How to charge a AA battery at home? Alkaline battery: what is it, what does this inscription on the batteries mean?

Ilya Said,
Hello,
Tell me, do you have a list of which batteries (rechargeable)
can be charged in a charger, for what time, at what current.
Sincerely yours, Ilya.
Poistik Said,
Regular batteries cannot be charged.
Sokol Leks Said,
Manufacturers call “alcoline” batteries disposable only for the purpose of their profitability.
So as not to lose profit from their sales and demand.
As shown in these methods, they can be charged up to 10 times.
But it's better to use a professional charger.
Lobo is a radio telephone that runs on AAA or AA batteries.
Because There is a charge indicator on the device, then we will see how much the batteries are charged before the power consumption of the device.
The advertisement shows chargers with an indicator or display, for good reason, as I understand it.
I am not a robot Said,
Alkaline (correctly alkaline) batteries can be charged! But you need to understand the specifics of these batteries. There are special alkaline batteries that are suitable for recharging, they are also called Alcaline Rechargeable or Rechargeable Alkaline Manganese (abbreviated RAM). So, they are no different (at least according to the description) from disposable batteries, except that they do not leak when recharged (plus their capacity is about 1/3 less than the capacity of ordinary batteries). And the funny thing is that if such a battery is completely discharged, then it will be possible to charge it back to its full capacity only a few times (perhaps exactly the same 10 times that are declared by the manufacturer of this device). And if you discharge only half or 75%, then they can be recharged tens and hundreds of times, respectively. This is the theory, but in practice it is obvious that in both cases the resource of even such “pseudo” batteries is minimal. What can we say about batteries?

By the way, this device, called Battery Wizard, is actually a clone of the AcmePower AP-RC6 device, and the battery charging function in it is semi-official, officially it is designed to charge alkaline batteries, not batteries, because batteries can leak if overcharged too much and even explode. And the manufacturers of a similar battery charger, Robiton Ecocharger AK01, directly warn about this on their website. Also in the description of AcmePower AP-RC6 it is stated that batteries that are discharged no more than 50% are suitable for charging (see what I said above). In general, the bottom line is that the more discharged the battery is, and the longer it sits like that, the less chance there is of recharging it. There are also similar devices: Watts Clever Smart Battery Charger and Battery Xtender. The latter is generally a super universal, it supports, in addition to Alcaline, Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, also Ni-Zn batteries, but the developers removed it from sale a long time ago (you can buy it on eBay), and the promised new model has not yet been released. Right now I’m just thinking about what to choose from all this. Most likely I will take the Robiton Ecocharger, and the La Crosse BC-1000 as the main charger.

Regarding the first method of charging batteries, this method is, IMHO, only suitable for recharging small flat batteries from watches; charging like with like is absurd by definition. And yes, you need to connect the batteries plus to plus, as in the video, but be sure to short-circuit the asses too, otherwise the current will not flow (well, it seems to me so, and on another site it also says that you need to connect both poles). Alkaline batteries can also be charged with a regular 9-12 V DC power supply, observing the polarity (+ to +) and controlling the heating of the battery using a temperature sensor or thermometer (if it exceeds 50 degrees, you need to turn off the power supply and take a break of two minutes). In total, you need to charge 5 minutes, and at the end, as the author of the method writes, you need to carry out a final “shock” charge, quickly turning the power supply on and off for two minutes, not paying attention to the temperature (the author of the method assures that it will not explode), after which put the batteries in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. Or an even simpler way is to warm the battery with a lighter for 30-60 seconds (it will work, as the author writes, for 2 hours maximum), but after use it will need to be thrown away, as it will definitely leak.

In general, the main principle when charging batteries is to maintain the temperature so that the battery does not overheat above 50 degrees and stop charging in time, otherwise irreversible processes will begin in it that can lead to an explosion. It is also important to supply a current of a certain amount to it and it is better that it is asynchronous. In short, there are a ton of subtleties, if you are not sure, it is better not to try to charge with improvised means. So, in principle, if you understand what’s what, you can also charge salt batteries (manganese-zinc and others), although the risk of leakage and explosion in this case increases many times over. On the Internet there are diagrams of devices that in the past radio amateurs used to recharge such batteries twenty times or more. They even pierced dry batteries, added water, charged them and used them.))

In short, if you charge, then with the help of special devices that support charging RAM batteries, and everything else is dangerous pampering, or stupidity, as in the first case. 😉

The batteries ran out, and as always, at the wrong time :- (most likely, everyone who deals with mobile devices has had such a problem. What many do in this case: throw away the used power supply, buy a new one, and history repeats itself.

Probably, many have heard about such a process as, that is, restoration, recharging. Let's look at the device for charging alkaline batteries and let’s figure out which batteries should be charged, and which ones can still be thrown away.

The scheme is quite trivial. A voltage regulator reduces the supply voltage (which can be taken from a car battery) to 5 V. An additional adjustable transistor voltage regulator reduces the voltage to a regeneration voltage of 1.95 V. The reason for using two voltage levels is to distribute the heat generation more evenly, and obtain more stable voltage. But if your power supply produces stable 4 ─ 6 V, you don’t need to use the 7805 stabilizer.

