This page is part of my Premium Base series of articles.

In the ninth stage of the Premium Base assembly, we install the Battery Box and Base Cover.

Parts

Materials: The Base Cover and Support are metal, while the non-electrical parts are plastic.

Build

Mark III Premium Base (9)

Stage 1 – Assembly of the Battery Box

Step 1

Fit the Battery Box to the inside of the Base Cover, aligning the six screw holes as shown:

Secure the Battery Box in place with six (6) EM screws.

This is your friendly reminder to try using 3-in-One Oil on all screws going into metal:

On my model, I was not happy that some of the metal contacts of this Battery Box were touching, or close to touching, these screws. Therefore, I bent a couple of these contacts away from the screw heads. As the screws are driven into a metal structure, I wanted to avoid any short circuits:

Step 2

Retrieve your Premium Base assembly and turn it upside down. Position the four long posts of this Base Cover over the matching posts of the Premium Base so the red/black wires of the Battery Box (arrow below) are next to the Printed Circuit Board, as shown.

NOTE: Please see my update below!

Secure the Base Cover to the Premium Base with four (4) IM screws:

UPDATE:

As I discovered in the next issue of the Premium Base, this Base Cover actually needs to be installed in a specific orientation. I had to remove these screws and rotate it into the proper position as seen here. Note the relation of the Battery Box tab to the Printed Circuit Board:

Step 3

Connect the red/black cable of the Battery Box to the Printed Circuit Board socket marked ‘A’.

These plugs need to be connected with the correct polarity – do not force them in backwards:

Step 4

Attach the Battery Cover to the bottom of the Base Cover, as shown.

This base will require four (4) AAA batteries to power the lighting system – these batteries are not included with the model:

Step 5

Fit the Support to this location on the underside of the Premium Base, as shown:

Step 6

Secure the Support to the Premium Base with two (2) IM screws:

Thoughts

This Premium Base just keeps getting bigger and heavier and we still have edge details to add to it!

Next Stage

Premium Base 10 – Base Segments, End Caps, LED Strips