Batteries ran out, and as always ─ at the wrong time :- (most likely, everyone dealing with mobile devices had such a problem. What many do in this case: throw away the used source of power buy a new one and history repeats itself.
Probably, many have heard about such a process as, i.e., recovery, recharging. Let's take a look at the device charging alkaline batteries and we’ll figure out which batteries are worth charging, and which, after all, can be thrown away.
The scheme is rather trivial. A voltage regulator reduces the supply voltage (which can be taken from a car battery) to 5V. An optional adjustable transistor voltage regulator reduces the voltage to a refresh voltage value of 1.95V. stable voltage. But if your power supply provides a stable 4 ─ 6 V, the 7805 regulator can be omitted.
Rice. 1 Battery charger
Symmetrical multivibrator on transistors VT1, VT2 generates pulses with a frequency of 10 Hz. This signal is fed to transistor switches. Thus, the batteries in this circuit are charged by a pulsed current. In some publications, it is recommended to alternate the charge with the discharge of the battery to the load. But practice shows that it is enough to just let the battery "relax" after a charge pulse, this is what this circuit does.
So what to do, regenerate or throw away?
Do not recharge batteries if:
- the battery is deeply discharged below 0.8 V
- battery over 3 years old
- traces of electrolyte leakage are present or the contacts are heavily corroded
- the cover is swollen towards the minus, which indicates internal pressure
- the battery is longer than before (assuming you have measured it)))
Refurbish the battery if:
- voltage level is between 1.0 and 1.4V
- battery less than 1-2 years
- it is a high-quality battery, usually from a well-known manufacturer and has a high price
- the minus side does not have the slightest trace of electrolyte leakage
Whether or not to use recharged batteries is a personal choice, but I reuse them in inexpensive devices: a flashlight, a radio, a mobile phone charger, a wall clock.
Voltage overview
- 1.5 V - Rated voltage for zinc and alkali cells
- 1.56 V - Typical voltage for a new battery
- 1.6 V - Battery buffering starts, but regeneration has not started yet
- 1.65 V - Typical buffering voltage, start regeneration
- 1.70 V - Recovery occurs, but the battery is not fully charged
- 1.75V - Correct voltage level for remanufactured batteries.
- 1.80 V - Very high voltage, high risk of leakage.
- 1.85 V - Most likely the battery is damaged
How long does regeneration take?
It depends on the condition of the battery and its age. That's why we can't easily define stop-charge criteria like we can with NiMH cells, for example.
Everything is determined experimentally: recovery can last 6 hours until the voltage rises to 1.7 V, or maybe 3 hours, and during this time the voltage rises to 1.75 V, all individually.
After a few experiments, to automate the process, you can use a homemade or purchased time relay.
Freshly restored batteries have an increased voltage, so they need to be discharged a little by connecting a light bulb for a few minutes. When the voltage drops to 1.65 V, the battery is sent to quarantine, that is, they must lie down. The author keeps them on a napkin in a plastic tray. This is done in case of a possible leakage of electrolyte from the battery.
How often can I renew batteries?
Usually the battery is charged 5 times. The older the battery, and the more often it has been regenerated, the less energy it can provide to the load.
Can a battery explode?
No. The worst thing that can happen in the event of an overcharge is that the negative electrode surface will swell and the electrolyte will begin to pour out.
Preventive measures against possible leakage
You can wrap the battery around the negative pole with a piece of toilet paper or tissue, silicone contact grease and additional tissue in the battery compartment of the charger.
Often we miss good shots in the forest or at sea, we can be late or stumble in the dark, because a simple battery from a camera, watch or flashlight suddenly runs out. When exactly the charge will be used up, it is difficult to say, except that this is not a Duracell model with an indicator. But don't despair! Thanks to a few tips, you can avoid unpredictable situations and take the intended photographs from a digital camera, find out the exact time, light the way, etc. In this article, we will show you how to charge batteries at home without a charger, which will make life much easier in unpredictable situations.
Be aware that to charge alkaline batteries, you can use a special charger that can relatively quickly restore a discharged object. But each charge session will reduce its life by about 1/3. In addition, leakage is possible.
Note! At home, you can charge: alkaline (alkaline) finger batteries. Not allowed: saline. The possibility of leakage or even an explosion cannot be ruled out!