Rice. 1 Battery charger

A symmetrical multivibrator on transistors VT1, VT2 generates pulses with a frequency of 10 Hz. This signal is supplied to transistor switches. Thus, the batteries in this circuit are charged with a pulsed current. Some publications recommend alternating charging and discharging the battery to the load. But practice shows that it is enough to simply let the battery “relax” after a charge pulse, and this is what this circuit does.

So what should you do, regenerate or throw away?

Do not recharge batteries if:

battery is deeply discharged below 0.8V
battery is more than 3 years old
there are traces of electrolyte leakage or the contacts are heavily rusted
the cover towards the minus side is swollen, indicating internal pressure
the battery is longer than before (assuming you measured it)))

Restore the battery if:

voltage level is from 1.0 to 1.4 V
battery is less than 1-2 years old
this 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: flashlights, radios, cell phone chargers, wall clocks.

Voltage overview

1.5V - Nominal voltage for zinc and alkaline cells
1.56 V - Typical voltage for a new battery
1.6 V - Battery buffering begins, but regeneration has not yet begun
1.65 V - Typical buffering voltage, start of 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?

This depends on the condition of the battery and its age. This is why we cannot define charge stopping criteria as easily as we can, for example, with NiMH cells.
Everything is determined experimentally: recovery can last 6 hours until the voltage rises to 1.7 V, or it can take 3 hours, and during this time the voltage rises to 1.75 V, everything is individual.
After a few experiments, you can use a homemade or commercial time relay to automate the process.

Freshly reconditioned batteries have a higher 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, i.e. they must lie down. The author stores them on a napkin in a plastic tray. This is done in case of possible leakage of electrolyte from the battery.

How often can I recharge my batteries?

Typically the battery is charged 5 times. The older the battery, and the more often it has been regenerated, the less energy it can deliver to the load.

Can a battery explode?

No. The worst thing that can happen in case of overcharging is that the surface of the negative electrode will swell and the electrolyte will begin to pour out.

Preventative measures against possible leakage

You can wrap the battery in the negative terminal area with a piece of toilet paper or cloth, silicone grease on the contacts and additional cloth in the battery compartment of the charger.

It's no secret that autonomous portable sources of electricity can be conventional or battery-powered. In conventional batteries, both salt and alkaline, and lithium, the chemical reaction is irreversible, but in rechargeable batteries it can be extended by cyclic recharging. So what batteries can be charged and how to distinguish them from each other - in this article.

How do you know if the battery can be charged?

The first thing that distinguishes a battery from a regular battery is the inscription indicating the capacity in milliamperes per hour (mAh). Most often, the manufacturer puts it in large letters, so it is simply impossible not to notice it. The higher this number, the longer the battery will last.

Batteries that can be charged have a name specific to the battery - rechargeable, which translates as “rechargeable”. If the buyer sees the message do not recharge, this means that the device cannot be recharged.

The third difference is the price. Rechargeable batteries cost an order of magnitude higher than conventional batteries, and the price depends on their power and recharge cycles. However, ordinary ones also have high power, but they still cannot be recharged. Such energy carriers can be distinguished by the inscription “Lithium” present on them.

The voltage of conventional batteries is 1.6 V, and that of rechargeable batteries is 1.2 V. Having a special measuring device - a multimeter or voltmeter - can measure this indicator and thus understand what is in your hands.

An ordinary battery will also prove itself during operation: having ceased to function in a more powerful device, it can be placed in another device with lower power requirements and thus extend its life. Batteries last longer, discharge gradually, and when they have exhausted their entire resource, they will be ready for use again after recharging.

Those who are wondering whether it is possible to charge regular batteries should answer that they are not intended for this. In the best case, it will end in a mild disaster, and in a severe case, it will end in an explosion with all the ensuing consequences. Batteries with any type of electrolyte can be charged and this will answer the question of those who ask whether the corresponding lithium batteries can be charged. However, the imagination of folk craftsmen will not become scarce, and today many have found a way to charge ordinary batteries. So, those wondering whether it is possible to charge ordinary alkaline batteries should answer that it is possible. To do this, you need to put 3 dead alkaline batteries in the charger for 4 batteries, and 1 rechargeable battery on the right. In 5-10 minutes they will be ready to go.

The history of autonomous electrical 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 conducted his experiments with electrodes made of different metals. This gave Volta the idea that in the presence of an electrolyte conductor, a chemical reaction could take place between different materials, causing a potential difference.

He created his device based on this principle. It was a stack of copper, zinc and cloth plates with acid, connected to each other. Due to the chemical reaction, an electric charge was supplied to the anode and cathode. In those years, it seemed that Volta invented it. In reality, 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 ingredients 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. The batteries also contain current absorbers that transmit it directly to the device.

These days, the most commonly purchased batteries are salt or alkaline batteries. They have the same operating principle, but different chemical composition, capacity and physical service conditions.

