Ok, so I was looking at building a alkaline battery charger. Here's the diagrams I have found on the internet.

So I de-soldered some components from a old UPS I had laying around. But I can't find a LM317, so I'm gona list some parts, you tell me if any of them can be used as a replacement.
LM2575BT (most center pin is broken off)
IRFZ34N
IRFZ46N
Some smaller transistors with a rounded side and a flat side. (I forget if thats NPN or PNP)
Various diodes and resistors.

My power supplies are 12V from a computer PSU, or 5V @350mA from an old cell charger.
So can I build this circuit with the junk I have?

 

Alkaline cells are NOT designed to be recharged, they are primary cells, and it may be dangerous to attempt to recharge them. As an alkaline battery is discharged, chemicals inside react to create an electric current. But once the chemicals have reached chemical equilibrium. The reaction stops, and the battery is depleted. In rechargeable batteries.The chemical reaction. Can be reversed by driving a current through the battery in the reverse direction. Hence the equilibrium can be shifted backwards towards the original reactants. Different batteries rely on different chemical reactions. Some reactions are readily reversible, some are not. The reactions used in alkaline batteries fall into the non reversible category.
Attempting to recharge a discharged alkaline battery can cause the production of gas within the canister. As the canister is normally sealed, very high pressures can be created within it. This can rupture the seal, resulting in leakage of the contents , or or even an explosion

 

This page says otherwise. Charging them slow at 60mA or so is fine.
http://www.afrotechmods.com/reallycheap/batteries/batts.htm

 

Yep, and if you have a fire he'll reimburse you too. Just in case put those puppies where they can't do any harm if he's wrong. The package on the batteries says otherwise.

 

I came here to build a circut. Not get advised on safty. I'm very safe, this is my house.

I'm mostly sure that tree is the only thing that can catch on fire.
IRL, I got tin foil to shield my house from explosions, also, I've already had one battery explode. That's why I'm building this, to keep it from blowing up.

 

This page says otherwise. Charging them slow at 60mA or so is fine.
http://www.afrotechmods.com/reallycheap/batteries/batts.htm

Oh well Not everything on the net have the same qualety. And this setup seems to me to be on the more dodgy side. but to answer your question. No I do not think any of the part numbers you have listed can be used in the orginal circuit you posted. How about "Some smaller transistors with a rounded side and a flat side" do you have any part number on them.
In the link you gave us have you scrolled down to the bottom. Then you may find this

" I built it and used even LESS (40mA or less) charging current than the 65mA afrotechmods suggests. I also monitored current draw using a Fluke 87 DMM. One alk cell popped 2x (loud) -- the top, bottom and sides were bulging. I disconnected immediately and it was warm. On others, e.g., Duracells and Energizers, they don't get warm but do begin to bulge (especially top and bottom). afrotech seems to be a pro (elec engr to technician) and speaks with conviction -- so I don't know what to say, folks!"

And I think that is more likely to happend.

 

how about "some smaller transistors with a rounded side and a flat side" do you have any part number on them.

mc340
mps2 907a
kn 2222a

 

Afrotech said he did his battery charging test 6 years ago and said that maybe alkaline batteries have changed now. He tested only a few. He did not do a proper test on many.

 

Well if I get it built, I'll test every battery in my drawer.

 

When you test, put the batteries inside an acid-proof enclosure. Heat and/or fire resistant would be a plus, though I've never seen a fire. But swelling and burping acid is a guarantee if you do this more than a lucky time or two.

The urban legend that you can recharge an alkaline cell, like many legends, is based on a half truth. You CAN sometimes get a bit more out of an alkaline cell in a pinch by using a brief (meaning far less than full charge time) recharge at low current. It's better than just letting it rest a while, which also works to a degree. Trouble is, in my experience, the probability of popping your battery something near 50%. Win some, lose some. Kinda like the lottery, you feel like a genius when you win and a goofus when you're cleaning up an acid mess.

IMHO, the poster at that link had better results than most because of the rapid discharge he used prior to his testing. That ensures a premature, apparent discharge that leaves some capacity remaining in the battery. Letting it rest a while, with or without a trickle recharge, will make new power "appear".

 

The trouble with testing only a few batteries is that you can't test all brands and all production dates. The next battery you wrongly charge might blow up.

It also depends on how much of a discharge the charging battery had. Some people say that if it is discharged too low then re-charging doesn't work since the new charge will not last long. It can re-charge only if it has discharged only a tiny amount. That is what I discovered about 45 years ago.

 

I remember my Grandmother buying an alkaline recharger about 45 years ago and I also do NOT remember any batteries exploding. But the bottom line was that it didn't work too well and the recharger ended in the trash (and the batteries, too and the lot was burned up in the backyard. Ahhh, the olden days! )...

From what I know now, this does not sound like a project likely to succeed or one whose risk I personally would be willing to take.

 

Basic charger, but it's work fine isn't it?

 

Basic charger, but it's work fine isn't it?

Probably not. If you want to pursue this I would suggest starting your own thread. A thread belongs to the person who starts it, if someone tries to take it over it is called hijacking, which is strongly discouraged.

Instead of following some half baked unsafe scheme floating around the internet I would suggest this as starting reading...

The Battery University

BTW, this site is very safety conscious, it is part of our charm. It is even part of our Terms of Service, which isn't necessarily a good read but highly recommended. Part of my job around here is to enforce it.

Terms of Service

Both of ya'll are welcome here at AAC. Be safe, and may the farce be with you!

 

Well even if I can't charge alkilines I did find a use for it. Recovering bad rechargables. The extra voltage (5V@350mA) kinda jump starts it, then my regular charger can charge them without flashing errors in my face.

 

You must still be using old Ni-Cad cells that had a habit of shorting. The short was blown out usually with a higher voltage charge on a capacitor but soon another short would form due to the way an old Ni-Cad cell works.
Modern Ni-MH cells have a much higher capacity and do not form a short.

 

Nope, it says NIMh.

 

Nearly all of my old Ni-Cad cells developed a short. I have many Ni-MH cells and none has failed.
You said, "Recovering bad rechargables". What was wrong with your Ni-MH cells?

 

Beats me, all I know is the charger would just blink all it's lights at me (means won't charge) and after force charging it for a bit, they charge up and work fine. (in the real charger) Some of them woulden't be fixed by that (some even had reverse voltage... weird) but it fixed my oldest pair, don't know when we got them, but it was with the first charger our family ever had, so i'm sure it's somewhere near 3-4 years.