Re: [EE] Not sure what standard to use for testing battery

There are two types of batteries.   Starting and deep discharge.

Starting batteries are all about delivering lots of amps for a short period
of time.   To test these batteries you measure how much current they can
put out for a few seconds...  just like a starter in a car would consume.
 This is the type of tests that your tester is for... measuring
instantaneous available current.

Deep discharge batteries are about providing a low current for a long
time.  To test one of these batteries you have to fully charge them, let
them rest for a little bit,  and then discharge them at a specific rate
until they drop below a specific voltage.  Often the batteries are
specified for a 10hour or 20 hour rate...  so to test your battery at a 10
hour rate,  you'd need to draw a constant 17.5A out of the battery.  At 12V
this is around 200W continuous.   A tester has to be able to get rid of
this heat and measure the total energy dissipated.

This type of test can't be done with a typical starter battery tester which
is about short duration tests.

On Mon, Nov 25, 2024, 5:19 PM Dwayne Reid <[email protected]> wrote:

> Good day to all.
>
> I just purchased a TOPDON BT200 battery tester and wish to use it to
> analyze several large gel-cell batteries as originally used for
> Telcom purposes.
>
> My batteries are all 12V 175AH and they seem fine from the informal
> testing that I have done with them.  But I would like to know what
> this tester thinks of them.
>
> I first tried the tester on an older Lead-Acid battery removed from
> my previous battery.  The battery has a CCA rating of 890 Amps and
> the tester happily reported the battery has 98% health (measured
> capacity of 888 Amps.  Good enough - I do know that battery is in great
> shape.
>
> But now I want to analyze these Telcom batteries.
>
> My test options with the tester are as follows: CCA, BCI, CA, MCA,
> JIS, DIN, IEC, EN, SAE, and GB
>
> The only thing I recognize is CCA.
>
> Can some kind soul (or souls, plural) please tell me which of those
> options I would use to simply analyze my batteries given that I know
> their ampacity (175 AH) at 12 Vdc?
>
> A link to a website that explains those options would also be greatly
> appreciated.
>
> Many thanks!
>
> dwayne
>
> --
> Dwayne Reid   <[email protected]>
> Trinity Electronics Systems Ltd    Edmonton, AB, CANADA
> 780-489-3199 voice   780-487-6397 fax   888-489-3199 Toll Free
> www.trinity-electronics.com
> Custom Electronics Design and Manufacturing
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