It often happens that batteries stop working at an unnecessary moment, when it is impossible to buy a replacement for them, and there is no charger at hand. If you didn’t know that they can be restored so that they last for a certain period of time, then check out the most popular ways to bring a AA battery back to life.
Basic recovery methods
There are quite a few recovery methods, but if your phone is more than one year old, none of them will bring long-term results. Malfunctions can be divided into two main categories:
- Physical aging of the device and loss of battery capacity.
- “Deep discharge” of the smartphone, making it impossible to use the standard charging adapter due to insufficient voltage on the controller.
Modern lithium batteries cannot be refurbished in the same way as older alkaline batteries. If the battery has already expired and has seriously lost capacity, it is recommended to replace it with a new one. Below is how to restore a completely dead phone battery.
Important! All methods give only short-term positive results, and the best solution in most cases is to purchase a new module.
Battery selection
The two main types of batteries in popular sizes are AA and AAA – salt and alkaline. Alkaline batteries are better known as “alkaline” from the English word Alkaline. Alkaline batteries have a higher capacity and service life than salt batteries. In commercials up to 10 times, in reality three to five times. The cost of alkaline is two to three times higher. Mathematically, it turns out that purchasing alkaline elements is more profitable.
Sometimes the benefits are not obvious. For example, remote controls for television equipment consume little energy. Here a salt battery will do a good job.
Important! If the battery is alkaline, the inscription Alkaline must be present on the packaging and battery. If there is no inscription, it is a salt battery.
How to “push” a phone battery
If the gadget has been turned off for a long time, it may stop turning on and respond to being connected to an outlet. A "deep discharge" has probably occurred and the power controller is unable to begin charging. You can correct the situation using improvised means.
To carry out the repair you will need the following tools:
- Multimeter - to check the current and input voltage.
- An adapter from any device capable of output voltage from 6 to 12 volts.
- Power supplies from other smartphones, tablets and routers are suitable.
- Trimmer resistor with a power of at least 1.5 W.
- Soldering iron, roll of electrical tape, clamps and copper wire.
If all the necessary tools are in place, follow the instructions:
- Output "plus" and "minus" from the power supply. First, you should strip the wire braid, then connect one wire (plus) inside the connector, and the other (minus) to the outside. Secure with electrical tape.
- Connect the other ends of the wire to the battery itself, observing the polarity. You can also secure them with electrical tape for a while.
- The trimmer should be connected to the positive wire.
- Connect the resulting structure to the network and regularly check the current with a multimeter. For charging, 50 mA is usually sufficient.
It is also possible to carry out a similar procedure using a “frog charger”. Finding such a device will not be difficult in electronics stores and markets. The output current is usually 200-500 mA, but this is quite enough for charging. Instructions for working with frogs differ for each model. This method can slightly extend the life of an old battery or “push” a discharged module.
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Recovery methods that are best not to use
The partial recovery methods described are the simplest and safest, but this is not a complete list. There are other methods, but they are complex and unsafe:
- It is not recommended to recharge disposable batteries. This is ineffective and can damage the charger.
- Lithium power supplies (tablets) cannot be restored; they will explode if subjected to mechanical impact or attempts to open them.
- There is a way to restore alkaline batteries by refilling them with alkali. To do this, you need to disassemble the body, removing the brass rod, then pour in lye and put everything back together. This method works, but it is too complicated and not worth the effort. In addition, you can burn yourself with an alkaline solution.
It is better, of course, to use rechargeable batteries; they are powerful and durable, and are much cheaper than disposable power supplies. But if you urgently need a little energy, and you only have a dead battery at hand, then you already know what to do.
We revive the battery using cold
Using a refrigerator to recondition a lithium battery is useless. Alkaline nickel-cadmium batteries can “add” a little capacity, but this type of element is not installed on any modern smartphone.
Storing the battery in the refrigerator will lead to its complete discharge, but will certainly not help start the charging process. If you remove an element from your phone, store it at room temperature on a dry surface.
Important! Overcooling of Li-ion cells will lead to their failure and loss of the manufacturer's warranty.
Battery resuscitation
How to resuscitate a battery if there are no spares, all the elements are dead, and the situation is critical.
- Physical impact in the form of tapping. A hammer, stone, or any other heavy object will do.
- Physical impact in the form of compression. You need to crumple the element (pliers work well) closer to its middle part.
- Heating the element (for example, with a lighter).
There is a simple explanation for these actions. The chemical reaction inside the element is accelerated. Unreacted electrolyte residues are used. Such resuscitation for a short time helps. Repeated attempts will not yield anything. The batteries are now completely dead.
