Month: March 2023

Battery Options – LIVE!

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So a couple of hours with the spot welder and soldering iron and the 6S beast is alive. A quick Youtube search for Woocommerce buying options add-ons has resulted in battery pack options for the ‘Sounds & Charge’ PiigBoxes.

There’s only one thing to remember. You’re still getting a 12 cell power pack with the same high capacity, but in your choice of voltage. The advantage of the higher voltage packs is the boost the bluetooth amp will get – so if you really want it to annoy your neighbours, go for the 6S option.

More power in the Piigsty…

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6SP2 pack naked

This is a bit of a sneak peak for the next addition to the Piigsty. I’ve had enquiries about higher voltage packs for hungry Lipo chargers. So I’m going to be offering options in the store. You can choose between 3S 12V, 4S 16V, or 6S 24V. Packs will be the same price using 12 x 21700 cells for ‘Sounds & Charge’.

I’ve gone for the amazing Samsung 40T 21700 cells for the 6S model as they’re rated at 30Amp discharge. So the 6S2P can still pack a punch equalling the 3S4P packs.

Look out in the Piigsty when options go live…

Another Power Plant ready to go…

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20 Ah pack ready to go

Really getting the hang of spot welding, soldering, and glueing these packs together now.
This one will be cycle tested and then its ready for a customer. It’s another of our 20Ah 21700 3S packs complete with battery safety board so there’s no need to balance cables. It protects from over charging, over discharging, over current. They really do offer peace of mind.

We’ve got 3S 18650 packs in stock now for our ‘Sounds’ PiigBoxes. They’re 12V 3600mAh packs which will still pack a punch and deliver thumping bass all day long. All made up using brand new LG M36 cells, and the same 40AMP BMS as seen in our larger Power Plants.

18650 3600mAh packs

Beautiful Orange PiigBox tested in the wild

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Wildtrak Orange PiigBox
Wildtrak Orange Sounds & Charge PiigBox

Out in the field with an iPhone, a lipo charger, a couple of packs and a bass heavy Spotify Playlist. The last stage before dispatch is testing.

I go through a number of field tests, first of which is whether it switches on (which is useful). Then other tests including bluetooth pairing with more than one device, voltage displayed, USB charging ports work, output to XT60 port etc. It’s all well and good testing that it will charge you phone, and even you lipo charger, but if it sounds crap! then it’s not ticking boxes.

So I launched Stormzy on my iPhone to test the dynamic range of the speaker. I was not dissapointed. I’ve redesigned the fit between speaker and case, so I now have a 19mm wide and 5mm thick seal made from TPU flexible plastic. This ensure a tight, but isolated seal between speaker to case. This will reduce the risk of vibration and rattles in the case. The amp, speakers and bass tube are all carefuy selected for optimum sound control, with deep, rich bass, and clear mid, and sharp top end.

Wildtrak Orange Sounds & Charge PiigBox with lipo charger in shot
PiigBox charging

Once I’m happy with the sounds, I move on to testing charging. So out with the phone charging cable, then try attaching a lipo charger and actually emulate a day in the field. So with Stormzy singing his heart out, and the bass pushing the cones to their limits, I plugged in the XT60 extension and then the charger and I was met with a reassuring beep as the charger came to life. Attaching 2 lipos packs and starting to charge while listening to music at the same time presented no concerns at all.

Another PiigBox back from the paint shop

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So, after cutting holes and carefully cutting speaker grills, it’s time to paint. So a wipe down with isopropyl and a generous coat or 3 of etch primer, it’s time to get the top coat down.

This one is supposed to be Ford Wildtrak Orange, but at 18:00 as the sun goes down, it’s looking very, err, red.

Next job is a black acrylic splatter finish, followed by a couple of generous coats of Matt solvent free varnish to protect it from the knocks it’s bound to get.

Then…. It will get all the goodies inside and ready to rock…