To make your own battery at home, you just need two different types of metal, some electrical wires, and a conductive material. Many household items can be used as the medium in which to put metals, for example salt water, a lemon or even dust.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Making a Soda Stack
Step 1. Gather the materials
For this stack, you'll need a closed soda can (any flavor will do), a plastic cup (177-236ml) and a 2cm wide copper strip that's a little longer than the height of the cup.. In addition, you will need scissors, a voltage meter, and two electrical leads with alligator clips at the ends.
- If you don't have these materials at home, you can buy them at a hardware store.
- It is possible to replace the copper strip with several pieces of copper wire glued or zigzag bent to achieve the desired width.
Step 2. Fill the plastic cup about 3/4 full with soda
Note that the cup does not have to be plastic, it just cannot be metallic. Styrofoam and paper ones will also do.
Step 3. Completely empty the can
Discard or drink any remaining soda, turn the container upside down over the sink, and shake it a little to remove all the beverage.
Step 4. Cut a strip of aluminum from the soda can
Cut a strip 2 cm wide from the side of the can. It should be a little longer than the cup, but if that's not possible, don't worry: you can just fold the top of the strip and let it hang over the edge of the cup and into the liquid.
- Instead of cutting the can, you can buy aluminum strips at a hardware store.
- Aluminum foil is not an effective replacement for strip. Don't use it.
Step 5. Sand the aluminum strip (optional)
You can skip this step if you purchased the strip at a hardware store. If you have cut it from a soda can, you will need to sand the cover (paint, plastic) on both sides of it.
Step 6. Place the strips in the solution
Don't let them touch. Place them facing each other, not side by side or overlapping inside the cup.
- Ideally, you have cut the strips long enough so that the tops of them are above the soda, passing the edge of the glass.
- If they don't extend beyond the rim of the cup, you can bend each one a little so they hang out of the cup.
Step 7. Attach the lead wires to the metal strips
Attach one of the strands to a strip by opening the alligator clip and closing it over it. Then attach another wire to another metal strip, again using the alligator clip.
- Be careful not to let the clips touch the coolant.
- It doesn't matter what color of wire is attached to which metal.
Step 8. Test the battery
Following the instructions that come with your voltage meter, connect a lead from each metal strip to the meter. It should read your battery voltage at about 3/4 of a Volt.
Method 2 of 4: Making a pile with salt water
Step 1. Gather the materials
For this pile, you will need a plastic cup (177-236 ml), two 2 cm metal strips that are taller than the cup, and 1 tablespoon (14.79 ml) of salt. Each strip should be a different type of metal, but you can choose: zinc, aluminum and copper are popular options. In addition, you will need scissors, a voltage meter, and two lead wires with alligator clips at both ends.
- A variation on this recipe is to add 1 teaspoon (4.93 ml) of salt, 1 teaspoon of vinegar and a few drops of bleach to the water instead of 1 tablespoon of salt. If you choose this variation, be careful as bleach is a dangerous chemical.
- Metal strips, electrical conductors and voltage meters are available at hardware stores. You can also find the wires at stores that sell electrical components.
Step 2. Fill the plastic cup about 3/4 full with water
Note that it doesn't have to be plastic, it just can't be metallic. Styrofoam and paper cups will do as well.
Step 3. Add 1 tablespoon (14.79 ml) of salt to the water and stir
The process is the same if you decide to use the salt, vinegar and bleach variation.
Step 4. Place the two metal strips in the cup
They should touch the salt water and extend beyond the edge of the container. If the strips are too short, bend them so they hang out of the cup and soak in the solution.
Step 5. Attach the lead wires to the metal strips
Attach one of the strands to a strip by opening the alligator clip and closing it over it. Then attach another wire to the other strip, again using the alligator clip.
- Be careful not to let the clips touch the water.
- It doesn't matter what color of wire is attached to which metal.
Step 6. Test the battery
Following the instructions that came with your voltage meter, connect a lead from each metal strip to the meter. It should read your battery voltage at about 3/4 of a Volt.
