DowntownV's battery karma got me wondering again if buying a battery tester is worth it. I am talking about the common consumer battery sizes plus any of the button/coin lithium variety. Not a burning issue but I have been putting it off forever.

I have a simple multi meter and probes but I believe they should be tested under a small load to be more meaningful. All the ones I'm finding are extremely simplistic. Red/green, good/bad kind of 'readings'. Others that do produce numeric values are tiny and I am left wondering if they provide any load with the testing or if I'm better off with what I already have.
Who knows, maybe I just need to get a simple one and forget breaking out the wires and such. What do ya'll use/like?

I'm looking at this: Amazon

I'm not sure that's what you're looking for. That looks like a discharge analyzer for rechargeable batteries that actually discharges them fully to test their energy capacity.

I've been using these for years.

I've been using one from ZTS which has worked quite well on all types of batteries from button to alkaline to lithium chemistries. It's not inexpensive but they do have several models at different price points.

quote:

Originally posted by FiveFiveSixFan:
I've been using one from ZTS which has worked quite well on all types of batteries from button to alkaline to lithium chemistries. It's not inexpensive but they do have several models at different price points.

That one looks good!

quote:

Originally posted by Perception:

quote:

Originally posted by FiveFiveSixFan:
I've been using one from ZTS which has worked quite well on all types of batteries from button to alkaline to lithium chemistries. It's not inexpensive but they do have several models at different price points.

That one looks good!

I like it a lot. It's really good for applications using rechargeable lithium batteries where you are using more than one cell. It allows you to use cells which are fairly closely matched to avoid any unpleasant incidents which occur most frequently with multiple battery situations where the condition of one is markedly different than another. I use the ZTS in conjunction with a simple DC voltmeter when testing.

^^ I see what you’re saying but you can’t accurately test a battery without loading it.

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:
^^ I see what you’re saying but you can’t accurately test a battery without loading it.

From a very technical standpoint, you're right.
From a practical standpoint, use the multi-meter. That's worked for several decades for me.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:
^^ I see what you’re saying but you can’t accurately test a battery without loading it.

From a very technical standpoint, you're right.
From a practical standpoint, use the multi-meter. That's worked for several decades for me.

This is what I've found, the voltage drops quite a bit between new and dead. While not as accurate as load testing it, a multimeter seems to do the job just fine for me.

Been very happy with the ZTS for quite a while. Some of my newer lights have built-in "meters" and double checking with the ZTS agrees, with a bit more fidelity
.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:

From a very technical standpoint, you're right.
From a practical standpoint, use the multi-meter. That's worked for several decades for me.

Agreed - it's a simple go/no-go decision with this. No need to get into a bunch of nuanced performance measurement on a battery that costs cents. Over 1.5V (etc.), keep it. Under, chunk it and move on.

Could the simulated load just be as simple as a certain value of resistor(s)?

Analog multimeter

Here is a really good and reasonable battery load tester for common types.
https://www.amazon.com/ZTS-MIN...d=1593053088&sr=8-41

Gardner Bender GBT-3502 Household Analog Battery Tester
I've used one of these for a few years and it's very handy and easy to use. It stays in the box-o-batteries in a bathroom closet, rather than getting a VOM from the shop or garage.

Also quite economical.

Could use a multimeter?

I’ve been using the cheapest thing I could find at Walmart for the last 20 years. Lithium battery test perfect until they are minutes from dead, nature of the beast as I understand it.

If all you want is a green yellow or dead don’t waste any money. I’m not sure what you might find that is any more useful at any price.

We're talking primary (non-rechargable) lithium and alkaline batteries?

Just use a voltmeter. Open circuit voltage is just fine as an indicator, and you will know the cell is bad if open voltage reads ok but the battery falls on it's face when loaded and then pulled out of circuit and checked again.

FWIW I've never really seen that with primaries. If the open circuit voltage is low, the battery is compromised and if it really matters replace it.

Lithium batteries certainly do not look perfect until they are dead. There is a decay curve directly proportional to the rising internal resistance as the cell drains. If you see less than 2.8V(or so) and the battery is powering something important, replace it.

Alkalines should be routinely checked and replaced because they will leak in due time(months) and their drop-off in cold temps is atrocious.