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Need Hi-Tech Hi-Powered Organic Battery plans for Science Fair

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FreakinDJ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-12-10 11:10 PM
Original message
Need Hi-Tech Hi-Powered Organic Battery plans for Science Fair
My kid has been trying to find information and plans for a Hi Powered Organic Battery for his Science Fair project.

He is experiementing with a home made solar cell and wants to augment the power requirements of his blinking LEDs.

I am invisioning some thing like multiple Zinc and Copper plates with Orange juice in a tuppaware box.

any help/links would be appreciated
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NYC_SKP Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-12-10 11:19 PM
Response to Original message
1. Well...
I've known students who made solar cells, it's fun but I don't think you'll get nearly as much current as with your orange juice battery.

Here's a lesson on making a battery: http://www.need.org/ElectroWorks%20Student.pdf

Here's making a battery with pennies and nickles, the pennies have to be old pure copper (I've done this one).
The more coins you use, the more power you'll get.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Penny-and-Nickel-Battery/

Also, post your question in the DU Science and the DU Enery/Environment forums.

:hi:
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alfredo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-12-10 11:20 PM
Response to Original message
2. A Science Fair site
Edited on Tue Jan-12-10 11:23 PM by alfredo
googled: "organic battery science fair"

http://www.sciencefairadventure.com/


found this also:

Googled: "lemon battery"
http://www.quantumbalancing.com/news/lemon_battery.htm



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ddeclue Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-12-10 11:22 PM
Response to Original message
3. Any dissimilar metal pair + an electrolyte will generate voltage..
however you risk making toxic waste in the process depending on the metals chosen.

You might want to look into building a fuel cell. There are numerous kits on the intertubes.
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FreakinDJ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-12-10 11:25 PM
Response to Reply #3
4. Yep fuel cell was also 1 of the ideas that came up
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The River Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-12-10 11:53 PM
Response to Original message
5. 500 Lb Potato Battery
http://latteier.com/potato/
"Each potato generates about 0.5 volts and 0.2 milliamperes. I connected groups of potatoes together in series to increase voltage and then connected these groups together in parallel to increase amperage. The entire 500 lb battery generated around 5 volts and 4 milliamperes."

When the battery wears out you can recycle the potatoes into Vodka!
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Canuckistanian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-13-10 12:04 AM
Response to Reply #5
6. 200 microamps/potato? That's all?
Seems to me that the lemons can provide more current. Four lemons can produce enough to light an LED (assuming a current of at least 1.5V and 20 mA for an LED.)
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ddeclue Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-13-10 12:14 AM
Response to Reply #5
7. 500 lb = 20mW at 5 V.. bwa ha ha.. skip the battery and go straight to the vodka.
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KittyWampus Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-13-10 12:24 AM
Response to Reply #5
8. aw, I thought we were talking one 500 pound potato
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The River Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-13-10 12:35 AM
Response to Reply #8
9. That's What I Thought
when I saw the google link.

It was more about showmanship than efficiency
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