Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi, I’m working on the science fair project: Turning Mud into Energy With A Microbial Fuel Cell. I have managed to set it up correctly, and my LED light is blinking fine. This is the 2nd day of the light blinking. I have followed the instructions to set up my multimeter as well, exactly as the video and instructions state. However, all the times I’ve attempted to check the voltage, it is always at zero, even after waiting for multiple hours,and trying several times. I’ve even tried switching the alligator clips as suggested, but it isn’t working. Also, when I reattached the LED, it ceased to blink. Sorry for the long question, thank you so much, really stressing out!

Hi,
I am very sorry to hear that you are running into issues with this measurement.

When you are measuring the voltage, what resistor value did you use? Did you try changing to a different one as outlined in the procedure? Also, just to make sure that you meter is working, can you get a battery (say a standard AA battery) and make sure that you read a voltage on your meter.

Good Luck!
Willey