If you spot any defects listed above the battery should be replaced as it is damaged. If your battery is part of an electrical circuit that uses another power source such as single phase or three phase you should always isolate any other supply.īy checking the condition of the battery you are ruling out any external factors that would not be picked up when testing the condition of the battery with a multimeter. The first step when testing a battery is to remove the battery from the device or circuit it is connected to. Let’s start the process by disconnecting the battery from the device or circuit where it is located. The test will involve a number of steps that include disconnecting the battery, inspecting the battery, setting up the multimeter and finally performing the test. Testing a battery is a simple process when you have a digital multimeter to hand.
TEST 1.5 VOLT BATTERY WITH MULTIMETER HOW TO
How To Test a battery using a digital multimeter In this article, we will take a look at how to test a battery using a digital multimeter and answer some additional questions that are related to the testing of batteries. Knowing whether your battery is functioning correctly is an important aspect and testing that is easy with a multimeter. The more you know, the more you get to know, and this is one more tool along the path towards knowing everything :-).Batteries are popular components that are used for a range of different applications both in industrial and domestic applications. As well as returning a few batteries to the fold and making your life more exciting when some fail to perform, it teaches you a new skill that can be helpful in understanding how batteries behave in real life and the possible effect on equipment. Resistor should draw a heavy load for battery type used.īattery testers usually work this way. A twisted connection has too much variability. SOLDER the wires on that you use as probes.
Do this a few times and you will get a feel for it. A 1.1V -.2V cell will probably load down to 1V if you look at it harshly. Maybe 1.55 - 1.6VĪfter that it's all downhill. Unused but sat on the shelf 1 year + Alkaline will be down slightly. Set meter to 2V range or next above 2V if no 2V range. Absolute current is not the point - it serves as a measure of usefulness. The excessively keen may mark the current given on the cell with a marker. The top ones can be grouped and wrapped with a rubber band. I place cells in approximate order of current after testing. More used cells will start lower and fall faster. A very good cell will fall little over 1 to maybe 2 seconds. I buy ONLY Alkaline primary cells as other "quality" cells are usually not vastly cheaper but are of much lower capacity.Ĭurrent will fall with time. Lightly used AA or ones which have had bursts of heavy use and then recovered will typically give a few amps.Īnything under 1 A you probably want to discard unless you have a micropower application. (NiMH AA will approach 10A for a good cell).
Top AA Alkaline cells new will give 5-10 A.Try not to do this often or for very long. This is thrashing the battery, decreasing its life and making it sad. Press positive probe onto top of battery. DO NOT slip so probe jumps off battery and punctures your other hand. Move slightly to make scratching contact. Press negative probe against battery base.
Some Alkaline cells leak electrolyte over time, which is damaging to gear and annoying (at least) to skin. If it has more than surface corrosion consider binning it. If battery has any light surface corrosion scratch a clean bright spot with probe tip. Needs both dial setting and probe socket change in most meters. Set multimeter to high current range (10A or 20A usually). An Eveready or similar Alkaline will be around 30 grams/one ounce. Learn to get the feel of what a "real" AA cell weighs. Non brand name batteries are often (but not always) junk. Modern Alkaline have gotten awesome, as they still retain a majority of charge at 3 to 5 years. Shelf life of non-Alkaline can be some years but they deteriorate badly with time. Generally speaking, if a battery is more than 1 year old then only Alkaline batteries are worth keeping. This level of discharge can cause injury and worst case may destroy the cell, in some uncommon cases with substantial release of energy in the form of flame and hot material.ĪA non-rechargeable cells: 1) Ignore the funny answers Shorting Lithium Ion cells as in test 2 is liable to be a very bad idea indeed.ĭepending on design, some Li-Ion cells will provide short circuit current of many times the cell mAh rating - eg perhaps 50+ amps for an 18650 cell, and perhaps 10's of amps for an AA size Li-Ion cell. In the case Of Li-Ion rechargeable cells (AA, 18650, other) this can be a very bad idea in some cases. While this question relates to non-rechargeable AA cells it is possible that someone may seek to extend the advice to testing other small cells.
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