Single Cell LiPo Battery Care

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Disconnecting a LiPo Battery

Now disconnecting the LiPo battery is a different story. Earlier, we talked about some locking tabs on the side of the JST connector which can make it difficult to disconnect it from a female JST connector. Depending on the manufacturer, the material of the female JST connector can add an extra layer of difficulty if it is rigid. Below are a few options if you decide to disconnect the LiPo battery.

Using Your Bare Hands Fingers!
Needle Nose Pliers
3D Printed Battery Removal Tool
Diagonal Cutters
Shaving Off Locking Tabs

Warning! Make sure to not pull on the wires to disconnect. You may end up ripping the wires out from the connector.

3D Printed Battery Removal Tool

You can use a specialized 3D printer tool dedicated to disconnecting LiPo batteries with a JST-PH connector. We highly recommend ordering the SparkFun JST Battery Removal Tool like the one below.

SparkFun JST Battery Removal Tool

TOL-27923

$3.95

Note: The JST battery removal tool is not intended to insert a JST female connector into the male connector.

Slide the tool between the JST female and male connector. You can slide the tool from the bottom or the top side as shown below.


JST Battery Tool Inserted from Bottom	JST Battery Tool Inserted from Top

Note: This tool will work for most board designs with the JST male connector populated on the edge of a board. Certain boards that have the JST male connector port facing toward the inside of the board may have components that will cause an obstruction when using the tool. Connectors that are populated close to the JST connector may also be another obstruction when using the tool.

In this case, we chose to slide the JST Battery Removal Tool from the bottom side. With your other hand, hold down the JST male connector. If necessary, place the wires through wire channel.

JST Battery Removal Tool Between JST Female and Male Connector

Wiggle the JST female connector side to side while carefully pulling away the connector from the board.

Note: With the JST Battery Removal Tool, were also able to pull the connector directly away without needing to wiggle the connector side to side.

Note: You can also use the JST Battery Removal Tool to disconnect the battery packs used with micro:bits!

JST Battery Removal Tool Used with micro:bit

Tip: There's a small keyhole ring on the top of the JST Battery Removal Tool. You can find keychain rings at local hardware or craft stores. When attached, you can also use a small magnet to attach the tool to a metal shelf!

Note: Feeling adventurous and have a 3D printer nearby? You can also grab the 3D model from the GitHub repository and print the tool! You can also search online to find other designs similar to the JST battery removal tool as well. Keep in mind that you may need to modify the file and orient the print for your 3D printer in order to print properly.

Using Your Bare Hands Fingers!

You will need to carefully remove the connector out by pinching the sides of the JST female connector with your index finger and thumb. With your other hand, hold down the JST male connector.

Pinch JST Female Connector While Holding Down JST Male Connector

Wiggle the JST female connector side to side while carefully pulling away the connector from the board.

The JST connector will slide out of the socket. Congratulations! You have successfully disconnected the LiPo battery from your board.

Needle Nose Pliers

Note: Careful when using needle nose pliers! You will need to apply a certain amount of pressure to grip the connector. If you apply too much pressure, the connector may be damaged. Too little, and the needle nose pliers may slip and pinch the wires.

For those with long nails, you will want to use some needle nose pliers. We recommend using needle nose pliers with teeth like the one below:

Needle Nose Pliers

TOL-08793

$3.50

Grip the sides of the JST female connector using the needle nose pliers in one hand. With your other hand, hold down the JST male connector.

Wiggle the JST female connector side to side while carefully pulling away the connector from the board. Using needle nose pliers will make it easier to remove but make sure to not angle the tool too much as the pins can be damaged if you angle the connector at an extreme angle.

The JST connector will slide out of the socket. Congratulations! You have successfully disconnected the LiPo battery from your board.

Note: Are you skilled with a rotary tool? You can also make a custom plier like the ones explained in this forum post JST XH connectors.

Diagonal Cutters

Note: Careful when using diagonal cutters! You will need to apply a certain amount of pressure to grip the connector. If you apply too much pressure, the connector may be damaged. Too little, and the diagonal cutters may slip and cut the wires.

Of course you could also use some diagonal cutters as well. Wire cutters have thin jaws that allow you to grip the head of the connector. However, there is a risk of cutting the wires if the diagonal cutters slip.

Diagonal Cutters

TOL-08794

$2.75

Depending on the design of the board, you may need to grip from the top or bottom of the JST connector. We'll show in the following images how to remove the connector from the bottom. Position the wire cutter between the between the JST female connector's flanges on the side and the JST male connector's socket. With your other hand, hold down the JST male connector. Don't go squeezing hard on the wire cutters either. They are simply there to grip the edge of the connector.


Diagonal cutters holding JST connector from the top of a PCB	Diagonal cutters holding JST connector from the bottom of a PCB

Note: You can also use round nose pliers similar to the method used with diagonal cutters. However, they won't have the thin jaws like a diagonal cutter.

Use the edge of the PCB as a fulcrum point and lever out the connector. Pull the JST female connector away from the board by wiggling the connector sideways back and forth

The JST connector will slide out of the socket. Congratulations! You have successfully disconnected the LiPo battery from your board.

Removing the Locking Tabs

Another option is to removing the locking tabs using a hobby knife. Cutting the tabs will make it easier to remove by hand. While it will not be as secure as it was before, we have found that it still holds pretty well in the JST male connector socket.

Hobby Knife

TOL-09200

$3.50

Pinch the sides of the JST female connector with your index finger and thumb. With the hobby knife, slice the locking tabs off each side of the JST female connector until it is flush with the top of the connector. There's not a lot of space to work with so make sure to not cut your fingers and angle the hobby knife away from your finger tips!

The JST connector on the left shows the locking tabs intact. The JST connector on the right shows the locking tabs removed after. If the connector is still too tight, you can also cut down part of the fin (the slot between the two locking tabs) on the top of the connector as well.

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