Is it possible to use cocoa to invigorate the battery in the watch. Extending battery life

Modern rechargeable batteries installed in our mobile devices are very hardy and designed for a long service life. In order to make the service life the longest and safest, be sure to take it into service and follow the following simple recommendations:

1. Once a month, be sure to completely discharge and recharge the device's battery. This procedure is called calibration. Although modern Li-ion batteries are practically not subject to the "memory effect", such an operation is simply necessary for their long service!

2. Try not to let the device operate on a low battery. The fact is that each storage battery has its own safe voltage limit (about 3V), operation on which can lead to damage to the cells. So charge the device when 15-20% of the charge remains.

3. To avoid trouble, never store the device with a fully discharged battery.

If for a long time are not going to use it, then make sure that the battery has at least a small charge. Fully charge the battery before using the device again.

4. Avoid frequent full discharges of the device battery! A complete discharge of the battery is only needed before starting operation to calibrate the control system. Forced disconnection of the phone does not affect the battery life for the better. Do not be afraid of "unplanned" exercises. Do them more often.

5. Do not overcharge the battery. Those. in other words, do not leave the device charging overnight. This will shorten the battery life.

6. If possible, observe temperature regime when charging and working with the device. Avoid high (above 35 C) and low (below 0 C) temperatures. Battery performance in an unfavorable range will accelerate the process of battery wear. The optimum temperature for work and charging will be room temperature (21 - 22 C). The worst case scenario is working with a fully charged battery at elevated temperatures and in direct sunlight. In this case, the temperature inside the device rises significantly, which will not the best way affects all its elements, incl. Battery.

7. Remove all cases from your device before charging... They impede its natural ventilation, which increases the risk of malfunctions.

8. When charging the device, if possible, turn off WiFi, various services and services, cellular data, push, in general, everything that actively loads your battery. In this case, charging will take place faster, and heat generation, with all the consequences, will be less.

With bright screens require a lot of battery power.

But apart from the screen, different applications can consume battery power.

What should be done to prevent the phone from draining quickly and keeping its battery as long as possible?

First you need to answer the question: "How do smartphone batteries work?".

Most smartphones have either lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, or lithium polymer battery (Li-pol), and such batteries do not need to be fully charged and discharged at the very beginning of using the smartphone.

But these batteries can suffer from low voltage problems, so better than them partially charge (between 20% and 90%) rather than fully charging and discharging.

There is still debate about caring for these batteries, the main thing is to find what is best for you.

How to increase battery performance

Here are some tips on how to make your smartphone battery last longer and not drain quickly:

1. Screensaver and themes in dark colors.

If your device has an AMOLED screen (like most Samsung devices), use dark tones for the screen - this will help conserve battery power. AMOLED screens only illuminate colored pixels. Black pixels are not highlighted, which means the more of them you have, the more energy you save.

2. Don't use automatic brightness.


This feature may sound useful, but automatic brightness usually makes the screen much brighter than it actually needs. Your best bet is to manually set the screen brightness and change it whenever you need it. This is a very important point because the screen is a major waste of battery power.

3. Set the sleep mode (screen timeout) for the shortest time.


Just think, if your screen automatically turns off after 1 minute, it will consume 4 times more power than if this indicator is on for 15 seconds.

Studies have shown that, on average, a user turns on their smartphone 150 times a day, which means that everything possible should be done to reduce screen work.

4. Do not use unnecessary functions such as animation or smart scrolling. they also use up your battery.


Long battery

5. Turn off vibration.


It is also worth turning off the vibration of the phone when pressing the keys - this may seem like an interesting function, but it is useless and only consumes the power of your battery. Of course, if you absolutely need this function, then this item can be skipped. Your phone needs more power to vibrate than a simple call.

6. Use lock screen notifications.


The lock screen can help conserve battery power. This is because you see all the notifications at once, without having to turn on the entire screen. This screen is on by default on all smartphones with the Android Lollipop operating system.

If you have operating system Android KitKat ( previous version), try using lock screen widgets if your RAM it supports it, or you can install an application that does it for you, such as Dynamic Notifications.

You will still have to turn on the screen, but it will be on for a lot less time than usual. In addition, the screen will be dark in color, which will also conserve battery power.

7. Set the "Do Not Disturb" "function.


This function allows you to activate the silent mode, and the user will be aware of all alerts when the phone vibrates.

Also, this utility turns off Wi-Fi and mobile Internet. When you are at work and do not want to be disturbed, set the mode in which the phone will not ring and vibrate.

