[mt877]

LIP-4WM replacement battery build.

I have one original LIP-4WM battery for my Sony MZ-RH1 MiniDisc player / recorder. I guess I've been pretty lucky, it still charges, but only to 50% capacity. These batteries are not manufactured anymore. Second hand ones can be bought, but the asking price is way too much and there's really no guarantee that you'll get a good battery.

Via google search I found an article with instructions and a free downloadable 3D LIP-4WM battery frame print file for building a replacement battery.

Goto: Hallam Inventions MiniDisc Appreciation and Hacks for the article and file download.

New article and download links:

EDIT: It appears the above website is offline now, so it would be difficult to read the article and download the battery frame file.

Here's working links thanks to archive.org:

Article: https://web.archive.org/web/2020103...laminventions.com/projects/minidisc-obsession

3D battery frame file: https://web.archive.org/web/20201030101555/https://www.hallaminventions.com/s/SIM-4WM.STL

I've also attached the 3D battery frame file to this opening post in case the archive.org file link stops working.

I don't have a 3D printer and buying one for this small project is cost prohibitive unless you plan to get into 3D printing. Fortunately my local public library offers a 3D printing service and I was able to submit the 3D file and get 2 LIP-4WM battery frames printed. With that major hurdle out of the way, it was really easy to build a couple replacement batteries. In the linked article it is suggested to use thin brass strip for the battery terminals, but I don't think that's a great idea because brass is only 28% as conductive as copper. Using brass would be like adding resistors in the electrical circuit causing a small voltage drop. Instead I chose .999 fine silver to make the battery terminals. Don't go for sterling silver, the silver content is lower and will oxidize (tarnish) faster than .999 fine silver. Copper would be another good choice, but silver is better. Anyway, use what you think is best and fits your budget... I'm sticking with the .999 fine silver.

Materials:

1. 3D printed LIP-4WM battery frame
2. 402040 3.7volt 350mAh Lithium Polymer battery (ebay purchase)
3. .999 fine silver Bezel wire - 1/8 inch (3.18mm) wide, 26 gauge (0.41mm) thickness (ebay or Amazon purchase)
4. glue (for bonding metal to plastic)

Tools:

1. 3D printer. If you don't have one, maybe use a 3D print service or if you're lucky, your local library offers this service.
2. soldering iron + solder
3. a few alligator clips or hemostat forceps to hold the battery terminals you made when soldering. You don't want to burn your fingers.
4. wire stripper
5. diagonal cutter / wire cutter
6. needle nose or flat pliers

.999 fine silver Bezel wire, battery terminals made from Bezel wire, 3D printed battery frame and 402040 3.7Volt 350mAh Li-Po battery.

A closer look. Note that the battery includes over-charging protection circuit board.

Partial assembly showing the wires pulled through the battery frame and soldered on battery terminals.

Final result! Terminals glued in place. The Sony MZ-RH1 being powered by the other LIP-4WM replacement battery.

This was an easy and extremely useful DIY project that didn't take too much time or cost a lot. Of course if I had to buy a 3D printer that would have changed the economics of the project. The original LIP-4WM battery is rated at 3.7V 370mAh, so would last just a little longer than this replacement battery. I'm really happy how the battery turned out and that I can still use my Sony MZ-RH1 well into the future.

Hope this is useful to anyone looking to build their own replacement battery.

 

[tasdisr]

Great info! Thanks. I am going to have a few battery frames printed and give it a try.
What type of material did you have the frames printed with? PLA?

 

[mt877]

I really didn't have a choice of material. The library used PLA, worked fine. The linked article talks about glueing the battery in place, but friction fit was enough. You might find the chips on the charging protection board just a bit too high to slide into the player comfortably. I gently pressed down on the boards to flatten them down so the batteries would slide into the player easier. The 3D printed battery frames might need to be sanded down a little to get rid of residual plastic from printing that might interfere with the fit. Anyway, the batteries worked great.

 

[tasdisr]

I really didn't have a choice of material. The library used PLA, worked fine. The linked article talks about glueing the battery in place, but friction fit was enough. You might find the chips on the charging protection board just a bit too high to slide into the player comfortably. I gently pressed down on the boards to flatten them down so the batteries would slide into the player easier. The 3D printed battery frames might need to be sanded down a little to get rid of residual plastic from printing that might interfere with the fit. Anyway, the batteries worked great.

Thanks I am just going to go the PLA route. Thanks again for the info and links.

 

[mt877]

Edited opening post and also attached files.

 

[mykeonthemove]

LIP-4WM replacement battery build.

I have one original LIP-4WM battery for my Sony MZ-RH1 MiniDisc player / recorder. I guess I've been pretty lucky, it still charges, but only to 50% capacity. These batteries are not manufactured anymore. Second hand ones can be bought, but the asking price is way too much and there's really no guarantee that you'll get a good battery.

Via google search I found an article with instructions and a free downloadable 3D LIP-4WM battery frame print file for building a replacement battery.

