To build a home battery, all you need is two different types of metal, some electrical cables and a conductive material. Instead of metals, you can also use many objects that you already have around the house as a conductive material - for example, salt water, a lemon or even earth.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Making a Soft Drink Battery
Step 1. Gather the material
For this type of experiment you need an unopened can of soda (any), a plastic cup (180-240 ml), a copper strip 18 mm wide and slightly longer than the height of the glass. You will also need a pair of scissors, a voltmeter, and two electrical leads with alligator clips on both ends.
- If you don't already have these materials at home, you can buy them in hardware stores.
- You can replace the copper strip with several pieces of the same material sandwiched together or folded in a zig-zag way until you reach the desired width.
Step 2. Fill the glass about ¾ full with the soda
Note that it is not absolutely essential that the container be made of plastic, the important thing is that it is made of a non-metallic material. Generally, polystyrene and paper ones are fine.
Step 3. Verify that the can is completely empty
Throw away (or drink) the remaining soda. Turn the container over inside the sink and shake it to get rid of any residue.
Step 4. Cut an aluminum strip from the can
Cut one out of the wall of the can and make sure it is 18mm wide; make it a little longer than the height of the glass. If you can't keep to the height, don't worry - you can always fold the top of the strip, hang it on the edge, and let it dangle into the liquid.
- Alternatively, you can purchase aluminum strips from hardware stores.
- Keep in mind that aluminum foil is not a good substitute, don't use it!
Step 5. Sand the aluminum strip (optional)
You can skip this step if you bought it at a hardware store; if you have cut it out of the can, you have to sand it to remove any coating (paint, plastic) from both sides.
Step 6. Put the strips in the liquid
Check that they do not come into contact with each other, place them diametrically opposite in the glass and not sideways or overlapping.
- Ideally, you should have strips that are long enough so that the top ends rest over the edge of the container, above the level of the drink.
- If they are not long enough, bend one end slightly so that you can snap them to the edge.
Step 7. Connect the cables to the strips
Open the crocodile clip and close it over the metal tab; then connect the second cable to the second strip, always using the clamp.
- Be careful not to touch the drink with the clamp.
- It doesn't matter which colored wire you connect to each strip.
Step 8. Test the battery
Following the instructions on the voltmeter packaging, connect the other end of the wires to the meter which should give you the reading of the potential difference generated, approximately 0.75 volts.
Method 2 of 4: Making a Salt Water Battery
Step 1. Gather all the material
To build this battery you will need a plastic cup (180-240ml), two metal strips 18mm wide and longer than the height of the glass, plus a spoon (about 15g) of salt. Each strip must be of a different metal of your choice: zinc, aluminum and copper are quite common. You will also need a pair of scissors, a voltmeter, and two electrical leads with alligator clips on both ends.
- As an alternative to 15 g of salt, you can use a mixture of water, 5 g of salt, 5 ml of vinegar and a few drops of bleach. If so, be very cautious as bleach is a dangerous chemical.
- You can purchase the metal strips, electrical wires, and voltmeter at the hardware store. Cables are also available at electronic component stores.
Step 2. Fill the glass ¾ full with water
Note that it is not absolutely essential that the container be made of plastic, the important thing is that it is made of a non-metallic material. Generally, polystyrene and paper ones are fine.
Step 3. Add a tablespoon of salt (15g) to the water and mix
The process doesn't change if you decide to go with the bleach, vinegar, and salt variant.
Step 4. Put the two metal strips in the glass
Make sure they are touching the salt water and that one end is over the edge of the glass. If the strips are too short, fold them, clip them to the glass, and let them dangle in the liquid.
Step 5. Connect the cables to the strips
Secure the first to a strip using the alligator clip. Then connect the second cable to the other strip in the same way.
- Be careful not to touch the salt water with the clamp.
- It doesn't matter which colored wire matches each strip.
Step 6. Test the battery
Following the instructions on the voltmeter packaging, connect the other end of the cables to the meter which should give you the reading of the potential difference generated, approximately 0.75 volts.
