Zamboni pile

The Zamboni pile (also referred to as a "Duluc Dry Pile") is an early electric battery, invented by Giuseppe Zamboni in 1812.

A Zamboni pile is an "electrostatic battery" and is constructed from discs of silver foil, zinc foil, and paper. Alternatively, discs of "silver paper" (paper with a thin layer of zinc on one side) gilded on one side or silver paper smeared with manganese oxide and honey might be used. [cite book | last = Stillman | first = Benjamin | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Principles of Physics | publisher = Theodore Bliss | date = 1861 | location = | pages = p. 576 | url = http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=da4IAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA577&dq=zamboni+cell&lr=&as_brr=1 | doi = | id = | isbn = ] Discs of approx. 20 mm diameter are assembled in stacks which may be several thousand discs thick and then either compressed in a glass tube with end caps or stacked between three glass rods with wooden end plates and insulated by dipping in molten sulfur or pitch. [Citation | last = Tinazzi | first = Massimo | author-link = | last2 = | first2 = | author2-link = | title = Perpetual Electromotive of Giuseppe Zamboni | date = | year = 1996 | url = http://www.brera.unimi.it/sisfa/atti/1996/tinazzi.html | accessdate = 2008-01-18]

Zamboni piles have output potentials in the kilovolt range, but current output in the nanoampere range. The famous Oxford Electric Bell which has been ringing continually since 1840 is thought to be powered by a pair of Zamboni piles. [cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Exhibit 1 - The Clarendon Dry Pile | work = | publisher = Oxford Physics Teaching, History Archive | date = | url = http://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/history.asp?page=Exhibit1 | format = | doi =
accessdate = 2008-01-18]

ee also

*Voltaic pile

Notes

External links

* [http://www.uibk.ac.at/exphys/museum/en/details/electr/zambsaeule1.html Photograph of Zamboni pile, 1880]