Goto: Hallam Inventions MiniDisc Appreciation and Hacks for the article and file download.

New article and download links:


I've also attached the 3D battery frame file to this opening post in case the archive.org file link stops working.

I don't have a 3D printer and buying one for this small project is cost prohibitive unless you plan to get into 3D printing. Fortunately my local public library offers a 3D printing service and I was able to submit the 3D file and get 2 LIP-4WM battery frames printed. With that major hurdle out of the way, it was really easy to build a couple replacement batteries. In the linked article it is suggested to use thin brass strip for the battery terminals, but I don't think that's a great idea because brass is only 28% as conductive as copper. Using brass would be like adding resistors in the electrical circuit causing a small voltage drop. Instead I chose .999 fine silver to make the battery terminals. Don't go for sterling silver, the silver content is lower and will oxidize (tarnish) faster than .999 fine silver. Copper would be another good choice, but silver is better. Anyway, use what you think is best and fits your budget... I'm sticking with the .999 fine silver.

Materials:

1. 3D printed LIP-4WM battery frame
2. 402040 3.7volt 350mAh Lithium Polymer battery (ebay purchase)
3. .999 fine silver Bezel wire - 1/8 inch (3.18mm) wide, 26 gauge (0.41mm) thickness (ebay or Amazon purchase)
4. glue (for bonding metal to plastic)

Tools:

1. 3D printer. If you don't have one, maybe use a 3D print service or if you're lucky, your local library offers this service.
2. soldering iron + solder
3. a few alligator clips or hemostat forceps to hold the battery terminals you made when soldering. You don't want to burn your fingers.
4. wire stripper
5. diagonal cutter / wire cutter
6. needle nose or flat pliers

.999 fine silver Bezel wire, battery terminals made from Bezel wire, 3D printed battery frame and 402040 3.7Volt 350mAh Li-Po battery.

A closer look. Note that the battery includes over-charging protection circuit board.

Partial assembly showing the wires pulled through the battery frame and soldered on battery terminals.

Final result! Terminals glued in place. The Sony MZ-RH1 being powered by the other LIP-4WM replacement battery.

This was an easy and extremely useful DIY project that didn't take too much time or cost a lot. Of course if I had to buy a 3D printer that would have changed the economics of the project. The original LIP-4WM battery is rated at 3.7V 370mAh, so would last just a little longer than this replacement battery. I'm really happy how the battery turned out and that I can still use my Sony MZ-RH1 well into the future.

Hope this is useful to anyone looking to build their own replacement battery.

Hello,

I hope your day is going well.

I have the same Hi-MD recorded and my battery is mostly not charging as well. I am far from a DIY individual. For a cost , would you consider making another one of these battery replacements for someone who has also been a loooooong time supporter of this wonderful and amazing piece of Sony technology history? I am new to the wiki and did not want to solicit requests for services or support that may not be consistent with what is allowed on the discussion board forum. What you have accomplished with the battery replacement is simple but in terms of its value to the portability of the MD player, it is priceless.

Thanks in advance for the replies and support.

Best Regards,

mykeonthemove

 

[mt877]

Hello,

I hope your day is going well.

I have the same Hi-MD recorded and my battery is mostly not charging as well. I am far from a DIY individual. For a cost , would you consider making another one of these battery replacements for someone who has also been a loooooong time supporter of this wonderful and amazing piece of Sony technology history? I am new to the wiki and did not want to solicit requests for services or support that may not be consistent with what is allowed on the discussion board forum. What you have accomplished with the battery replacement is simple but in terms of its value to the portability of the MD player, it is priceless.

Thanks in advance for the replies and support.

Best Regards,

mykeonthemove

Thanks for your interest in this DIY project. I'm sorry but I can't help with making a battery for you. I would have to order the bare lithium polymer batteries from ebay and have the frames 3D printed. There are shipping restrictions of lithium ion / polymer batteries as well.

There are a few public libraries around the Boston area that offer free 3D printing, at least a quick google search had a few hits. The instructions I gave are very clear and simple, it's a matter of getting a few supplies together and a very small amount of soldering. I can give you some encouragement... if you put your mind to the task at hand, you can do it!

 

[ClieOS]

Just FYI, there are Chinese companies making reproduction LIP-4WM now and you can buy it on AliExpress for around $12 or so.

 

[mykeonthemove]

Thanks. I found it. Looks like re-productions are at 500 mAh and not 350 like the OEM. I’m wondering if the additional capacity is still compatible with the size slot size for battery. The battery design is probably mostly enclosure anyway similar to your DIY and the additional 150 mAh is not signficant to the fit in the battery slot, maybe. I’ll give the reproduction a try and see what happens. Thanks for responding.

 

[mt877]

Just FYI, there are Chinese companies making reproduction LIP-4WM now and you can buy it on AliExpress for around $12 or so.

Very nice! I'm glad these batteries are being manufactured again. Sony seems to lock down their batteries and leaves people hunting for solutions to get their gear working again.