Many batteries in series (dangerous?)

[maze]

Is it dangerous to put, say, 100 D-cell batteries in series (the type you find in a flashlight)?

 

[chroot]

That depends on your definition of "danger," I guess. It's less dangerous than typical 120V household mains, but it could still kill you.

- Warren

 

[Bob S]

Is it dangerous to put, say, 100 D-cell batteries in series (the type you find in a flashlight)?

Their rating is about 2000 milliamp-hours, so you could light a 100-watt bulb for a few minutes. But it is dangerous to touch both ends at the same time.

 

[maze]

What is a reasonable limit where you don't have to worry about dying?

 

[chroot]

40 volts is generally below the threshold of sensation, with dry skin. Below that, you're generally safe.

- Warren

 

[RonL]

Is it dangerous to put, say, 100 D-cell batteries in series (the type you find in a flashlight)?

If the cells are ni-cads and fully charged you would have 125 volts DC, and if they are alkaline, you would have 150 volts DC, I believe both would kill a person.

 

[maze]

Thanks all, I will keep this in mind.

I was googling around to find the answer to this, and as a result have another interesting but less practical question. A website claimed that if you have huge bleeding cuts on your hands, then the liquid blood could complete a circuit with much less resistance, thereby electrocuting you with as low as a 6V battery. Is this true?

 

[chroot]

I don't know about electrocuting (killing) you, but it'd probably hurt like hell. Put a 9V battery on your tongue for a sample.

- Warren

 

[maze]

Thats what I thought, but blood vessels travel through the heart on the way from one hand to another, so it seemed possible that it could disrupt the heartbeat rhythm.

 

[mgb_phys]

There is also a fire and explosion risk if you short circuit them, especially if they are enclosed and so can't cool easily

 

[bobber_adam]

Are you actually thinking about doing this for something or are you asking this hypothetically? If so may I ask why? There might be better solutions.

 

[Dadface]

I don't know about electrocuting (killing) you, but it'd probably hurt like hell. Put a 9V battery on your tongue for a sample.

- Warren

Ah the tongue voltmeter.Not to be recommended.

 

[0xDEADBEEF]

Ah the tongue voltmeter.Not to be recommended.

Here people give advice on some deadly current machine and you are warning against 9V block licking?

 

[Dadface]

Here people give advice on some deadly current machine and you are warning against 9V block licking?

Well,I like the taste of chlorine I get after eating a bag of salted peanuts and when I spark up I demonstrate the squeaky pop test for hydrogen.The biggest problem is that the tongue voltmeter is so difficult to calibrate.

 

[overt26]

I've seen something similar done with 9V cells which clip nicely together in an end-to-end series chain of any arbitrary length.

Seemed dangerous to me once you got above the safe ELV.