|
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
At Harbor Freight, they have three different auto battery testers. The one currently on sale is a 50 Amp tester for $10, http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93784 the 100 Amp tester is about $25, http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=90636 and the 500 Amp carbon pile tester sells for $50. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=91129 What's the advantage of the higher amp models? Are there any other conveniences with the more expensive models? I've always just checked the battery and charging system with a VOM. If it read less than 12 V at rest, the battery was discharged or bad. When running, if the system didn't read 13-14 V, it wasn't charging. Will those battery testers tell me something else? Thanks. RWL |
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
On Thu, 13 Sep 2007 23:36:49 -0400, GeoLane at PTD dot NET GeoLane at
PTD dot NET wrote: At Harbor Freight, they have three different auto battery testers. The one currently on sale is a 50 Amp tester for $10, http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93784 the 100 Amp tester is about $25, http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=90636 and the 500 Amp carbon pile tester sells for $50. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=91129 What's the advantage of the higher amp models? Are there any other conveniences with the more expensive models? I've always just checked the battery and charging system with a VOM. If it read less than 12 V at rest, the battery was discharged or bad. When running, if the system didn't read 13-14 V, it wasn't charging. Will those battery testers tell me something else? Thanks. RWL They will tell you the maximum output of the alternator/generator, as well as the load capacity of the battery. -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
clare at snyder.on.ca wrote in message ... On Thu, 13 Sep 2007 23:36:49 -0400, GeoLane at PTD dot NET GeoLane at PTD dot NET wrote: I've always just checked the battery and charging system with a VOM. If it read less than 12 V at rest, the battery was discharged or bad. When running, if the system didn't read 13-14 V, it wasn't charging. Will those battery testers tell me something else? Thanks. RWL They will tell you the maximum output of the alternator/generator, as well as the load capacity of the battery. To expand: even a near-dead battery can look good with a voltmeter, but will fail under load. The same thing holds true for alternators- with a voltmeter, the alternator may seem to be charging, but in reality is only capable of a few amps of output. For as often as they fail, it's cheaper to drag the suspect component to the local parts store and let them test it. -Carl (who misses the Sun VAT-40, the best starting/charging system tester ever made) -- The future isn't what it used to be. |
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
On Sep 13, 11:36 pm, GeoLane at PTD dot NET GeoLane at PTD dot NET
wrote: ... Will those battery testers tell me something else? RWL They will detect high internal resistance, which means low cranking capacity. So will starting the engine with the headlights on and watching how much they dim. jw |
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
"Robert Swinney" wrote in message ... Right on, Jim. No one with a modicum of common sense ever needs a formal battery tester. HF sells them to the chumps, though. Tell me how to test a battery out of a vehicle, or a battery with no vehicle around! $10 or $25 does not seem like allot of cash to drop for one of these testers. I have considered picking up one myself. Also consider if you have a bunch of batteries around it may be worth having the tester to may your life easier. We had one where I worked a few years back, but then we were testing deep cycle batteries pretty often and it was near impossible to load test them as they were not used in a machine where we could put a high load on them. Between the load tester and a hydrometer we could get a pretty good idea if a battery was good or not. Greg |
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
On Sep 14, 6:06 pm, "Greg O" wrote:
"Robert Swinney" wrote in message ... Right on, Jim. No one with a modicum of common sense ever needs a formal battery tester. HF sells them to the chumps, though. Tell me how to test a battery out of a vehicle, or a battery with no vehicle around! $10 or $25 does not seem like allot of cash to drop for one of these testers. I have considered picking up one myself. Also consider if you have a bunch of batteries around it may be worth having the tester to may your life easier. We had one where I worked a few years back, but then we were testing deep cycle batteries pretty often and it was near impossible to load test them as they were not used in a machine where we could put a high load on them. Between the load tester and a hydrometer we could get a pretty good idea if a battery was good or not. Greg You are correct. Us "chumps" who have lead acid batteries in many non-automotive applications use load testers all the time. TMT |
