How to Make a 12 Volt Battery Pack
A battery is a device that uses chemicals to store electrical energy. It is possible to use many small batteries to make a single battery with greater voltage. A 12-volt battery is a common battery size for an electronics enthusiast to construct at home.
- Batteries
- Wire
- Electrical tape
- Choose the batteries that will make your 12-volt battery pack. Ensure the batteries are identical, so they produce the same voltage and current. Assume your batteries produce 1.5 volts for this example.
- Determine the number of batteries you need to make a 12-volt battery pack. You will be wiring the batteries in series, meaning the voltage of the battery pack will be the sum of the voltages of the individual batteries. The batteries in this example produce 1.5 volts each, so a 12-volt battery pack will require 12 / 1.5 = 8 batteries.
- Connect the positive terminal of the first battery to the negative terminal of the second battery with a length of wire. Connect the positive terminal of the second battery to the negative terminal of the third battery. Continue this pattern until you have connected all eight batteries in series.
- Attach one end of a wire to the negative terminal of the first battery, leaving the other end of the wire free. Attach one end of a wire to the positive terminal of the eighth battery, leaving the other end of the wire free.
- Gather the batteries into a group. Wrap them with electrical tape to hold them together, completing your 12-volt battery pack.
- Use larger batteries to make a 12-volt battery pack that produce a greater amount of current. A pair of 6-volt batteries generally produces more current than eight 1.5-volt batteries, even though both of these battery packs produce 12 volts.