The Coin Battery Stack

You have a high-voltage battery in your pocket. You just need to build it.

In 1800, Alessandro Volta didn’t have Lithium-Ion battery. He had discs of metal and saltwater. Today, we call it a “Voltaic Pile.” 

The Build: Take 10 pennies. Sand one side of each until you see the silvery zinc (newer pennies are mostly zinc, coated in copper). Cut small squares of cardboard and soak them in vinegar (the electrolyte).

The Stack: Stack them in a pattern: Copper side, Cardboard, Zinc side. Repeat. Copper, Wet Cardboard, Zinc. Copper, Wet Cardboard, Zinc.

The Payoff: Grab your multimeter. That stack of 10 pennies isn’t 10 cents anymore. It’s pushing 5 to 6 volts—enough to light an LED or scream at a buzzer. You just turned loose change into chemical energy.

Stop buying the magic. Start building it.

#rocketcity #huntsvilleelectrician #huntsville #dadscience #voltaicpile