can one demote some bad Lead acid 12v battery to use as a 6v battery?

[Risky Rob]

I used a knackered battery as a large capacitor/regulator for a car charger to run my CB when I was a kid.
One day I was bored and using a piece of wire to make sparks on the battery terminals.........a few seconds later one of the cell covers was embedded in my bedroom ceiling

That would make a good YouTube video.

 

[Substrate]

Yes, but could you learn anything *useful* about proper battery maintenance, selection, and application from it?

No. Just doing a bunch of "blowed it up real good" nonsense.

 

[Quattrohead]

I learned about hydrogen that day.
Another time I learned not to take an empty gas tank into a kitchen with a standing pilot gas water heater.
I was surrounded by blue flame for a couple seconds.
Guess I am a seasoned blower upperer

 

[Quattrohead]

Or how about the time I had my multimeter set to the wrong range with the leads in the wrong holes when testing a Kodak photo processing machine.
The meter actually lept off the floor.
Oh and the one I am most proud of.
Taking out a whole phase in a large amusement arcade when testing/repairing bingo control cards running on 240V directly.
I staggered out of the workshop and wondered why rows of Space Invaders/Pole Positions/Pacmans/slot machines and the like had gone dark !!!!

 

[Risky Rob]

I learned about hydrogen that day.
Another time I learned not to take an empty gas tank into a kitchen with a standing pilot gas water heater.
I was surrounded by blue flame for a couple seconds.
Guess I am a seasoned blower upperer

Yeah, a empty gas tank is more dangerous than a full one.

 

[Substrate]

Stop clowning us. I personally tested this YouTube trick, and it worked.

I finally watched that thing. At first I was angry, and then I couldn't stop laughing. Brought tears to my eyes so I had to watch it again. The air of authority got me on my knees.

All you need is a 1960's unregulated charger, and a big watt resistor. If you don't have those, just rub an onion all over the case first. Get your pile of 9V batteries your Grandma gave you and hook them up in series..

I could go on - get out of here man - it's nearly Monty Python funny.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

doubt the return on time investment is worth it, unless you literally have nothing better to do with your time.

For example, if it'll take you 8 hours to put together a frankenbattery with 1kWH of energy (12v @ 83AH) and you could instead work at McDonalds for $15/hr for those 8 hours, then you're spending at least $120, not including materials

I never realized I published my playbook for others to plagiarize LOL

personally tested this YouTube trick, and it worked

that does not mean it will or can work across the board. Sometimes conditions are “right” - my first summer on solar I temporarily connected two 8+ year old marine batteries that wouldn’t charge and hold a charge with my schumacher marine charger. Just because I had them and it was a load to try my 200W of panels and PWM. At first they were weak but day two I hooked up the inverter and tried to make coffee. It did it but cut off on low voltage just about the time the 5-cup pot was almost done. I was going to buy batteries with the next paycheck but wouldn’t you know it- by the next week they were holding overnight and recovered to 12.3/12.4 immediately after the coffee was made.
I wound up running them into the next spring before they started weakening again.

But 8 year old batteries? - I just got lucky -

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Taking out a whole phase in a large amusement arcade when testing/repairing bingo control cards running on 240V directly

I plugged a new 240V compressor into an existing outlet in a shop I was renting. It was -10*F and like 1AM between Christmas and New Years. When I flipped the breaker all I heard was a click- a slight one oddly enough- and everything went dark.
I used my phone light to find a flashlight and investigated. No tripped breakers. Huh.

Went outside and though there were no houses close by there were some down and up the road. All dark. Huh. Got a meter checked the incoming. Dead. Huh.

I called the power company and in the end? I blew a powerco fuse almost 1/2-mile down the road.
Apparently it was crossed between the breaker and 240V socket from whoever installed it and L1 and L2 were connected in the wall or behind the socket. I didn’t try to fix it. I bought wire and a new breaker the next day and installed it. With much trepidation I threw the new breaker and the compressor fire right up. I pulled the wires to the old breaker out of the panel and cut them too short to back in. So there was a reason they were outside the box and not on the breaker when I moved in I guess…

 

[Risky Rob]

I finally watched that thing. At first I was angry, and then I couldn't stop laughing. Brought tears to my eyes so I had to watch it again. The air of authority got me on my knees.

All you need is a 1960's unregulated charger, and a big watt resistor. If you don't have those, just rub an onion all over the case first. Get your pile of 9V batteries your Grandma gave you and hook them up in series..

I could go on - get out of here man - it's nearly Monty Python funny.

You're clowning us again. Everything he advises is 100% legitimate. When you get exposed, we're in for a epic meltdown. Maybe it's time to get off the internet?

 

[Substrate]

What it's time for is 1-800-GOT-JUNK. Maybe an episode of the "Hoarders" show.

This is kind of what I'm talking about. Peer over his fence, and maybe there is 6 tons of dead-lead in his shed!