[Mike Copioli]

Team 217 has used the CBA load tester in the past. It has worked well for us. However we have a significant amount of batteries +40 that we have acquired over the years so testing all of them has become time consuming as the CBA testers apply a load over a long period of time to determine Amphours. This has been the tried and true method for many years. We have found a faster and equally reliable method through measuring the internal resistance of each battery. The test provides instant results and may be performed in or out of circuit. We named the device the Battery Beak. If you are going to IRI we will have a couple beaks to demo.

With lead acid batteries the internal resistance increases as the plates inside the battery age. This resistance also increases as the battery discharges, the ability to measure this resistance is the key to determining battery health and even state of charge. The problem with traditional load testers is that they must completely discharge the battery in order to determine capacity. This can cause the internal resistance of the battery to increase to the point of failure. Charging also ages the plates although a small amount depending on charge rate. We have had batteries that tested well at the beginning of the season only to have them fail halfway through. The bottom line is the battery can fail at any time. The need for a test that could be administered quickly just before the match begins became obvious.