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
On Sep 13, 9:36 pm, GeoLane at PTD dot NET GeoLane at PTD dot NET
wrote: At Harbor Freight, they have three different auto battery testers. The one currently on sale is a 50 Amp tester for $10,http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93784 the 100 Amp tester is about $25,http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=90636 and the 500 Amp carbon pile tester sells for $50.http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=91129 What's the advantage of the higher amp models? Are there any other conveniences with the more expensive models? I've always just checked the battery and charging system with a VOM. If it read less than 12 V at rest, the battery was discharged or bad. When running, if the system didn't read 13-14 V, it wasn't charging. Will those battery testers tell me something else? Thanks. RWL They give you a better idea of how the battery performs under load. The higher amperage ones just have a better load resistance. I've had one of the cheapies for years, works well for separating sheep from goats. I've had batteries that will take a charge, look good on a voltmeter statically and still won't spin the starter. Probably cracked links or something like that internally, too much internal resistance. You can also use them for determining if it's a bad battery you have or a bad charging system, or both. A voltmeter will just tell you if your voltage is below par, doesn't tell you if you've got a shorted battery, duff regulator or a failed alternator/ generator. Sometimes a bad charging system will take out the battery, replacing the battery just leads to another dead battery. Stan |
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
On Sep 14, 7:06 pm, "Greg O" wrote:
"Robert Swinney" wrote in message ... Right on, Jim. No one with a modicum of common sense ever needs a formal battery tester. HF sells them to the chumps, though. Tell me how to test a battery out of a vehicle, or a battery with no vehicle around! $10 or $25 does not seem like allot of cash to drop for one of these testers. I have considered picking up one myself. Also consider if you have a bunch of batteries around it may be worth having the tester to may your life easier. We had one where I worked a few years back, but then we were testing deep cycle batteries pretty often and it was near impossible to load test them as they were not used in a machine where we could put a high load on them. Between the load tester and a hydrometer we could get a pretty good idea if a battery was good or not. Greg I repaired power wheelchairs for a while and used a hydrometer and load tester to estimate battery condition, but I knew what to look for. Cranking with the headlight on is a simple quick check of battery and *wiring* condition that even people who can't read a voltmeter can use. And I know a few mechanics who would try to measure Volts on an Amps range. Old, cynical electronics joke: DANGER! 1 MILLION OHMS! jw |
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
Jim Wilkins wrote:And I know a few mechanics who would try to measure
Volts on an Amps range. Boy is that hard on the movement.:-) ...lew... |
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
Jim Wilkins wrote:
On Sep 14, 7:06 pm, "Greg O" wrote: "Robert Swinney" wrote in message ... Right on, Jim. No one with a modicum of common sense ever needs a formal battery tester. HF sells them to the chumps, though. Tell me how to test a battery out of a vehicle, or a battery with no vehicle around! $10 or $25 does not seem like allot of cash to drop for one of these testers. I have considered picking up one myself. Also consider if you have a bunch of batteries around it may be worth having the tester to may your life easier. We had one where I worked a few years back, but then we were testing deep cycle batteries pretty often and it was near impossible to load test them as they were not used in a machine where we could put a high load on them. Between the load tester and a hydrometer we could get a pretty good idea if a battery was good or not. Greg I repaired power wheelchairs for a while and used a hydrometer and load tester to estimate battery condition, but I knew what to look for. Cranking with the headlight on is a simple quick check of battery and *wiring* condition that even people who can't read a voltmeter can use. And I know a few mechanics who would try to measure Volts on an Amps range. Old, cynical electronics joke: DANGER! 1 MILLION OHMS! jw DANGER! 1 MILLI OHM -- Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to prove it. Member of DAV #85. Michael A. Terrell Central Florida |
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
On Sat, 15 Sep 2007 11:54:53 -0400, the renowned "Michael A. Terrell"
