Making a 6 volt from a 12 volt battery

[Norm]

the terminal into the internal connector and make a 10 volt battery...only the end cell is bad...someone cracked the bottom corner and the electrolyte leaked out the rest of the cells are O.K. check out hydrometer and voltage wise fairly normal the whole battery can be charged now that I plugged the leak and refilled the cell, but it charges up to about 13 volts and doesn't have too much capacity. It was free so nothing to lose and nothing ventured...nothing gained just wondering which way would be the best way to venture...

              Thanks Guys  ( :>) Norm

[drdongle]

Try a pulse charger on it, if you dont know what that is check the archive here.

Carpe Vigor

Dr.D

[iFred]

Saw it in half? Saw the bad end cell off....LOL oh I would just love to see that! he he...

Sorry, I was was just being cocky... Sure why not, but the then again, is it worth it? I mean if the cell is on it's last leg I'm sure that you will find that the plates are deteriorated and not worth the time and effort.

[tecker]

  I make a coveralls out trash bags to work on batteries too many holly Tshirts and jeans . The other altenative  to a cut down whitch sounds good is to saw off the top lift out the cells and after a checkout and cleaning can be put in plexy glass single cells fit with connectors and flooded . I've done it twice lot of work but rewards are good . When the cell dies do it again.bolt the plexy together clamp style with nylon bolts and urethane gaskets dado

out a spot for the end pieces and bottom from the side plates  shop the net for hardware.

[Norm]

Yeah that too.. been learning how caps and cap pulse chargers work with the use of 200 in 1 electronics projects lab...great learning tool!

 I'm planning on making one as soon as I scrounge up a couple of parts from this ole tv sitting here on the floor.

                  ( :>) Norm.

[Norm]

 

Ifred:   Yeah just fun all around ...figured you'd get a kick out of it! Lot of better options

sawing would be a last resort...but would it be worth the trouble? Absolutely ...(talking to an old man with more time than money or sense) LOL

...besides I could duct tape it up and use it for an exchange on my next new battery ....

              ( :>) Norm.

[Norm]

   Yep! That acid is really.....incidious???

I'd try to be real extra careful and thought everything was okay then the wife would want to know how I got all the little holes in my clothes after she washed them.

  Would the cells fit back in the original container if they haven't swollen ...or do they always swell a little bit?

  Way back all batteries used to be sealed at the top with tar ...just like some larger industrial batteries still are?

                    ( :>) Norm

[BT Humble]

Why bother sawing off the dud cells?  If you want a 6V battery just put a "tap" terminal on the bus between the 3rd and 4th cells, and use it like that.  There doesn't seem to be a lot of point in making extra work for yourself. ;-)

BTH

[Ungrounded Lightning Rod]

Given that the case has been repaired:  You might try giving it an equalizing charge and then checking the electolyte with a hydrometer.  If the formerly broken cell is at a significantly different specific gravity, adjust the electrolyte by sucking out a bit and adding acid or water as needed - and equalize/adjust again if you had to do a big tweak the first time around.

If it still screws up once you've equalized and gotten the electrolyte to match, THEN convert it for 6 or try other stuff (like desulphating).

[BT Humble]

 Would the cells fit back in the original container if they haven't swollen ...or do they always swell a little bit?

  Way back all batteries used to be sealed at the top with tar ...just like some larger industrial batteries still are?

My dad told me once that quite a few years back my uncle (his brother) bought an expensive new battery for his tractor, then tripped and fell while carrying it to the shed and cracked the casing.

His cousin the shady-tree mechanic found another (dead) battery with the same sized case, sawed the tops off and transplanted the innards from one case to the other.  I don't know what he sealed it with, but apparently it lasted just as well as any other new battery (shrug).

BTH

[tecker]

   There's a couple of things I 've been able to gleen from all the acid holes .

 The lead peroxide is black for the most part (pos plate ) the neg plate is on the other side of a microporse seperator that sperator has to let the acid in and the water out when electrons are conducted . So the only thing that is key when you look for a good cell is how much of the lead peroxide comes out of each cell when you dump the acid out . the swollen cells are toast . That's a nobrainer the cell has become internally shorted and the very dilute acid freezes to expand inside, recycle time. So what I'm looking for is a fairly clean solution on first cleaning and good porosity when the cell or cells are first filled (air bubbles comming to the top means there is trapped spaces where flow is restricted)

[tecker]

sorry  spellchecker is asleep  micro porous  and separator