You can also turn on airplane mode when you decide to take a break.

When you install applications such as Greenify, the applications that you normally run on your phone regularly will turn off and go to "sleep" mode when you are not using them.

Extending smartphone battery life

8. You don't need to be connected to networks 24 hours a day.


Turn off GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and mobile internet when you don't need them. You can use either Wi-Fi or 3G or GPS to find out your location and navigation, but not all of them.

9. Try to limit the use of widgets, especially those that require an Internet connection.


Widgets that show the weather, as well as widgets for Twitter, Gmail and some social. networks need constant updating, which means they need energy.

It's better to just turn on this or that widget when you need it, without leaving it working and updating on its own.

Instructions

If the batteries were, for example, in a digital camera and at some point the indicator showed a signal that they are low, remove them and check for residual voltage. It can be zero. Nothing can be done with such batteries. But if your device has recorded a voltage that can be up to 50% of the voltage of a fresh cell, you can try to recharge the battery.

Use a standard battery charger of the correct form factor to recharge. Recharging must be carried out by controlling the temperature of the battery and the case by hand. charger... The battery may feel warm to the touch, but should not get too hot. Charging should not take more than two hours.

It must be remembered that batteries are referred to as dry cells. The boiling of the electrolyte in them, which is in a viscous state, can lead to swelling of the element and even its rupture. Therefore, you recharge at your own peril and risk. It can be carried out several times, but each time the capacity of the element will drop by about half. Therefore, it is impractical to charge it more than twice.

An important condition for the regeneration of dry cells is their discharge during operation. It should also be remembered that a completely dry battery will not recharge. Therefore, the battery will last longer if it is stored and operated at temperatures from +10 to + 30 ° C or at temperatures corresponding to the passport value.

Sometimes you can squeeze the body with pliers or deform it in some other way. This helps because the oxide layer near the negative electrode is disturbed. However, such a deformed battery may not fit into the container of the device intended for it. In addition, it can lead to leakage of electrolyte and device. This method was very effective for the batteries that powered Soviet flashlights and tape recorders. Batteries were not always available back then, and the containers for these devices were very large.

note

The best regeneration batteries are those labeled LR. Cheap 1.2 V batteries often have a negative electrode, made in the form of a paper base with metal sputtering. These batteries are really disposable, and you don't even have to try to revive them.

Some batteries have a so-called "activated" negative electrode. That is, before assembly, the surface of this electrode is treated with mercury. Charging such batteries can be harmful to health due to mercury vapor released into the air when heated. If the battery is labeled as mercury-free, it can be recharged. In the absence of such marking, it is better to refrain from experiments.

Useful advice

If the battery is out of order due to the drying out of the electrolyte, you can make a puncture in the upper part of it and add a solution of sodium chloride there. This restores the electrolyte. But this method is very laborious.

If the battery stops working in severe frost, this does not mean at all that it is discharged. It can start working again if it gets warm.

If your phone battery has started to discharge very quickly for some time now, it is better to buy a new battery. The battery can drain quickly for a variety of reasons. First of all, if it has been used for several years and "has served its term". Secondly, the operating time is also affected if the phone is drowned in water. In addition, Chinese batteries have a limited lifespan. So how not to be left without communication at the wrong moment?

The next thing you can do is turn off the backlight on the phone keys, especially if you are usually at home at night.

You can also increase battery life by lowering the screen brightness to a level that is acceptable to you.

Disable all sound and light reminders from your phone.

Go to the phone settings menu and turn on the power saving mode. This action will disable many minor functions. For example, the period of time after which it will automatically "go out" will decrease. For this purpose, 10 seconds of downtime is quite enough. By the way, most mobile models have a function that allows you to set this parameter manually.

If possible, set the processor frequency to "normal" mode.

Also powerful consumers of the phone battery are wireless interfaces Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Therefore, it is best to disable both interfaces to increase battery life. It is advisable to include them only if really necessary.

If there is no special need to save data on external memory cards, remove them from the phone and use it internal memory... Frequently used data exchange with external memory cards greatly increases the drain on the phone's battery.

If the battery is recharged frequently and for short periods of time, the memory effect may occur and the battery will no longer gain its full charge. To eliminate this unwanted effect, fully discharge it twice and then fully charge it.

If the battery has not been used for a long time or a new one, then withstand its first charge after inactivity for 14 hours, disregarding the indicator, but no longer than one day.

And, of course, do not use your mobile phone at temperatures above +60 C and below –20 C, as this will not have the best effect on the phone's battery charge.

