- 1). Line up four 6-volt batteries on a flat surface. Label each battery clearly 1 through 4 so you can identify the batteries as you wire them in a series-parallel mix.
- 2). Cut six strips of AWG 16-gauge wire using a knife. Cut two strips long enough to reach from the batteries to the device you want to power using your parallel-series wiring. The other four strips need to be long enough to connect between the battery terminals; two or three inches should be fine, but check using a ruler.
- 3). Remove ¼ inch of plastic coating off the end of each wire strip using wire strippers or a knife. Attach the end of a three-inch wire strip to the positive terminal of battery 1 using electrical insulating tape. Attach the opposite end to the positive terminal of battery 2 using the same method. The battery terminals are clearly labeled "+" for positive and "-" for negative.
- 4). Attach the end of a second short wire strip to the negative terminal of battery 3 using tape, and then connect the other end to the negative terminal of battery 4. Attach the end of a third short wire strip to the negative terminal of battery 1, and then connect the opposite end to the positive terminal of battery 3. Attach the end of the last short wire strip to the negative terminal of battery 2 and the opposite end to the positive terminal of battery 4.
- 5). Attach the end of a long strip of wire to the positive terminal of battery 2. The other end connects to the positive terminal of the device you want to power. Attach the last long wire strip to the negative terminal of battery 4. The opposite end connects to the negative terminal of the device you want to power. The batteries are wired in a mix of series and parallel so that you have 12 volts output and double the capacity of a single 6-volt battery.
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