanks!
Kurt, not the same Vincent, but i can answer that.
The wemos is working at 3.3V and the gyro is from 3 to 5V, so 3.6 or 3.7 doesn’t matter the actual voltage will varies with the charge anyway. But Typically a 18650 is 3.7V
For the current, the higher the mAh, the longer it’s going to last. Ispindle recommend a 3400mAh for it to last around 3 weeks.
Hope this answer the question!
Vincent L-C
Totally helpful. Thank you Vincent!
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Vincent P. here; Vincent L. is absolutely right and I’d just like to clarify a tiny nomenclature thing… “Current” (or rated current) of a battery refers to the amount of sustained and peak power (amps) it’s able to deliver. capacity is what’s rated in mAh. I do not state this to be anal or anything like this but because a lot of the marketing fights between 18650 cells (specially those oriented toward e-cig) are about current but that’s a characteristic that’s completely useless to us (ispindels do not (should not) draw much current at all). Honestly, NiMH batteries should be able to do the job just fine but we’d either need 2-3 cells or add a dc-dc to reach the needed voltage… That being said, a slightly harder to find yet important characteristic in our case would be the cell’s weight (as it affects buoyancy)… I see there is room to play as there are multiple “heights” that the battery can be placed at but we at least got to be in the right ballpark.
Btw, just a note that a declared mAh capacity does not make it so… you will find things like 100 000 mAh battery banks on Aliexpress (but that can still fit the palm of your hand) but you can be sure as hell those are not even a tenth of the stated capacity. This is why having the possibility to go back to a supplier after testing a battery is definitely worthwhile.
Finally, any battery that advertises as low self discharge would be good for our use… typical e-cig uses do not care (a battery is not meant to hold it’s charge for long) so lots of cells are actually surprisingly high self discharge (means the battery loses it’s charge on it’s own, even without being used).
Cheers !
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Thanks Vincent P! I do appreciate the technical details.
Question: would extra batteries be of interest to anyone?
Dépendamment du prix, je pourrais être intéressé par 4-5 batteries de plus pour d’autres (futurs) projets.
Je vais appeler la compagnie pour demander un prix. Le prix affiché sur le site web indique $13.50 avec les taxes mais j’espère négocier un prix plus intéressant en achetant +/- 50, peut être plus selon l’intérêt.
@kurthoughton FYI the batteries that @Mark used for his iSpindle are of very good quality. I tested the one I bought from him on my Lithium battery tester and it tested above rated capacity. Perhaps ask Mark where he bough his batteries.
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Sure, I’d take another few batteries
Anyone interested in extra batteries, please indicate the number of batteries you’d like in the spreadsheet. I’ll find out about pricing and you’ll have a chance to adjust the quantity if it doesn’t meet your expectations.
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What’s the status here? I imagine at some point you’ll need to collect money?
Good question Chris!
Quick update. All parts are ordered and en route. Most parts will arrive in the next week or two. I expect the batteries will take the longest, but at this point it’s still pretty uncertain. I hope I’ll have everything by the end of February.
As far as payment goes, I wouldn’t turn any e-transfers down, but to have to track everyone’s cash, then figure out the balance once the final price is paid sounds like a headache. Instead, I’ll cover the order and collect the final amounts for each person’s kit as soon as the balance is known.
Side note, they shipped a few extra PCBs than I ordered (50 instead of 40). If anyone wants an extra ($2.27 cost), I’ll pack it up with the order. Just add a note to the google sheet.
Questions & comments welcome,
K
Good news! The last pieces of the iSpindel puzzles arrived today. I’ll sort each of them into packets according to the orders placed and we can discuss pick-ups in the next week or two.
Three things remain to resolve: Payment, Pickup and Assembly support.
Payment: I’ll email each of you your total, which will include extra batteries, if you ordered any.
Regarding pickup, I’m in NDG but I don’t mind arranging that bundles of kits go out to the two other regions with orders, namely the South Shore and the area stretching from the Plateau to Villeray. Do I have any volunteers for local pickup points to avoid everyone having to drive all over the island?
Finally there are some questions about support for assembly. It seems to work out pretty well in that each of the three zones there is a reasonable balance of people needing assembly and people willing to help with assembly:
West-End - @Vilac, if you’re willing to assemble two additional kits, you’ll make @Riccardo & @SSS very happy.
Plateau-Villeray - @Norm, @chhamilton & @JamesKirk, there are two people (@danbarker & @Yac.b) who have ordered 2 iSpindels each. Volunteers?
South Shore - @IanCB would no doubt appreciate your help @Philippe_Samson to assemble his kit.
I’ll leave it to each of you to indicate if any and what compensation should be offered. Cash would no doubt be appreciated, but maybe some of you will be happy to receive good homebrews to compensate your time. To each their own.
There remains extra iSpindel PCBs if anyone wants. $2.27 each.
Did I leave something out? Vos questions et commentaires sont toujours bienvenu.
Kurt
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Now let’s hope all the Aliexpress parts are actually working well 
I don’t mind becoming a pick up location for Villeray and I’m pretty much home all day every day so might be convenient.
I wish there was no Covid and we could have done a big assembling party with homebrew sampling 
Anyhow, waiting on instructions for payment and pickup ! Thanks a lot for doing this Kurt !
Thanks for volunteering to be a pick-up point in Villeray, Vincent!
Having never soldered electronics before, I certainly wish we were able to do this in groups. That would have been great! I’ll have to let youtube be my teacher. yikes.
Emails to follow, just as soon as I have a few spare minutes!
K
Bien hâte d’avoir les pièces. Merci Kurt d’avoir organisé tout ça.
Je réitère mon offre d’assemblage. Je ne suis pas un pro de la soudure mais je me débrouille. Je pourrai aussi les calibrer.
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This is a nice little overview of some basics for soldering and desoldering.
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@Riccardo and @SSS
No problem to assemble your kits if you still need to.
Let me know and I will pick them up at the same time as mine and once I’m done assembling we can arrange pickup somewhere between Lasalle and Vaudreuil!
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@kurthoughton I wouldn’t mind picking up the Plateau-Villeray orders for closer pick-up. And after I’ve assembled mine successfully, only then would I be willing to take on the responsibility of assembling someone else’s!
-James
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