Fun with old batteries

Radial caps with AC applied.

KeepItSimpleStupid said:

Radial caps with AC applied.

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Radial caps with no vent on top, bung covered with epoxy, with AC applied.

A frend of the family tried to power a walki-talkie (remember them?) from the output of an unfiltered train transformer. The caps made music.

Now, me. I attached the AC line to the 3 or 4 gang metal tubular caps that were present in tube radios on purpose.

KeepItSimpleStupid said:

A frend of the family tried to power a walki-talkie (remember them?) from the output of an unfiltered train transformer. The caps made music.

Now, me. I attached the AC line to the 3 or 4 gang metal tubular caps that were present in tube radios on purpose.

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Did they blow thier guts all over the place?
That would be tons of fun to do some of those!

Yep, like popcorn.

KeepItSimpleStupid said:

Yep, like popcorn.

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You can toss little ones in a fire and they heat up and go off like firecrackers

Hello,


I used to glue my old AA alkalines together with Gorilla glue (ha ha). It was mostly a test of this type of glue really, but it ended up being quite a piece of work as it kept growing and growing. The cells were glued together by setting one in the center of two others forming a triangle, so the whole thing looked geometric in design. I threw it out though as it got too big, then i turned mostly to rechargeable batteries anyway. Too bad i didnt think to take a picture of the resulting statue before throwing it out.

MrAl said:

Hello,


I used to glue my old AA alkalines together with Gorilla glue (ha ha). It was mostly a test of this type of glue really, but it ended up being quite a piece of work as it kept growing and growing. The cells were glued together by setting one in the center of two others forming a triangle, so the whole thing looked geometric in design. I threw it out though as it got too big, then i turned mostly to rechargeable batteries anyway. Too bad i didnt think to take a picture of the resulting statue before throwing it out.

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We use NIMH batteries with a good charger.

We used to have a 15 minuite charger, but after a few recharges, the [expensive] batteries are DEAD and won't charge!

ben7 said:

We use NIMH batteries with a good charger.

We used to have a 15 minuite charger, but after a few recharges, the [expensive] batteries are DEAD and won't charge!

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Then you can always blow them up from the 240 Volts mains behind a shield.
At least you have a bit more fun out of them before chucking those faulty batteries out.

RODALCO said:

Then you can always blow them up from the 240 Volts mains behind a shield.
At least you have a bit more fun out of them before chucking those faulty batteries out.

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Can't do that around here, as I mentioned before the cops will come

P.S. I don't have 240v mains, just 120v. We only have a 200A service too

Actually you do. Your clothes dryer uses it all the time. Two 120V lines coming into all US houses are 180 degrees opposite, so when you use them as hot and neutral, you get 240v. (A dryer outlet).

Ben7 It has been the way for 50 years I know of that battery manufacturers produce chargers also and generally those chargers are intended to destroy the batteries by current and voltage overcharging. My advice if you were to ask is to get a good lab supply , attach the battery or batteries in series and then turn the current knob way up . Bring the voltage up until the batteries begin to take some current but no more voltage increase. Turn the current back to feed 10% of the rated amp hours of the battery.

Sit back and watch for a bit to ensure the current does not fall ,if it does bring the voltage up slightly. The batteries are usually marked as to how much current for how long but I find overnight to do the trick in most cases. Definately no more than 24 hrs for auto type batteries.

Now I am pretty sure u know this already but it is a good prime for our younger readers.
With an equaliser attached u can do Lipo batteries too so that will help them in the future. Did u see the frantic posts about a spray on window SOLAR film that even produces electrical power from incandescent lights? An american invention too , I thought it would be the Chinese who would make the breakthroughs

Birdman Adam said:

Actually you do. Your clothes dryer uses it all the time. Two 120V lines coming into all US houses are 180 degrees opposite, so when you use them as hot and neutral, you get 240v. (A dryer outlet).

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I realised that a few minutes after I posted

birdman said:

...when you use them as hot and neutral, you get 240v. (A dryer outlet).

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I hate to disagree here, but I must.

Voltages are:

L1 to N = 120
L1 to L2 = 240
L2 to N = 120
N to Ground = ~0 (they are connected togeter at the first disconnect)

L? = Hot line 1 or Hot line 2

Neutral to Hot is 120 Volts not 240 V as you stated.

I had some fun with a bunch of old batteries today!

I took 1600 pounds of old car and commercial deep cycle battery's to the scrap yard and got 20 cents a pound for them and then went shopping with the money!

I kind of worded that wrong.. What you said is what I meant, but makes more sense!