Batteries

[AngloScot]

What reactions take place in a dodgy battery when you hit it to get some energy out of it eg batteries in a remote control: when it is nearly dead sometimes you need to smack the remote and then it works for a second or two.

How does this work?

[Kingaroo]

I think smacking works because it improves the contact between the terminals of the weak battery and the wiring inside the appliance. It's not anything that happens inside the battery itself.

[anthomson]

Interesting question. Generally subjecting a battery to knocks tends to drastically shorten its life.I know this because we once built a test rig for a well known battery manufacturer that basically knocked seven bells out of the batteries being tested. I would imagine that hitting the batteries when they are almost dead would agitate the chemicals inside sufficiently to release that final bit of energy. Prolonged shock however will cause the chemicals to breakdown. The battery will burn its energy internally and will quickly go flat.

[Hippy]

A better solution I have found is to remove the batteries and roll them vigorously in the hands tehn replace them. This heats them up and you can get that little extra chemical reaction to change channel, get off standby etc.

 

[Hammer]

As a kid we used to put our 'dead' batteries on the radiator for a while to get an extra five minutes out of Snoopy Tennis !!

[Dagman]

Hey, I read that it takes 50 times more energy to produce a battery than it gives out. Mad or what!