Battery Gizmos

The following are some inexpensive gizmos (more than just test equipment) that I've acquired for working with cells and batteries.

Generally, I like all the stuff listed here, and they represent good values. All have been reviewed by others far more completely, so I'll just mention a few minor annoyances. One of my biggest concerns with any lab instrument is that it should be intuitive to use -- especially if it's used infrequently.

The first two instruments employ a 4-wire interface to the device under test (DUT). This method is called a Kelvin connection. One pair of wires forces current into the DUT, while another pair of wires senses voltage across the DUT. Using 4 wires negates the resistance of the test leads. This results in greater accuracy while measuring voltage when current is flowing.

Where I mention prices, they are in US dollars and included shipping from China to the USA and local taxes. All instruments were purchased in the years preceding additional tariffs.

ZKE Tech EBC-A10H Battery Capacity Tester

This instrument is combination battery charger and electronic load. It is a fabulous value for $85. As a charger, it can source 0 to 22 VDC, at a maximum of 5 amps. As an electronic load, it can sink 0 to 30 VDC, at a maximum of 10 amps (but with a power limit of 150 watts).

Although this unit may be operated in a stand-alone mode, it truly shines when connected to a computer. A USB interface allows a PC running ZKE's included proprietary software to provide data-logging and graphing capability. Two examples are shown below. You can also export data in spreadsheet format.

However, it does have one annoying quirk when being operating via a computer -- it's necessary to follow the boot-up sequence outlined below:

Provide AC power.
Turn on the EBC-A10H and allow it to boot.
Plug the USB adapter into the computer.
Run the application software.

This sequence is mandatory, and I have affixed a label to the unit so I don't forget. Also note that the application software can only see COM1 through COM10, so it may be necessary to use the Windows Device Manager to reassign a COM port.

A small fan only runs when necessary, and is fairly quiet. The PDF user manual is quite good.

Charge Curve

Discharge Curve

ZKE's optional 4-wire cell “rack” was an additional $10.50. I was hoping it would be better than the plastic one sold by Yaorea. It is different, but not really better.

EBA-A10H front panel

Yaorea 1035+ Cell Internal Resistance Meter

I like this instrument a lot. It's a great value at $75 (which included all three testing accessories).

It can simultaneously measure a battery's voltage and internal resistance. The five full-scale resistance ranges are: 0.02, 0.2, 2, 2, 20 and 200 ohms. The readings are very accurate as compared against laboratory standard resistors. It can also operate as just a low-ohms meter -- which is excellent for measuring the resistance of wiring and inductors.

The three full-scale voltage ranges are: +1, +10, +100 volts (it has some reverse-polarity protection, but the manual is not terribly clear about this).

The unit is powered by an internal USB-chargeable Li-ion battery that I don't recall ever charging.

Several accessories are available for different uses. A set of Kelvin clips is the most general-purpose and they work well. There's an adjustable 4-wire cell holder with a spring, but the quality is not great. Finally, there's a pair of 4-wire test probes. These don't work well at all. You can see the test probes in the photo below. I replaced them with banana jacks so I could use my own probing techniques.

The instrument is mostly intuitive to use except for the power button. Once the unit is on, a short press of the power button brings up a configuration menu. To turn the unit off, the power button must be held, and a confirmation screen appears.

The PDF user manual is quite good.

I'd say the worst thing about the unit is the poor quality 4-pin plug/socket that allows the different accessories to be connected.

Verifying against standard resistor

Yaorea Kelvin (4-wire) test clips

Yaoera 4-wire cell holder

Yaorea 4-wire test leads.

LiitoKala Lii-500 Smart Charger

LiitoKala Engineer Lii-500 Smart Charger

The unit is powered by a 12 volt, 2 amp wall-wart power supply which has a fairly short DC cable. It's a very capable unit for $30.

It is well-suited to testing and matching cells reclaimed from defunct battery packs.

The cell holders are spring-loaded and can accommodate a wide variety of cell sizes (up to 21700), but this also makes it difficult to remove long cells.

Unfortunately, the cell resistance values seem inconsistent and don't agree well with my Yaorea 1035+ meter. But this may have to do more with the charger's contact resistance than inherent accuracy. Also note that a cell's internal resistance is not constant. It's at a minimum when the cell is fully charged and is affected by temperature.

The PDF user manual is very complete, but the writing could be improved. The charging function is straightforward, but the other modes are not intuitive to me. I must refer to the manual every time I use it for capacity testing.

SeeSii LCD Portable Spot Welder

Of all the tools described here, this is the only one I regret buying. But at a cost of only $65, it's probably an excellent value for making low-current (bicycle) battery packs. It has a rated maximum output current of 650 amps that makes it capable of welding 0.1 to 0.15 mm nickel strips.

It's powered by a 3.7 volt, 11000 mAh Li-ion cell which charges via a USB port. As an added feature, it can also be used as a USB power bank providing 5V at 2.4 A max.

In keeping with Chinese translation idiom, adjustment levels are called “gears.” There are 80 possible power settings. The delay time (between contacting the nickel strip and application of power) is adjustable.

I could not find a PDF user manual, but operation is described on the manufacturer's website.

The next spot welder I buy will use capacitors for energy storage, rather than a battery.

Credit: SeeSii, Weld power settings visualized

Laboratory-Quality Electronic Load

I have also used a pair of 55-volt, 200-amp (750 watt maximum) electronic loads for battery testing. You can read about that here: https://www.electricmotiontech.com/home/em-5-7/5-7-battery/5-7-capacity-test

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