Testing Batteries

without Fuss
eer’s
Engin ook
All-power-all-the-time computer
environments demand UPS battery

N oteb testing without interruption

to input depend on the battery Although the internal resistance of
manufacturer and type. secondary batteries varies according to
Besides internal resistance and battery type and its capacity, the figure
voltage, today’s battery testers can also generally ranges from several milliohms
measure battery temperature. The to several hundred ohms. For secondary
operational life of a battery varies greatly batteries, internal resistance is
depending on the environmental measured by applying a constant
conditions, making it essential to alternating current to avoid any effects
measure the temperature of a battery from the DC voltage generated by the
in order to understand its state. second battery. This method is called the
ac four-terminal method and is
Secondary Battery distinguished from the DC four-terminal
A secondary battery is one that can be method in which direct current is applied.
Battery Testing

used repeatedly after recharging and In resistance measurement, the

differs from primary batteries, such as four-terminal method is used to measure
Industries that rely manganese dry cells, that cannot be items, such as batteries, with very low
on uninterruptible power supply (UPS) used anymore once they are discharged. resistance. The AC four-terminal method
units increasingly rely on battery testers Another distinction of secondary is a popular one. The input impedance of
to keep tabs on battery supply. Some batteries from primary batteries is that the voltmeter is large. Therefore,
battery manufacturers have adopted secondary batteries are capable of practically no test current flows to the
battery testers as standard equipment discharging large current; as a result, voltmeter. As a result, it is possible to
for follow-up maintenance service. they are used for equipment that measure the resistance of the subject
UPS systems increasingly are installed requires large current. Typically only, with the lead resistance and the
in facilities where equipment cannot be secondary batteries are lead-acid contact resistance excluded.
allowed to stop operating due to a power batteries and nickel cadmium (Ni-Cd) Although the accuracy of the measured
failure or maintenance. One new way to batteries. However, in order to address results suffers somewhat, the
test secondary battery performance environmental concerns and the need for internal-resistance test can be conducted
while keeping the UPS on-line is to check batteries that can power smaller devices very quickly, and the test equipment can
its internal resistance. The internal for longer periods for time, new nickel be fairly small.
resistance of a secondary battery is metal hydride (Ni-MH) and lithium ion
measured with low-resistance (Li-ion) batteries were developed and put Voltage and Temperature Measurement
measurement techniques. into use. These batteries are smaller, Voltage measurement is performed
provide a large capacity, and pose little simultaneously with the measurement of
Reasons to Use a Battery Tester danger of polluting the environment. specific gravity during maintenance for
Battery testers offer the following lead storage batteries and alkaline
advantages to users: Checking Battery Deterioration storage batteries. If the voltage is
1. The battery in a UPS can be checked There are basically two general methods extremely low, the battery may be
without shutting down the power line. for checking battery deterioration: the damaged (it may have an internal short
This is essential for UPS units used in charging/discharging test method, and circuit). If the voltage is high, it is
hospitals, computing facilities, the internal-resistance measuring possible that a charger or another
telecom companies, and financial method. Each method has strengths battery connected in series with the
institutions where power interruptions and weaknesses. battery in question could suffer damage.
can be disastrous. The charging/discharging test method Temperature measurement is
2. High-performance battery testers can is capable of accurately measuring the important for two reasons. One: Because
perform battery checks and report discharge capacity of the battery but the internal resistance changes
the results without intricate operation. requires a considerable amount of time. according to the temperature. This allows
The latest testers feature an internal There are two methods for conducting workers to use the temperature of the
memory function that retains the this type of testing: discharging a fully electrolytic solution to determine the
measurement values and results. In charged battery until it is completely extent of battery deterioration. The
some cases, more than 200 pieces discharged and discharging a fully second reason is to discover damaged
of data can be stored—enough charged battery for a few minutes and batteries. A battery with an internal short
capacity to sufficiently cover one UPS then using that information to estimate circuit will reveal itself by heating up
unit. The data can also be printed when the batter will be fully discharged when it is charged.
along with statistics using a Measuring the internal resistance
tester’s printer or commercial evaluates the deterioration of the battery
standard printer. on the basis of the correlation between Material for this article contributed
3. Battery testers are easy to use. the measured internal resistance and the by Hioki USA Corp., manufacturer of
Users not familiar with measuring discharge capacity of the battery. the 3550 series of internal-resistance
instruments can use battery testers Research indicates a correlation between battery testers.
with ease. Battery testers show a decrease in a secondary battery’s
results using a three-rank LED lamp capacity and increase in its internal
and audible beeping if the comparison resistance.
threshold values are input in advance.
The three-rank lamp evaluates the
battery state at either Pass, Warning or
Fail. The comparison threshold values

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