Battery Tester with adjustable load settings - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Hobby73
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2017, 06:14:58 pm
content: I saw this old vintage battery tester on eBay (photo attached). For a specific voltage setting, you can specify a low, medium, or high load to test with. For example, a common 1.5V battery can be tested under different loads depending on the device used or the size (capacity) of the battery, e.g., D, C, AA, or AAA cell. It always seemed odd to me that battery testers I see in the stores always apply the same load to these 1.5V cells regardless of their size or intended use.Does anyone know of a modern battery tester with such a feature (adjustabe load)? Of course, you can always rig up some DIY load circuit, but I'm looking for a product that is easy and quick to use.

author: ECEdesign
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2017, 06:18:14 pm
content: I am in the process of finishing up a design which you can program current profiles to test battery impedance as well as a built-in charger and temperature monitoring. It is in the form of an Arduino shield. It is designed for LiFePO4 cells but could be expanded to different types of batteries. Test methods are based on standards from Argonne National Labs.

author: macboy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2017, 07:01:02 pm
content: Quote from: Hobby73 on January 18, 2017, 06:14:58 pmI use this Canadian tire brand one:http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mastercraft-analogue-battery-tester-0520057p.htmlthough I am sure it is available elsewhere as other brands. Note that there are 3 different 1.5 V loads: 1 mA for button cells, 50 mA for AAA and 150 mA for AA and bigger. For the four ranges at the bottom, the load current isn't specified, but it is 10 mA for all. That red tab on the right is for a a button cell holder on the side, you insert the cell and press the red tab to make contact. Also note the contacts for 9V cells on the top; the negative contact can also be used for AA's etc., so that you only need to use the red lead.

author: Hobby73
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2017, 01:46:19 am
content: Thanks for replies. I read about a battery tester from ZTS (link shown below). It's different from conventional testers in that it claims to use a pulse load test that is supposed to be highly accurate. But it still appears to use the same load for all 1.5V alkaline batteries.https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FQG1XEWith all the creative things being made these days like internet-connected toasters, you would think somebody would have made a battery tester with adjustable loads.

author: billfernandez
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2017, 04:08:57 am
content: Quote from: Hobby73 on January 20, 2017, 01:46:19 amThis is the one I use. I've had it for a couple of years. They have divided batteries into 10 categories, and have provided a separate test point for each category. I too wondered about all the 1.5V alkalines being on one test point, but have chosen to assume that they know what they're doing.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2017, 07:18:00 am
content: I use this one which works quite nice. quick and dirty accus check of all kinds I need.https://www.elv.de/ansmann-akku-batterietester-energy-check-lcd.htmlit differentiate the test for alcalines and rechargeables batteries.

author: Hobby73
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2017, 02:31:08 am
content: Quote from: billfernandez on January 20, 2017, 04:08:57 amI wonder if the ZTS pulse load is simply a 2 second connection to a closed circuit with a fixed resistance value. Nothing wrong with that, what else could it be?Have you ever tried measuring the resistance across the Alkaline 1.5V test point or the 9V test point? I'm curious to know the load it applies to these cells.

author: Hobby73
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2017, 03:53:27 am
content: I found the load resistor values in the patent:https://www.google.com/patents/US6823274.For Alkaline 1.5V (all sizes), the resistance is 9.1 ohms creating a load of 165 mA.For Alkaline 9V, the resistance is 220 ohms, creating a load of 41 mA.This ZTS MBT-1 unit is superior to other testers in a couple ways: It has test points for a large variety of battery types, which is handy if you have a lot of portable gadgets. And it's pulse test design doesn't discharge your battery during the test process, which is something that can happen with other battery testers that keep the load applied too long, especially if the load is on the high side.As mentioned previously, this unit applies the same load pulse to Alkaline sizes AAA thru D to determine remaining life. It relies on the fact that the discharge curves for these various cell sizes are similar. So for a fixed test load of 165mA, if the measured voltage is 1.3V, for example, the tester indicates the remaining life is the same regardless of cell size because the remaining life is indicated as apercentage. If you look at the discharge curve for each cell size, the actual voltage level is at approx the same point in the life cycle of each cell. So the remaining life % is a reasonable approximation. If you wanted to report the remaining life in units of time, then you would need to know the specific cell size and capacity being tested.

author: bluey
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2019, 05:53:53 am
content: Quote from: macboy on January 18, 2017, 07:01:02 pmSo I have seen all these that look the same - can't tell about quality or who had the original:Horotec ecoline 19.000 watch battery testerGemoro Econotester from walmartCommercial electric MS602H from home depotGardner Bender GBT500A from home depot

author: mcinque
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 15, 2019, 02:57:45 pm
content: QuoteI find it useful. I measured it's checking scheme and as expected it simply drains X pulses of current at a fixed value (i.e. 40mA for AA/AAA etc.) and measures the voltage.QuoteExactly, nothing else.