Copper Zinc Tap Water Fuel Cell

[Poit]

My aim:
to make an extremely large battery with either free or extremely cheap components. The pictures below is a prototype (first attempt).

Ingredients:
         Copper wire = Cat5 network cable with the plastic burnt off. There is no doubt cheaper copper available, but consider the abundance of cat5 cable! plus, for every length you have, its 8 times! (8 solid core copper wires). So for about $5 you can get 10metres of the stuff.. thats 80metres of copper!!
         Galvanized Tent Peg: Any zinc coated material would work just the same. I just happen to have this laying around.
         Cotton tape: Its not sticky, just cotton on a reel, I got it from my local super market for $2
         Ordinary Tap Water: I know that salt water and vinegar etc etc etc etc would be better electrolytes, BUT! my aim is also to have a very long lasting cell/s. The copper will erode much slower with just plain tap water.

Thats it!!!! I used a single strand out of a 3 metre cable that costs $2.5 (so $2.5 / 8 =  31cents) plus maybe 2cents of water! so 33cents + the cotton, which I used half of the roll, so thats $1..... SO all up = $1.33 for .89volt @ 39mA of power.....

If I was to buy everything in bulk that would bring the cost down to around 60 to 80 cents I reckon say 70 cents on average... so in theory, for $700 investment I could get 12Volt @ 2Amps (for argument sakes, lets say it takes 17 of these to get 12volts, so 1000 cell's divided by 17 = 58.82 times 39mA = 2.2Amps)

As you can see from the pictures, its powering a red led. Since I have part of the cotton dipped in a glass of water it should in theory keep the cell nice and damp for weeks if not months to come, and hopefully sustain the voltage and amperage its currently giving off.

Open circuit measurement of volts = .89
Closed circuit measurement of amps = 39mA
Obviously enough to power the JT and red LED.

Oh and if your wondering why there is copper attached to the cotton in the glass, this has no purpose other than keeping the cotton straight down, stopping it from floating up to the surface.

[Poit]

Update: It's been a little under 4 hours now and it seems to be as bright as it was when I first started this (its dark outside now)
Started 4pm 16th Sep 2010
Picture taken 7:45pm

[b_rads]

@Poit
Thanks for starting this thread.  I have posted this information in another thread, but yours is far more appropriate.  Something to be said for cheap parts and easy builds.  I am using copper, galvanized steel wire, and bottled drinking water.  (About galvanized steel wire) - When steel is submerged in melted zinc, the chemical reaction permanently bonds the zinc to the steel through galvanizing. Therefore, the zinc isn't exactly a sealer, like paint, because it doesn't just coat the steel; it actually permanently becomes a part of it.  I started mine on July 1 and 78 days later it is still running â€" no joule thief.  I have not added any water to the cells.  What could this setup accomplish with a joule thief?  Have fun!!
Brad S

[jeanna]

Good job!

That some tent peg, too.
It will be the tent peg that will corrode and not the copper, so having all the surface area in the copper helps a lot.

39mA will light a super bright white or 4 of them in parallel off the secondary.
I think that is the other direction to go, but you will be doing that soon, I am sure.


@Brads,
wow 75 days and still going. Very nice there too.

jeanna

[the_big_m_in_ok]

Good job!
That some tent peg, too.
It will be the tent peg that will corrode and not the copper, so having all the surface area in the copper helps a lot.

Rebar and galvanized electrical conduit are available, too---especially the rebar in short lengths as scrap laying around building construction sites.

--Lee