Features of alkaline batteries

Duracell batteries have become a revolution in the world of autonomous power supplies. In the middle of the last century, the developers of this company discovered that instead of acid in galvanic cells, alkali can be used. Such batteries have a greater capacity than salt batteries and are resistant to extreme operating conditions.

In addition, a seemingly dead battery may still work in the device for a little while. In this regard, many people began to ask the question: is it possible to charge alkaline batteries? The answer is clear: no.

In the Union they charged the batteries...

Many craftsmen in Soviet times charged dead batteries. That's what they thought. In fact, the battery design does not allow chemical processes to be reversed, as happens with batteries.

Older galvanic cells used salts that could clump or create a crust of residue on the current collectors. Passing current through the battery eliminated these awkward moments and forced more reagents to react. Unfortunately, in most cases, about 30% of the substance remained unused. Thus, what the craftsmen called recharging the battery was in fact only 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, while the same ones on silver work 7-10 times longer, but they are also not cheap at all. In normal everyday conditions, simple salt batteries are sufficient. They aren't 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 industry, many companies deal with elements. 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 a confined space, the battery may boil and explode when reverse current flows from the charger.

Even if your battery has survived one charge cycle, its capacity will not increase significantly. Duracell batteries and other voltaic cells are likely to lose their charge again quite 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 wondering whether alkaline batteries can be charged.

How to extend battery life?

Conventional salt batteries do not work well in hot and cold conditions. Therefore, there is no point in using 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 still work for some time if you crush it a little 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 help 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 production date. Old batteries have a short

You cannot mix different types of galvanic cells. This causes them to significantly lose charge. This will also happen if you add fresh batteries to dead ones.

Galvanic cells do not work well in the cold and quickly lose their charge. Warm them in your hands before installation. This will return them to their previous 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 by following the operating rules. Regarding this very thing, there is another trick: use two sets of elements. When one begins to lose its charge, replace it with another and let it rest.

The essence of the problem is that any alkaline (alkaline) batteries sooner or later begin to run out.

At these moments, our flashlights, remote controls, players or wall clocks begin to work worse, their indicators (if any) show a very low charge level.

But it is precisely at these moments that alkaline batteries can still be revived and recharged a little.

For this you do NOT need:

open the battery case;
disassemble batteries or damage their integrity;
bite, knock, puncture or cut the battery case, but you need to do the following steps, which will be described below.

To work we will need:

1.5 V alkaline battery (alkaline with Alkaline inscription on the case) in a half-discharged state;
9 or 12 Volt DC power supply;
wires for connecting the circuit;
tester or multimeter (a voltmeter will also work);
thermocouple or thermometer (which can be used to measure temperature).

Recharging alkaline batteries

1. Insert the batteries into the device you are using and assess their charge level. The charge should go to zero, but not reach the “zero” mark.

In other words, a flashlight with batteries should shine, but rather weakly.

2. We expose the contacts of the power supply and plug it into the outlet.

3. Using connecting wires, we connect alkaline batteries to the contacts of the unit, which need to be “shake” (recharged).

At the same time, we strictly observe polarity:

Plus - to Plus;
Minus to Minus.

Note: if you mess up the polarity and Plus falls to Minus, then your batteries in such a circuit will be discharged and not recharged!!

4. If the circuit is assembled correctly and the power supply is plugged in, the battery should heat up.

At the moment when the battery temperature reaches 50 degrees Celsius, the entire network must be disconnected from the current!

5. After waiting a couple of minutes until the heated battery cools down, we close the network again by plugging the power supply into the outlet.

We continue to monitor the rise in battery temperature.

IMPORTANT: the temperature of the battery recharged in this way should not exceed 50 degrees, otherwise destructive irreversible processes may begin in the battery (or it will even explode!).

6. After a 5-minute connection/disconnection operation and temperature control, we proceed to the next mode.

7. Insert the batteries into the flashlight and check. It should shine brightly.

8. Place the alkaline batteries back into the homemade circuit and perform a shock charge. This is done simply:

- quickly plug the power supply into the outlet for a short time and immediately turn it off.

The overall operation lasts about 2 minutes, during which we manage to plug and unplug the power supply from the outlet several times.

To put it simply, you need to provide a “shock” mode of intermittent current supply to the batteries. At the time of shock charging, temperature may NOT be taken into account.

9. At the end of 2 minutes of such torment, we can measure the voltage - it should be even higher than the nominal one! But when heated, the batteries will lose their energy, which means:

10. Place the batteries directly in the freezer (not the refrigerator, but the freezer), where they should cool.

11. Take the cooled alkaline batteries out of the freezer and wait until they reach room temperature. Once again we test the current sources in a flashlight, watch, player or multimeter (tester).

Happy Powerful End

So we did the following:

warmed up and stimulated the hidden resources of the battery;
performed a shock charge;
cooled the batteries and secured the recovered energy.

By the way, a similar operation can be performed no more than 1-2 times, after which disposable batteries will have to be disposed of.