Battery/LED challenge. play if you dare!

[jsatan]

o well, I've never come across that before.

[jsatan]

I take it better bacause it doesnt let the oxide stick to the surface?

 

I started a battery (just testing) last night using aluminium and K-OH, almost the same as YT, (I didnt know YT did his in that way til I read it, lol).

 

using take away trays about 3cm by 10, (2 of them) I started it 5ish this morning and so far it still going.

 

next test will use a better anode (the none alu probe) as at the moment I'm using only carbon rodes, which have a small surface area etc.

 

so I';; increase my surface area of the anode and then drop the amount of K-OH to slow it down as with the bigger anode it picks up more of the electrons etc.

 

I just did a quick test using a copper plate extra on the anode and it worked great, so I've been funny hot all this time, tut tut at me, lol.

 

works great tho, and is you want you can collect the hydrogen and make a fuel cell (palladium etc as the cat, costly tho) and them old drink cans are now making you a cuppa, looool.

[YT2095]

I used NaOH, KOH should out perform mine current wise.

magnallium is an alu and magnessium alloy, Mg is more electo pos than Al and so a higher voltage

 

you should do well with it! )

[jsatan]

Yeah I'm getting 1.8 volts across 2 cells.

I'm not too fust about the current, just enough to light the LED, its still going, lol. works great for a little bit of foil,

 

Its still going, dim but still lit, thats almost 36 from foil. wow, lol.

[jsatan]

YT you used brass foil, is brass an copper zinc alloy? if so doesnt zinc react with sodium hydroxide?

[YT2095]

there was a little reaction, but nothing of significance only surface discoloration, I`de have prefered to use copper foil, but didn`t have any at the time.

 

how`s it going btw, still lit?

[jsatan]

nah went out around 37hr or so, not bad tho for little foil, on which I can make the design much better, its great how mcuh you can learn from a proto type.

 

I've also learned that stainless steel is a crap conductor.

[YT2095]

heheheh, it`s all good clean fun though

 

try to see if you can get some larger peices of Alu though, maybe from an old TV antenna or the likes. just flatten the tubing with a hammer to make a plate, drill a hole in the end and nut and bolt your wire to it.

I used the adjustable clips of an old back pack for my Alu, and made 2 L shapes from it.

next time I`ll do the same with copper pipe instead of Brass foil, should be just that little bit better

[jsatan]

lol. for my new one I'm using an old underarm spray tin, not too bad for thinkness, (better than the foil, which has a coating on anyway)

 

But Carbon is so good for conducting, thye should make cable from this stuff, lol.

I've got some activated carbon which I'm going to put together to make a carbon plate.

 

I think If try hard I could get a whole month for the 250G weight.

 

Yeah I need some help on this. I know alu oxide has 3O atoms, so I need 3x mols of water to alu, but my mols working is poor, what would that be in a ratio?

 

say 1g alu to 5g water?

I've go some alu rods from my brake level (my bike) from when I crashed, thats made of alu just needs the coating taking off, maybe we should drop the weight?

 

 

lol.

[jsatan]

Also I was trying something last night, when I was making a new cell the only thing I could find to make the anode from was a tin can (beans type) I washed it and cut it up, but it works as well as plastic would.

 

the plate size was around 5x5cm, when I added my carbon rod it almost 4x the current output. I really dont get wy a tin can is so bad, it conduct fine with connected with a real cell, even doing a ohm test shows it to be fine.

 

any ideas?

[HKS85]

i know most of you have seen these but has anyone ever bought and used one??? the price on this one isnt too bad being that its 30 leds $40

 

[jsatan]

lol. you growing plants?

[YT2095]

Also I was trying something last night' date=' when I was making a new cell the only thing I could find to make the anode from was a tin can (beans type) I washed it and cut it up, but it works as well as plastic would.

 

the plate size was around 5x5cm, when I added my carbon rod it almost 4x the current output. I really dont get wy a tin can is so bad, it conduct fine with connected with a real cell, even doing a ohm test shows it to be fine.

 

any ideas?[/quote']

the larger the surface area of the electrodes the greater the current will be. Same Voltage, just higher Amperage

[jsatan]

yeha I know that, its the rate at which the alu is 'burned' up in relation to the current, I know the voltage will remain the same (that fuel type which will change this,)

 

I've now sorted my problem, My plate was big thats what was gettign me mixed up.

 

I'm talking about the anode (none alu plate)

just got to get some more carbon rods,

[YT2095]

The carbon plays little to no part in the reaction, only as a conductor( it`s inert). you`re doing yourself out of some good Voltage there using it

[jsatan]

I know carbon does nothing to help, but its works better than what i have got,

 

I've got copper plates 4 mm think, this is too heavy.

 

How is this doing my self out of some voltage?

the cathode doesnt do anything does it? it, just conducts.

 

Also I've been talking about the anode and cathode the wrong way round, sorry.

 

Not too bad of list, http://www.metal-mart.com/Guides/Galvanic.htm

[YT2095]

well I`ve made a little too much Copper Sulphate than I need (had to use up some excess Sulphuric acid).

 

and was thinking, how about, a dillute soln of CuSO4 a Copper and a Alu electrode system?

should work quite well if the soln`s not too strong

maybe add a solid CuSO4 crystal at the bottom, they dissolve really Slowly without movenemt but WILL eventualy disperse though an "Osmosis" type occurance, keeping the cell active for some time.

 

worth a shot anyway!

[cyeokpeng]

Any strong reason why you use NaOH as the electrolyte, instead of CuSO4 solution or other metallic solution???

[YT2095]

yes, IF you refer to my original battery

 

I used it because that is what gave me the greatest power using Magnalium as an electrode, and I had/have an abundance of it

 

 

"Cheap and nasty" you may say

[Encrypted]

Ya i made one.

 

Couldnt exactly measure whether it was 250 grams. But i am pretty sure it was.

Contents:

- Pencil lead(anode)

- Zinc (cathode)

- Concentrated lemon juice (one glass of it)

 

Time it remained lit: 3:13 (minutes:seconds), +/- 2 seconds

 

I guess im the loser.

 

What's magnellium? Could you mail me some????

 

Encrypted

[YT2095]

magnallium is a Magnessium/Aluminium alloy, I`m sure you`ve got plenty where you live in everyday use, and certainly tons of it at the local scrap yard, using plain Alu will work just as well, I only used magnallium as it was the largest solid peice of Alu substitute I had laying around, it`s by no means critical though

[Encrypted]

Ic, what about aluminum foil, will it work well?

 

Encrypted

[YT2095]

it will, but it`ll not last nearly as long as a more solid peice.

[Auk]

YT2095the metals you used for the challenge are they easy to purchase. I was wondering where I could get some magnanium. Thz ahead of time.

[CanadaAotS]

It is just a lil' red LED, could go on for a long time...

 

Maybe someone should do one with 250 grams worth of commercial batteries, just to see how it measures up to the ones people make themselves...

 

I would, but a) no near-to-nil about electronics b) because of point a) I'm not sure how to hook up a couple of Duracells to a red LED (or even where to get a red LED lol)...

 

If you could point me in the right direction, I wouldn't mind doing the test with the commercial batteries