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How to Make a Light Bulb Work With a Dry Cell Battery

Dry cell batteries, the type of batteries used in many electrical appliances such as cameras and remote controls, are made using chemical compositions such as nickel, lithium or regular alkaline. The voltage is usually in the range of 1.2 to 3.6 volts, depending on the type, although lantern batteries and those used in smoke detectors produce 6 and 9 volts, respectively. Check the label on the side of the dry cell battery to ascertain the voltage it produces and use a light bulb that uses the same or slightly higher voltage. If you use a light bulb that uses less voltage than the battery produces, the light bulb will blow.

Things You'll Need

Dry cell battery (AA, AAA or similar)
Light bulb (same voltage as battery)
AWG 18 gauge wire
Knife
Wire strippers
Electrical tape

Instructions

- 1
  Cut two strips of single-core AWG 18 gauge wire using a knife. Two strips about 6 inches long are fine.
- 2
  Remove 1/4 inch of plastic off the ends of the two strips of wire using wire strippers. Alternatively, you can remove the plastic using a knife by cutting around the plastic 1/4 inch from the end and then pulling off the plastic with your fingers.
- 3
  Cut four 1-inch strips of electrical insulating tape using a knife. Stick the ends on the edge of a table so they are ready to use.
- 4
  Put the end of one of the wire strips onto one of the light bulb terminals; either one is fine. Use one of the strips of tape to hold the wire onto the terminal. If it̵7;s too long, cut it to make it shorter. Attach the other strip of wire to the other terminal using the same method.
- 5
  Attach the opposite end of one of the wires attached to the light bulb onto one of the two battery terminals. Again, it doesn̵7;t matter which one. Use tape as before. Attach the opposite end of the remaining strip of wire to the other battery terminal using tape. As soon as the wire is attached the light bulb illuminates using the dry cell battery.

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