Homemade Battery! – The DIY “Earth Battery”
Did you know that you can use dirt to generate electricity? It’s true, and you can create your own battery out of some basic household items to charge a variety of small electronic devices. This trick can be used anywhere and only takes a few minutes to build. Follow the instructions below, and give yourself access to power even if you don’t have regular batteries or electricity.
The first step is to take a plastic ice cube tray and fill each of the holes with dirt. You can use any kind of dirt, but some soils, especially those that have high metal content will conduct more electricity and produce greater voltage. However, most, if not all dirt has at least some elemental metals in their composition that can be harnessed for power.
The next step is to take an old extension or power cord, remove the insulation and cut the wire into two inch long strips. You can also use regular copper wire as well. If you use the wire from an old cord, twist it up in order to make it more effective and easier to work with as you progress through this project. Next, attach the wire to inch long bolts just beneath their heads. You will need bolts for all of the holes in the ice cube tray except for the two that are on one of the ends. Once you have attached the wire, bend the loose end over and insert it into the dirt in the next hole. Repeat the process for each hole.
When you get to the end, take a piece of copper wire and bend it into a U shape, placing both ends into the dirt in one hole. Place an inch long screw in the other hole. When you connect your device, place the positive wire on to the copper U shaped one and the negative on the screw. Test with a voltmeter if you like, and you should expect to see readings close to five volts being generated. This is enough power to run or charge small devices such as calculators, watches and digital or LED items.
If you are looking for a little more power, you can connect multiple ice cube trays together with copper wire. You can also create a battery directly from the soil in the ground by using some copper tubing along with a long nail or metal stake. Simply place the copper tubing into the ground and attach the positive lead, and put the nail or stake in the ground a few inches away and attach the negative one.
It’s important to keep the soil moist in order to promote conductivity and maximize the charge that can be generated. However, it isn’t necessary to flood the ice cube tray or dirt in the ground with water. Just check that the soil hasn’t dried out, and if so, simply add a sprinkle of water into each compartment to recharge the unit.
This is one of the easiest ways to generate a small amount of power, and it could turn out to be one of the most important tricks that you can use during a SHTF scenario. Try it out for yourself today and rig a makeshift and renewable power supply that will keep your small devices up and running long after your batteries die.
