On 12/01/2012 23:27, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
> In article<
9n92mm...@mid.individual.net>,
> Newshound<
news...@fairadsl.co.uk> wrote:
>>> I also have an ACT battery tester - very good, but way above the OP's
>>> budget I suspect.
>>> There are a few on ebay, item 280804981670 for example.
>
>> Thanks, I'll think about one of them. But this is a bit more than I
>> wanted.
>
> Indeed. But to do what you want and quickly, it's the only way.
Except that it has that extra functionality, the short duration high
current test which doesn't bother me too much.
Superficially, it seems to me that if you put a modest limit on the
current handling capacity (say, a few amps) then it shouldn't require
all that much electronics, given modern chips, to count amp-hours. It's
basically an ammeter, a timer/sampler, a bit of memory, and a display.
Only a little more "stuff" than in a basic DVM, and you can get quite a
reasonable one for a tenner.
Whereas the "high current" test is a bit like an earth loop impedance
tester, and you need protection to stop stuff from blowing up if the
microprocessor hangs.
>
>> For a car battery with a big cranking current, internal
>> resistance makes a lot of difference and you need to test at high
>> current to get an accurate reading. Either with an ACT or the "old
>> fashioned" sparky sort where you put an electric fire element across it
>> and measure the volts. But most applications are not like this.
>
> The high load tester doesn't really tell you much about the battery
> capacity, though. I recently replaced a car battery which would start the
> car ok when fully charged, but was well down on capacity. The other way
> round, I'm told, can't exist.
>
>> I have a couple of leisure batteries which are used to run an inverter
>> for lighting and sometimes a pump at a stables with no mains, some old
>> car batteries which I use for electric fencers, another gel battery
>> which drives a clippers. If I had an amp-hour meter then I could check
>> the capacity of these when charging them from flat, it would help me
>> know how long I will get at different loads, and also recognise when
>> batteries are losing capacity. Also it would help me make sure I go to
>> full charge without leaving them longer than necessary. I know that
>> voltage gives an indication of charge, but you have to leave it a little
>> while after you disconnect.
>
> Given the cost of replacing all these, a decent tester would seem like a
> bargain. However, as regards charging a smart charger won't hurt them
> regardless of how long left on.
Point taken. I think most of my chargers are OK