AA Battery Magazine

AA battery holder in an AR-15 magazine design, not your typical battery holder!! Tested to hold approximately 10-12 batteries.  

The AAA version can be found at:  https://makerworld.com/en/models/506368#profileId-422086

Design

The internal slide is supported by a printed spring. The spring works best printed in PETG which is more flexible and will retain it's shape better and for a longer period of time. The bottom cap is removable and is held in place with a locking tab that works the same way an actual AR-15 magazine locks in place.

The slots in the back show how many batteries are in the magazine.

Assembly

The magazine is very easy to assemble. The spring will friction fit into the bottom of the slide. The two piece spring option does have a top and bottom. The longer spring section has a taller flat section that is meant top be at the bottom for support of the lock clip. The two pieces can be glued, melted or double sided adhesive tape together to make it one spring.

Insert the slide into the bottom of the shell and let it slide up to the top. The locking clip goes in next and you'll have to hold the clip and spring down to slide the bottom cap on. The bottom cap slide from the front of the magazine to the rear (the open slots) and will click in place when the tab on the clip pops into the slot in the cap. The next step is to load the batteries!!!

Printing

I have printed all the components using PLA and it works great. I suggest printing the spring in PETG since it is a more flexible material. The color of the spring really doesn't matter since you will not see it unless you open up the magazine. I would print a couple springs right away to have a spare. I don't have much information on how long the plastic spring will keep it's tension.

I am working on different ways of doing the spring. The springs used in the real AR-15 magazines will fit and will work with the printed parts of this magazine. They can be purchased online from many different stores.

• The shell is set up to print vertical and has an internal brim.
• The slide is set up to not use supports even for the recess at the bottom for the spring. I haven't had any issues with the spring fitting inside. Supports may need to be enabled if the bridging doesn't work for you.
• The bottom cap is set up using Tree auto supports. I use an exacto knife or sharp pick to remove it after it's printed.
• The provided .3mf file does have all this setup and placed on a plate.

All the components fit on one sheet on my P1S. I have printed the slide and bottom clip in a different color to accent them. I am working on a profile for the A1 Mini. If you want to try printing it before I can get it uploaded, you should only have to scale the magazine shell down to 179 - 180mm. Make sure to uncheck the ‘Uniform Scale’ and only shorten the height. Everything should still fit and slide.

This model works but is always being tweaked and improved. Please let me know of any issues and/or any items needing improvement!!