Homemade Batteries

[Vickers]

How can I convert a plastic 44 gallon drum into a 1.5 volt rechargeable battery cell for less than $5?

[kazm]

How can I convert a plastic 44 gallon drum into a 1.5 volt rechargeable battery cell for less than $5?

I'll bite - how?

j/k

Since it's easy to find 1.5v rechargeable batteries under $5 just about anywhere, I'll assume that your goal is actually one of the following:

* You want to learn how batteries work
* You want a source of off-the-grid electricity (in case of emergency, to be self-sufficient, etc)
* You want to save money by using free sources of electricity (free in the sense that you don't have to spend any more money, you can just use the resources you have, like the 44 gallon drum).

If these are your reasons then I'd suggest looking into making an Earth battery, which is a Galvanic battery that can be made with pieces of scrap metal, soil and water, and can provide 1.5 volts, with varying amounts of current (like any cell they can be connected in series or parallel to increase the amount of voltage or current). Many on this forum are using this kind of battery to feed their joule thief circuits, which then light LEDs and even Fluorescent tubes and CFLs in some cases (!).

For the basics search for "Salt Water Battery", "Lemon Battery", "Potato Battery", "Air Battery", "Earth Battery", "Plant Battery". This will show you the basic concept, where you have two electrodes (ex: one piece of copper, one piece of zinc) with different potentials, connected by an electrolyte (ex: salt water).

Note that these aren't rechargeable per se, they last until the anode is consumed and then need to be replenished, but not a problem if you have easy access to scrap metal.

Also, recently many have been working with the "Stubblefield" coil, which is both a galvanic battery and electromagnet combined into one. The "Earth Battery SG" thread on this forum has a good amount of info on it.

Have fun

-kazm

[Vickers]

Hi Kazm, Some good ideas there. I was thinking maybe an Edison battery. Cheap materials, long life and perfect for storing solar, RF, earth energy etc..
I can get these drums for free so if I successfully build one cell I can make several and run in series.

This thread maybe be of interest to any potters here.
I'm sure this link will shed a little light on the subject

Did u know batteries were used over 2000 years ago?
A Short History of Ancient Electricity

[Matthew Jones]

Your not going to build an Edison battery for 5 bucks. The nickel plate will cost you a good bit. Somthing in 44 gallon barrel your talking 6-8 hundred in nickel alone.
Battery acid is expensive.

44 gallon?

If you really wanted to make a battery that would fill that and give you some power you could go lead acid, but minimum cost would be pretty high. 2-3 hundred dollars for the lead and the acid. You won't find scrap lead that is suitable.
Then you gotta format it and charge it. Thats another few dollars in electricity.

So whats the deal? You really wanna build a battery or are just asking a ridiculous question.

Matt

[Vickers]

True Matt. But if I use a throw away like Galvanized roofing iron. People pay too take this away. It is generally considered as worthless junk.
So what do we have right there? We got zinc,maybe a little tin and a lot of iron. For free. And a few bucks for on top for garbage removal fee.
We got basic ingredients for an Edison battery.
Now all we need is reasonably free acid.
I doubt that any one here wants to spend a week grinding snails in a blender to get free sulfuric acid so heres a short cut.
I think USA calls it dry wall.
Gypsum board, Plaster of paris. Easy. Dissolve in water. Than reduce.

[Vickers]

Your not going to build an Edison battery for 5 bucks. The nickel plate will cost you a good bit. Somthing in 44 gallon barrel your talking 6-8 hundred in nickel alone.
Battery acid is expensive.

44 gallon?

If you really wanted to make a battery that would fill that and give you some power you could go lead acid, but minimum cost would be pretty high. 2-3 hundred dollars for the lead and the acid. You won't find scrap lead that is suitable.
Then you gotta format it and charge it. Thats another few dollars in electricity.

So whats the deal? You really wanna build a battery or are just asking a ridiculous question.

Matt

Dont need the nickel. Zinc and iron is good. iT WORKS. vALENCE IS HORSE****. tHIS IS ENERGY FROM, junk. ......Recyclable junk. It works.

[ewizard]

Sounds interesting. Do you have some plans for building these? Do you have any idea of how much power you might get out of one 44 gallon battery? Power from recycled construction materials is a great idea!

[Matthew Jones]

This is a patent on a Iron Zinc battery. Iron-based storage battery - Google Patent Search

It requires the Zinc to be separate from the iron and creates as by product a pretty toxic soup.

There are Zinc Carbon batteries but they are still in the developmental stages.

Galvin is magnesium compound. So you have strip them chemically and separate them to use scrap metal like you talking about.

But an Edison battery is IRON and NICKEL. Do your home work you'll see.

You can make a galvanized metal battery but that is a one time shot as far as I know. IE the lemon battery. I didn't they could be recharged as the galvanization oxidizes and is gone. And they would have to be very big to deliver a significant load for a good period of time. Whats it worth? Probably the scrap steel is better sale that the amount of power you'll make.

If you have plans for a rechargeable Galvanized Steel battery please post it.

Matt

[Stealth]

A 44 gallon plastic drum would make one heck of a Layden jar. Not sure what kind of voltage you would get from it though.Alumium foil would cost less than $5, I'm sure. You could use scrap materials for the rest of it.Good Luck. Stealth

[Stealth]

Here is Edison's patent for a galvanic battery.Good Luck. Stealth