Make: Electronics Book Experiment 5 - Home-made batteries

[@SomeNewKid]

Great experiment. I did the same lemon juice experiment from the book, though using store-bought copper "probes" because we don't have copper coins in Australia. My four-cell lemon-juice battery produced only 1.8 volts, yet it illuminated an LED very well. Your dim LED from a higher voltage battery may be due to the LED, and you may have gotten a better result with a different LED, particularly a low-current LED. Of course, merely illuminating the LED is a successful experiment, and I too enjoyed the experiment.

[@M7GNP]

Yes you might be right about low-current LEDs - mine have been sitting around in my spare parts store for some time, so are definitely not the latest and greatest 🙂 The other thing I noticed on the video, which I didn't spot when I was doing the experiment is that the electrolyte in one of the cells was only just covering the bottom of the coin in that cell, so that probably didn't help.

[@Impulse_Photography]

Can I use Vinegar instead of Lemon Juice?

[@M7GNP]

@@Impulse_Photography Well it is an electrolyte so it should work in theory. I'd be interested to hear what sort of results you get with it.

[@ahh59823]

I'm trying to make a lithium battery like that But we have a problem with the formation of liquid in the battery Liquid lithium is the secret of the battery The solution is made from acetone and alcohol It contains another substance called lithium How is the substance added to the solution? Because the liquid in the battery is very clear There is no oxygen in it I don't know what lithium salt is or lithium carbonate I'm confused

[@M7GNP]

You're making a lithium battery? That sounds risky. I honestly wouldn't know where to begin with something like that. Best wishes and take care.

[@pdloder]

Why don't you cut a slot for the coin?

[@M7GNP]

Yes true - I would have made life a lot easier for myself if I had made initial incisions for both the bracket and the coin.