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EarthX Battery Tester

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cluros(at)gmail.com
Guest

Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2018 4:20 pm Post subject: EarthX Battery Tester

https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/optimate-lithium-battery-charger-lifepo4

The chargers EarthX sell will wait 30 minutes after charging and then check the voltage to see if the voltage has been retained. If it passes, it will wait up to 12 hours and then check again to check for excessive self discharge.

Is this sufficient to confirm that the battery is healthy or would some sort of load test also be a good idea?

zwakie

Joined: 03 Aug 2009
Posts: 157

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 3:47 am Post subject: Re: EarthX Battery Tester

Looking at the specs that "Lithium" model seems to be identical to the model I have for my Odyssey 545 battery, it also uses the same charging/testing strategy. 



Having a different model, my experience does not necessarily apply to this one, but I'd like to share it anyway as I had a similar line of thinking when I bought the thing couple of years ago:



Mine does a good job of maintaining the voltage level the battery is at and can recover from small discharge levels, but not much more than that. Mine certainly is not capable of recovering from deep discharges. 



Given those 'limited' capabilities, I do a load charge test one year after bought new (I do this in spring-time), and replace it with a new battery the next year.



I want to have a high level of confidence that my battery is capable to deal with a alternator-out situation and allows me to finish the flight as planned when this happens. FYI: I have a single alternator - single battery setup and do daytime VFR only)

_________________
Marcel Zwakenberg
Europa XS TG || 912ULS || PH-SBR

ashleysc(at)broadstripe.n
Guest

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:11 am Post subject: EarthX Battery Tester

Hi Marcel;

Hi All;

It is for that very reason that I have two (2) twenty amp, internally regulated, permanent magnet alternators installed.

Cheers!   Stu.



---

kenryan

Joined: 20 Oct 2009
Posts: 426

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:45 am Post subject: EarthX Battery Tester

Marcel, what do you use for your "load" when you do the load test?



Ken

On Thu, Nov 29, 2018 at 2:52 AM zwakie <mz(at)cariama.nl (mz(at)cariama.nl)> wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		  --> AeroElectric-List message posted by: "zwakie" <mz(at)cariama.nl (mz(at)cariama.nl)>

 

 Looking at the specs that "Lithium" model seems to be identical to the model I have for my Odyssey 545 battery, it also uses the same charging/testing strategy. 

 

 Having a different model, my experience does not necessarily apply to this one, but I'd like to share it anyway as I had a similar line of thinking when I bought the thing couple of years ago:

 

 Mine does a good job of maintaining the voltage level the battery is at and can recover from small discharge levels, but not much more than that. Mine certainly is not capable of recovering from deep discharges. 

 

 Given those 'limited' capabilities, I do a load charge test one year after bought new (I do this in spring-time), and replace it with a new battery the next year.

 

 I want to have a high level of confidence that my battery is capable to deal with a alternator-out situation and allows me to finish the flight as planned when this happens. FYI: I have a single alternator - single battery setup and do daytime VFR only)

 

 --------

 Marcel Zwakenberg

 Europa XS TG || 912ULS || PH-SBR

 

 

 

 

 Read this topic online here:

 

 http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=485865#485865

 

 

 

 

 

 

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zwakie

Joined: 03 Aug 2009
Posts: 157

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:56 am Post subject: Re: EarthX Battery Tester

 	  kenryan wrote: 	
		  Marcel, what do you use for your "load" when you do the load test? 	


One of these: http://www.westmountainradio.com/product_info.php?products_id=cba4

_________________
Marcel Zwakenberg
Europa XS TG || 912ULS || PH-SBR

zwakie

Joined: 03 Aug 2009
Posts: 157

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:59 am Post subject: Re: EarthX Battery Tester

 	  ashleysc(at)broadstripe.n wrote: 	
		  Hi Marcel;

Hi All;

It is for that very reason that I have two (2) twenty amp, internally regulated, permanent magnet alternators installed.

Cheers!   Stu.

--- 	


Yeah, I have that on my wishlist too for that same reason but it has a little lower priority than what I am working on right now (upgrading panel to glass) as with the new panel I can last over 2 hours on battery only according to load calculations and battery specs 



[edit] plus: getting rid of my vacuum pump needs to be done first on my 912ULS to create the option for 2nd alternator...

_________________
Marcel Zwakenberg
Europa XS TG || 912ULS || PH-SBR

nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelect
Guest

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 10:59 am Post subject: EarthX Battery Tester

 	  Quote: 	
		  

 Mine does a good job of maintaining the voltage level the battery is at and can recover from small discharge levels, but not much more than that. Mine certainly is not capable of recovering from deep discharges. 



