Battery Tester

[steveo44]

Is there a way i can test my intruder alarm battery with my multimeter?

I'd rather not purchase this expensive act battery tester:

https://www.actmeters.com/products/...2-6v12v-lead-acid-intelligent-battery-tester/

 

[Europlex]

Yes you can test/change the charging voltage but, how are you going to test the Ah reading with your meter?

Just because there is 12.7v charging voltage that does not mean everything is ok

Think of a battery as a petrol tank just because you can smell petrol it doesen't mean there is any fuel in the tank

 

[secureiam]

Unfortunately No.

strictly speaking if its dead theres no output and that could be tested on the multimeter, if its going you may see the battery voltage is low. However this alone is not an adequate test.

However the ACT battery tester, does a little more work and provides details of the condition of the battery (power stored), its recommended that the battery is replaced when its at 65% of its recommended output ie 7Ah battery replace at 4.55Ah (that's based on no recent power cuts, got to give battery time to recharge). why replace when its still got more than 50% because its better than leaving it to chance, and it failing when you need it most.

 

[Nintendofan]

@secureiam if I have an intelligent control panel e.g the Texecom Prem Elite range that gives a voltage and a Ah reading. Given this can I take the readings to be good enough not to need the battery tested externally ?(granted I'll still change the battery every 5 years)

 

[secureiam]

Where you getting the Ah reading from?

you can see voltage readings and amp readings?

 

[Europlex]

Advanced Pulse Load Technology
The ACT 612 uses advanced pulse load technology to analyse Ah capacity, based on the battery`s temperature and state of charge. This method is significantly more accurate than measuring voltage and internal resistance and does not deplete the battery unlike a conventional load tester.

 

[Nintendofan]

Where you getting the Ah reading from?

you can see voltage readings and amp readings?

Through the app on the panel status page at the bottom.

 

[secureiam]

@paul, i believe the amps are whats being used and the voltage is read from the battery, the Ah I would have to check, but believe its telling you how many hours you can expect off that battery at the current current draw in the app, rather than thats how much the battery has actually in it.

you would probably see the voltage start to drop significantly when the battery is on the way out but you may not see the voltage drop at all before a battery fails.

The panel does monitor the battery and will tell you when it fails, but the battery at that point is no good, rather than to replace it as it is unlikely to last much longer if you catch my drift.

 

[steveo44]

Advanced Pulse Load Technology
The ACT 612 uses advanced pulse load technology to analyse Ah capacity, based on the battery`s temperature and state of charge. This method is significantly more accurate than measuring voltage and internal resistance and does not deplete the battery unlike a conventional load tester.

How do you test a battery's internal resistance?

 

[sparkymarka]

you buy a test meter like you do for testing bell box nicads ....if you can't afford one ....just replace the battery its £15 max ....

 

[steveo44]

you buy a test meter like you do for testing bell box nicads ....if you can't afford one ....just replace the battery its £15 max ....

I have a meter. Please advise on how to test the internal resistance of the battery.

*ok i've had a look on youtube but i'm sure this is incorrect.

7.0Ah battery.

13.61v
load resistance of 1K gives a current of 13mA

13.61/0.013-1000 = 46.9

13.61/46.9= 0.29Ah?

 

[sparkymarka]

What meter ? For a start depending on what BATTERY test meter you have you may need the Siemens value of the battery , if you have a yuasa battery tester you WILL need this value,EVERY battery depending on make and model will have a different value , this CAN ONLY be obtained for the battery manufacturer. Before you can test that battery

 

[bernardgreen]

How do you test a battery's internal resistance?

Measure the voltage when it is not supplying any current Vq

Apply a load to take current from the battery and measure the current Al

Measure the voltage while the battery is supplying that current Vl

The voltage drop across the resistance of the battery is Vd and equals Vq - Vl

Resistance equals voltage divided by current.

Units are Ohms = Volts divided by Amps ( or milli-volts divided by milli-amps )

The resistance of the battery is Vd divided by Al

Using different values of load current will give different values of intermal resistance for the same battery.

 

[M1Chanical]

Is there a way i can test my intruder alarm battery with my multimeter?

I'd rather not purchase this expensive act battery tester:

https://www.actmeters.com/products/...2-6v12v-lead-acid-intelligent-battery-tester/

I seriously wouldn't stress about a battery tester. Just replace it every 4 to 5 years. Simple

 

[PaulUszak]

...nt will give different values of intermal resistance for the same battery.

Isn't the internal resistance of a battery (at any point in time) fixed, regardless of current? I think that the internal resistance is not your single Vd / AI, but the negative gradient of the line that your repeated measurements produce. There is a vid of this technique @