Method 3 of 4: Making a 14-cell battery with water
Step 1. Gather the materials
For this battery, you will need some copper wire, 13 to 15 metal screws, an ice and water tray. You will wrap each screw with copper, except one, which will be used as the negative terminal (to which you will attach one of the lead wires after the battery is full).
- How many screws to use depends on how many ice cubes your tray supports. The one in this example might contain 14 ice cubes.
- You can use any type of metal screws as long as they are not copper. Zinc-coated (galvanized) or aluminum-coated ones work well. As for size, try to use screws about 2.5 cm long.
Step 2. Wrap the copper wire around 14 of the 15 screws
Thread a piece of string twice around the top of each screw, just below its head. After wrapping a screw, use your finger to bend the wire, making a hook that you will use to secure the screw to the edge of the ice tray.
You can either pre-cut the copper wire into lengths long enough to wrap each screw (with a little extra for the hooks), or work the long wire and cut it off when you finish each screw
Step 3. Attach one screw to each ice tray compartment
Each ice space will serve as a cell for your battery. Attach a screw to the edge of each cell, placing only one in each space.
Step 4. Attach the positive and negative terminals to one end of the tray
At one end of it, attach a piece of copper to the outer edge of one of the cells. At the same end, place a screw in the cell near the one where you just placed the copper wire. The screw should be above the edge of the tray as you need to attach a lead wire to it.
Step 5. Fill each cell with water
They should be full enough for the copper hooks and screws to touch the liquid.
Step 6. Attach the lead wires to the positive and negative terminals
Connect a lead wire to the copper wire terminal using the alligator clip. Then attach a different wire to the screw terminal, again using the alligator clip.
- Be careful not to let the clips touch the water.
- It doesn't matter which color of wire is attached to which terminal.
Step 7. Test the battery
Attach the other ends of the lead wires to the voltage meter. The 14 cell battery you just made should generate 9 Volts.
Step 8. Increase the voltage
You can raise the battery voltage by changing the conductive solution to salt water, vinegar, bleach, lemon or lime juice, or using more copper.
Method 4 of 4: Making a Manual Stack
Step 1. Gather the materials
For this stack, you'll need a copper plate and an aluminum plate, both about the size of your hands. You will also need two lead wires with alligator clips at both ends and a voltage meter.
You can buy all these materials at a hardware store
Step 2. Place aluminum and copper plates on a piece of wood
If not, you can also use another non-metallic surface such as plastic.
Step 3. Connect the boards to a voltage meter
Using the alligator clips, attach the copper foil to one end of the meter and the aluminum to the other.
If you are unsure how to connect the items to your specific voltage meter, check its instruction manual
Step 4. Place one hand on each plate
When you put your hands on the metal plates, the sweat should react and produce a value on the voltage meter.
- If the meter shows nothing, reverse the connections: attach the copper plate to the terminal the aluminum was connected to and vice versa.
- If you are still having difficulty getting a reading, check the connection and wires. If everything is working fine, it could be that the boards are oxidized. To remove oxidation, clean them with a rubber or steel wool.
Tips
- To use your home battery to power a device, connect the lead wires to the metal strips inside your device's battery receptacle. If you cannot connect to the device using alligator clips, you will need lead wires without clips on the ends. If you're not sure what to use, ask a qualified salesperson at an electronics or hardware store.
- To make a battery of soda or salt water stronger, fill several plastic cups with the metal strip solution/liquid. Then connect the strips in each cup with the opposite type of container on the side using the lead wires; for example, a copper strip must be connected to an aluminum one.
- Using three or more batteries of salt water or soda should be enough to power a simple device like an LCD clock.
- As a point of reference, a standard AAA battery delivers between 1, 1 and 1.23 Volts. An AA delivers between 1, 1 and 3, 6 Volts.
- You'll be able to use the aluminum + copper + liquid batteries for quite a while (some people suggest several years), but you'll need to refresh the fluid and sand the copper strips a little every three months or sooner if they get badly corroded.