A simple battery is a disposable self-contained power source. That's what their manufacturers say, but can you really only use batteries once? Let's figure it out ...
Can regular batteries be charged?
Can. But only not as long as it is done with portable batteries. But why batteries can be charged, but batteries (so far only presumably) - not. What is their difference?
What is battery:
- Autonomous DC power supply.
- A device that contains certain chemical elements.
And if you apply a current source to its terminals, that is, reverse the reaction, but the battery will charge - restore its capacity. The reason for this ability is in chemical elements that are completely different from batteries. In simple, even expensive batteries, they try to use cheap cells that do not maintain a charge. But this is not an axiom and it is still possible to charge such an autonomous power source.
You will need to assemble a circuit
Simple, no frills. The battery charger circuit consists of the following elements:
1.
Transformer. Step-down, with an output voltage of 2.4 V. You can wind it yourself - there are enough detailed video instructions on the Internet.2. Diode. Absolutely any will do, you can even Soviet, like D234B.
3. Capacitor with a capacity of 10 μF. There are capacitors in LED lamps, you just need to find such a rating.
4. 3.5 V light bulb. You can take the LED from broken electronics.
It is best to place the circuit in a suitable case - you can use any old, unnecessary electrical device. For connections, use wires with a cross section of 1.5 mm2, this will be quite enough.
How do I charge simple batteries?
After the circuit is assembled, it is necessary to apply voltage (220 V) to the transformer, and connect the terminals to both sides of the battery. The lamp will indicate that the device is working properly. It will take at least 3 hours to get enough charge. After this time, you can turn off the device for charging and measure the voltage directly on the battery. It must be at least 1.7 V - this means that the autonomous current source is charged and can be used in the future.
Several restrictions
This method is not ideal and it will not work to achieve full battery recovery, but still.
There are several nuances:
- Before charging, you should check the battery voltage - if it is less than 1 V, then nothing will help such a source and should only be disposed of.
- Any battery will withstand no more than 10 charges - this is not a battery, and the limit in such power sources is still more pronounced.
- With each new charge, the battery capacity will not be full - about 70%.
Even with such characteristic flaws, you can extend the life of almost any battery. It is very convenient if we take, for example, the power supplies of remote controllers from the TV. You can also add batteries for wall clocks, alarm clocks, flashlights, computer mice, etc.