Make a Lemon Powered Clock
A pair of lemons and a trip to the hardware store is all you need to convert natural chemical energy into electrical power. A common lemon can provide acid to make this work. Try potatoes if you're out of lemons.
Steps
- Assemble the items listed in the "Things You'll Need" section below.
- Place the lemons on a plate or any flat surface. Although this step is optional, it's a good idea.
- Label your lemons 1 and 2.
- Push one nail into each lemon. Find the farthest spot away from the nail and push a copper wire into it. What you're doing now is creating a closed circuit, so energy can flow from the lemon and back again.
- Open up the clock's battery compartment. Depending on your clock, there are two AA batteries or one cell battery.
- Remove the battery. You'll be replacing its energy with the lemon, nail and copper connection you just created.
- Use the electrician's clip on lemon number 1 to connect the copper wire to the positive point in the clock. This is easier said than done. If you can't connect your wire to the positive point in the battery compartment, you should remove the plastic backing and open up the clock. An adult should help you with this, and the clock may not go back together.
- Look inside the clock. You'll see the positive and negative points are connected to wires on the inside of the clock. Remove the wires from the back of the battery compartment and then use them to make your connections.
- If you have a two-AA battery clock and inside you find two positive wires, make sure you un-connect your copper wire with both.
- Connect the nail to the clock's negative point on lemon number 2. You may need to move the lemon into a new position so you can clip the nail to the clock.
- Link the copper wire from lemon number two to the nail sticking out of lemon number one.
Tips
- If several months from now the clock stops, replace the lemons or the nails and it will start keeping time again.
- You'll see that you made a complete electrical circuit. The clock should work now.
- If the clock doesn't work, make sure all the connections are secure and then double check the directions. The positive and negative channels have to be connected exactly correct for electricity to properly conduct.
Warnings
- Be careful! You could hurt or shock yourself as you complete this project if you are not cautious.
- Ask your parents and/or teachers for help if you are doing this as part of an academic project.
- Galvanized nails are a must.
Things You'll Need
- A battery operated digital clock without a plug. It can use two AA batteries, or a round battery. Depending on the connections, you may have to rig the wires in different ways.
- Two medium-to-large galvanized nails. Try 16d, {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}- a solid nail. Galvanized nails are a must.
- Copper wire. Uncoated is easier.
- Three electrician's clips.
- Two lemons, or one really large lemon cut in half.
Related Articles
- Make a Digital Clock
- Open a Clock Shop