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Laptop battery is a very important detail personal computer... In order for it to serve for a long time, and its work remains stable, it is necessary to follow certain rules for the operation of this battery.

Instructions

Considering the fact that in rechargeable batteries Notebooks use lithium ions (Lion sign), it is necessary to carry out several full charge and discharge cycles. Turn off the laptop, connect the power to it. Wait until the battery is fully charged. Turn off the power and turn on the laptop. Let the battery drain completely. Repeat the described cycle 2-3 times.

The battery is now ready for use. If you use your laptop often enough at home and you have the ability to plug it in to AC power, then remove the battery during this period. This will help you avoid wasting battery life.

To properly store the battery outside the laptop, it is recommended to follow some rules. Before removing the battery, charge it 50-60%. Wrap the battery in a plastic bag and store in a cool, dark place. Avoid direct sunlight under any circumstances. Avoid humid locations.

To avoid problems finding a suitable battery in case of damage to the first, purchase a second battery in advance. This will save you some time and money. The point is that while this model the laptop is quite popular, you can easily pick up a cheap battery for it. By the way, there is an opinion that the service life of such batteries is much higher than that of those that come with a laptop.

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  • how to extend battery life

A mobile phone is an unpretentious device, during the operation of which you need to do only two things on a regular basis: pay for communication services and charge the battery. Batteries in the vast majority of cases are lithium-ion, with the Li-ion lettering on the body. To maximize the life of such a battery, charge it correctly.

You will need

  • - Charger;
  • - a working electrical socket 220 V.

Instructions

Power the battery from the mains using the charger, which is usually supplied with the sale mobile phone... To do this, connect the device connector to the cellular connector. After that, insert the electrical plug into a working socket with a voltage of 220 V.

Do not charge the cellular battery near heaters or other local heat sources. The range of temperatures at which the device "feels" normally is 19-35 degrees Celsius.

If you brought your mobile phone from the street in winter, do not put it on charge immediately. Wait 30-40 minutes for the battery to warm up to room temperature. With strong cooling, it is advisable to wait 1-1.5 hours.

While using your mobile phone, watch the battery charge level by the special icon on the display. Do not wait until the battery is completely depleted. Use this rule: as soon as the charge level is less than half, connect the battery to the network. This will extend the life of the device.

Allow the battery to drain completely once every two to three months. This is necessary to debug the operation of the microcircuit, which monitors the state of the battery.

Do not leave the phone on charging overnight or during a long absence from the room. Cases of fire devices are not excluded. Even if you see that the battery has not yet been charged, you can safely disconnect it from the mains, it will not bring any harm to the device.

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note

A USB cable of a computer, a car charger, ordinary batteries connected according to a special scheme, special devices from the already familiar "frog" to such technical innovations as a pen-charger can also be used as a power source for the battery.

Useful advice

Typically, the battery lasts for 300-400 charge cycles. If you purchase a device for future use and start using it after long-term storage, be prepared for the fact that its capacity may be less than usual.

Tip 5: How to increase the battery life of your mobile device

Instructions

Decrease the screen brightness.

The auto brightness feature, available on most phones, automatically adjusts the screen brightness based on ambient lighting and system operations. However, you can manually decrease the screen brightness even further.
Adjust the time to turn off the screen. Some devices have dedicated buttons to turn off the screen, while others allow you to programmatically configure the settings for locking or turning off the display. If possible, have the screen turn off automatically after a minute of inactivity.

Disable Wi-Fi.

If you are not using wifi connection, disable it. The same is true for Bluetooth.

Disable or limit the issuance of notifications.

IOS users will have to manually do this for each app. Go to "Settings-Notifications", touch each application you want to configure, and set the Notification Center switch to Off. If you are Android user, disable syncing of unused services. To do this, go to the " Accounts"Settings" menu and turn off synchronization for all services that are not in use.

Minimize the impact of applications and settings that are not currently needed.

To unload an iOS application from memory, double-tap Home buttons... After the multitasking tray appears on the screen, hold the application icon until the X button appears. Press it to close the application. Windows users Phon 8 can use the popular Battery Saver feature to limit the power consumption of applications.

Turn on airplane mode.

In this mode, all wireless interfaces of the device are disabled, including cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and other location services.

Disable location services.

This measure will save you a lot of energy and some money in foreign travel.

Disable vibration alert.

A vibration alert requires much more serious energy consumption than sound signal... If you are in a location where you cannot interfere with other loud sounds, consider temporarily disabling all notification tones.

