Home made battery

[steph74]

OK, don;t get all excited, it is just a stupid science fair project question....
but I guess the answer would be useful for those who want to dual wire batteries....

Stepson is doing a project to make a battery out of potatoes.... to power a small electromagnet

So he get stuck at one point and my knowledge of batteries and electricity is limited.

The Q is simple : Are these correct ?
1/ Increase voltage: connect batteries in series increase volts but not amps
2/ Increase amps: connect batteries in parallel increase amps but not volts.

made me think.... So in the case of dual battery in a car. how do you connect them together and for what benefit ?

[rguignard]

OK, don;t get all excited, it is just a stupid science fair project question....
but I guess the answer would be useful for those who want to dual wire batteries....

Stepson is doing a project to make a battery out of potatoes.... to power a small electromagnet

So he get stuck at one point and my knowledge of batteries and electricity is limited.

The Q is simple : Are these correct ?
1/ Increase voltage: connect batteries in series increase volts but not amps
2/ Increase amps: connect batteries in parallel increase amps but not volts.

made me think.... So in the case of dual battery in a car. how do you connect them together and for what benefit ?

ok let me think about this for a min :smiley-laughing021:

first this might help

http://cyberchalky.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/web_ohms_law_triangle.gif

the v is volts the i is amps and the r is resistant

http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_1/chpt_2/1.html

increase voltage is wire them in series. and you get more usable amps in parallel i think ?

[steph74]

first measurments... we would need a lot of potatoes to power a car lol... good thing we live next to idaho

[Mudderoy]

OK, don;t get all excited, it is just a stupid science fair project question....
but I guess the answer would be useful for those who want to dual wire batteries....

Stepson is doing a project to make a battery out of potatoes.... to power a small electromagnet

So he get stuck at one point and my knowledge of batteries and electricity is limited.

The Q is simple : Are these correct ?
1/ Increase voltage: connect batteries in series increase volts but not amps
2/ Increase amps: connect batteries in parallel increase amps but not volts.

made me think.... So in the case of dual battery in a car. how do you connect them together and for what benefit ?

series increases voltage, parallel voltage stays the same but you can DRAW a higher amount of amps, up to what the multiple batteries can supply.

[steph74]

oh I see so parallel is how you would mount car batteries because you need amps and not higher voltage ? right it kind of make sense

[Mudderoy]

oh I see so parallel is how you would mount car batteries because you need amps and not higher voltage ? right it kind of make sense

Well my understanding there are 24 volt electrical systems, and even positive ground systems. So "generally" 12 volt negative ground is what we deal with, so you wouldn't want to have a voltage greater than save 14 volts, or so. The 24 volt systems have two 12 volt batteries in series. I recall a military vehicle does this.

Parallel would increase the current capacity available to the electrical system. The problem with connecting two batteries together is they will draw from each other and try to balance the capacity of the two, three, four, etc... One bad battery can cause the other batteries to discharge. In a vehicle the result can be you have two dead batteries.

[4.3LXJ]

OK, don;t get all excited, it is just a stupid science fair project question....
but I guess the answer would be useful for those who want to dual wire batteries....

Stepson is doing a project to make a battery out of potatoes.... to power a small electromagnet

So he get stuck at one point and my knowledge of batteries and electricity is limited.

The Q is simple : Are these correct ?
1/ Increase voltage: connect batteries in series increase volts but not amps
2/ Increase amps: connect batteries in parallel increase amps but not volts.

made me think.... So in the case of dual battery in a car. how do you connect them together and for what benefit ?

You got it:thumbsup:

[4.3LXJ]

oh I see so parallel is how you would mount car batteries because you need amps and not higher voltage ? right it kind of make sense

On Semi trucks they are wired in series because many of them run 24V for the starters.

Military too for the radios

[LizardRunner]

This is a really good article with pictures of a dual setup on a jeep XJ. http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/dual_battery/my_dual_battery_setup.htm

[Mudderoy]

:sign0101:

Speaking of kids science experiments...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTZm5cRrCH0

[4.3LXJ]

Good demonstration of the coriollis force

[steph74]

Dang why didn't he pick something like that.... that is way cooler than working with electricity ;)
Heck even some biological science would have been better....

[Mudderoy]

I started thinking about a large heat source, 100's of gallons of water and 50 pound blocks of ice to make one in the back yard.

[LizardRunner]

hold on dorothy, there's a storm a brewing.