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#1
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Testing alkaline batteries
My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as
good or bad (or on the margin). I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts? How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. |
#2
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Testing alkaline batteries
On 08/11/2020 13:42, Scott wrote:
My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as good or bad (or on the margin). I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts? How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. It's probably only calibrated for the former but by putting a resistive load across the battery during the test will bring the voltage below 1.2V on a bad battery. -- mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk |
#3
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Testing alkaline batteries
On Sunday, November 8, 2020 at 7:52:41 AM UTC-6, alan_m wrote:
On 08/11/2020 13:42, Scott wrote: My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as good or bad (or on the margin). I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts? How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. It's probably only calibrated for the former but by putting a resistive load across the battery during the test will bring the voltage below 1.2V on a bad battery. -- interesting. I saw this a couple places earlier today too. mk5000 Today, while the blossoms still cling to the vine I'll taste your strawberries, I'll drink your sweet wine A million tomorrows shall all pass away 'Ere I forget all the joy that is mine...today https://www.letssingit.com/the-new-c...-today-gwpvc48 |
#4
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Testing alkaline batteries
On 08/11/2020 13:42:21, Scott wrote:
My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as good or bad (or on the margin). I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts? How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. An alkaline battery also has a nominal o/c voltage of 1.5V Internal resistance is a good indication of battery capacity, and the easiest way to measure this is under load. |
#5
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Testing alkaline batteries
On 08/11/2020 13:59, Fredxx wrote:
On 08/11/2020 13:42:21, Scott wrote: My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as good or bad (or on the margin).Â* I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts?Â* How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. An alkaline battery also has a nominal o/c voltage of 1.5V A good fresh alkaline can be as high as 1.6v open circuit. Internal resistance is a good indication of battery capacity, and the easiest way to measure this is under load. Most battery testers are based on presenting a load to the cell and then measuring the voltage under that stress test. Some Duracells had a self test feature at one time - but it made them much less reliable I no longer use Duracells I have had too many leaks. Panasonic and Energiser are my preferred brands now for things where rechargeables won't hack it. Usually low current draw LCD display devices. -- Regards, Martin Brown |
#6
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Testing alkaline batteries
On Monday, 9 November 2020 10:16:51 UTC, Martin Brown wrote:
On 08/11/2020 13:59, Fredxx wrote: On 08/11/2020 13:42:21, Scott wrote: My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as good or bad (or on the margin).Â* I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts?Â* How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. An alkaline battery also has a nominal o/c voltage of 1.5V A good fresh alkaline can be as high as 1.6v open circuit. They start off above 1.5v. 1.5v is only nominal. A well used one can go as high as 1.8v under odd circumstances. I had a couple do that earlier this year. They were well used then recharged, and gave a strangely high output. No idea why, none of the others did. NT |
#7
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Testing alkaline batteries
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#8
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Testing alkaline batteries
On Tuesday, 10 November 2020 11:10:41 UTC, Fredxx wrote:
On 10/11/2020 03:04:36, tabbypurr wrote: On Monday, 9 November 2020 10:16:51 UTC, Martin Brown wrote: On 08/11/2020 13:59, Fredxx wrote: On 08/11/2020 13:42:21, Scott wrote: My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as good or bad (or on the margin). I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts? How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. An alkaline battery also has a nominal o/c voltage of 1.5V A good fresh alkaline can be as high as 1.6v open circuit. They start off above 1.5v. 1.5v is only nominal. A well used one can go as high as 1.8v under odd circumstances. I had a couple do that earlier this year. They were well used then recharged, and gave a strangely high output. No idea why, none of the others did. Most articles suggest a brand new alkaline battery starts at 1.65V o/c and goes down from there. Do you have reference you can cite for a well used one with a o/c voltage of 1.8V? no, haven't looked. The only odd circumstance I can think of will be a duff meter. I told you what the circumstances were. The meter's fine. But feel free to get stupid again. NT |
#9
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Testing alkaline batteries
On Sun, 08 Nov 2020 13:42:21 +0000, Scott wrote:
