Technology: 6 Cent LED Throwie

6 Cent LED Throwie

Make an LED Throwie for 6 (six) cents - it's the cheapest Throwie ever!

LED Throwies are popular contraptions made of a battery, an LED, and a magnet all taped together. This version does not include a magnet, although it could.

This project uses the same principle as Tool Using Animal's Penny Battery and Brenn 10's Penny and Nickel Battery. It uses pennies as electrodes and vinegar water as an acid you make a battery that will power the LED.

The video that this is based on can be found here.

If you like penny batteries, you're going to love the 500 lb. potato battery.

Get your supplies!

For this you will need:

6 pennies
Section of matte board or porous cloth
Vinegar
Salt
LED
Tape
Sand paper

Mix a salty acidic solution

I used mostly vinegar and a little water, then stirred salt in until it stopped dissolving.

soak the fabric and start stacking

Place one penny with the zinc side up, and place a piece of soaked cloth on top.

Place another penny facing the same direction on top of that.

This is one cell. Now, keep stacking to make your battery stronger.

Cap with one un-sanded penny.

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Finish it off

Once you've capped it, carefully tape it (if you like) and insert your LED, with the positive end on top.

The LED should light up.

It's not very bright, but then again, it's running on only six cents!

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Sand the pennies

Use sand paper or a sander to completely remove the copper on one side of 5 of your pennies. If you're using an electric sander please use appropriate safety gear, and do not sand yourself.