Do not let your device get too hot and cold.

Safe temperature conditions for electronic devices ranges from 0 to 35 C. Take the necessary measures to protect your phone from temperature extremes.

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Technological progress does not stand still. Today, what seemed like an unattainable dream yesterday is becoming an everyday matter today.

More recently, Boston University engineers have patented a technology for the use of special flexible photovoltaic fibers that can independently generate electricity. The innovation will be able to receive electrical impulses from the nap of an ordinary carpet when a certain power is exerted on them.
So, for example, a specially optimized carpet with a canvas size of 20 x 20 cm will give 1 watt of energy when walking on it. In comparison, one iPhone needs 5.5 Wh to fully charge the battery.
As you know, the fibers of an unusual carpet are hybrids of two materials: photovoltaic, which receives energy from the sun, and piezoelectric, which generates electricity when walking. According to the head of the study, this innovative fiber was specifically designed to replace alternative sources of electricity like wind, water and sunlight.
Naturally, a lot of time will have to pass until the invention will firmly enter our lives, but it is already possible to predict that with the appearance of such carpets, the old chargers will sink into oblivion.

Tip 7: How to extend the battery life of your phone or tablet when traveling

The constant companion of the modern tourist is a mobile assistant in the form of a smartphone or tablet. Indeed, electronic cards are much more convenient and informative than paper ones. They know how to route and update. We have an almost perfect navigation device in our hands, but it has one big drawback. He needs to be fed from the outlet from time to time. Here are three tips to help your smartphone or tablet stay truly mobile for longer.

Instructions

Make sure that all wireless interfaces are turned on only when absolutely necessary. For example, when Wi-Fi is turned on, it continues to scan the network and drain the battery of the mobile device even when you are not on the Internet. The same can be said for Bluetooth. By turning them off on time, or even by putting your smartphone in airplane mode, you can extend its battery life by an hour or two.

Before you go on a long trip, consider buying external battery for your mobile satellite. They differ in capacity. Higher capacity means more expensive device, but also more power for your smartphone. Such an external battery can give you up to 8 hours mobile work.

Well, as an option for real travelers - a bag or backpack with solar panels... This accessory has a built-in battery. During the day's transition, he will accumulate enough energy to chat with friends on a social network or just surf the Internet before going to bed. Those. he allows nourishment mobile device even when the sun is gone. This is the most effective method increase mobility, as it makes you completely independent of the outlet for many weeks.

Useful advice

When choosing an external battery, pay attention to its capacity. If you buy it for a smartphone, then you can limit yourself to entry-level models, preferably from 4,000 to 8,000 mAh. A tablet will require a more powerful external battery. Better to think about the 12,000 to 16,000 mAh version, but they will be heavier.

Tip 8: How to keep your phone in good condition for as long as possible

Many people want to keep their phone in excellent condition as when it was purchased. Various scratches, chips and cracks can make the phone so unattractive that it will be embarrassing to even put it on the table. It will be very difficult to sell such a phone if necessary. And besides, a smartphone in good condition will serve its owner much longer.

You will need

  • - case;
  • - special napkins for glass.

Instructions

Keep your phone in a case. For many modern smartphones, as an addition, you can purchase a special folio case that attaches to the phone instead of the back panel. Covers will help prevent moisture, dust and dirt from getting on your phone, and can also become additional protection when the phone is dropped. A huge assortment of covers will satisfy every customer's taste.

When taking your phone with you on the go, put it in a separate pocket. If you put your smartphone in your pocket, where there are small change, keys or various key fobs, they can scratch the phone's panel. In some cases, nearby metal objects can not only scratch, but also create a crack on the mobile screen.

Have special glass cleaning wipes on hand. Wipe your phone with them if necessary. If there is dust on the smartphone, then it is better to remove it with this napkin. When trying to remove dust particles with your hand, you can create pressure and make micro-scratches, as well as leave lint on the screen. Microfiber, on the other hand, does not leave marks on your mobile.

Do not attach metal key fobs to the phone, as they may scratch the phone panels. If you have a strong desire to buy some kind of jewelry for your device, better buy a keychain with a soft pillow. She will be able to wipe the phone if necessary, or put the phone on this pad.

Do not place the phone face down on a table. It is better to put some kind of napkin, a piece of cloth, or, in extreme cases, a piece of paper under the phone. If you do not listen to this rule, then when the phone comes into contact with the table, scratches may appear due to the uneven surface of the table.