My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as good or bad (or on the margin). I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts? How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. Alkaline are also 1.5v. You are thinking of rechargeables (e.h. NiMH) for 1.2v. -- My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message. Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org *lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor |
#10
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Testing alkaline batteries
On 8 Nov 2020 14:05:40 GMT, Bob Eager wrote:
On Sun, 08 Nov 2020 13:42:21 +0000, Scott wrote: My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as good or bad (or on the margin). I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts? How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. Alkaline are also 1.5v. You are thinking of rechargeables (e.h. NiMH) for 1.2v. Thanks. This certainly explains it. I was indeed mistaken. |
#12
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Testing alkaline batteries
Scott wrote:
My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as good or bad (or on the margin). I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts? How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. Alkaline are also 1.5v when new. It's rechargeable NiCd and NiMh that have a lower 'good' voltage, around 1.2 to 1.3 volts. -- Chris Green · |
#13
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Testing alkaline batteries
On Sun, 8 Nov 2020 16:43:54 +0000, Chris Green wrote:
Scott wrote: My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as good or bad (or on the margin). I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts? How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. Alkaline are also 1.5v when new. It's rechargeable NiCd and NiMh that have a lower 'good' voltage, around 1.2 to 1.3 volts. Indeed, mea culpa. |
#14
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Testing alkaline batteries
On Sunday, 8 November 2020 13:42:26 UTC, Scott wrote:
My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as good or bad (or on the margin). I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts? How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. There are 2 requirements for a good battery: voltage & current. Terminal voltage often tells enough, but not always. The other test is to touch probes of a 1A meter to the battery for a fraction of a second, see how fast the needle flies up. Digital meters generally can't do this. Keep the probes on & you'll kill both meter & battery. NT |
#15
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Testing alkaline batteries
wrote:
On Sunday, 8 November 2020 13:42:26 UTC, Scott wrote: My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as good or bad (or on the margin). I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts? How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. There are 2 requirements for a good battery: voltage & current. Terminal voltage often tells enough, but not always. The other test is to touch probes of a 1A meter to the battery for a fraction of a second, see how fast the needle flies up. Digital meters generally can't do this. Keep the probes on & you'll kill both meter & battery. NT https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials...nal-resistance "We can only take a snapshot of the internal resistance with this method. The internal resistance can vary with things like battery age and temperature. In 10 minutes, the resistance value might be different! A common AA alkaline battery might have anywhere between 0.1 Ω and 0.9 Ω internal resistance." https://data.energizer.com/PDFs/BatteryIR.pdf "The typical effective resistances of fresh Energizer alkaline cylindrical batteries (using a 5 mA stabilization drain followed by a 505 mA 100 millisecond pulse) will be approximately 150 to 300 milliohms, depending on size." The Energizer method uses two load resistors, first tests with the light load, then light+heavy load. Paul |
#16
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Testing alkaline batteries
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#17
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Testing alkaline batteries
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#18
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Testing alkaline batteries
On 09/11/2020 10:19, Scott wrote:
On Sun, 8 Nov 2020 15:25:37 -0800 (PST), wrote: On Sunday, 8 November 2020 13:42:26 UTC, Scott wrote: My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as good or bad (or on the margin). I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts? How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. There are 2 requirements for a good battery: voltage & current. Terminal voltage often tells enough, but not always. The other test is to touch probes of a 1A meter to the battery for a fraction of a second, see how fast the needle flies up. Digital meters generally can't do this. Keep the probes on & you'll kill both meter & battery. Given that a humble AA can source 10A into a dead short that would quite likely wrap the needle round the end stop on an analogue meter or blow the internal fuse on a modern digital meter. Could my battery testing facility (in the multimeter) be doing this? It probably measures the battery terminal voltage with and without a suitable load resistor across it. -- Regards, Martin Brown |
#19
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Testing alkaline batteries
On 09/11/2020 11:31:07, Martin Brown wrote:
