Battery testers

[tinpanalley]

I'm trying to get a battery tester with a digital display. I suppose there are some multimeters out there that would do the job, albeit a bit overkill for the job but you never know when you'll need a multimeter. However, having spent some time reading, it would appear that a battery reading is only worth anything if the test is done under a load of an amount I don't recall. So, for A, AA, C, D, and cell/watch batteries...
A) is this true that there is no point in measuring batteries without a load attached?
B) what should I look for in a charger if I want to keep it cheap? What do people think of this kind of thing?

Thanks, all!

 

[Rifter]

what are you trying to accomplish?

If its just seeing how discharged a battery is, and how much power is remaining then a multi-meter or even just a volt meter will let you know its level of charge.

If you are trying to asses its health and what condition the battery is in then you are going to need something more advanced than a volt meter.

 

[tinpanalley]

what are you trying to accomplish?
If its just seeing how discharged a battery is, and how much power is remaining then a multi-meter or even just a volt meter will let you know its level of charge.
If you are trying to asses its health and what condition the battery is in then you are going to need something more advanced than a volt meter.

Well, now you've piqued my interest and I want to know both.
But let's say first of all, if I wanted to get an accurate voltage reading for all of the batteries I mentioned. Just household stuff like I mentioned.
Now, after that, what does assessing the health and condition entail? Sounds decidedly un-cheap.

 

[Rifter]

Well, now you've piqued my interest and I want to know both.
But let's say first of all, if I wanted to get an accurate voltage reading for all of the batteries I mentioned. Just household stuff like I mentioned.
Now, after that, what does assessing the health and condition entail? Sounds decidedly un-cheap.

To test a batteries health you will need to load test it. Some chargers do have this feature built in, most call it a test or refresh cycle. I included a link to one such charger below.

https://www.amazon.ca/Crosse-Techno...id=1507072353&sr=8-9&keywords=battery+charger

 

[tinpanalley]

To test a batteries health you will need to load test it. Some chargers do have this feature built in, most call it a test or refresh cycle. I included a link to one such charger below.

https://www.amazon.ca/Crosse-Techno...id=1507072353&sr=8-9&keywords=battery+charger

Funny enough, I have that charger. But it says clearly to not insert non-rechargeable batteries in it, even for testing. And furthermore it doesn't do cell, C, D, or 9V.

 

[tinpanalley]

What is the problem I'm going to have not testing batteries under load? Is it really a question of getting an extremely wrong reading of what's left on the battery?
And also, does a multimeter have to have a 1.5V and 9V setting or will any multimeter work fine?

 

[Rifter]

Funny enough, I have that charger. But it says clearly to not insert non-rechargeable batteries in it, even for testing. And furthermore it doesn't do cell, C, D, or 9V.

I assumed you were talking about rechargeable batteries. Non rechargeable i wouldnt worry about they should be good for one discharge without going bad if they are halfways decent name brand cells. Not much point in load testing a non rechargeable battery how will you use it after if its discharged from the load test?

 

[Rifter]

What is the problem I'm going to have not testing batteries under load? Is it really a question of getting an extremely wrong reading of what's left on the battery?
And also, does a multimeter have to have a 1.5V and 9V setting or will any multimeter work fine?

Any multi meter will work fine, they all have voltage reading ability. Also new alkaline should read above 1.5v, usually 1.6-1.7V while not under load.

 

[tinpanalley]

I assumed you were talking about rechargeable batteries. Non rechargeable i wouldnt worry about they should be good for one discharge without going bad if they are halfways decent name brand cells. Not much point in load testing a non rechargeable battery how will you use it after if its discharged from the load test?

Our main use of batteries in our home is eneloop rechargeables. But I was thinking more of wanting to test batteries that are lying around new that come with devices and we save for situations when the rechargeables need charging. Not only that, but also watch batteries and 9V, neither of which the charger can help us with. Also, my charger says very very explicitly to not read alkaline batteries at all with it.

