To make a battery at home, you just need two different types of metals, a few electric cables and a conductive material. There are many things you already have in your home that can serve as a conductive material that you put your other metals into, such as salt water, a lemon, or even earth.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Make a soda stack
Step 1. Obtain the necessary materials
For this stack, you are going to need a closed soda can (any type), a plastic cup (200-250ml) and a 2cm wide copper strip and slightly more long as the top of the glass. In addition, you need a pair of scissors, a voltmeter and two electrical cables equipped with alligator clips.
- If you don't already have these materials in your home, you can get them at a home improvement store.
- You can replace the copper strip with several pieces of copper nested inside each other or folded in a zigzag way to reach the desired length.
Step 2. Fill the plastic glass three-quarters full with soda
Note that the glass does not have to be plastic. It just doesn't have to be metal. You can also use a styrofoam or paper glass.
Step 3. Make sure the soda can is completely empty
Throw away or drink the soda that is left in the can. Turn the can over in the sink and shake it a bit to make sure it is empty.
Step 4. Cut an aluminum strip from the soda can
Cut a 2 cm strip of aluminum from the can. Make sure the strip is slightly longer than the height of the glass. If this is not possible, don't worry, you will just have to bend the top of the strip and let it soak in the liquid that is in the glass.
- Instead of cutting the can, you can buy aluminum strips at a hardware store.
- Aluminum foil is not as effective as aluminum foil, don't use it!
Step 5. Sand the aluminum strip (optional)
You can skip this step if you purchased the foil strip from a hardware store. If you cut the strip out of a soda can, you will need to sand it down to remove the film that is on both sides (i.e. paint on the outside and plastic on the inside).
Step 6. Dip the strips into the solution
Make sure the bands are not touching each other. Install them in the glass facing each other, not side by side or on top of each other.
- The ideal would be to have cut strips long enough so that the top protrudes from the soda and slightly from the rim of the glass.
- If the strips do not protrude from the edge of the glass, you can twist them slightly to hook them to the edges.
Step 7. Tie the electrical cables to the aluminum bands
Attach an electrical cable to the aluminum strip by opening the alligator clip and closing it over the strip. Then attach a different cable to the other metal band using another alligator clip.
- Be careful that the alligator clip does not touch the soda.
- It doesn't matter what color of cable you choose.
Step 8. Test the battery
Following the instructions that came with the voltmeter, connect the wire from each aluminum strip to the voltmeter. You should see a 3-4 volt display coming from your battery.
Method 2 of 4: Make a salt pile
Step 1. Obtain the necessary materials
For this stack, you will need a plastic cup (200-250 ml), two metal strips 2 cm wide and slightly longer than the top of the glass, and a tsp. to s. salt. Each strip must be made of a different metal, but you can choose the metal of your choice: zinc, aluminum or copper for example. In addition, you need a pair of scissors, a voltmeter and two power cables with alligator clips.
- You can vary this recipe by pouring one tbsp. to c. of salt, a tsp. to c. vinegar and a few drops of bleach in water instead of c. to s. salt. If you choose this solution, be careful because bleach is a dangerous chemical.
- You can find metal bands, electrical cables, and a voltmeter at home improvement stores. You might also find this material in electronics stores.
Step 2. Fill the plastic cup three-quarters full with water
Note that the glass does not have to be plastic. It just doesn't have to be metal. You can also use a styrofoam or paper glass.
Step 3. Add a c
to s. of salt in the water and mix. Do the same if you have decided to use the salt, vinegar, and bleach method.
Step 4. Put two metal strips in the glass
Make sure the strips are touching the salt water and protruding from the rim of the glass. If the strips are too short, bend them to hang them over the rim of the glass and soak them in the solution.
Step 5. Tie the electrical cables to the metal bands
Attach an electrical cable to a metal band by opening the alligator clip and closing it over the band. Then attach a different cable to the other metal band using another alligator clip.
- Be careful that the alligator clip does not touch the water.
- It doesn't matter what color of cable you choose.
Step 6. Test the battery
Following the instructions that came with the voltmeter, connect the wire from each metal strip to the voltmeter. You should see a 3-4 volt display coming from your battery.
