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Computerized Battery Analyzer
$190.00 – $209.00
The computerized Battery Analyzer is much more than a simple battery voltage tester or a battery load tester. It will test virtually any type or size of battery, any chemistry or number of cells, u...Read More
Product Overview
The computerized Battery Analyzer is much more than a simple battery voltage tester or a battery load tester. It will test virtually any type or size of battery, any chemistry or number of cells, up to 55 volts. We are making this tester available with accessories intended for FIRST legal batteries, although teams may purchase the CBA without accessories and create their own cables for testing other battery types.
The CBA not only tests the total amount of energy stored within a battery (capacity in amp-hours), but also graphically displays and charts the voltage versus time under a constant current load. Graphs may be displayed, saved and printed, and the axis parameters can be changed at any time. Multiple test graphs of the same battery, or multiple batteries, may be compared or overlaid; a very useful feature for teams looking to test capacity and performance of their batteries as they age.
To run a test:
- Install the CBA V software
- Connect the battery tester to your computer
- Connect a fully charged battery to the battery tester
- Click the "New Test File" Button
- If you wish to add an additional test to an existing file chose "Append Test" instead.
- In the New Test window do the following.
- Select "Discharge" on the left
- In the blue box on the right click the "Detect" button
- For an FRC Battery fill in the following settings: Lead Acid, 13.2V, 6 Cells
- Enter the Ah of the battery
- Usually 18 for FRC batteries
- Enter a name for the battery at the top under "Test Name:" and label the battery with this name for future comparison
- In the center of the screen set "Cutoff V:"
- This is the voltage that the battery will be depleted to.
- For an FRC Battery we recommend 10.5
- In the center of the screen set "Test Amps:"
- This is the load that the tester will apply to the battery for the duration of the test.
- For an FRC Battery we recommend
7.5
- This is the highest the tester can do on an FRC battery and will result in the fastest test.
- Click "Start"
- The test will now run for anywhere between a few minutes to a few hours
- Do not move or touch the battery at all during the test
- Pausing the test will result in a bad portion of data around the pause and is not recommended
- When the test is complete a dialogue box will appear informing you of the result and the graph will be complete
- Click "OK" and repeat the test for another battery.
The critical number to look for is amp hours (Ah) after the test. If the graph crosses the 10.5V at less than 12Ah after 2 consecutive tests from a fully charged state we recommend not using this battery in competition due to the increased risk of brownouts, especially near the end of a match. Such batteries should be marked and only used for things like practice, demos, or testing.
Further Reading:
FRC 1640 has published their procedures and best practices regarding this tester.
https://team1640.com/wiki/index.php/Battery_Management#Battery_Testing
Returns
Returns are accepted within 30 days of purchase.
View our return policy here.
Recommendations
7 reviews
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Covid Recovery
With our batteries unattended for 18 months this helped us sort through the ones that we wanted in a competition.
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Every team should own one
As we enter our tenth season we have accumulated a lot of batteries. A few have obviously failed and the battery beak does help with identifying batteries in poor health but running all our batteries through this analyzer was able to find one that was due for retirement and several more that were only good for practice. It also identified one that needed to be cleaned in the connector. Overall a great investment for making sure your stable of batteries are good to go for competition. The tool is easy to set up and use but time consuming to run a full test.
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Great addition to Team 4576.
After being plagued with battery issues last year, we got some insight from FRC Team 16. They used their CBA to test some of our batteries, and we found that a battery beak does not tell the full story about the condition of a battery. We have now tested and logged data on our batteries and will be adding several new ones to the fleet this year. After the quick creation of an adapter cable, we found the software very easy to learn. After discovering an issue with the software, we contacted the developers and got a fast and friendly response. Great product, easy to use, and great service from the manufacturer make it a 5 Star purchase.
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Awesome Product
Works amazingly well. Highly recommended.
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Team 2706. Very happy with this battery analyze...
Team 2706. Very happy with this battery analyzer. Provides excellent data to determine which batteries are best for competition and which batteries should be downgraded to non-competition and/or be taken out of service.
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No software
This does not come with software. It is difficult to find it online. Need to pay extra for advanced software . Still trying to figure it out. Says you can test 40 amps but option is greyed out.???? --- AndyMark Response: The test software and maximum amperage are both listed on the product page above under the "To run a test:" section.
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Great Product
I highly recommend this device. We have used a handheld CCA Load Tester and Battery Beak for years, but still always had disagreements over which batteries were "good" and which were "bad". This tool takes out all of the mystery and myth and provides clear engineering data to quantify all of your robot batteries.
