On Tue, 30 Dec 2003 03:39:24 GMT, Doug Van Horn
wrote:

You see, it seems that many modern battery charges are equipped with
some kind of polarity protection (or some such nonsense).

Indeed. But cheap and simple battery chargers are still out there.

Watch it with "power supplies". Although any modern home will have
some scrap gadget that can be cannibalised for something suitable,
there are still a few caveats. Plug-top ("wall wart") supplies won't
deliver the couple of amps needed, unless you can find something
unusually beefy. Computer PSUs are also of little use - they're
mainly "switch-mode" supplies and their foible is that they won't work
into a minimal load - they need at least an amp or two before they're
happy.

The idea of spending $50 on an electrolysis supply horrifies me. The
transformer in mine is 30-40 years old, the meter was rewound for a
better calibrated range and the rectifier was soldered up on tag strip
by a careless schoolboy owner about twenty years ago. A $5 basic book
on electronics will give you all the circuit details you might ever
need.

--
Klein bottle for rent. Apply within.