Voltage Revival: Recharging 1.5 Volt AA Alkaline (Non-Rechargeable) Batteries

Overview

Objectives/Goals was to determine if it was possible to recharge 1.5V AA pile alkaline (non-rechargeable) batteries using a cordless drill as a generator. Methods/Materials I recharged 18 batteries using a cordless drill as a generator, by turning a metal hand crank (attached to the drill) 50 times. First I tested the voltage of used batteries using a volt meter, and divided them into 4 categories depending on their voltage. The categories were 1v* or under, 1v-1.240v, 1.240v-1.35v, and 1.35v-1.5v. Then I tested 3 batteries from each category, and recorded the voltage before, directly after, and 2 minutes after recharging. A set of 6 batteries (3 batteries from category 1 and 3 batteries from category 3) went into a 1.2volt incandescent light bulb circuit to determine how long the batteries would continue to light the incandescent bulb. Another group of 6 batteries (3 from category 1 and 3 from category 3) went into a LED bulb lighting circuit to determine if the batteries would light the bulb before and after recharging.*v=volts Results The batteries in all categories recharged to near full or over capacity and dropped in voltage after 2 minutes, but were still significantly higher than the starting voltage. The average total voltage increase for category 1 was 0.32v, category 2 was 0.092v, category 3 was 0.126v, and category 4 was 0.069v. Batteries from category 3 that were not completely drained before recharging lasted a lot longer in the 1.2v lighting circuit than batteries from category 1 that were dead before recharging. For the LED test, batteries from category 1 didn't light the bulb before being recharged, but did light the bulb after being recharged. For the batteries from category 3 they lit the LED bulb both before and after recharging. Conclusions/Discussion It is possible to increase the voltage of 1.5volt batteries using the cordless drill recharging unit. Even though AA alkaline batteries don't retain a complete charge, it is still worth recharging them if you use a power efficient bulb like a LED. By being able to recharge (non-rechargeable) AA pile alkaline batteries, you can get the maximum use out of them before sending them to the landfill.

Competition history

• CSEF 2012 Electronics & Electromagnetics · Entry J0928

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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