How to Make a Portable Battery Charger

Appliances of all types can run on battery power. At the same time, the quality and availability of rechargeable batteries has improved considerably in recent years. If your batteries run out of power, you'll need a quality battery charger to refresh the charge. Although you can purchase battery chargers in the portable accessories section of a hardware or electronics store, a battery charger is a cheap and easy do it yourself project at home. Follow these instructions to build your own portable battery charger.

Step 1 -- Collect Your Materials

The materials needed to create a battery charger are generally cheap and readily available. Collect the following items before you begin:

• Silicon diode
• One light bulb and light bulb base
• Electrical wall plug from an old appliance, including about 6 inches of the cord
• Insulated 16-gauge wire
• A small block of wood
• Wire cutters, screwdriver, screws, electrical tape and other tools as needed
  

Step 2 -- Cut and Strip the Wire

You will need three sections of wire in order to create your battery charger. Two of these sections should be approximately 8 inches long, while the third should be 1 foot. Strip the insulation about an inch down from either end of each section of wire.

Step 3 -- Connect the Light Bulb Base

The next step is to connect the silicon diode to the light bulb base. Wrap one of the wire leads from diode around the connection point at the bottom of the light bulb base, using a screwdriver to tighten the wire. Then, using one of the shorter pieces of wire that you've cut and stripped, connect the wire section to the other wire lead from the silicon diode and wrap the connection with tape.

Step 4 -- Connect the Other Short Wire

Connect one end of the other small section of wire to the second connector at the bottom of the light bulb base and secure it with a screwdriver. Connect the open end of this wire to the lead on the wall socket plug. Wrap electrical tape around the connection to secure it.

Step 5 -- Connect the Long Wire Section

Wrap one end of the third and longest section of wire to the other lead on the wall socket plug. Cover the connection with electrical tape in order to secure it.

Step 6 -- Attach the Charger to the Base

Fasten the light bulb base of the electrical charger to the piece of wood with screws. Screw a light bulb into the base to complete the connection. Plug the electrical plug into the wall.

In order to charge a battery, tape the loose end of the 12-inch wire to one end of the battery and the loose end of the remaining 6-inch wire to the other end. Allow the battery charger at least 3 hours to charge the battery completely. The battery charger is portable, but will require a wall socket in order to function.