🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1520@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>, news@cit-vax.UUCP writes:
>In article <4@chasefrs.UUCP>, saul@chasefrs.UUCP (Saul Goldfisher) writes:
>> I am trying to build a homemade battery for my daughter's science project
>> using multiple lemons with copper and aluminum plates.  After connecting
>> 12 lemons I can get 2.2 volts but not enough amperage to light a 1.2v
>> 2.2 mA bulb.  Any suggestions on how to improve the amperage output?
>
>As almost everyone who has responded has said, zinc will work better than
>aluminum; the zinc-aluminum potential is ~0.9V, I think.
>
>As almost everyone who has responded has said, you can increase the current
>by putting several of the home-made batteries in parallel....

To get more current out, you could also try decreasing the distance between
anode and cathode plates as much as possible without actually letting them
touch (decrease internal resistance).

You could even make a kind of "voltaic pile" with thin lemon slices sandwiched
between back-to-back zinc-aluminum plates.  This would give you considerable
"juice" (pardon the pun) in a small package without having to waste a lot of
lemons.  Keep neighboring lemon slices and plate-pairs from touching or else
power will be lost and corrosion will quickly occur from the "short circuit."

    +
    |
 ZnZnZnZn
LEMON SLICE
 AlAlAlAl
   ....
 ZnZnZnZn
LEMON SLICE
 AlAlAlAl
    |
    -
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