Charging can be done in various ways. Therefore, you should not throw out the element as soon as it has ceased to serve. A few recommendations - and he is back in the ranks. The first method, using which you can independently charge AA batteries without a charger. We connect the power supply to the network. Next, using the wires for connection, we connect the spent battery to the unit. Do not forget about polarity: plus is connected to plus, and minus is connected to minus. Finding yourself where the “-\+” of a discharged object is quite simple: they are indicated on the body. 
Having connected the battery to the power source, we wait until it heats up to fifty degrees, and turn off the power. Next, we wait a few minutes for the heated object to cool. Otherwise, it may explode. Then, while the AA is still warm, it must be charged in a different way. It consists in the following: we connect the power supply to electricity and disconnect it. You need to do this for about 120 seconds. Next, we place the object for charging in the “freezer” for 10 minutes, then we take it out and wait 2-3 minutes for it to heat up. Everything, the charge is restored right at home without a charger! You can safely use it for the same computer mouse.
Main rules:
- Charging is not possible if you arrange + and - in a different way. On the contrary, the battery will be discharged even faster.
- It is permissible to charge the object at home 1-2 times.
- The method described above can only charge simple AA alkaline batteries.
- The charge is feasible in any temperature environment.
Another charging method is the conventional heating method. But it is fraught with consequences (explosion). In this way, you can restore, again, small alkaline batteries at home. You can also charge them in a simpler way - put discharged objects in hot water, but not more than 20 seconds, otherwise sad results are possible. Another simple way is to flatten or reduce the volume of the element with your own hands. So you can charge various finger batteries. There is an example when a person, after the charge of a foundry-ion battery had run out, simply took it out and trampled it, after which the charge indicators showed one hundred percent.
You can also restore the charge without a charger: we make 2 holes with an awl near each carbon rod with a depth of three-fourths of the height of the element itself. We fill them with liquid, and cork them, covering them with resin or plasticine. You can fill in not just a liquid, but an eight to ten percent solution of hydrochloric acid or double vinegar. Pour the solution several times for sufficient saturation. This method allows you to charge up to seventy to eighty percent of the initial capacity.
Video instruction on how to restore Duracell using a phone charger
Another way to charge the product: open the cell cover with a knife. If the zinc cylinder, the object's rod, and the powdered charcoal are intact, then immerse the object in the salt solution. Its ratio is as follows: 2 tablespoons of table salt for several glasses of liquid. Next, boil the solution together with the element for about ten to fifteen minutes. Then we return the gaskets responsible for sealing to their place and cover them with wax or plasticine.
Alternative charging method
The history of autonomous power sources goes back to the distant Middle Ages, when the biophysicist Galvani discovered an interesting effect in his experiments with the cut off legs of a frog. Later, Alessandro Volta described this phenomenon and, on its basis, created the first galvanic battery, today called a battery.
The principle of operation of the Volta column
As it turned out, Galvani carried out his experiments with electrodes made of different metals. This led Volt to the idea that in the presence of an electrolyte conductor, a chemical reaction can take place between different materials, causing a potential difference.
He created his device based on this principle. It was a pile of copper, zinc and cloth plates with acid, interconnected. Due to the chemical reaction, an electric charge was supplied to the anode and cathode. In those years, it seemed that Volta had invented. In fact, it turned out a little differently.
Battery device
Today, batteries use the same principle: two reagents connected by an electrolyte. As it turned out later, the amount of energy that can be obtained as a result of the reaction is finite, and the process itself is irreversible.
In a classic salt battery, the active substances are placed in such a way that they do not mix. Contact between them is carried out only thanks to the electrolyte, which enters them through a small hole. Batteries also have current collectors that transfer it directly to the device.
These days, most often buy batteries are saline or alkaline. They have the same principle of operation, but different chemical composition, capacity and physical service conditions.
Features of alkaline batteries
Duracell batteries have revolutionized the world of autonomous power sources. In the middle of the last century, the developers of this company discovered that alkali can be used instead of acid in galvanic cells. Such batteries have a large capacity compared to salt and resistance to extreme operating conditions.
In addition, it would seem that a dead battery after a while can work a little more in the device. In this regard, many people began to have a question: is it possible to charge alkaline batteries? The answer is unequivocal: no.
In the Union, the batteries were charged ...
Many craftsmen in Soviet times charged dead batteries. So they thought. In fact, the design of the battery does not allow you to reverse the chemical processes, as is the case with batteries.
Older electrochemical cells used salts that could clump or form a sludge crust on the current collectors. Running current through the battery made it possible to eliminate these awkward moments and force more reagents to react. Unfortunately, in most cases, about 30% of the substance remained unused. Thus, what the craftsmen called recharging the battery was actually just a small shake-up.