Any multi meter will work fine, they all have voltage reading ability. Also new alkaline should read above 1.5v, usually 1.6-1.7V while not under load.

That charger I have doesn't have an instant "test" mode. Its test basically charges, then discharges, then charges full again to measure capacity. So it's not a "pop this battery and see what it's got left" kind of test which is what I'd prefer.
- What's wrong with something like this? Is it useless, unreliable?
- If I do get a multimeter, I see some with "battery" settings of one kind or another and others without. So, you're saying even the ones without those specialised settings can still do the job by just picking the highest up voltage from the battery?

 

[mindless1]

Yes any multimeter with a voltage setting (which means all, something without V shouldn't be called a multimeter but rather someother-meter) will give you a reasonable approximation of battery charge. Multimeters are so handy to have that I would advise getting one regardless of your current needs.

A light load is a more accurate test because a cell in bad condition can have a relatively high voltage still but cannot support much load so the voltage droops under load. If you intend to use alkalines for high current devices (which alkaline are generally poor at to begin with) then you can insert a resistor between the multimeter probe sockets. This works best with very cheap meters that have some slack, or by making your own cables with springy banana clip plugs like in the following picture.

The ideal resistor value is one that matches the current the device you want to put them in, uses, but there are generalities. You could use around 100 ohm for AA or larger cells, 470 ohm for AA, or 10K for watch batteries. However most of the time I don't bother with a resistor because I never use alkalines in devices that draw enough current to care about, only remote control, clock, travel mouse, things like that.

If all of this is too fiddly and you just want something that's easy for a lay person to use, the tester you linked will do that.

EDIT: Oops, forgot to add that "following pic" example of springy banana plugs that leave clearance to slip resistor leads in beside them in a typical multimeter jack:

 

[tinpanalley]

Multimeters are so handy to have that I would advise getting one regardless of your current needs...If all of this is too fiddly and you just want something that's easy for a lay person to use, the tester you linked will do that.

No it's not too fiddly at all. I never allow anything to be too much to learn about that I can reasonably understand. That's the only way I wan ensure that I learn how to do things. Elderly people I've met who have incredible control of their mind always tell me, "I never took a shortcut on learning things and I still work my brain". So no, just knowing which box to pick is never good enough for me. I have to learn and understand why not just what, as people who have taught me things here for years will tell you.
I want to have a multimeter and know how it's used properly. Plus I find it fascinating. Then I learn again when my wife asks how it's used. Then we both learn, and then we're both wiser when we do projects around the house. For years, I've taught myself basic electrical things and it's how I know what I'm talking about (most of the time) today. I'll admit the resistor thing is a bit over my head but it doesn't appear that for my purposes, it's something that will give me much useful info anyway.
I want to grab a AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, and button cell batteries that we have when the rechargeables are charging and get a reliable sense of what kind of juice they've got.
So, I could as you said just get the little device because it will solve the problem, but I'm gonna go with this instead. Unless you see another one that you think is better?

 

[mindless1]

Picking a multimeter is a whole topic onto itself, including that many of us have no idea what's available in Canada.

Check out this youtube channel, EEVBlog. Dave has done a lot of great multimeter videos over the years. Most of them will be higher priced than the one you linked, with features many into discrete level electronics want, but since I've never heard of that brand, I can only state that it should do fine for the battery testing and basic measurements with (probably) a reasonable level of precision in the volt and whole ohms range.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh1n_ELmpFI

However, for only a little more money (lol, isn't that always the case?) I would drift towards something with autoranging and higher quality probes. This one you might find cheapest on eBay shipping from China, even cheaper than the one you linked, though the relabeled brand name on it might (will) differ so you have to go by the pictures:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B06Y4N4RQD?psc=1
https://www.amazon.ca/KASUNTEST-Multimeter-Portable-Multitester-Measuring/dp/B01M8Q9UV9

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=ZT102+multimeter&_sacat=0

On the other hand the one you linked does have a separate 1.5V/9V battery test modes, so it "might' have a small load resistor for each of those built in, but overall it's a cheaper built meter for little price difference. Then again, the cheapest meter you can find on eBay coming from China, would be enough to just measure 1.5V/9V/etc batteries, even the piece of junk that's free with a coupon from Harbor Freight, available in the US.