 Given those 'limited' capabilities, I do a load charge test one year after bought new (I do this in spring-time), and replace it with a new battery the next year.



 I want to have a high level of confidence that my battery is capable to deal with a alternator-out situation and allows me to finish the flight as planned when this happens. FYI: I have a single alternator - single battery setup and do daytime VFR only) 	


   CAPACITY equates to ENDURANCE. This is what the

   e-bus is for. You can periodically shut off

   the master switch, close the alternate feed

   switch and then time how long your battery

   will support the e-bus loads.



   Not sure what a 'load charge' test would be.

   The classic load test at the lead-acid battery

   factory is to place so much load on the battery

   that its terminal voltage drops by 1/2. This

   means that the resistance of the load is equal

   to internal resistance of the battery. Typical

   test currents can be well over 1000 amps.



   This condition is held for x seconds whereupon

   voltages and currents observed must exceed

   some minimum value.



   A capacity test looks at useful energy available

   in chemical storage. The battery is loaded with

   y amps (endurance value) and time down to 11 volts

   (in lead acid world) is noted. This measurement

   speaks to sustaining battery only flight conditions

   and is only loosely related to results of any

   variation on a load test.



   Lithium internal resistance is so low that the

   classic Ipp (peak power load test) is impractical.

   Hence, tests for x seconds at z amps (cranking

   currents) are practical. Capacity testing

   remains unchanged.   



 

 

   Bob . . .

cluros(at)gmail.com
Guest

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 11:15 am Post subject: EarthX Battery Tester

Thank you Bob.



On Thu, Nov 29, 2018 at 11:07 AM Robert L. Nuckolls, III <nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com (nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com)> wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		     	  Quote: 	
		  

 Mine does a good job of maintaining the voltage level the battery is at and can recover from small discharge levels, but not much more than that. Mine certainly is not capable of recovering from deep discharges. 



 Given those 'limited' capabilities, I do a load charge test one year after bought new (I do this in spring-time), and replace it with a new battery the next year.



 I want to have a high level of confidence that my battery is capable to deal with a alternator-out situation and allows me to finish the flight as planned when this happens. FYI: I have a single alternator - single battery setup and do daytime VFR only) 	


   CAPACITY equates to ENDURANCE. This is what the

   e-bus is for. You can periodically shut off

   the master switch, close the alternate feed

   switch and then time how long your battery

   will support the e-bus loads.



   Not sure what a 'load charge' test would be.

   The classic load test at the lead-acid battery

   factory is to place so much load on the battery

   that its terminal voltage drops by 1/2. This

   means that the resistance of the load is equal

   to internal resistance of the battery. Typical

   test currents can be well over 1000 amps.



   This condition is held for x seconds whereupon

   voltages and currents observed must exceed

   some minimum value.



   A capacity test looks at useful energy available

   in chemical storage. The battery is loaded with

   y amps (endurance value) and time down to 11 volts

   (in lead acid world) is noted. This measurement

   speaks to sustaining battery only flight conditions

   and is only loosely related to results of any

   variation on a load test.



   Lithium internal resistance is so low that the

   classic Ipp (peak power load test) is impractical.

   Hence, tests for x seconds at z amps (cranking

   currents) are practical. Capacity testing

   remains unchanged.   



 

 

   Bob . . .

zwakie

Joined: 03 Aug 2009
Posts: 157

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 1:38 pm Post subject: Re: EarthX Battery Tester

[quote="nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelect"] 	  Quote: 	
		   A capacity test looks at useful energy available in chemical storage. The battery is loaded with y amps (endurance value) and time down to 11 volts (in lead acid world) is noted. 	


Thanks for correcting me Bob, and apologies for carelessly writing down he wording "load testing". I indeed meant to write "capacity testing", and the method that you describe here is exactly what I do.

_________________
Marcel Zwakenberg
Europa XS TG || 912ULS || PH-SBR

nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelect
Guest

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 3:29 pm Post subject: EarthX Battery Tester

 	  Quote: 	
		  



 Thanks for correcting me Bob, and apologies for carelessly writing down he wording "load testing". I indeed meant to write "capacity testing", and the method that you describe here is exactly what I do. 	




   No problem. We're ALL interested in

   precise speech for it is a fundamental

   foundation of understanding.



 

 

   Bob . . .

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