Rings with different inserts can also scratch the smartphone, so it is better to use it with the hand with fewer rings. Gems, especially diamonds, can easily scratch your phone screen.

Tip 9: How to make your smartphone work longer on a single charge

Most smartphone owners dream of having sockets everywhere - in minibuses, in parks on trees, so that they can be equipped with grocery carts in supermarkets. All this is because the battery charge tends to end at the most inopportune moment. However, by following a number of rules, you can make your smartphone work longer without recharging.

A lot of energy is "eaten up" by vibration during a call. For many, it is turned on all the time, but often there is no need for it. The vibration alert was invented in order to inform about calls and incoming messages in cases when you need to mute the sound - in theaters and cinema, at meetings, etc. In addition, many users constantly have a useless vibration when they press the keyboard.

Break the habit of constantly browsing feeds social networks... Admit it, you often do it by inertia, scrolling through the same notes and photos several times. Miracles do not happen here: if you do not get out of mobile internet, the battery will drain quickly.

If the battery starts to drain faster than before, the battery may be the cause. Over time, it "wears out" and starts to work worse. In this case, only replacing the battery will help. If the battery is removable, it is very easy to do it yourself, and the old battery can not be thrown away, but carried with you and used as a spare.

We are used to charging gadgets when the battery is almost completely discharged, but this habit persisted after the recommendations of the manufacturers of nickel-cadmium batteries. It is not entirely correct for modern batteries. Yes, you can wait for your smartphone or tablet to turn off and then put it on charge, but this is absolutely not necessary.


Those batteries that are installed in modern tablets, smartphones, laptops can be charged until the device shuts down spontaneously, and it is not at all necessary to bring the charge level to 100 percent. The charging mode can be close to the most comfortable for the owner of the device - if it seems to you that there is not enough charge for the tasks, do not worry about the quality of the battery, just put the gadget to recharge to the level you need. Electronics manufacturers advise charging batteries whenever possible and not chasing the ideal 100 percent.


But leaving the device longer than necessary is not worth it. Modern smartphones and other devices usually need no more than 4 hours to fully charge, so you shouldn't leave them on charge overnight.


It is very important to monitor the temperature conditions in which the gadget is located. Do not overheat or overcool the device significantly. In the summer, do not leave your tablet in the sun for a long time; in the winter, carry it in an inner pocket or a thick case. Do not forget also that laptops should not be placed on soft surfaces (blanket, sofa, pillow) so that the ventilation system can work fully.


Helpful hint: About once a month or two, allow your device to fully discharge and recharge. This "training" of the battery enables the system to correctly determine the battery level of the device.

But here's the device in your hands. For a long battery life, do not ignore the rules of battery maintenance and charging. Discharge it at least once a month and do not charge it too long.

After you start using your smartphone regularly, consider the following:

  • Adjust the brightness of the screen to a minimum, this will greatly increase the battery life of the smartphone. It is also worth setting the minimum waiting time for the standby mode (the screen should go out after about 5 seconds of user inactivity).
  • Do not use device multitasking (close all programs that are running by you and are not being used at the moment).
  • Check it out? what services and applications are started when the device is turned on. Disable everything you don't need in the system settings.
  • Make sure that in those moments when you do not use the Internet, Wi-Fi is turned off, as well as Bluetooth.

If you do everything as described above, but you continue to lack the battery capacity of your smartphone, you should think about buying an external battery.

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, clock 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 planned photos with a digital camera, find out exact time, illuminate the road, 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, leaks are possible.

Note! At home you can charge: alkaline (alkaline) finger-type batteries. Not allowed: saline. The possibility of leakage or even explosion is not excluded!

Charging can be done different methods... 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 finger-type 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 the polarity: the plus is connected to the plus, and the minus is connected to the minus. It is quite easy to find where the “- \ +” of the discharged object is: they are marked on the case.

Having connected the battery to the power source, we wait until it heats up to fifty degrees, and turn off the power. Then we wait a few minutes for the heated object to cool down. Otherwise, it may explode. Then, while the AA is still warm, it needs to be charged in a different way. It consists in the following: we connect the power supply to electricity and disconnect. This takes 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 warm up. That's it, the charge is restored right at home without a charger! You can safely use it for the same computer mouse.

Main rules:

  1. The charge is not workable if you arrange + and - in a different way. On the contrary, the battery will run out even faster.
  2. Charge the object at home 1-2 times.
  3. In the way described above, you can only charge simple finger-type alkaline batteries.
  4. The charge is feasible in any ambient temperature conditions.


