Sometimes it happens that you urgently need a battery at home to make some low-power equipment or a children's toy work. But there is no opportunity to go straight to the store and buy it. In this case, you need to try to assemble the battery at home, but the question is which one and how?
There are many types of batteries: salt, alkaline, lithium... Have you heard about water? This is a very unusual battery that you can make with your own hands even at home. This battery will use regular tap water from your tap as electrolytes.
Let's watch a video of the homemade making process:
In order to assemble a water battery you will need:
- 2 plastic glasses of 500 ml;
- 500 ml tap water;
- Light-emitting diode;
- several wires;
- 2 bars of magnesium alloy;
- 2 bars of coal;
- soldering iron and everything needed for soldering.
The electrode system consists of two parts connected to each other in series and an LED that can tell you about the result of the work done. Each part consists of two elements: a magnesium alloy bar and a coal bar. This is necessary in order to provide the necessary voltage in such an unusual battery, since one element produces only 1.5V. And in order for our LED to light up, a voltage of no less than 2.5V is required.
So, the bars are connected to each other by wires, as mentioned above, in series. An LED is attached to them. The wires are attached to the bars and the LED by soldering. Do not forget about safety precautions.
After the structure is assembled, the electrodes are lowered into plastic cups in a strictly defined sequence: a bar of magnesium alloy, then a bar of coal in one cup, and the same in the other. The LED should remain on top outside the containers.
The battery is ready for use. All that remains is to fill it out cold water. Glasses are filled directly from water tap alternately, until the electrode elements are completely closed.
As the second glass is filled, the LED will gradually begin to light up and will eventually glow brightly and continuously. If you pay attention to the electrodes, you will notice that the cathodes, made of magnesium alloy, began to release hydrogen bubbles.
This is how a water battery was made using ordinary tap water, without the special addition of any salts or alkalis
If you are a scientist yourself or just an inquisitive person, and you often watch or read last news in the field of science or technology. It is for you that we have created such a section, which covers the latest world news in the field of new scientific discoveries, achievements, as well as in the field of technology. Only the latest events and only verified sources.
In our progressive times, science moves at a fast pace, so it is not always possible to keep up with them. Some old dogmas are crumbling, some new ones are being put forward. Humanity does not stand still and should not stand still, and the engine of humanity is scientists and scientific figures. And at any moment a discovery can occur that can not only amaze the minds of the entire population of the globe, but also radically change our lives.
Medicine plays a special role in science, since man, unfortunately, is not immortal, is fragile and very vulnerable to all kinds of diseases. Many people know that in the Middle Ages people lived on average 30 years, and now 60-80 years. That is, life expectancy has at least doubled. This was, of course, influenced by a combination of factors, but it was medicine that played a major role. And, for sure, 60-80 years is not the limit of an average life for a person. It is quite possible that someday people will step over the 100-year mark. Scientists from all over the world are fighting for this.
Developments are constantly underway in the field of other sciences. Every year, scientists from all over the world make small discoveries, little by little moving humanity forward and improving our lives. Places untouched by man are being explored, primarily, of course, on our home planet. However, work is constantly happening in space.
Among technology, robotics is especially rushing forward. The creation of an ideal intelligent robot is underway. Once upon a time, robots were an element of science fiction and nothing more. But already at the moment, some corporations have real robots on their staff that perform various functions and help optimize labor, save resources and perform for a person dangerous species activities.
I still want Special attention to devote to electronic computers, which 50 years ago took up a huge amount of space, were slow and required a whole team of employees to maintain them. And now there is such a machine in almost every home, it is already called more simply and briefly - a computer. Now they are not only compact, but also many times faster than their predecessors, and anyone can understand it. With the advent of the computer, humanity opened a new era, which many call “technological” or “information”.
Remembering about the computer, we should not forget about the creation of the Internet. This also gave a huge result for humanity. This is an inexhaustible source of information, which is now available to almost every person. It connects people from different continents and transmits information at lightning speed, something that would have been impossible to even dream of 100 years ago.
In this section, you will certainly find something interesting, exciting and educational for yourself. Perhaps even someday you will be able to be one of the first to learn about a discovery that will not just change the world, but will change your mind.
One of the authors under the pseudonym “Oborotez” proposed an option on how to make the simplest and powerful battery, which can operate on saline solution. From such a battery you can charge your mobile phone, turn on the radio, lighting and much more. Knowing how such a battery works will definitely never hurt those involved in tourism.
Materials and tools for creating a battery:
- metals for creating a galvanic couple (magnesium and copper);
- salt;
- water;
- housing from an old battery;
- soda;
- vice;
- hacksaw;
- multimeter;
- LEDs and other consumers for checking the battery.
Manufacturing process:
Step one. Preparing the body
As a housing for new battery The author used a plastic battery case from a scooter. You can get old batteries for free from places that repair scooters. First of all, you need to carefully drain the acid from the battery. In this case, you need to be extremely careful, since the acid causes a burn if it comes into contact with the skin. Baking soda is used to neutralize acid. Also, at the end of the procedure, it is best to wash your hands with water and dissolved soda.
Step two. Preparation of galvanic couple
Two metals such as copper and magnesium are used as a galvanic couple, since it is in this case that it is possible to obtain a maximum current and voltage of 1.2-1.4 Volts. As for copper, it won’t be difficult to find; copper wire is perfect for these purposes, you just need to remove it varnish coating, otherwise the battery will not work.
