Home-made Electrical ApparatusMorgan, Alfred Powell
Science
Home-made Electrical Apparatus
Morgan, Alfred Powell
Electric apparatus and appliances -- Amateurs' manuals
Ordinary commercial or technical grades of sulphuric acid and ordinary
water are satisfactory for primary batteries, but the acid and water
used in making the electrolyte for storage cells must be *chemically
pure* if you wish to obtain good results and desire your batteries to
hold their charge while standing.
Storage cells can be recharged with DIRECT current only. A dynamo for
recharging storage cells must be SHUNT wound. The voltage of the
charging current must be greater than that of the storage cells. About
three volts of charging current will be required for each cell of the
storage battery. Cells may be connected in multiple when recharging so
as to bring the voltage of the cells below that of the charging current.
It will of course, however, take much longer to recharge cells connected
in multiple than the same cells connected in series, provided that the
amperage of the current is the same.
Storage cells must not be recharged too rapidly. It is better to
recharge them slowly rather than too rapidly. Two amperes is plenty for
small cells of 10-15 ampere hours capacity. Three amperes is sufficient
for cells of 15-25 ampere hours capacity. Five to six amperes is the
right charging rate for a 40 ampere hour battery and 8 amperes in the
case of a 60 ampere hour battery.
[Illustration: FIG. 46.—A Hydrometer for preparing and testing the Acid
Solution for Storage Batteries.]
Storage cells should never be allowed to stand discharged for any length
of time or the plates are liable to become hardened and "sulphated."
They turn white when they are sulphated. It will take a great deal of
charging and recharging to get them back in shape when once they get in
that condition.
Never short circuit a storage cell or discharge it too rapidly.
Whenever any great amount of sediment collects in the bottom of the
jars, pour out the acid solution and wash the cell out thoroughly with
some pure water.
The plates of a storage cell should always be raised up off the bottom
of the jar, so that any sediment which collects will fall below.
[Illustration: FIG. 47.—The proper way of Recharging Storage Cells from
the 110 Volts D. C. Supply in series with a set of Lamps.]
It is a very good plan to keep the terminals of a storage cell or
battery smeared with vaseline so that they will not become corroded.
You can tell when a storage cell or battery is fully recharged by the
color of the plates. The positives will in that case be a dark chocolate
brown and the negatives a light slate gray color.
A cell which is fully recharged will indicate 2 1/2 volts on a voltmeter
connected across its terminals while the charging current is still on.
CHAPTER III. HOW TO REDUCE THE 110 V. D.C. OR A.C. TO A LOWER VOLTAGE
FOR EXPERIMENTAL PURPOSES.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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