Another charging method is the conventional heating method. But it is fraught with consequences (explosion). This way, again, small alkaline batteries can be recovered at home. You can also charge them more in a simple way- place the discharged objects in hot water, but for no more than 20 seconds, otherwise sad results are possible. Another uncomplicated way is to flatten or reduce the volume of the element with your own hands. So you can charge various finger-type batteries. There is an example when a person, upon expiration of the charge of a casting-ion battery, simply took out and trampled it, after which the charge indicators showed one hundred percent.

You can also restore the charge without a charger like this: we make 2 holes with an awl near each coal rod, three-quarters deep from the height of the element itself. Pour liquid into them, and seal 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. Fill 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 telephone charging

Another way to charge the product: open the cover of the element with a knife. If the zinc cylinder, object shaft, and carbon powder are intact, then immerse the object in a 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 to the place the gaskets responsible for sealing, and cover with wax or plasticine.

Alternative charging method

Imagine what happened: you started an electrochemical experiment, assembled a circuit - and the battery suddenly "sat down" and there is no spare battery. How to be? But this is not so bad. It is much worse when a pocket flashlight goes out on a dark evening, and even in the forest. And it’s a shame if the transistor receiver’s batteries fail just when your favorite song is being broadcast on the radio, or during a football match. But what can you do ...

Meanwhile, something can be done. If there is no spare battery, do not rush to throw away the old one, but try to "revive" it.

Many modern batteries - "Krona", "Mars", "Saturn", KBS and others - consist of elements of the manganese-zinc system. During operation, the negative electrode of these batteries - a zinc cup - gradually, but very slowly, dissolves, and the positive electrode, manganese dioxide MnO 2, is reduced to trivalent manganese hydroxide (its formula can be represented as MnOOH). It gradually covers the oxide grains, penetrates deep into the grains and closes access to the electrolyte. Even half of the manganese oxide has not been used, and the element has already stopped working; zinc by that time remains even more, up to four-fifths! In a word, an almost usable battery has to be thrown away.

But if you remove the "shell" of MnOOH, then the electrolyte will again be able to flow to the grains and the battery will come to life. Just how to remove it? The easiest way is to knock on the battery properly with a hammer or stone. Then the grains inside the elements will crack, and the electrolyte will be able to penetrate into them again. This method is not so good, but in the forest, perhaps, there is no better one ...

If the battery fails at home, then manganese dioxide can be activated much more efficiently. Punch a hole in the zinc cup of the battery with a nail and immerse the battery in water. The electrolyte in the cell is not liquid (it would be inconvenient), but thickened. It gets soaked in water, liquefies, and it is easier for it to penetrate the grains of manganese dioxide. This simple trick allows you to increase the battery life by almost a third. But it can be simplified even more.

It is not necessary to fill the battery with water. It is enough just to punch a hole in the zinc cup. Manganese oxide in the cell is mixed with graphite powder to increase the electrical conductivity. As soon as air begins to flow inside, graphite will absorb oxygen, and along with manganese dioxide, another positive electrode will appear - the so-called air electrode, on which oxygen is reduced. In short, a simple nail turns a zinc-manganese element into a zinc-air one!

In fairness, let's say that after such a procedure, the battery will be discharged with a small current - such are the properties of a homemade zinc air... But it will serve for a very long time.

And the last thing: we will make the old battery almost look like a new one. To do this, the battery must be charged. electric shock, that is, treat it in the same way as with a battery. The reaction in the battery is reversible, and MnOOH can turn back into MnO 2.

Note that not all batteries can be recharged, but only those in which the paste has not dried and the case is not damaged. And you need to charge not ordinary direct current how batteries are charged. In this case, zinc will deposit on the battery case in the form of branched dendrite threads, and very soon this will lead to what happens short circuit and the battery will be damaged. It must be charged with the so-called asymmetric current. To get it, you have to straighten alternating current not completely, for example: include a rectifier diode in the circuit and parallel to it - resistance (about 50 ohms). The voltage of the source should be about 12 V, so you cannot use the current directly from the network, you need a step-down transformer.

Manganese-zinc cells can be charged up to three times, while their capacity drops very slightly. And small, so-called button cells (they use a mercury-zinc system) can be recharged up to ten times. But it makes no sense to pierce them with a nail or knock on them with a hammer - there are practically no active substances left in these elements after the discharge.

O. Holgin. "Experiments without explosions"
M., "Chemistry", 1986