Robbe Infinity II Mods

So far I like my Infiny II just fine (mostly). One thing I didn't like about it was that it doesn't have any front- mounted Sermoses like my old Super Charger / Cycler from SR Batteries (unfortunately out of production, and also, w/o a NiMH mode).

• On the left you see my old Super Charger / Cycler with all the nice, convenient, fully shrouded, no-adaptors-needed, panel-mounted Sermos / APP connectors.
• On the right is the stock Infinity II using 4mm banana jacks which require adaptors anyway, and which can be dangerous for use around batteries and related devices. At the picture's bottom is the ready-to-mount APP connector block.

• On the left is the post-"surgery" result with the APP connector block installed.
  Another good solution for this problem are "SafeCables" from Ralph Weaver. You can see more about them HERE.
• On the right I'm using it with an adaptor for Jiffypin Connectors. More info on Jiffypins HERE.

To add APPs to the Infinity you first need to make up a connector block that can be mounted to the front panel:

• I started with 2 extra shells that I cut up with a saw. You also need to pull off the spring clips - this is not very easy so be careful. You may want to mount the shell in a vise or similar whan you try to pull off the clip. Also, the spring is very hard metal and you should grasp it with real pliers - if you grasp it with a regular pair of wire cutters or such you can mess up their cutting edge.

• After the top half is trimmed off smooth the area with a small file and then attach the 4 shells together.

• To help lock the shells in place it's a good idea to add a small rod or dowel in the hole provided for this.
• To attach them to the panel I pressed two #8 All-Threads sleeves into the back of the shells tightly. I CA'ed them in place and then ran an 8-32 screw into the sleeves to form a machine thread.
• I then stuck some white paper tape to the panel's front and marked out a position where they'd fit.

• I used a small drill and a file to make the holes required. If you leave the paper tape on until the end it will help protect the finish on the panel so you don't scratch it accidentally.
• Because the location I'd chosed had a couple of caps underneath I had to trim the length of the plastic shells about 1/8" or so to allow proper clearance.
• Next I soldered wires to the bases of the two banana jacks and plugged them into the APP block.

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Conclusions

I'm VERY glad I took the time to do this and find it very convenient but if I had to do it over again I'd make a couple of changes:

• I'd mount the connector block higher up on the panel so it won't have to interfere with the components underneath and won't require the shells to be cut down, and
• Soldering the leads to the bases of the banana jacks is a little tricky because there's a lot of metal mass so it requires a lot of heat but this heat can also distort the plastic parts at the top of each jack. Instead find a good spot on the copper traces on circuit board, scrape away the green laquer coating and solder the wires directly to the board.