The battery is a rechargeable power source for electrical devices. It differs from conventional chemical current sources in that it can be used repeatedly. The battery is especially convenient in a forest or country house, where it can be charged from a wind generator or solar battery and used for lighting, powering household electrical appliances and other purposes.
Necessary
- - glass jar;
- - lead:
- - clay;
- - sulfuric acid;
- - volumetric chemical glassware;
- - constant current source;
- - hydrometer;
- - tester or multimeter;
- - distilled or rain water;
- - wires;
- - an electric bulb for 2, 5-3 V;
- - locksmith tools.
Instructions
Step 1
The rechargeable battery consists of individual cells. Make one such element. Take sheet lead 5-6 mm thick. If you only have lead in the form of ingots, make a mold out of the clay, dry it and cast plates of the thickness you need, heating the lead on a stove or burner. The plates should have hangers to hold them on the top edge of the can. In order not to engage in soldering, when casting the plates, you can immediately put pieces of copper wire stripped from insulation into the mold, which will later be used to connect the battery to the charger or energy consumer.
Step 2
Place the molded plates on the top edges of the glass jar. It is better to take a rectangular bank. The plates should not touch each other and the bottom of the can. To avoid short circuits, you can put glass rods or tubes between the plates. The distance from one plate to another should not be less than 1 cm.
Step 3
Such a battery is called an acid battery, so it uses an electrolyte based on sulfuric acid. The electrolyte can be bought ready-made, but if necessary, nothing prevents its manufacture. Concentrated sulfuric acid, which can be found commercially, has a specific gravity of 1.08. Dilute it as follows. For 3.5 volumes of water, 1 volume of sulfuric acid is taken. Pour water, preferably distilled water, into a chemical container. You can buy it at a car dealership. Filtered rain water is also suitable. Add sulfuric acid to the water in a thin stream with constant stirring. Remember to be careful not to splatter the solution. Let the liquid cool down (sulfuric acid gets very hot when dissolved). The density of the solution according to Baume's hydrometer should be 21-22 ° C.
Step 4
Prepare the charger. Immediately after filling the battery, it will need to be charged. Pour in electrolyte so that the level is 1 cm below the upper edge of the jar and the upper edge of the plates. Immediately proceed with the first charge, which is carried out with direct current only. Mark the polarity of the plates with the "+" and "-" signs. A fully charged acid battery should display a voltage of 2, 2 V. on the plates.
Step 5
All mechanical and chemical work on the battery has been completed, but its capacity is still small. To increase it, carry out the molding. Connect a light bulb to the output wires and let the battery fully discharge to this load. Check the discharge with a tester or multimeter.
Step 6
After discharging, charge the battery "vice versa", that is, swap the wires going to the charger so that "+" becomes "-" and vice versa. Discharge the battery again through the bulb. It is advisable to do this operation 15-20 times in order to approximately double the capacity of the battery. It is not worth molding it anymore.
Step 7
It is advisable to provide the battery with a cover to protect the electrolyte from contamination. The lid can be made from any dielectric, even from wood impregnated with paraffin. It is advisable to arrange the battery terminals in the form of terminals or clamps. Be sure to mark their polarity at the end of the last forming cycle. When using an acid battery to replace the evaporated electrolyte, do not add a new one, add only water to the previous level. If you want to make a battery, connect several of these batteries in series.
