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Building a "Robinson Crusoe" Battery

S

Someone

Jan 1, 1970
0
Reading the thread on the Voltaic pile in sci.chem.electrochem.battery,
I started considering what would one have to do to build a "Robinson
Crusoe" battery to power equipment in an emergency.

Assuming a battery of 12v and respectable current to power
communications equipment, how would you do it?

What materials would you use?

How would you charge it?

I look forward to your contributions.

TMT

With an emergency (assuming no electricity) you can forget about
"charging it". What you want to do is generate it in my opinion.
 
C

clare at snyder.on.ca

Jan 1, 1970
0
With an emergency (assuming no electricity) you can forget about
"charging it". What you want to do is generate it in my opinion.
The carbon/iron/saltwater cell is a "primary" cell - and not
rechargeable.
 
H

Harry Chickpea

Jan 1, 1970
0
daestrom said:
Well, if you were shipwrecked, you might pry the anti-corrosion zincs off
the hull, and along with the bronze/brass fittings, you might get some
potential.

Of course, once you've used up the zincs, I think you're pretty much done.

daestrom

You mean going down with a zincing ship?
 
B

BobG

Jan 1, 1970
0
We had a dozen citrus trees in the back yard till recently (citrus
canker eradication program... the state cut em all down). I wondered
about building 'citric acid' electrolye batteries as I picked up
garbage cans full of oranges and grapfruit.
 
S

SolarFlare

Jan 1, 1970
0
I wonder if the costs are in the acid or the electrode
materials though?

Some batteries are just lemons when they first come
out.
 
T

Too_Many_Tools

Jan 1, 1970
0
Thanks for the comments so far...

The Professor would be proud. ;<)

How about a few comments from the hams amoung us...doesn't this qualify
as the ultimate Field Day challenge?

TMT
 
W

WA5OES

Jan 1, 1970
0
Reading the thread on the Voltaic pile in sci.chem.electrochem.battery,
I started considering what would one have to do to build a "Robinson
Crusoe" battery to power equipment in an emergency.

Assuming a battery of 12v and respectable current to power
communications equipment, how would you do it?

What materials would you use?

How would you charge it?

I look forward to your contributions.

TMT


What would Robinson need the battery for?
 
T

Too_Many_Tools

Jan 1, 1970
0
Good question....in the original posting I mention communications
equipment.

It is assuming that Robinson Crusoe wants to be rescued.

The discussion has demonstrated to me how we tend to underestimate how
hard it is to provide basic needs to support our technology based life.

Maybe we should enlarge the scope of the problem and allow active power
generation.

Any ideas as to how to generate power?

TMT
 
....[snip]....
Maybe we should enlarge the scope of the problem and allow active power
generation.
Any ideas as to how to generate power?

The problem needs better definition. May we assume Robinson has been
able to recover large rolls of wire, etc., from his ship, or does he
have to mine the ore, smelt it, make the appropriate dies, pull the
wire, ................. (lotsa dots!), or may we assume he has EVERYTHING
EXCEPT a generator (i.e., his island once held a thriving modern-type
civilization but all of its generators have rusted?
 
T

Too_Many_Tools

Jan 1, 1970
0
I understand your comments but I am trying to not to define the problem
in detail. The object of the discussion is to facillate discussion
about what a survivor would have to consider, need and build to get
power to operate the comm set and hopefully initiate rescue operations.

If one consider poor Crusoe's plight, he is stranded on an island that
he doesn't know what is available...he has to find and use what is
available. I was hoping the group would speculate on what he might have
available. Part of the intent is to consider what the minimum would be
needed to pull this off.

I did mention that he had comm gear that would use a 12 volt
battery....so I am assuming that parts of his boat/plane washed up on
the shore of the island. The battery could just as well power a island
built spark generator, a light bulb for night signaling, ignite fires
or homemade explosives....again, remember this poor guy is trying to
attract attention to his plight.

How about some more wild ideas...Crusoe is getting sick of eating
coconuts. ;<)

TMT
 
J

jakdedert

Jan 1, 1970
0
....[snip]....
Maybe we should enlarge the scope of the problem and allow active power
generation.
Any ideas as to how to generate power?


