Custom CMOS Battery Etching

Do you think personal custom CMOS battery etching would be feasibile?

  • Yes, I've done it before

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Jul 16, 2010
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This may be a long shot, but the case modding community is the only place I could think to find such a specific service.

I am looking for a means or a company which can produce CMOS-type batteries with custom etching. I say CMOS-type because the only real requirement is that they be that relative size and thickness (like this, via wikipedia), not that they actually be functional as a CMOS battery. I don't necessarily need them to even be functional as a battery, it's the shape that counts here. Though, admittedly, having functional batteries would be more desirable.

So far I cannot find a producer of said batteries with blank faces, nor can I find a shop that specifically notes that it can etch batteries. It has been suggested that I buy batteries, have them smoothed, and find a place that does pet tag etching. This is the path I am currently pursuing. Instructions on how I might smooth or etch these batteries myself are appreciated, but I'm a bit concerned about the safety of both.

As these are meant to be gifts, handed out as if a coin. I am looking to keep the process as low-cost as possible. But, I'm not objected to investing in some equipment to make it happen, as if it works I'd like to make more of them from time to time.

*edit*

It would be reasonable to have simply the shells of the batteries, without the chemical contents. Perhaps I should be looking for a metal caster?
 
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Wouldn't this cause a safety issue? What if someone uses them in a way not designed for these particular units? Also, I thought there was some sort of regulation stating batteries needed to have their operational info attached (leads, voltage, model, etc.), as well as for waste control (so they know it's a battery). Unless you intend to keep all this info intact, but if so, how much room would be left for any custom work?
 
I'm fairly sure there are regulations as to what information must clearly be displayed, as SUPERGT mentioned. Anybody with a CNC/Milling Machine should be able to perform this task. I'm not sure you'd be able to fine blank cells though.
 
I should edit my post to explain my use case, because I don't need the batteries to be functional. I'm the lead developer for a Free / Open Source game, and money in the game is known as "High Energy Slugs". Our creative team is agreed that they would look like a CMOS battery, and I'd like to have some made to send out to beta testers as thank you gifts. So perhaps If I could find a way to get the battery cases, absent their chemical contents? Not nearly as cool, but I suppose it is an option.
 
I should edit my post to explain my use case, because I don't need the batteries to be functional. I'm the lead developer for a Free / Open Source game, and money in the game is known as "High Energy Slugs". Our creative team is agreed that they would look like a CMOS battery, and I'd like to have some made to send out to beta testers as thank you gifts. So perhaps If I could find a way to get the battery cases, absent their chemical contents? Not nearly as cool, but I suppose it is an option.

Grab a battery. Google the china OEM that makes it. Contact said OEM. They'll make you anything you want for a price.
 
If you drop your requirement of needing a battery, any machining shop should be able to do this. Plus, you won't ever have to worry about them going bad and needing to throw them away.
 
How about a thin piece of metal the same diameter as the battery, which is simply stuck onto a battery?
 
Since it doesn’t have to be a functional battery I don’t think this would be all that hard to have made.

Some Aluminum Round bar the right size chucked in to a lathe should get you the blanks. Cut the bottom where the battery is normally rolled and crimped then spate it from the stock at the proper thickness. Repeat until you have the number you need.

After that they need to be polished. Then you need the top engraved or maybe easier would be to stencil and media blast the top but I can’t say. It would also depend on the look you want.

The problem I expect will be finding someone who can do it for a reasonable cost. I suspect the man hours will add up fast on this little project.
 
Yep, you could easily make something like that out of some round stock on a lathe. :)
 
Making a battery-shaped piece of metal on a lathe would be easy. As far as using a real battery though, forget it.
 
Making a battery-shaped piece of metal on a lathe would be easy. As far as using a real battery though, forget it.

Very true. The metal they use for the battery casings can't be more than a few mils thick, and by the time you smooth it, you've probably lost at least a mil's thickness. Try etching that, and your etching head would likely go right through the metal. Besides, that info on the battery isn't etched on, it's stamped.....but you might find a company that could make you OEM batteries with custom stamped casings, similar to what bigddybn suggested.

Another idea would be to come up with a custom plastic/resin slug that would cover an actual CMOS battery, like a custom cover. That way, the people you give these away to might actually be able to use it as a mod in their computer case (a piece of double-sided tape on the back side of the slug/cover would attach it to the battery case), and other people would OOH and AHH over it. :cool:
 
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