Method 3 of 4: Make a 14-cell water-based battery
Step 1. Obtain the necessary materials
For this battery you will need copper wire, 13-15 metal plate screws, an ice cube tray, and water. You'll wrap copper wire around all but one screw that you'll use as a negative terminal to which you'll attach one of the battery cables once it's complete.
- The number of screws you need depends on the number of slots in your ice cube tray. The ice cube tray used in this example contains 14 slots.
- As long as they are not copper, you can use whatever metal you want for the screws, for example zinc coated (galvanized) or aluminum screws. Try to find screws that are about 2 cm long.
Step 2. Wrap copper wire around 14 of the 15 screws
Wrap a piece of copper wire twice at the top of each screw, just below the head. After wrapping the cable around the screw, bend the cable into a hook shape using your fingers. You will use this hook to hang the screw on the location of the ice cube tray.
You can cut the copper wire into small pieces long enough to wrap them around each screw (keeping some extra wire for the hook). You can also cut the long copper wire after each screw
Step 3. Hang a screw in each location of the ice cube tray
Each location of the ice cube tray will act as a cell in your battery. Attach one of the screws to the edge of each cell. Make sure there is only one screw per location.
Step 4. Attach the positive and negative terminals to one end of the ice cube tray
At one end of the ice cube tray, hang a piece of copper on the outer edge of one of the cells. On the same end of the tray, install a screw in the slot just next to where you installed the copper cable. Make sure the screw protrudes slightly from the edge of the ice cube tray, as you will be attaching an electrical cable to it.
Step 5. Fill each cell with water
Make sure the cells are full enough that the copper hooks and screws are in contact with the water.
Step 6. Attach the electrical cables to the positive and negative terminals
Attach one of the electrical cables to the copper cable terminal using an alligator clip. Then attach another electrical cable to the terminal again using an alligator clip.
- Be careful not to let the alligator clip touch the water.
- It doesn't matter what color you attach to the terminal.
Step 7. Test the battery
Tie one end of the electrical cables to the voltmeter. The 14 cell battery you just made should read 9 volts.
Step 8. Increase the voltage
You can increase the voltage of your battery by changing the conductive solution and putting in saline water, vinegar, bleach, lemon or lime juice or by using more copper.
Method 4 of 4: Make a hand pile
Step 1. Obtain the materials
For this battery you need a copper plate and an aluminum plate about the size of your hand. You also need two electric cables fitted with alligator clips and a voltmeter.
You can purchase the metal plates, cables, and voltmeter at a hardware store
Step 2. Lay the copper and aluminum plate on a wooden board
If you do not have a wooden board, you can also lay the plates on a non-metallic surface, for example on plastic.
Step 3. Connect the plates to a voltmeter
Using the alligator clips, connect the copper plate to one end of the voltmeter and the aluminum plate to the other end of the voltmeter.
If you are unsure of how to connect the various items to the voltmeter, check on the instruction manual
Step 4. Place a hand on each plate
When you put your hands on the metal plates, the sweat on your hands should react with the metal in the plates to produce a current measurable by the voltmeter.
- If the voltmeter shows no results, reverse the connections. Attach the copper plate to the terminal where the aluminum plate was attached and vice versa.
- If you're still having trouble getting a result, check the connections and cables. If everything looks plugged in, the plates may be oxidized. To remove this oxidation, clean the plates with an eraser or with iron wool.
Advice
- To make the soda or salt water stack stronger, fill several glasses with metal strips and conductive solution. Then connect the metal strips from each glass with the opposite type of strips in the next glass using paper clips. For example, connect a copper strip with an aluminum strip.
- To use your battery to power a device, connect the cables to the metal bands inside the battery slot. If you cannot connect to the device using alligator clips, you must use cables without clips. If you're not sure how to use them, ask an employee at a hardware or electronics store.
- Three or more saltwater or soda batteries should be enough to power a simple device like an LCD clock.
- To get an idea of how powerful your batteries are, an AAA battery typically produces between 1.1 and 1.23 volts. A standard AA battery produces between 1, 1 and 3, 6 volts.
- For the copper and aluminum battery, you should be able to use it for a long time (some people say it will work for several years), but you will need to change the conductive liquid and lightly sand the copper strips all together. three months or sooner if they are badly corroded.