In the early 60s, the batteries, radio and rainy season always go in a team. Intense moonsoon rains led to flooding or brown-outs that classes were suspended. Staying at home, the Sony transistor radio was my companion almost the whole day.

The radio did not use AC electric power but DC power from batteries. In no time, the batteries were dead and so was the radio. That started my curiosity about the batteries.

With the radio dead, I was missing the daily radio broadcasts of Kumander Fidela and Ito Po Ang Inyong Tiya Dely (This is your Auntie Dely) - very popular soap operas aired in the afternoon. The day was not complete without listening to Beinte Kwatro Oras (24 Hours)in the evening. With the exception of Tiya Dely Magpayo, all the radio stars were either retired or dead. Tiya Dely airs a daily evening program at DZRH.

One battery after another, they were opened up to the core to retrieve the black solid cylinder in the middle of the battery. Slowly the zinc casing was ripped off, then the pasty black substance or the potassium hydroxide electrolyte was removed around the cylinder.

That was the start of several experiments using the worn out batteries.

Labels: batteries, CEO blog, dzrh, fidela, flood, magpayo, monsoon, radio, rainy, Ricalde, sony

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