On 09/11/2020 10:19, Scott wrote: On Sun, 8 Nov 2020 15:25:37 -0800 (PST), wrote: On Sunday, 8 November 2020 13:42:26 UTC, ScottÂ* wrote: My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as good or bad (or on the margin).Â* I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts?Â* How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. There are 2 requirements for a good battery: voltage & current. Terminal voltage often tells enough, but not always. The other test is to touch probes of a 1A meter to the battery for a fraction of a second, see how fast the needle flies up. Digital meters generally can't do this. Keep the probes on & you'll kill both meter & battery. Given that a humble AA can source 10A into a dead short that would quite likely wrap the needle round the end stop on an analogue meter or blow the internal fuse on a modern digital meter. I have a cheapo meter that can handle 20A. Combined with the resistance of the test leads I think it would be quite safe for the meter. The leads might get warm though! |
#20
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Testing alkaline batteries
On Monday, 9 November 2020 13:05:27 UTC, Fredxx wrote:
On 09/11/2020 11:31:07, Martin Brown wrote: On 09/11/2020 10:19, Scott wrote: On Sun, 8 Nov 2020 15:25:37 -0800 (PST), tabbypurr wrote: On Sunday, 8 November 2020 13:42:26 UTC, ScottÂ* wrote: My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as good or bad (or on the margin).Â* I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts?Â* How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. There are 2 requirements for a good battery: voltage & current. Terminal voltage often tells enough, but not always. The other test is to touch probes of a 1A meter to the battery for a fraction of a second, see how fast the needle flies up. Digital meters generally can't do this. Keep the probes on & you'll kill both meter & battery. Given that a humble AA can source 10A into a dead short that would quite likely wrap the needle round the end stop on an analogue meter or blow the internal fuse on a modern digital meter. I have a cheapo meter that can handle 20A. Combined with the resistance of the test leads I think it would be quite safe for the meter. The leads might get warm though! If anything gets warm you left it connected way too long. |
#21
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Testing alkaline batteries
On Monday, 9 November 2020 11:31:11 UTC, Martin Brown wrote:
On 09/11/2020 10:19, Scott wrote: On Sun, 8 Nov 2020 15:25:37 -0800 (PST), tabbypurr wrote: On Sunday, 8 November 2020 13:42:26 UTC, Scott wrote: My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as good or bad (or on the margin). I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts? How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. There are 2 requirements for a good battery: voltage & current. Terminal voltage often tells enough, but not always. The other test is to touch probes of a 1A meter to the battery for a fraction of a second, see how fast the needle flies up. Digital meters generally can't do this. Keep the probes on & you'll kill both meter & battery. Given that a humble AA can source 10A into a dead short that would quite likely wrap the needle round the end stop on an analogue meter or blow the internal fuse on a modern digital meter. that's why it's only connected for a fraction of a second. What you're looking for is enough oomph to be confident the needle would fly off the end if it stayed connected. Harmless if not sustained. You can't use the method with digitals. Could my battery testing facility (in the multimeter) be doing this? It probably measures the battery terminal voltage with and without a suitable load resistor across it. A load resistor yes, how suitable is another matter. They tend to load them very lightly. NT |
#22
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Testing alkaline batteries
On 09/11/2020 10:19:02, Scott wrote:
On Sun, 8 Nov 2020 15:25:37 -0800 (PST), wrote: On Sunday, 8 November 2020 13:42:26 UTC, Scott wrote: My multimeter has a battery test facility that shows the battery as good or bad (or on the margin). I understand a zinc carbon battery has a voltage of 1.5 Volts and an alkaline battery has a voltage of 1.2 Volts? How does it know the difference between a very good alkaline battery and a very bad zinc carbon battery?. There are 2 requirements for a good battery: voltage & current. Terminal voltage often tells enough, but not always. The other test is to touch probes of a 1A meter to the battery for a fraction of a second, see how fast the needle flies up. Digital meters generally can't do this. Keep the probes on & you'll kill both meter & battery. Could my battery testing facility (in the multimeter) be doing this? It might but you need to look at the instructions/spec of your meter to confirm. I don't have a meter with this facility, nor have I seen a multimeter that has. |
#23
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Testing alkaline batteries
In article ,
wrote: There are 2 requirements for a good battery: voltage & current. Terminal voltage often tells enough, but not always. The other test is to touch probes of a 1A meter to the battery for a fraction of a second, see how fast the needle flies up. Digital meters generally can't do this. Keep the probes on & you'll kill both meter & battery. You'll most likely blow the fuse in the DVM if the battery can exceed the current range. -- *Income tax service - We‘ve got what it takes to take what you've got. Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#24
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Testing alkaline batteries
On Monday, 9 November 2020 13:51:59 UTC, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article , tabbypurr wrote: There are 2 requirements for a good battery: voltage & current. Terminal voltage often tells enough, but not always. The other test is to touch probes of a 1A meter to the battery for a fraction of a second, see how fast the needle flies up. Digital meters generally can't do this. Keep the probes on & you'll kill both meter & battery. You'll most likely blow the fuse in the DVM if the battery can exceed the current range. Nah, fuses require a fair bit of i squared t. Anyway if someone does this with a digital they clearly don't know what they're doing. NT |