wrote: Jim Wilkins wrote: On Sep 14, 7:06 pm, "Greg O" wrote: "Robert Swinney" wrote in message ... Right on, Jim. No one with a modicum of common sense ever needs a formal battery tester. HF sells them to the chumps, though. Tell me how to test a battery out of a vehicle, or a battery with no vehicle around! $10 or $25 does not seem like allot of cash to drop for one of these testers. I have considered picking up one myself. Also consider if you have a bunch of batteries around it may be worth having the tester to may your life easier. We had one where I worked a few years back, but then we were testing deep cycle batteries pretty often and it was near impossible to load test them as they were not used in a machine where we could put a high load on them. Between the load tester and a hydrometer we could get a pretty good idea if a battery was good or not. Greg I repaired power wheelchairs for a while and used a hydrometer and load tester to estimate battery condition, but I knew what to look for. Cranking with the headlight on is a simple quick check of battery and *wiring* condition that even people who can't read a voltmeter can use. And I know a few mechanics who would try to measure Volts on an Amps range. Old, cynical electronics joke: DANGER! 1 MILLION OHMS! jw DANGER! 1 MILLI OHM Do not touch! Surface temperature 300°K! (yes, I know you're supposed to use the ° with Kelvins anymore) Best regards, Spehro Pefhany -- "it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com |
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
McCain stopped by the VFW the other night and told some insider jokes
that few people got. Naval Aviation: "I tried to join the Marines first, but my parents were married." A fellow POW: "He's so old he can hide his own Easter eggs." jw, in NH |
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
Jim Wilkins wrote:
McCain stopped by the VFW the other night and told some insider jokes that few people got. Naval Aviation: "I tried to join the Marines first, but my parents were married." A fellow POW: "He's so old he can hide his own Easter eggs." jw, in NH That joke is old enough to be senile: Little Jim Dickens, on the 'Grand Ole Opry': "I'm so old that I can hide my own Easter eggs." -- Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to prove it. Member of DAV #85. Michael A. Terrell Central Florida |
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
According to Jim Wilkins :
[ ... ] use. And I know a few mechanics who would try to measure Volts on an Amps range. Only once per multimeter. :-) Old, cynical electronics joke: DANGER! 1 MILLION OHMS! Or: Caution! High Impedance :-) Enjoy, DoN. -- Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564 (too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html --- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero --- |
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
According to lew hartswick :
Jim Wilkins wrote:And I know a few mechanics who would try to measure Volts on an Amps range. Boy is that hard on the movement.:-) And the internal shunt. :-) I've seen a summer hire blow the shunt (epoxy housing, packed with sand) in the amps plugin in an old HP Digital voltmeter. The rest of it survived, and they were able to find a replacement precision shunt. Enjoy, DoN. -- Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564 (too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html --- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero --- |
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
DoN. Nichols wrote: According to lew hartswick : Jim Wilkins wrote:And I know a few mechanics who would try to measure Volts on an Amps range. Boy is that hard on the movement.:-) And the internal shunt. :-) I've seen a summer hire blow the shunt (epoxy housing, packed with sand) in the amps plugin in an old HP Digital voltmeter. The rest of it survived, and they were able to find a replacement precision shunt. Enjoy, DoN. On the later Simson 260s a factory fuse was added in the shunt circuit to save the rest of the meter from damage. I soldered in some of the older meters that our company used. John |
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
"DoN. Nichols" wrote:
According to Jim Wilkins : [ ... ] use. And I know a few mechanics who would try to measure Volts on an Amps range. Only once per multimeter. :-) Old, cynical electronics joke: DANGER! 1 MILLION OHMS! Or: Caution! High Impedance DANGER!!! 1000 milivolts!!! -- Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to prove it. Member of DAV #85. Michael A. Terrell Central Florida |
OT - Harbor Freight car battery testers
Checking electric is like checking how much water you get out of a
water pipe... A little pipe with a lot of pressure will give the same amount of water as a big pipe with low pressure... So you need to check how big the pipe is (amps) and how much pressure you have (volts) to know how much water (electric) you will get... So you need to check both amp output and volts on your battery... |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 09:11 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2014 DIYbanter