Finally, I discovered that the batteries I had bought are definitely too big to allow the battery compartment lid to be installed. I really wish there had been more official guidance on the battery. I wound up with the BAK N18650CK, which according to 18650batterystore.com is 18.7mm diameter. I got confused between that battery model and it’s non-button-top version, which is apparently slightly slimmer (18.35). But it seems like these stick out more than a fraction of a millimeter would imply. For now, packing tape must suffice to keep them in place:
I’m trying again with the Epoch 30P (also ordered from 18650batterystore) which claim to be 18.25mm – we’ll see, but the lesson here is that for this battery compartment, diameter is critical, but it seems like there is enough slack in the clips that a slightly longer battery wouldn’t be an issue. Also, after seeing how these fit in the clips, I feel like you probably don’t need button tops, but I’ll find out when the new ones get here.
Definitely would love to hear from folks who have batteries that fit as to what brands and models they are using. And also where they bought from, since I pretty much just Googled and picked at random.
Also, it seems like pretty much any available battery that I’ve seen is going to be fine as far as the continuous discharge rating, given that the smallest I’ve seen are still like 5 or 6 amps? Given that the instructions recommend at 2A USB-C charger, I’m guessing that’s well above the draw current to run the system.
Anyway, the upshot is that my DevTerm booted right up, and seems to run just great. I can definitely feel the heat coming off the bottom of the case where the mainboard is located, so it’s obvious that heat sink is needed.
Now to go explore the software side of my new toy!