How to Get FREE 9 Volt Batteries (legally)

Hi
In this simple instructable I am going to show you how to get FREE 9 volt Batteries legally. The process I am telling you about I have done only twice but have already gotten 27 free batteries! and it only takes a few minutes and is great way to save a little money and the earth at the same time!

Step 1: To the Theater

So here is the trick. A lot of times when people are preforming on stage they use wireless microphones that run on 9 volt batteries. They through them out because they don't want to risk having a microphone go out. Well a lot of people throw out the 9 volt batteries after every performance but most of the batteries are still perfectly good. The best place to get your batteries is probably a local community performance or a high school production. Well to get the batteries I would recommend going to the performance ( supporting the show) and then after the show is over going up the people running the sound board and ask them if they have any extra batteries that they are no longer using. Be sure to treat these people (everyone for that matter) with respect because they are helping you. Be kind, use your "please and thank yous". After you and have done this a few times you might want to ask them if you can set up a bucket for them to put the batteries in. If they agree you can make a bucket labeled "Old batteries" with a slot in the top big enough for a 9 volt battery but not any bigger because you don't want your bucket to be confused with a trash can. I have done this multiple times and they have always given me the batteries. The batteries are really still good and out of the 27 batteries the average voltage was 8.5 which is not to bad. It peaked at 9.25 for one battery (probably someone with a small part) and 7.57 for the lowest (a lead I would imagine.)
Here are a few ideas for new batteries:
Joule Thief: Since the batteries might not have all of the juice this might be a good idea.
Recycle Your Old 9 Volt Batteries: Use the battery clips for other projects.
YAN9VUSBC (Yet Another 9 Volt USB Charger)
These are just a few ideas but the use for these batteries are endless.

Please feel free to comment and/or rate me if you have any questions about the instructable or enjoyed.
Thanks for reading,
Joe
Shouts= goodhart, GRL

Comments

[Zorink]

My dad does the same thing for AA batteries. The hospital he works at dumps loads of batteries that were only used for 5-10 minutes in tools during surgeries. A battery dying in a surgery is a lot more serious than one dying during a theater production so they go through batteries really fast.

[joejoerowley]

Oh, wow. Thats a good tip. I bet you could get some from the pager replacement people also.Thanks

[CalcProgrammer1]

Yeah, my aunt works at a hospital and sometimes they don't even use the battery packs during surgeries, but since it's such a crucial event, they have to replace the packs. She collects these unused/slightly used AA batteries and fills huge bags full of them and gives them to people. I've probably gotten 100+ batteries from her, all in perfect working condition.

[Xixfas]

my mom does that for me too!

[Side-winder]

at cancer clinics you can also get free 9 volts.. they use them for the chemo machine things.

[Xixfas]

at my moms work she always gets me those but they use aa batteries they have to change them a lot or else someone might die they probably cahnge them everyday some are even brand new

[bigjohn1a]

I do this myself at our church. I am the head soundman and we Change the AA's once a month and the 9 volts every 2 weeks. I make led night lights for around the house there is more than enough left in each for a joule thief. Now if only I could afford the pro membership again. I miss downloading projects

[Electroinnovation]

Is it true that if you hold the opposite prongs together the batteries would heat up and eventually explode

[Electroinnovation]

On 2 batteries i mean

[JshDav]

probably not explode but they would go flat very quick and Yes probably get very hot too

[account3r2]

I burnt myself kinda badly once on three AAs...

[luvit]

they get hot. i do this to entertain myself at church.

[altomic]

i get heaps of free AA batteries from camera/film processing shops. when people use the disposable cameras with flashes the shop usually throw them out. go in and ask them to save them. leave your name and number and say that if it is alright that you will come in and collect the cameras every 2 weeks or so. each camera has a AA that has probably been used for 3 minutes to fire up the flash. I went to 4 camera/film developing places and got 34 cameras in 1 hour. 34 AA batteries for free.

[account3r2]

Too bad all the places that do that near me send the cameras in to be recycled... I think they said they get money or something like that, so... Maybe I can find a place that doesn't get money for them to be recycled.

[carpespasm]

I did even better than that. I asked a clerk at a pharmacy once about getting used cameras and he wound up giving me a trash bag full of over 200 cameras. I made a capacitor bank big enough to set off the glass-break sensors at my work when I'd charge and short it. and I got a whopping pile of batteries!

[LOOK!!! something shiny!....ZAP!!]

that had to be something to see just dont short it with part of your body that might hurt just a bit

[carpespasm]

It did make a pretty large spark, but the real power was in the bang it made. It could easily be mistaken for a gunshot indoors. Perhaps using something like that as a solid-state flashbang would be useful if you coupled it with a flash as well.

[matstermind]

done that before

[tanmanknex]

one word--- COILGUN!!!!!!!

[joejoerowley]

Cool! Nice Tip!!!! Thanks Joe