Originally posted by rabidsheeep
ill give it a shot on some scratch built beauties
i already modified an old estes launcher to have two alligator clips taking in charges, one + one -, and its worked ok.
btw, do 2 6 volt batteries=1 12v? or does combining batteries increase the charge? cause if so i could connect about 5 or 6 6 volts together with some 20 gauge wire leading into two wires, almost like a clipwhip...
Hooking up pos-neg/pos-neg/pos-neg lined up like cells in a flashlight is series. You add together the volts.
Hooking up all the pos's together to one line, and all the negs together to one line, that's parallel. You get the same volts as the single battery (or average of them) but you add together the amperage.
According to Ohm's Law, you should get the same amount of heat out of a given resistance (igniter) from the same combination of volts and amps, no matter whether the amps are added or the volts are added while the other remains constant. In reality, batteries have to "come up to speed" and will do so in a line if in series. They'll do it faster, giving you a faster dump of current and so a faster heating of the igniter, if done in parallel. Either way, you do get the same amount of heat and Mr. Ohm stays happy, it's just a question of when.
Ohm's Law (equivalent forms):
E = I x R
R = E / I
I = R / E
where E = Electromotive force in volts
I = induced current im Amps
R = resistance in Ohms
If you've got two, toss them on one side, do the math, and get the third.
Actually, power (E x I) is involved here in getting the heat, and for 3 batteries of X amps and X volts, you can wire them for X amps and 3X volts, or 3X amps and X volts, and either way Power = 3.
If you ever find yourself in a situation where the calculation doesn't balance, the place where the extra numbers end up is where the smoke comes out. Then you have to call a smoke technician, and he'll replace the parts the smoke escaped from with parts that are completely filled with smoke. An igniter is a piece of high resistance wire coated with stuff that accumulates these numbers. The current slows down in the high resistance and the numbers jump from the wire to the coating. When it gets enough of them, they jump to the engine, and smoke comes out of it. Then you have to replace the engine with another that's still full of smoke. Trust me. I am both a scientist and a smoke technician. And a known and convicted comedian. Incriminating evidence is in
https://www.sciencesbookreview.com/The_Best_of_Annals_of_Improbable_Research_0716730944.html
