While rigging a battery charger of any kind is not recommended, especially if you’re not familiar with how electrical wiring works, there are ways to charge an airsoft battery without a charger. Here are the simple steps to follow:
- Get a charger that matches the voltage of your airsoft battery. If you have an old wall-mounted charger that’s not being used anymore but still works, they’re the best options for this purpose.
- Cut the connector off and strip the wire for about ⅜ of an inch. If you know how to attach alligator clips to the wires, do it on the stripped wires.
- Insert matching wires into the connector. The black wire on the charger should be inserted on the slot for the black wire on the battery. The same goes for the red wire. If your wires are stripped, you might need to tape them in place.
- Plug the charger in. Do not leave the battery while charging as it can be very dangerous to do so. Unplug after an hour or two or an hour before the recommended charging time for your battery.
If your airsoft gun’s battery charger stopped working, you can also purchase a smart charger for airsoft guns instead. They are sold separately and are much safer to use with way better performance.
Introduction
Compared to gas-powered airsoft guns, Automatic Electric Guns or AEGs tend to be more convenient to use which can explain their popularity. However, AEG owners can still hit a snag in case their accessories fail. This is why some might be interested in learning how to charge an airsoft battery without a charger.
The straightforward solution to a non-functioning airsoft battery charger is actually very easy: just buy a new one. If chargers for your particular airsoft gun are not sold separately, smart chargers will be great alternatives and might even be better for your battle machine.
However, if chargers are not sold locally and you can’t wait a few days for the new charger to arrive, a DIY fix is possible. It will do the trick of powering up your battery but a lot of caution is advised.
If you’re not skilled in handling electric wires and if you don’t have the proper tools for the task, it’s best to skip this altogether and wait for your replacement charger to arrive. If you’re familiar with electric wiring, however, this guide might be able to help you out.
Materials Needed
These are what you need to create a homemade charger for your airsoft gun battery:
- A wall-mounted charger with the same voltage as your battery. An old one that’s not being used anymore would be ideal for this job.
- Alligator clips and crimping tool, if you have any. Electrical tape, if you don’t.
- A pair of wire strippers or diagonal pliers.
- A pair of scissors.
- A multitester.
- Your airsoft gun battery.
How to Charge Airsoft Battery without Charger
These steps will help you charge an airsoft battery without a charger:
Step 1: Check the voltage of the wall-mounted charger.
To ensure that it’s a good match for your battery, check if it’s still working or if it has the same voltage as it might indicate in its label. To do this, you’ll need a multimeter. Plug in the charger into a power outlet and turn the multimeter on.
Grab the red (positive) probe then stick into the inside of the connector then take the black (negative) probe and touch its metal tip on the barrel. The multimeter should then show the reading of the voltage that’s coming out of the charger. If that matches your battery, you can use it for charging.
Step 2: Change up connector head of the charger.
Your charger will most likely have a connector that is not compatible with the connector used by airsoft gun batteries so it’s necessary to replace them. To do this, you can either simply strip the wires and expose the metal part inside or take the extra step of attaching alligator clips on them.
Firstly, cut off the connector head of the charger then strip its outer coating by making a small cut on the plastic then pulling it out. This should expose two (or more) thinner wires. You will only need to work with the black and red wires so cut out the others if there are any then strip them of their plastic covering until the metal wire is exposed.
If you have alligator clips, you can attach them to the wire using a crimping tool or your pliers. If you don’t, you can leave the wire as is or even attach a compatible connector to it.
Step 3: Connect the charger to the battery.
If you took the extra steps and replaced the old connector of your charger with one that works with your airsoft gun battery, you can simply connect the two items together.
If you used an alligator clip, you need to insert one prong into the connector head and clip it like so. Make sure that the metals of the charger and the battery connector are touching but absolutely avoid making the two alligator clips touch each other when plugged in.
If you have bare wires, you can simply insert it into the connector until the metal wire touches the metal inside the connector. You can tape it up to secure the connection.
Whatever method you choose, make sure that the same polarity: negative to negative, positive to positive. Any mistake can damage your battery.
Step 4: Plug in the charger.
Start charging. Keep an eye on your rig, however, as there are dangers in using a DIY charger.
Very Important Things to Remember
Caution is of utmost importance when working with electricity, so make sure to keep these in mind:
Be extremely careful when trying this project, especially if you’re not experienced in working with electrical wiring.
Working with electrical components is very dangerous. If you’re not knowledgeable and experienced in the area, it’s not recommended that you try tinkering with electrical stuff.
Do not leave your setup unsupervised.
If you managed to create a charging rig based on the instructions above, do not leave it unsupervised. There are no safety features in the setup so accidents can happen.
It’s always best to just purchase a replacement charger.
If you can purchase a replacement battery charger, it’s better to do so than trying to rig a way to charge an airsoft battery without a charger.
Conclusion
With the right skills and knowledge, it’s not that complicated to create a way how to charge an airsoft battery without a charger. However, there are dangers involved in the process so it’s not recommended to try it without a lot of thought and expertise.
Hopefully, the instructions above were able to detail the process of creating an alternative charger for airsoft batteries. If you have additional insight, do leave them in the comments. If you found this tutorial helpful, make sure to share it so your friends can learn a thing or two from it, too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it OK to leave a battery on trickle charge?
Trickle charging can seem like a fuss-free way to keep your airsoft batteries in full charge but it has quite a number of dangers. This is extra true for some types of batteries like LiPo as they cannot absorb overcharge. So to be on the safe side, it might be better to try other ways to top up your battery levels.
Can a trickle charger charge a completely dead battery?
It depends on the type of battery you’re using. It might do the trick but the results will take a while.
Can I trickle charge two batteries at once?
Yes, it’s possible.
Can I use a 5v charger with a 3.7 V battery?
It depends. If there’s no regulation between the charger and the battery, the 5V output can be too much for the battery. For devices, however, this might be doable.
Can I leave the battery charger on overnight?
It’s not recommended to leave your airsoft battery plugged in overnight.