# Homemade diy batteries?



## Ziggythewiz (May 16, 2010)

Typical DIY batteries are great for running LEDs or other kiddie science projects. You're not going to run a car, bike, or anything else particularly useful with them.

I've seen a lead battery rebuilt (only half the plates get worn) but it's more effort than any sane person would go to. The acid is one reason, the lead is another, and simple economics is the prime.

For the amout of time it will take you to accomplish anything, you could go flip some burgers and just buy some batteries.

For lithium, just infiltrate China and pickup a sweatshop job for a few weeks so you can learn the process. Then save a ton of money and build a factory. Done!


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## PStechPaul (May 1, 2012)

This explains how to do it:
http://www.ehow.com/how_7637452_construct-lithiumion-battery.html

It was discussed on this forum 5 years ago:
http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php/why-not-make-ou-rown-lifepo4-16182.html

http://video.mit.edu/watch/how-lithium-ion-batteries-are-made-59/

http://my.brainshark.com/Fundamentals-of-Lithium-Ion-Batteries-988227626 (Oops, gotta pay to play! )

http://www.rockwoodlithium.com/prod...batteries/lithium_power_for_batteries.en.html

Maybe you can grow the batteries on plants?
http://www.gizmag.com/madder-root-lithium-ion-battery-electrode/25412/


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## builder (Mar 31, 2013)

You can make your own batteries with salted water or vinegar


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## PStechPaul (May 1, 2012)

Also, if life gives you lemons, instead of lemonade, make batteries!
http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryhowtoguide/a/fruitbattery.htm





 
Magnesium/copper or aluminum/copper might give higher voltage. See the chart:
http://nuclearpowertraining.tpub.com/h1015v1/css/h1015v1_106.htm


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## builder (Mar 31, 2013)

and lemons


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## builder (Mar 31, 2013)

to make your own battery is very easy if you have the right ingredients


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## rmay635703 (Oct 23, 2008)

Trailhead said:


> Hi gents,
> 
> Here's the rookie part; It seems like collecting dead lead acid deep cycle batteries could be fairly easy. Can these be rebuilt? If so, do people shy away because of the dangers of working with the acid?
> 
> ...


Making a battery results in a circa 1880s quality battery which doesn't have much capacity or durability.

As for collecting lead acid batteries, I do that but I cherry pick at the scrapper and get ones that work somewhat then rejuvinate them.

If you don't care about range junkyard units work fine, understand that you need to find batteries that aren't shorted out to rejuvinate them.

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/batteryconversions/
http://blog.hasslberger.com/2007/01/how_to_convert_a_lead_acid_bat.html

That also works on well sulphated batteries, if you have an unlimited supply of them make an alum battery out of one, they are very saggy and tend to have reduced capacity but heck at least they work as opposed to sit there and do nothing.

Ecomodder had one individual who ran his car on just alum batteries (how not to convert a metro) (which really are just doped lead acid with very weak acid and a high self discharge rate)

This is the cheap way but understand that you need more batteries to go less distance if you do it this way.

Good Luck
Ryan


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## PStechPaul (May 1, 2012)

There might be something to the Alum electrolyte lead battery. There have also been some conversions using Epsom salts and copper oxide. Here is a video of this type battery:





 
There has been some research that has determined that 80% of a lead-acid cell's abnormally high potential (2.2V) comes from a relativistic effect due to very high electron spins around the nucleus of the heavy lead atom, which is not seen for tin, and that may explain why the higher tin/lead solder did not work. Here's the article:

http://physics.aps.org/story/v27/st2


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## rmay635703 (Oct 23, 2008)

PStechPaul said:


> There might be something to the Alum electrolyte lead battery. There have also been some conversions using Epsom salts and copper oxide.
> 
> http://physics.aps.org/story/v27/st2


Its good to see people re-examing lead batteries but...

All sulphates including cobalt work great in lead batteries, sulphates were thoroughly understood since the lead battery was invented. The chemesty isn't hard to figure either. 

Historically all the sulphates were used by handymen to dope and fix big bad glass jar'd batteries on farms and the like. Like anything there are positive and negative side affects, the best doping agent was cobalt, the lead cobalt batteries that went on the vintage satellites is the best example (stops the positive plate from coroding). Atlas battery sold cobalt doped lead batteries in central america for years because of this side effect.

Some of the cobalt doped batteries went 30 years in the Mars EV's, not bad for a lead battery.

Also over 100years ago straight alum batteries were used for telegraph stations (a few vintage copies of historic books on google can be found describing them) The alum battery was used because of its ability to provide small amounts of current for many years, not quite what we want in an ev, maybe a watch?

Its too bad we seem to forget what we always had?


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