As for magnesium, things are a little more complicated. Steel with a high magnesium content can be found in old German cars, and a lot of magnesium is also contained in the engine housing of the Zaporozhets car. If such elements are not available, then elements from Vodoheaters are perfect. They are also called Magnesium anodes.
You need to cut off the excess pins from the anodes, and cut the anodes themselves into pieces, in the end you will get six small ones from three anodes.
Step three. Battery assembly
Now you need to take the copper wire and crumple it as in the picture. The more wire there is, the larger the contact area will be, and as a result, the higher the current. Next, the copper wire is connected in series with the magnesium anodes and placed in the compartments of the battery case. In this case, copper will form a positive potential, and magnesium will form a negative one. On final stage The container is filled with salt water. If the water is warm, this is good, since the current strength will also increase.
Battery testing
That's all, the battery is assembled, you can proceed to testing. When connecting a multimeter, the author got a result of 7.7 Volts, which is quite good, but the current short circuit was 70 mA. The current can be adjusted by manipulating the plates. Experimentally, it was possible to achieve a current of 150 mA. The closer they are located and the larger their area, the more energy the battery will produce.
From such a battery, two 0.2 Watt diodes light up with bright light without any problems.
It is amazing! The copper-magnesium battery is easy to manufacture and provides a source of virtually free electricity. This is a simple water-powered battery that can always come in handy, especially where it is not possible to run to the store for a couple of store-bought batteries.
The cathode is copper tube, anode - a rod made of an alloy of magnesium (90%) and aluminum (10%). Aluminum can be used instead of this alloy. For the battery presented in this video tutorial, you will need 4 of these bars. Holes are drilled in the bars, threads are cut into them and bolts are screwed in for fastening the wires. Magnesium rods should be wrapped in a rag to prevent a short circuit between the anode and cathode.
Used as an electrolyte salty water, to which you can add a pinch of soda. One battery outputs 1.2 volts. In total, four batteries - up to 5 volts. This simple 4-cell water battery can power two LEDs or a small radio. Gradually, the magnesium alloy wears out, but it is easy to clean, replace the electrolyte, and you can use free electricity for three more days in a row. Have you ever thought of making a 12 volt or 36 volt battery?
Another option for a copper-magnesium battery
There is another similar simple battery in the article. AND .
Battery runs on fresh water
How to make your own battery activated by ordinary water?
It's simple - watch the video about a small experiment that I conducted by making three different types dry batteries activated by water.
Water batteries or batteries running on ordinary water are not a myth but an everyday reality.
All elements of this battery are easily accessible and you can carry out this experiment yourself at home.
I suggest you make a homemade flashlight that runs on water. This great thing for tourists, hunters and just those who like to make something with their own hands. Moreover, the manufactured flashlight is absolutely environmentally friendly and does not harm environment, unlike conventional flashlights, the batteries of which contain harmful metals such as lead and mercury.
Imagine the usual Wall Clock, which work from 6 months to a year, and you don’t have to leave home to buy batteries when they run out. What could be more convenient than recharging the battery with tap water?
A homemade flashlight shines continuously for about half an hour, using a regular tap water, with salty sea water operating time increases to 2 hours.
So how does it work? A water battery consists of 2 plates (copper and zinc), and water plays the role of electrolyte. The output voltage is quite low, and in order to make the LEDs glow, you will need to assemble a simple step-up voltage converter.
Necessary materials for assembly:
- PVC pipe 10 cm (3/4 inch) long;
- PVC adapter from 3/4 inch to inch;
- A small ferrite bead (you can take a similar one from a non-working housekeeper);
- Transistor 2N3904 (NPN);
- 1K resistor;
- Reflector with LEDs (from an old flashlight);
- Copper and zinc electrodes;
- Single-core copper wire in varnish insulation;
- 4 sheets toilet paper;
- A piece transparent plastic;
Tools and Equipment:
- Soldering iron;
- Glue gun;
- Super glue;
The water battery is the main power source for the flashlight. It consists of two strips of metal, copper and zinc. The copper plate is the anode (plus), and the zinc plate is the cathode (minus power).
First of all, wrap 3 sheets of toilet paper around a copper electrode, then insert a zinc electrode into the resulting roll and wrap the rest around both of them.
Then wrap the resulting roll copper wire, this will prevent the paper from tearing when it gets wet.
After that, I selected the appropriate sizes plastic cover(in order not to spend a long time looking for the right one, you can make it yourself from any suitable piece of plastic), I made two slots in it for the electrodes and sealed the connection with superglue.
A boost converter is a circuit that allows LEDs to light up when the supply voltage is low. Here is his diagram:
For those who are poorly versed in electronics, I drew a simplified diagram:
Having soldered all the parts, you need to glue the reflector with LEDs and radio components to the PVC adapter.
On back side ten centimeter piece PVC pipes, glue a small circle of transparent plastic, it will serve as an indicator of the water level.
Note: The flashlight will work with tap water for about half an hour, with sea salt water the flashlight will shine for 2 hours. The flashlight works best with vinegar, as it contains a lot of electrolytes, and depending on the concentration of acetic acid, the flashlight can shine for 5-10 hours.
If you add a second battery of the same type to the flashlight, its operating time and brightness will triple!
I tested these liquids as fuel:
| Tap water | 0.5 V - 0.9 V | 400 mAh |
| Sea water | 0.7 V - 1 V | 600 mAh |
| Vinegar | 0.9 V - 1.3 V | 850 mAh |
Here is a video showing the process of making a flashlight:
Now you know how to make a homemade flashlight that runs on water.