Potato Clock

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Everyone can get ahold of a few potatoes, and what better way to use them (aside from consumption, that is) than to make them into an operating clock? It’s easy and only requires the use of a few things many people have handy, or, if you need to go to the electronics store to purchase an LED clock anyway, you can get the alligator clips and electrodes there, as well.

To run it on two potatoes, you’ll need:

1. Two copper electrodes. A 10-cm length of thick (0.64 cm) copper ground wire
works well. You’ll find it at hardware and home supply stores.
2. Two zinc electrodes. Use large galvanized nails, also available from a hardware or home supply store.
3. Three alligator-clip wires
4. Two potatoes.

Now make a potato clock. Open the battery compartment of the clock and remove the button battery. In the compartment, notice that there are two connections

for the battery marked plus (+) and minus (-). You’ll connect the potato battery to these two places. Let’s call the potatoes A and B. Connect A and B to the clock like this:

1. Insert a copper electrode and a zinc electrode into each potato, fairly far apart.

2. Use an alligator-clip wire to connect the copper electrode of potato A to the plus (+) connection in the clock.

3. Use an alligator-clip wire to connect the zinc electrode of potato B to the negative (-) connection in the clock.

4. Use an alligator-clip wire to connect the zinc electrode of potato A to the copper electrode of potato B.

Viola! This clock will last for months especially if the potatoes are very fresh.

Posted in: Electronics