Such methods help elements AA, AAA, C, D. Battery assemblies 6F22 (crown) 23A (12 volt element) and the like, only heating is suitable. Physical impact will simply destroy such an assembly.
Important addition! Similar methods of influence are suitable for rechargeable elements - batteries. But after applying the impact, the battery will fail and will be unsuitable for further use.
Restoration by closing contacts
If all the above methods do not help, try shorting the battery contacts using a metal object.
- Remove the sticker from the front of the battery (near the contacts for connecting to the smartphone) using a flat-head screwdriver.
- Close the two contacts for 1 second using tweezers or any other metal object.
- The functionality of the element will be restored for some time.
Important! This method only works in some cases. Use it only when all else fails.
Thermal impact
You can restore the battery using high temperature. To do this, you need to place it on a heating device and warm it up for 1-2 hours. If time is limited, hot boiling water with a little salt will do. Just place the batteries in boiling water for 7-10 minutes and dry thoroughly with a napkin.
Do not use open fire or heat batteries on an electric stove to heat batteries.
Release of gases from a swollen battery
If batteries become swollen, they should be replaced with new ones as quickly as possible. A faulty battery can damage the display and even bend the board, not to mention a fire. However, if you pierce a defective battery and release the gases, you can extend its life for a while.
- Disconnect the controller with sensors from the housing.
- Using a thin needle, pierce the end of the can from the contact side.
- Gently press the battery with a heavy object, trying to release the gas without damaging the case. Use an object larger than the body of the damaged module.
Mechanical method
The battery case is made of zinc. Over time, the material oxidizes and a dense white coating forms on the inside of its surface, preventing contact of the metal with the electrolyte inside. Slight deformation of the metal sleeve allows you to break this layer, partially restoring contact.
For mechanical impact, you can use a hammer or stone. Gently tap the body to create dents on the surface. You can simply gently press down the sides with pliers. The main thing is not to flatten it, damaging the integrity of the sleeve.
Battery calibration
Once every few months it is recommended to carry out a full discharge-charge cycle to 100%. This procedure helps to increase the life of the module and reduce capacity loss over time.
- Wait until the smartphone is completely discharged and turns off.
- Connect the gadget to the outlet without turning it on. Usually the screen will show the current charge level even if Android is not loaded.
- Wait until fully charged to 100%, then disconnect the device from power for 3-5 minutes.
- Put your phone back on charge. Please note that the charge level will be a couple of percent below the maximum.
- Repeat the procedure starting from point 4. The battery is considered calibrated when, when connected after several minutes of inactivity, the level is 100%.
Battery life
How to extend battery life? We extend the work in a simple way - periodic use. If you use an alkaline battery for an hour or two, and then give it time to “rest,” the amount of energy released will be 30-50% more. By having a spare set and swapping them, you can achieve the service life of two sets that would normally be achieved by three such sets.
For this property, Alkaline batteries are sometimes called self-healing. The chemical reaction in batteries is irreversible and self-healing is impossible. It will not be possible to restore such a cell to its initial charge level, but you can significantly extend the life of the batteries.
Element heating
The battery will recover from simple heating and this is scientifically proven. The method can also be applied to ordinary finger elements. Do not rush to throw away the seemingly “lifeless” charging case. It’s better to put it in hot water for 20 seconds, dry it and insert it into the socket.
In winter, the shriveled element can be heated on a heating radiator if the water supply temperature in it is quite high. Yes, use whatever options you like, just so that the battery warms up, then it will again be able to produce a charge. Except for fire, of course.
During the period of total shortage, batteries for tape recorders were often restored by boiling them in salt water. They took off the wrapper, put it in a saucepan and boiled it for a certain time, then took it out, wrapped it in electrical tape and inserted it into the player.
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How to make the batteries work
A battery completely fails only in two cases: if its electrolyte is completely dry or one of the electrodes is destroyed. In other cases, battery life
can be extended. It happens that rechargeable batteries run out at the most inopportune moment, when there are no new options to buy, but you need to use a device powered by them. How to make the batteries work?
In order for dead batteries to work, you just need to put them on a heating radiator for 2-3 hours. When heated, the chemical reaction in them is activated, and the batteries will become operational again.
Another old-fashioned way to make batteries work is to keep them in boiling water for a while. Also, simply squeezing dead batteries with pliers has some effect.
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Mechanical impact
We take an element, knock on it and crush it. Don't be afraid of blows. Thanks to mechanical stress, it will last at least several days. You can even gently tap the body with a small hammer or hit them together. The charge will last for some time if you leave dead batteries against the wall.
Do you have pliers handy? Great, this is another option to bring dead batteries back to life, you need to lightly crush them in a vice, then in your hands, insert them and see the result. The charge will come from them and the device that is powered by the batteries will start working.
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