 

[tinpanalley]

On the other hand the one you linked does have a separate 1.5V/9V battery test modes, so it "might' have a small load resistor for each of those built in, but overall it's a cheaper built meter for little price difference. Then again, the cheapest meter you can find on eBay coming from China, would be enough to just measure 1.5V/9V/etc batteries, even the piece of junk that's free with a coupon from Harbor Freight, available in the US.

Yeah, the one I'm linking to apparently does have built in resistors and seems to be what people recommend for testing batteries. What exactly is in there resistor-wise, I don't know because I haven't seen the manual and also can't find one online which is kind of worrying. And the thing is, if I get the one you're mentioning which has autoranging, then I definitely need to get some resistors to do proper load tests and while I do have hardware stores around obviously, I don't have any clue what I'd be buying or why. Just haven't learned that yet.

Then again, there is the whole argument that for my needs, testing under load is sort of overkill. I mean the AAA is either at @1.45 or @1.25 and really, it's going in things like culinary thermometers, small button battery remotes, game controllers, computer mice, remotes, etc. So, by that argument, the better tool that you're showing me even at those prices which aren't that bad will go a longer way to letting me learn to use it in other household applications.

That video you sent is fantastic by the way and I immediately learned by the way the difference between autoranging and manual. Before that, I assumed the one with more things to 'click' to was better for having more options. I don't however see a manual override on the one you showed me like what EEVBlog says to look out for.

 

[mindless1]

Well, EEVBlog is oriented towards meters that cost 3X as much. And up. Being able to lock it into one range has its uses, but if you don't have wide voltage fluctuations then it's not as important. Similarly some of the safety concerns are far lower if not dealing with several hundred volts or over 10A current.

If your primary need is batteries and you doubted that you'd ever do more with it then I'd recommend a meter with the battery test function or purpose built battery tester, but personally, I just check voltage without a load. If I need to, I can put the batteries in the device and use it and measure that load which is as real world as it gets.

Then again I don't try to depend too much on older alkalines. I've mostly converted to Eneloops and for less demanding apps, other LSD NiMH cell brands like Tenergy. The few AA alkalines I have left over from clocks/remotes/etc, I have a 2 x AA LED light, the type often referred to as a vampire because it can pretty much suck the life out of AA alkalines till there's nothing left (can also run on 1 x AA without an extension tube which means it's good down to around 0.9V, which from 2 cells in series means it drains them to an *average* of 0.45V/cell).

 

[tinpanalley]

but personally, I just check voltage without a load. If I need to, I can put the batteries in the device and use it and measure that load which is as real world as it gets...Then again I don't try to depend too much on older alkalines. I've mostly converted to Eneloops

Honestly, I'm thinking the same thing. You've convinced me. Because really, without a load is good enough for my purposes, and then the multimeter I get which you've shown me is better quality for other electrical applications around our place. And of course, if I wanna learn to play with resistors I always still can and on a better device.

And being thoroughly "enelooped" on pretty much everything, the only time I wanna know what's going on with a battery is when I check a watch battery before I replace it, and when I use an alkaline or a rechargeable that I haven't tried in a while. Every time we buy something that comes with AAs or AAAs I save them because they're my fallback when an eneloop dies and you need the long several hours to recharge. That's literally the only time the alkalines come out. And there are more rechargeables now than before because we had some lying around that hadn't been used in a while because they didn't seem to hold their charge and since owning that charger I mentioned above, using the function to refresh the battery turned a 1900mAh that was reading as a 150mAh battery into a 1550maH battery. Took about 2 days, but it was worth it.

So, I'm gonna grab probably this one which is automatic but has the manual range override as well and also has A and V on separate jacks for safety (see, I learned something already) because I will be wanting this thing to help me learn more about power.

