Penny Batteries

[garbagegigo]

Hi Everyone,

I just got started with alternative energy and I tried out a 'penny battery'. It was pretty cool (as I had never done it before) and I successfully placed a few pennies in series to produce about 6 volts.

But when it came to lighting a 3v LED, it couldn't light it up (I found out later it was due to not enough current being produced). All it got from the LED was a dim glow.

My plan was to use the penny battery to light up a few LEDs to use as a night lamp. I tried connecting two batteries in parallel but even that didn't seem to increase the light.

My goal would be to use the LEDs as a night light without buying batteries or using power from the grid. Any help regarding this would be much appreciated.


Thanks & Regards,
GarbageGigo

[Bizzy]

Hi Everyone,

I just got started with alternative energy and I tried out a 'penny battery'. It was pretty cool (as I had never done it before) and I successfully placed a few pennies in series to produce about 6 volts.

But when it came to lighting a 3v LED, it couldn't light it up (I found out later it was due to not enough current being produced). All it got from the LED was a dim glow.

My plan was to use the penny battery to light up a few LEDs to use as a night lamp. I tried connecting two batteries in parallel but even that didn't seem to increase the light.

My goal would be to use the LEDs as a night light without buying batteries or using power from the grid. Any help regarding this would be much appreciated.


Thanks & Regards,
GarbageGigo

Hi Garbagegigo,

There is a devise called a joule thief. It is very simple to make and helps light LED lights using very little current. There are several very good YOUtube videos demonstrating these. I also think that lasersaber has a "how to " instruction on how to make one.
I made two when I was working with earth batteries a few years ago and they do work!!!
Let us know if you need more help with your project and good luck.
Bizzy