Continued from “Earth Batteries Revisited”

I was contacted by a friend yesterday who informed me that a voltage of 0.5 volts could be got from methylated spirits. Having tried most things to try and find a reasonable amount of power to run small electric or electronic items, I tried the idea. The results were not very good as the output although 0.5v, it only produced micro-amps. I then refilled the test  rig with cloudy ammonia and got a reading of 1.12 vdc which is very close to a rechargeable battery. The amperage was 1.2 milliamps. Although this is also too low to be of much use it was still a great improvement. For more on these types of power see some of the earlier blogs on earth batteries. These pages are all practical and the experiments have been done. Most of the things on these pages are made from scrap, so cost nothing. Any queries email whitewolf1@live.fr and I will get back to you within a day.

Click on photo to enlarge!

On this page is a photograph of a CD that was put in a microwave. I would not recommend this, it`s just in case you were thinking of it. Some rather funny things have been put in the common microwave, I will list the ones I have seen. A string of fairy lights from a Christmas tree was tried and they did light for a while but were ruined after the experiment. Steel wool that is used to clean dirty pots just catches fire and does not help the microwave. Various foods like eggs,liver, potatoes and sausages can explode if left in too long and not peirced to ventilate them. Do not on any account put anything inflammable in the microwave. See other post for using spare parts from microwave oven. The turntable motor generates 960 volts when turned with a small handle or vice grips. Be carefull it give quite a kick.

Click on these pics to enlarge.

Having stripped an old microwave, I have the following infomation for experimenters. Fistly I made a crank handle to turn the motor, then fitted the unit to a base. On cranking the motor at varios speeds, a voltage of 960 volts AC was produced at the terminals. When a diode was put in the circuit the voltage dropped to 700 volts DC. This however provided a good power supply for some old capacitors in series with the diode and they produced 2500 volts and a big spark. However the amperage from this unit is constant at 5 mA  but gives quite a shock. Using capacitors is dangerous and should only be done  under supervision. I did find that after several hours of winding this motor the shafts of gears “B” and “C” had to be lengthened as they came loose and the gears jammed. Also the plastic gear “D” had to have the protusions removed from its upper surface. The details of the motor can be seen on this page, you will notice it is quite an old motor but still very functional. Email:-whitewolf1@live.fr

My last post on Earth Batteries was not very visual so I am reposting it with additions.

“Have you ever thought about alternative energy? I read about earth batteries and was very impressed many years ago. The original idea in the early 1800`s was to use iron spikes a metre long, driven into the ground several metres apart and a voltage taken off from the protruding tops of these spikes. Then came the idea to make these spikes out of different materials which then increased the output voltage. I have run small transistor radios with this method for many years in my workshop with an occasional cleaning of the rods.

Another form of power was obtained from biological batteries . This required aluminium screw top pill containers of the time and a carbon rod from an old battery. The inside of the container was cleaned with fine emery cloth and the carbon rod was fixed through a hole in the lid after insulating the rod with several layers of tape. The tins were then filled with a mixture of bead,water and sugar,and the tops screwed on. The carbon rod must not touch the the aluminium case. These cans can be jioned together for a higher voltage. Connect the carbon rod of one to the aluminium case of the next,and so on. I found 3 of these was enough to run a small radio or an electronic watch. After several weeks I had to add a little sugar and water to the mix, this brought the voltage up again. This mixure can be replaced with salt water and will still produce a voltage, but for a shorter period of time. If you find this interesting put this title “Earth Batteries” into google and you will find a lot of interesting sites. Also try the “Crystal  Castle”, this is an interesting site I read many years ago and have not checked it lately. If you have a problem with these ideas, email me and I will forward you the information.”

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This voltage has remianed for some days now and is produced by putting 900 mm of 50mm diameter aluminium and galvanised pipe into the ground. These pipes are 900mm apart and 600mm deep.

This is an old 12volt battery casing from a motor bike, with the insides removed. Seawater was used with copper and aluminium electrodes and produced 4.81 volts but only 5mA under load. It did however light a red LED.

After charging it through a 1N4001 diode the voltage increased. The charger was the wind generator in my other post. Below are a few ideas that may help if this postinterests you.                                                                   Click on these to read full screen. email: whitewolf1@live.fr for any more info.