Method 3 of 4: Make a 14 Cell Water Coil
Step 1. Gather the materials
For this experiment you need some copper wire, 13-15 sheet metal screws, an ice cube tray and water. You will need to wrap the copper wire around all but one screw, which will become the negative terminal (to which you will attach one of the wires when the battery is full).
- The number of screws depends on how many ice cubes the tray can hold. The one used in this experiment has 14 cells.
- You can use screws of all metals, except copper. Those coated with zinc (galvanized) or aluminum are fine. As for the size, choose screws that are about 3-4 cm long.
Step 2. Wrap the copper wire around 14 of the 15 screws
Make two loops around the top of each one, just below the head. Then bend the cable with your fingers to shape it like a hook that you will need to hang the screw on the edge of the tray cell.
You can pre-cut the wire into long enough segments to wrap each screw (consider the length needed to shape the hooks) or you can work with a single piece and cut it after rolling it
Step 3. Hang the screws on each tray compartment
Each of them represents a single battery cell. Make sure that there is only one vine in each space.
Step 4. Connect the positive and negative terminals to one end of the tray
Choose a cell around the perimeter of the tray and clip a piece of copper wire so that it protrudes from the edge. On the same end put a screw in the cell adjacent to the one you attached the copper wire to. Make sure it rests over the edge of the tray, as you will need to connect the power cord to it.
Step 5. Fill each compartment with water
Make sure each cell is full enough so that both the screw and the copper wire are in contact with the liquid.
Step 6. Connect the wires to the positive and negative terminals
Join a wire to the copper terminal using a crocodile clip. Next, connect the second wire to the screw-terminal, always using a clamp.
- Make sure the clips don't touch the water.
- It doesn't matter which colored wire matches each terminal.
Step 7. Test the battery
Join the ends of the wires to the voltmeter. A 14-cell battery should generate a potential difference of approximately 9 volts.
Step 8. Increase the voltage
You can increase this by replacing plain water with saline, vinegar, bleach, lemon or lime juice, or by using larger amounts of copper.
Method 4 of 4: Making a Manual Battery
Step 1. Gather what you need
To build this battery, you need a copper plate and an aluminum plate - both about the size of your hand. You will also need two electrical cables with alligator clips at both ends and a voltmeter.
You can purchase the metal plates, cables and voltmeter at the hardware store
Step 2. Place the plates on a piece of wood
If you don't have the plank, you can choose another non-metallic surface, such as a piece of plastic.
Step 3. Connect the two plates to the voltmeter
Using the alligator clips, join the copper plate to one pole of the voltmeter and the aluminum plate to the other pole.
If you are unsure how to proceed, please follow the instrument-specific instructions in the manual
Step 4. Put one hand on each plate
In this way, the sweat present on the hands reacts with the metals producing a potential difference.
- If the voltmeter does not indicate any measurement, reverse the connections: connect the copper plate to the terminal to which the aluminum plate was attached and vice versa.
- If you continue to have difficulty producing a voltage, check your connections and wiring. If everything is in order, the cause could be the presence of oxide on the plates. To remove it, clean the metal with an eraser or steel wool.
Advice
- To make a more powerful battery with soda or salt water, fill several plastic cups with the liquid and metal strips. Then connect the strips of each cup with the opposite ones in the adjacent container using clamps - for example the copper strip must be connected to the aluminum one.
- Three or more salt water or soft drink batteries should be enough to power a simple device like an LCD watch.
- If you want to use the home battery to operate a device, connect the wires from the metal strips to the terminals located inside the battery compartment of the device. If you can't secure them with alligator clips, you will need cables without clamps at the ends. If you are unsure which one to use, ask your electronics or hardware store clerk for advice.
- For reference, remember that a standard AAA battery has a potential difference between 1.1 and 1.23 volts, a model AA between 1.1 and 3.6 volts.
- You should be able to use aluminum, copper and liquid batteries for quite some time (some people claim they are effective for several years), but you will need to replace the liquid and lightly sand the copper strips every three months (or sooner, in case. corrode a lot).