 

[mindless1]

The one you just linked, yes it's better... at a higher price of course.

 

[Red Squirrel]

It's always good to have a decent multimeter around so if you don't have one I'd get one.

But keep in mind simply checking the voltage is not a good test, but it can still give you a general idea.

 

[lxskllr]

If you live near HarborFreight, they occasionally send a flyer with a coupon for a free multimeter with any purchase. It's a crappy meter, but it tests batteries fine, and works well for continuity which is what I need 99% of the time. I have a couple. One is at the office, and the other's in the truck. For the qualifying purchase, I recommend the toy biner @ 89¢. A biner's always handy to have around.

 

[tinpanalley]

It's always good to have a decent multimeter around so if you don't have one I'd get one.
But keep in mind simply checking the voltage is not a good test, but it can still give you a general idea.

Yeah, if you go through my conversation with @mindless1 above, you'll see how I got to my decision. But, it's a wordy conversation, so I totally understand if you're not that interested. Thanks for the feedback, though.

If you live near HarborFreight, they occasionally send a flyer with a coupon for a free multimeter with any purchase. It's a crappy meter, but it tests batteries fine, and works well for continuity which is what I need 99% of the time. I have a couple. One is at the office, and the other's in the truck. For the qualifying purchase, I recommend the toy biner @ 89¢. A biner's always handy to have around.

Unfortunately, I don't know what HarborFreight is or much less where they would be. I'm in Quebec City in Canada. Anyway I picked up this one that I mentioned above.

 

[mindless1]

The HF free multimeter is relabeled and sometimes called a DT-830B. It makes sense to grab one free in the US if visiting a HF anyway but being bottom of the barrel, online just about anything else is better at only a couple bucks more.

https://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_nkw=DT-830B&_sop=15

The meter you picked is roughly a clone of a Fluke 17B (in name, cosmetic and function similarities) . The Fluke has better build quality and safety (completely different inside), and can be calibrated, but the VC17B+ has more features like TRMS, display backlighting (edit: Fluke 17B might have that now but it didn't start out with it), 6K count vs 4K including 600mA low range (vs 400mA) and 20A high range. However I wouldn't put 20A through a $20USD multimeter.

 

[tinpanalley]

The meter you picked is roughly a clone of a Fluke 17B...

Well, as we said, I'm never going to be doing heavy duty work with this. My electrical DIY skills are barely above replacing a lightbulb and maybe soldering some wire together. If I was ever going to rewire an apartment or something, and get THAT into it, I'd invest a more complex tool.

 

[Muse]

To test a batteries health you will need to load test it. Some chargers do have this feature built in, most call it a test or refresh cycle. I included a link to one such charger below.

https://www.amazon.ca/Crosse-Techno...id=1507072353&sr=8-9&keywords=battery+charger

That's my go to charger, also have the BC-900 by same manufacturer, but it too often shows NULL on a discharged battery. The BC-700 doesn't have that inconvenience (which requires charging for a few seconds in another charger to give it a slight boost). These chargers will give you a voltage reading the moment you insert the battery. However, I usually use a multimeter to get the unloaded voltage on an alkaline. Seems to tell me pretty much what I want to know about it (use or recycle).

 

[tinpanalley]

I usually use a multimeter to get the unloaded voltage on an alkaline. Seems to tell me pretty much what I want to know about it (use or recycle).

I'd love a straightforward chart that tells what dead to full is on every kind of battery (NiMH, NiCd, Alkaline, etc) for every size and capacity.

 

[lxskllr]

I'd love a straightforward chart that tells what dead to full is on every kind of battery (NiMH, NiCd, Alkaline, etc) for every size and capacity.

Dead is relative. Back in the day of pagers, I used to power mine with "dead" batteries. Remote controls also use very little power. You could setup your own database. When a battery "dies" for a particular application, record the voltage. It won't take long to find what it is.

 

[tinpanalley]

Dead is relative.

Well surely, there is an amount a AA NiMH for example can be charged to when new and a point below which it can no longer hold any charge.