Modern galvanic cells leave no more than 10% of the substance unused. The more expensive the reagents, the greater their capacity, with the same ones on silver, they work 7-10 times longer, but they are also not at all cheap. In normal household conditions, simple salt batteries are quite enough. They are not so expensive that you risk your health trying to figure out a way to charge them.
Modern batteries and the dangers of recharging them
In the industry, many firms deal with items. They are inexpensive and available to everyone at any hardware store or electronics store. Therefore, the question of whether alkaline batteries can be charged is completely irrelevant. For example, they contain caustic alkali. In an enclosed space, the battery may boil and explode during the reverse current flow of the charger.
Even if your battery has survived one charge cycle, its capacity will not increase significantly. Duracell batteries and other electrochemical cells will most likely lose their charge again fairly quickly. In addition, they may leak electrolyte, which will significantly damage the device in which they are located. It turns out that instead of imaginary savings, there is a risk of serious damage. Therefore, there is no point in thinking about whether alkaline batteries can be charged.
How to extend battery life?
Ordinary saline batteries do not work well in conditions of heat and frost. Therefore, it makes no sense to use them in such weather. This is due to the fact that the electrolyte tends to freeze or go into a gaseous state, which significantly reduces its conductivity.
A dead battery will work for some time if it is slightly wrinkled with pliers. You just need to be careful not to damage the case, otherwise the electrolyte will leak and ruin the device.
Reagents tend to clump together. This prevents them from reacting. To aid the process, tap the battery on a hard surface. You will be able to shake out another 5-7 percent of its power.
Not everyone knows that the popular AA alkaline battery, like other batteries, can self-discharge. Therefore, you should always pay attention to the date of manufacture. Old batteries have a short
Do not mix different types of galvanic cells. Because of this, they significantly lose charge. This will also happen if fresh batteries are added to dead batteries.
Galvanic cells do not work well in cold weather and quickly lose their charge. Warm them up in your hands before installing. This will return them to their original capacity.
Now you know that the answer to the question of whether alkaline batteries can be charged is no. But you can significantly extend their life, following the rules of operation. Regarding this, there is another trick: use two sets of elements. When one starts to lose its charge, replace it with another and let it rest.
For more than a hundred years, mankind has been able to receive power from portable devices in which chemical processes take place. The last word in this direction is alkaline battery. What it is is interesting to everyone who noticed this inscription on seemingly ordinary batteries.
Brief information
Alkaline battery ( alkaline battery ) is one of the most advanced chemical current sources today. The charge is created by two active elements - zinc and manganese oxide. The name of the product is due to the use of an alkaline electrolyte in the form of potassium hydroxide, as opposed to the acid in obsolete products.
The components of the device are:
- At the very heart of the battery is zinc powder with alkali, which gives a negative charge and is displayed on the base of the battery, made of steel;
- The positive charge is produced by manganese oxide mixed with carbonaceous substances and exits through the top "button" on top of the product, made of nickel;
- There are also components aimed purely at safety: a housing that protects against short circuits and gaskets in case of an explosion of gaseous substances.
As of today, on alkaline batteries accounts for about 80% of the total battery market. About 10 billion units of this product are sold worldwide.
Alkaline battery: can it be charged?
The vast majority of alkaline cells are not suitable for recharging. Manufacturers of products warn about the danger of such an action.
However, there are known experiences of successful replenishment of part of the charge of the primary charging cells. This was due to the old design of the batteries, which used salts. During the life of an ordinary element, about a third of the substance remained unused. Therefore, a small mechanical impact was enough to prolong the life of the battery. The main thing is to prevent dangerous leakage of the galvanic cell.
Some amateurs, at their own peril and risk, managed to recharge alkaline batteries that were not intended for this. They used the following tricks for this:
- A low ripple current (from 40 to 200 pulses per second) was used. If you do not follow this rule, overcharging can lead to the explosion of stitched batteries.
- The current must be started in the opposite direction in order to shift the chemical equilibrium of the reagents established after the loss of charge.
- It is better to perform such manipulations not for completely used up batteries, but for those that have partially lost their charge due to long-term storage.
Still, it's better not to risk your health and, if necessary, purchase a rechargeable alkaline cell.
Alkaline batteries
Rechargeable alkaline batteries allow you to use them several times after the initial charge is depleted.
