The Grenada sentinel., 1899-02-11
HOME-CONsTRUCTED BATTERY

OF the homemade battery, which may
b. constructed as follows:
Secure glass Jar eight inches high
by six inches in diameter. This may
be purchased at an electrical supply
store for not over 20 cents, or you will
probably find little difficulty in getting
a jar of the requisite size at any store
that deals in glassware.
Provide yourself with three zinc
sticks and IL arc-light carbons seven
inches long, a smooth piece Of board
seven inches square, and three rubber
disks to tit over the lower ends of the
zines. The carbons can be secured from
any electric-lighting company at small
expense, and the zinc sticks will not
cost more than three cents each. Short
discarded arc-light carbons may be
bound together with copper wire to
make carbon of the required length,
and will do quite as we'll as a fresh one.
With these materials on hand, and a
few feet of small copper wire to con.
meet the carbons and the zines you are
ready to complete the mechanical part
of your battery. First draw circle
Az inches in diameter around the GEN.
ter of the board. On this circle bore l2
holes equal distances apart and large
enough to permit carbon to slip
through. At the center of the circle
bore three holes at least an inch apart
and large enough to permit the zines
to slip through. Place your carbons
in the IL outside holes, fixing them SO
that about an inch of each carbon and
zinc remains above the board. Before
this is done, however, you must drill
near the upper end Of each carbon and
zinc hole large enough to permit your
copper wire to pass through.
Then, when you have the holes drilled
and the carbons and zinc in place as
YOU see them in the illustration. pass
a piece of copper wire through each car
bon and each zinc and wind the wire
once around each piece. Connect the
carbons on one wire and the zines on
another wire, as you see them in the
illustration, and do not forget to place
the rubber disks on the ends of the
zinc sticks. as you see them in the pic
| ture.
Next prepare the solution necessary
to produce the power. This is called
"charging" the jar or "cell." To charge
the jar get two or three pounds OF sa
ammoniac and dissolveit in water, using
half a pound of the chemical to each
pint of water. Prepare this solution
in separate receptacle, and then pour
it into the battery jar until the jar is
tive-sixths full. Then place your car
bon and zinc apparatus in the solution
is shown in the illustration. and thu
generation of electricity will begin a
once.
In case you wish stronger battery
voltak, which will cost you about u
cents a can, may be used instead OF sa
ammoniac. One-half the contents O.
the can should be dissolved in littl'
more than half the jarful of water.
If you do not get as strong curren'
from one jar or ''cell' as you desire pre-
pare another cell and connect the two
by joining the wire from the carbon'
of one cell with the wire from the zlnc'
OF the other. In this way you may con
meet any number of cells and thus form
a powerful chemical battery, 1t being
only necessary to leave unattached th'
wire from the zines Of the first cell ant
the wire from the carbons OF the las
cell.
To tell whether your battery is gen
Grating electricity touch the zinc ant
the carbon wires to your tongue at th'
same time, one on each side. II the!
taste sharp and sour you may be SUR
the electricity il being generated
When the battery Is not In use th'
zines should be removed from the solu
tiou TO prevent their corrosion and Il
save the strength Of the solution.-Chi
cago Record. s