400 car batteries wired together!!

Quick Overview

Drake Anthony successfully pushed sustained currents past 150,000 amps using 400 car batteries, ultimately achieving a peak current of 176,000 amps and demonstrating the Z-pinch phenomenon by crushing a pipe without melting it, despite significant engineering challenges related to the custom high-current switch.

Key Points: Drake Anthony assembled 400 car batteries expecting the bank to be ten times stronger than his previous 100-battery setup, aiming to pull currents far beyond a typical lightning strike. The initial 100-battery bank achieved a peak current of about 48,000 amps using five batteries in series, but the 400-battery bank was configured for five in series to achieve 65 volts and aim for over 100,000 amps sustained. Magnetic forces proved a major issue, causing opposing currents in the switch to repel, leading to wear and eventual switch failure due to asymmetry, forcing a redesign using opposing loops to cancel lateral forces. The experiment uncovered the Z-pinch phenomenon when testing thick cables, where the current-conducting plasma was crushed inward by its own magnetic field, creating temperatures beyond comprehension. After initial switch failures due to bouncing, the creator reinforced the closing mechanism with two log splitters, which allowed the switch to finally close and sustain over 150,000 amps, confirming the potential for DT nuclear fusion levels of current. The creator achieved a peak current of 176,000 amps while zapping a zinc plate, attributing the high result to fresh fuses and better battery performance in hot weather. The ultimate goal, crushing a pipe without melting it, was achieved at around 90,000 amps peak current, confirming the necessity of higher currents than the previous 100-battery test which only melted the pipe.

Context: The video documents Drake Anthony's continuation of extreme science experiments involving massive arrays of lead-acid car batteries, specifically detailing the construction, testing, and eventual success of a 400-battery bank designed to generate unprecedented electrical currents on YouTube. The project builds upon prior work with 100 batteries and is sponsored by AnyDesk, with the stated purpose being to explore the physics of extreme currents at scales comparable to national labs.