It sure would be nice not to have to take an electric airplane apart to plug in the battery. The problem is that to handle the current the switch would be about the size of the motor. So the question becomes how to complete the battery connection from outside the aircraft.

I got to thinking that I could use a battery connector as an external plug so I went searching and found that HobbyKing does carry such an item. But why buy when you can print?

I took a T60 connector and carefully measured it and created a "bulkhead mount" for it. My first try had the size a little too small so I changed the dimensions by 0.5mm and grew another. I also decided I needed a means to mount it through the side of the aircraft and since the connector requires quite a pull or push I made a large flange on both items to distribute the load. Since having the external plate sticking into the air stream was bad enough I printed the countersink for the fasteners into the plate.

The connector is glued into the mount with a couple of drops of CA and the connector mount is tapped so that no nuts are required. Total fabrication time was about an hour (not including the time for the glue to set).

I made a tight fit for the plug and the bracket. To set the wall thickness put the connector through a hole in material as thick as the wall you are installing through and include the attach plate. Press on the bracket and then use some CA to lock it into position. I found that there is a small amount of flashing on the side of the connector that MIGHT need to be scrapped off. The mounting fasteners are M3 flat heads and the bracket is tapped to accept the screws.

Enjoy!