The problem needs better definition. May we assume Robinson has been
able to recover large rolls of wire, etc., from his ship, or does he
have to mine the ore, smelt it, make the appropriate dies, pull the
wire, ................. (lotsa dots!), or may we assume he has EVERYTHING
EXCEPT a generator (i.e., his island once held a thriving modern-type
civilization but all of its generators have rusted?

Robinson 'could'--with nothing more than the battery and some
wire--transmit radio signals in Morse....

No accounting for range, of course.

jak
 
T

Too_Many_Tools

Jan 1, 1970
0
"Robinson 'could'--with nothing more than the battery and some
wire--transmit radio signals in Morse....
No accounting for range, of course.
jak "

True...but this just shows how important the battery really is...and
that is why I chose to make it the main focus of Crusoe's efforts to
get attention.

TMT
 
H

Harry Chickpea

Jan 1, 1970
0
Too_Many_Tools said:
How about some more wild ideas...Crusoe is getting sick of eating
coconuts. ;<)

Electric eels.
 
P

phatty mo

Jan 1, 1970
0
Harry said:
Electric eels.

Look around,You might find some "litter" for the cells..old tin
cans,rods,bars,nuts+bolts,fish hooks,whatever.. Maybe you'd get lucky
and find a wrecked(,or parts of a) boat or plane,or get really lucky and
find parts from the boat/planes electrical gizmos to play with.

Maybe wire up some lights,or a simple (spark gap) transmitter,and send
out an SOS.Dunno if anyone would see the lights,or what you'd use for an
antenna...anything you can find,I guess.

Or just touch the eels together,Spark-gap and arc-light all on one!
 
S

SJC

Jan 1, 1970
0
Too_Many_Tools said:
"Robinson 'could'--with nothing more than the battery and some
wire--transmit radio signals in Morse....
No accounting for range, of course.
jak "

True...but this just shows how important the battery really is...and
that is why I chose to make it the main focus of Crusoe's efforts to
get attention.

TMT

It seems that if he is really into renewable and sustainable,
he does not have to be rescued at all.
 
H

H. P. Friedrichs

Jan 1, 1970
0
A recent QST made reference to wireless telegraphic experiments that
didn't involve the use of any batteries at all. The transmitter was a
length of wire cut to 1/4 wavelength and suspended by a tree or a kite.
The feed end was linked to ground through a key.

An antenna of any length is likely to accumulate a charge from
electrostatic field present in the atmosphere...200 volts/meter if I
remember correctly. Keying that charge to ground produces oscillations
that supposedly could be picked up many miles away....probably even
farther now with modern receivers.

Pete
AC7ZL
 
A

Andrew VK3BFA

Jan 1, 1970
0
Too_Many_Tools said:
Reading the thread on the Voltaic pile in sci.chem.electrochem.battery,
I started considering what would one have to do to build a "Robinson
Crusoe" battery to power equipment in an emergency.

Assuming a battery of 12v and respectable current to power
communications equipment, how would you do it?

What materials would you use?

How would you charge it?

I look forward to your contributions.

TMT

Nah, its easy. Find the crashed WW2 B24 in the jungle. Pull out all the
radio gear (it would have been "tropic proofed" and so would work -
anyway, it was better quality than todays modern plastic junk) - pull a
28 volt generator off one of the engines, and with your Swiss Army
Knife carve a propellor to fit it (the original props were wrecked
when it crashed) - then, wait for the next windy day, and hit the TX
switch. Easy as......

73 de VK3BFA Andrew.
 
K

Ken Scharf

Jan 1, 1970
0
Too_Many_Tools said:
Reading the thread on the Voltaic pile in sci.chem.electrochem.battery,
I started considering what would one have to do to build a "Robinson
Crusoe" battery to power equipment in an emergency.

Assuming a battery of 12v and respectable current to power
communications equipment, how would you do it?

What materials would you use?

How would you charge it?

I look forward to your contributions.

TMT
Well the history channel just showed a 2000 year old battery
found in Bhagdad. It had an iron rod negative pole and a copper
cylinder positive pole, and probably used vinegar as the electrolyte.
A clay jar housed the unit. What would a battery be used for 2000
years ago? BION, electroplating gold!
 
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