#25
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Testing alkaline batteries
In article ,
wrote: On Monday, 9 November 2020 13:51:59 UTC, Dave Plowman (News) wrote: In article , tabbypurr wrote: There are 2 requirements for a good battery: voltage & current. Terminal voltage often tells enough, but not always. The other test is to touch probes of a 1A meter to the battery for a fraction of a second, see how fast the needle flies up. Digital meters generally can't do this. Keep the probes on & you'll kill both meter & battery. You'll most likely blow the fuse in the DVM if the battery can exceed the current range. Nah, fuses require a fair bit of i squared t. Anyway if someone does this with a digital they clearly don't know what they're doing. But it's you that said it will kill the DVM... -- *After the game, the King and the pawn go into the same box. Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#26
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Testing alkaline batteries
On 11/11/2020 10:54:21, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article , wrote: On Monday, 9 November 2020 13:51:59 UTC, Dave Plowman (News) wrote: In article , tabbypurr wrote: There are 2 requirements for a good battery: voltage & current. Terminal voltage often tells enough, but not always. The other test is to touch probes of a 1A meter to the battery for a fraction of a second, see how fast the needle flies up. Digital meters generally can't do this. Keep the probes on & you'll kill both meter & battery. You'll most likely blow the fuse in the DVM if the battery can exceed the current range. Nah, fuses require a fair bit of i squared t. Anyway if someone does this with a digital they clearly don't know what they're doing. But it's you that said it will kill the DVM... I see some consistency here, where the facts are bent to meet opinion. |
#27
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Testing alkaline batteries
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
writes In article , wrote: There are 2 requirements for a good battery: voltage & current. Terminal voltage often tells enough, but not always. The other test is to touch probes of a 1A meter to the battery for a fraction of a second, see how fast the needle flies up. Digital meters generally can't do this. Keep the probes on & you'll kill both meter & battery. You'll most likely blow the fuse in the DVM if the battery can exceed the current range. And if the fuse is a 'special' (like in my Fluke) it's rather expensive. [I think mine cost eight pounds.] -- Ian |
#28
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Testing alkaline batteries
On 12/11/2020 08:31:14, Ian Jackson wrote:
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes In article , Â* wrote: There are 2 requirements for a good battery: voltage & current. Terminal voltage often tells enough, but not always. The other test is to touch probes of a 1A meter to the battery for a fraction of a second, see how fast the needle flies up. Digital meters generally can't do this. Keep the probes on & you'll kill both meter & battery. You'll most likely blow the fuse in the DVM if the battery can exceed the current range. And if the fuse is a 'special' (like in my Fluke) it's rather expensive. [I think mine cost eight pounds.] Oh dear, did you find out the hard way? I suspect the reason is the voltage rating of the fuse and arc suppression. This can happen if you don't: https://assets.publishing.service.go...LeHavre_98.pdf |
#29
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Testing alkaline batteries
On Thu, 12 Nov 2020 14:36:53 +0000, Fredxx wrote:
On 12/11/2020 08:31:14, Ian Jackson wrote: In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes In article , Â* wrote: There are 2 requirements for a good battery: voltage & current. Terminal voltage often tells enough, but not always. The other test is to touch probes of a 1A meter to the battery for a fraction of a second, see how fast the needle flies up. Digital meters generally can't do this. Keep the probes on & you'll kill both meter & battery. You'll most likely blow the fuse in the DVM if the battery can exceed the current range. And if the fuse is a 'special' (like in my Fluke) it's rather expensive. [I think mine cost eight pounds.] Oh dear, did you find out the hard way? I just decided to buy a spare to fit into the little slot in the case! About a tenner, as I recall. -- My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message. Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org *lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor |
#30
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Testing alkaline batteries
In article , Ian Jackson wrote: In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes In article , wrote: There are 2 requirements for a good battery: voltage & current. Terminal voltage often tells enough, but not always. The other test is to touch probes of a 1A meter to the battery for a fraction of a second, see how fast the needle flies up. Digital meters generally can't do this. Keep the probes on & you'll kill both meter & battery. You'll most likely blow the fuse in the DVM if the battery can exceed the current range. And if the fuse is a 'special' (like in my Fluke) it's rather expensive. [I think mine cost eight pounds.] Yup. Makes you take care. ;-) -- *IF ONE SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMER DROWNS, DO THE REST DROWN TOO? Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
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