Batteries are available in the following form factors:
- Finger (AA, RL06);
- Little finger (AAA, RL03);
- Inch (type C);
- Size D;
- "Crown".
The honor of inventing this product belongs to Canadian scientists, but today many manufacturers can boast of such batteries in the product line.
Alkaline batteries have a much longer life than nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride batteries, which suffer from significant self-discharge.
Manufacturers recommend the use of alkaline batteries in devices that are used intermittently over long - up to several years - lifespans. These include: TV remotes, walkie-talkies or flashlights.
It is advisable not to discharge more than 75%. If you do not neglect this advice, then the number of battery recovery cycles can reach more than 100. If you bring it to a deep discharge, then full capacity will be reached only after several charge-discharge cycles.
Advantages and disadvantages
The strengths of an alkaline battery include:
- For operation, a much smaller amount of electrolyte is needed than in the case of salt batteries;
- Successful design: the chemical reaction proceeds over a fairly large area;
- Emission of gaseous substances practically does not occur;
- Sufficiently long shelf life and low risk of loss of the initial charge;
- Ability to work at low temperatures;
- Resistance to hard work with increased current consumption;
- Discharging during use occurs relatively evenly.
However, it would be a mistake to classify this product as ideal, because it differs:
- Fairly high price compared to other types of chemical current sources;
- Relatively high weight;
- For the vast majority of commercially available products, recharging is not allowed without the danger of an explosion of the gas inside.
Disposal of alkaline batteries
Since the late 1990s, manufacturers have drastically reduced the mercury content of batteries, allowing them to be disposed of with other household waste. However, the problem remains with old products, which, due to the presence of heavy metals and aggressive chemicals, are a problem and do not allow them to be buried in landfills.
In 2016, the volume of alkaline elements requiring processing reached 125,000 tons. Moreover, the volume of used alkaline batteries annually grows by 5-6%, which makes the problem of their processing especially acute.
Different regions of the world have their own approaches to solving it. So, in California, they cannot be thrown into the general trash can. In Europe, stores selling alkaline cells are required to take the used product back for transfer to the relevant organizations.
Disposal of the product is as follows:
- Disassembly of the battery into the case and "insides". The metal shell is remelted in furnaces, where low-grade steel is made from it (for example, for fittings).
- Chemical processing of a galvanic cell. Zinc, manganese and potassium are separated. The result is a liquid product with micronutrients that can be used for agricultural irrigation.
One of the active reagents in this battery is alkali, which is why it is called alkaline battery in English. What it is was known in the scientific community at the end of the 19th century. However, more than 70 years passed before a successful commercial prototype was created.
Video: How are alkaline batteries made?
In this video, technologist Irina Denisova will show how alkaline batteries are produced at the plant, what properties they have:
Many of the devices around us require an autonomous source of electric current for their operation. But these batteries have a limited charge and often fail at the most inopportune times.
Features of alkaline batteries
Cells, that is, batteries, have several key parameters, including:
- output voltage;
- capacity;
- duration of self-discharge;
- price.
Duracell is the leader in the production of alkaline batteries.
Currently, the most common type of batteries are alkaline or alkaline. A concentrated alkaline solution acts as an electrolyte in them. The advantages of such batteries are high storage life, large capacity, value for money.
Can they be recharged?
According to the official instructions, alkaline batteries are not suitable for recharging. Information about this is indicated on the packaging, indicated either by a pictogram or an inscription.
Sometimes there are tips to restore the performance of disposable batteries by connecting them to a charger. It is proposed to perform this operation several times at intervals, heating the battery to no more than 50°C. After increasing the voltage of the battery, it is recommended to cool it. However, this method is not guaranteed and may cause a fire.
How to extend battery life
Despite the attempts of some craftsmen to recharge the batteries, their device does not allow you to reverse the chemical processes, as is the case with batteries.
If it is not possible to replace the battery with a new one, then there are several ways, in varying degrees of unsafe, to extend the operating time:
- Short-term rise in temperature. For example, dip the battery in hot water for half a minute. You can not heat it on an open fire.
- Hull deformation. By squeezing the outer battery capsule, you can achieve a short-term increase in charge. The danger arises when the integrity of the housing is violated and the caustic solution flows. You cannot perform this operation with your teeth.
Disposable alkaline batteries are difficult to resuscitate, recharging them is accompanied by a risk of burns from leaked electrolyte. Therefore, it is easier to buy new batteries.
