Tear down ZTS MBT-1 Multi-Battery tester? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: danrichman
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 20, 2011, 08:55:30 pm
content: Hi, Dave --We all rely on batteries, so I think it would be a great vblog episode if you reviewed the ZTS MBT-1 Multi-Battery tester (http://www.amazon.com/ZTS-Multi-Battery-Tester-MBT-1/dp/B000FQG1XE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1324413869&sr=8-5).This is among the only products I’ve found that applies a load to a battery, to more accurately assess its condition. But how does it “know” how much load to apply to which voltage, mAh and chemistry battery? How long does it apply the load? How effective is it? The manufacturer reveals no secrets on its web site. But you could!A video review would be great. A tear-down would be even better!Cheers from Seattle,Dan Richman

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 20, 2011, 10:19:44 pm
content: Quote from: danrichman on December 20, 2011, 08:55:30 pmHi Dan, there is also an better one than that, made by a German company.Google for : Energy Check LCD ANSMANN.I did manage to get one for me, and it does miracles.

author: kaz911
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2011, 03:10:46 am
content: I have the multi battery charger/tester from Ansmannhttp://www.ansmann.de/cms/consumroot/chargers-and-power-supplies/xc3000.htmlIt works great and keeps my rechargeables in peak condition.

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2011, 03:23:47 am
content: I have all the Ansmann family.

author: danrichman
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 21, 2011, 03:48:28 pm
content: It seems to me the interest this suggestion has generated makes it ripe for a Dave Jones tear-down of the ZTS and an exploration of the topic generally! How about it, Dave?

author: MasterCATZ
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 22, 2025, 01:27:31 am
content: I am still confused which is the bestI need to test button cells and can not find anything that can do capacity tests to even help find fakes without spending a couple kZTS just has LED's that just light up at a voltage range while the other displays on a LCD yet ai seems to think the ZTS is professional ?Energy Check LCD ANSMANN vs ZTS"AI OverviewThe Ansmann Energy Check LCD is a budget-friendly, general-purpose tester for a wide range of common household battery types, while the ZTS line (like the ZTS MBT-1 or ZTS MINI-MBT) represents a significant step up in professional-grade, precise, and often more expensive battery testing, particularly for dedicated load testing and diagnostics. The Ansmann is ideal for consumers and light use, offering broad compatibility for a low price, whereas ZTS is for users needing a professional tool for diagnostics on various primary and rechargeable batteries"

author: kite31
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2025, 03:17:19 am
content: If you want to do capacity tests, don't you need an electronic load? They are available under $1k, with the Korad quite cheap.I have found the ZTS MBT-1 very effective for determining real state of a battery in terms of currently available power or "life". It is not just a voltage meter, although they will be consistent for batteries that are not old.

author: Kean
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 24, 2025, 05:08:36 am
content: You mention button cells, so I am assuming you are testing low capacity low voltage batteries. This only requires testing at low currents, and most battery testers are intended for large batteries tested at high currents.Of course, unless these are rechargeable cells then the test will be destructive so you'd only perform it on random samples from a batch. The testers mentioned above do pulse testing, so they can estimate state of charge. This is way better than just measuring voltage, but is still pretty inaccurate and will no provide any capacity data.All you need to do capacity tests is a resistor and a data logging DMM (e.g. the EEVblog 121GW). You can then look at the logged voltages to calculate the current based on the resistor, multiply those to get instantaneous power, and sum those over time to get energy up to a voltage cut off limit.It would be better to use a constant current load, but you need one that can operate all the way down below 1.0V (at least 0.9V I'd recommend).I would typically use one of my IT8511+ DC loads for battery testing, hooked up to a PC for data logging, but I don't think I've ever used it on 1.5V cells or anything less than 100mAh capacity.Edit:You might want to look at an East Tester ET5411A+ or ET5420A+ electronic load.I've not used one (yet...), but this thread discusses using them with the TestController logging software, and they seem to handle mA resolution current measurement and work down to 0.6V.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/east-tester-et5410-et5420-et5411-et54-series-software/