Purchasing Resources for Battery Testers

Battery Testers Key Terms

Learn some of the key terms for battery testers
By Emmet McMahan Battery testers determine the condition of batteries with either a load test or a signal analysis of the battery. Electronic battery testers typically provide output values, which the user may use to determine the need for recharging or replacing a storage battery. These values may include parameters such as the battery capacity, charge state and the existence of any battery defects. Modern battery testers draw very small currents and will not weaken the battery to any significant extent. They are frequently hand-held devices that do not require heavy cables.

Ampere-hour

An ampere-hour is the amount of charge that will allow a battery to discharge one ampere of steady current for one hour. One ampere-hour is also equal to 3600 coulombs.
Try:  TechTarget provides a formal definition of ampere-hour and also discusses the milliampere hour. This value is one thousandth of an ampere-hour, and is a common unit of measure for computer batteries.

Acceptance test

An acceptance test uses a controlled discharge of a new battery to calculate its actual capacity. This is a common test performed by many battery testers.
Try:  Remy Battery provides a more detailed description of an acceptance test.

Battery capacity

Battery capacity is the measure of a battery's electric capacity and is typically expressed in units of ampere-hours. A battery's capacity may also be given in watt-hours by multiplying the ampere-hours value by the battery's voltage.
Try:  Rechargeable Phone Batteries provides a more detailed description of battery capacity.

Voltage

Voltage is the difference in electrical potential between two points of a circuit, and is expressed in units of volts. Battery testers frequently provide readings in terms of volts.
Try:  BatteryEducation.com provides a detailed definition of voltage and also describes several specific types of voltage.

Battery internal resistance

Battery internal resistance is a calculated value that is used to model the internal chemical behavior of a battery. Battery testers frequently use this value to estimate the life of a battery.
Try:  BK Precision provides a glossary of common terms for battery testers, including battery internal resistance.

Specific gravity

Specific Gravity (SG) is the weight-to-volume ratio of an object. The SG is used by some battery testers to determine the current capacity of a wet cell battery.
Try:  Energy Technologies defines the SG as it pertains to battery testers and also provides a variety of other definitions related to batteries and electricity.

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