December 14

8:43 I'm smart. I done soldering bolts on a battery terminals like i was thinking for months. Going over and over the procedure in my mind dozens of times but actually didn't have the time, guts and tools to do it. Last night again i was watching some guys doing all kinda stuff in minimalist shops at the other end of the world. Rebuilding batteries. One guy fixed the terminals by pouring red hot molten lead in a scaffolding done with a piece of sheet metal he cut with metal scissors on a live battery. Another one was using the graphite electrode from a AA battery tied to the other terminal using the battery itself as a power source.

But now the current battery is also leaking so i went to Walmart to buy this time the cheapest and replace it. But first i had to try to solder those.

Trouble at Walmart. Let's not talk about how many people with babies got in my way. Went to the batteries area in the farthest corner of the store and they were locked, like much of other stuff in a cage. Still too attractive because of the price. 59 bucks for a 65 amps regular battery though a bit oversized (physical).

But how to get it? I talked to a gal in a blue shirt and and she said something in a device. Went at the batteries, nobody was coming. I went and found another guy in a blue shirt. Amazing how clueless these young guys are. Making a great effort to say a few words. He mumbled something in a device. The third one asked me, did you hear the call on the interfon? Cause if you didn't nobody will hear it, but he himself did not call anyone. After asking 6 guys the same thing and more than a half hour, i went to CS and again they weren't paying attention to me and asked for the manager.

Ok here came the manager and she asked on the interfon "Who has the key to the battery cage?" and finally she figured it out. It was Joel, a red headed Hungarian acting like a Jew. He walked with me back in that corner, i asked him for a tape measure and he went and grabbed one and a woman and they both came and locked in a hurry, kinda like covering each other. After some negotiations and measurements i grabbed a battery and tried to put it in the cart but the guy wanted to take it to the front.

Could it be because i asked him earlier "why do you have them in cages, who would try and steal a 40 pounds battery?" but i insisted to put it in the cart but he walked with me all the way to the counter to make sure i will pay for it. I told him there are items smaller and more expensive in the store, but whatever. Why would people want to grab the heavy ones.

Payed (core charge was added) and went home. However at home i realized i took the wrong battery. I went back and returned the battery to customer service. She recognized me and asked for the guy with the key. Another guy came and i went and grabbed a more expensive one cause they didn't have most of the batteries they say they have on the site.

Went to Lowes and bought two bolts 3/8 1/16 (close to 10 mm 1.25) and came home.

Prepped the terminals with flux and sand paper (sanded first, then flux then sanded and flux again) so i made sure the lead had no oxide on it. Prepped the end of the bolts first removing the marks with sand paper, then heating them on the stove coil adding solder, soaking them in flux, sanding some more, repeating until the surface on the hex end was covered with shiny solder. Let it heat for a couple of minutes more and applied on the terminal. After two seconds, i poured some water to cool it. The terminal didn't have time to heat much. But as i said i saw last night videos with guys pouring molten lead on those and the plastic part of the battery did not melt. I guess it's nylon and nylon melts close to lead melting point. No it's propylene and it melts and 320F. But i don't believe i heated them above 150 F. For a couple of seconds.

So i used the bolt itself as a soldering tool, but "the tool" remained on the terminal.

Then i added a nut i and tried squeezing a couple of wrenches onto each other without applying torque on the terminal itself and i could tighten them to the maximum.

BTW Here is a picture with my new "camera".

I remember years ago i bought pocket cameras for under 100 with good results. Got some of them on flickr. The best was my 12 MP 70 dollars AGFA (a German brand made in China). Lacking some color depth but clear enough.

But those are gone now. Cell phone cameras eliminated the need for those and can't find them anymore. I mean, after so many years the best i found was a 110 dollars Cannon at Walmart.

So i bought this. a 53 dollars camera, no brand (Amazon's choice for the price though), that probably has inside the camera of a cheap cell phone. But i needed it so badly cause i can't use my cell phone anymore. Here is the fist picture i made with it. No flash cause i don't know yet how to turn it on.

The guy upstairs is again yelling violently, after i recorded him and uploaded he stopped but a trumpet car started and is idling for more than 15 minutes now. Yeah i know the negative is a bit off (learning curve, first one ever done) but all i can do right now is cut it with a saw and resolder it and i don't see the point.

How is this important. I once wrote, battery terminals as we know them are a 100 years old technology. They are only good for starting a car and charging the battery. New sensors and electronics and EPS on a car need DC not pulsating rectified DC. Battery is supposed to act as a giant capacitor to filter the peaks of the pulsating DC however for that you need soldered or tough metal on tough metal contact quality, not the old battery connectors on lead. No matter how big and strong and how much you tighten those, the lead being soft, the connection will loosen enough to create problems after only one trip, most important, lowering gas mileage by at least 10%, vibrations, trouble steering with EPS at high speed with EPS etc..