I like this tester. The switch did go on mine, but I easily replaced it.(I had a switch in stock) If you get switch problems then a squirt with good quality contact cleaner might fix it. I masked off the screen, put tissue around the PCB & sprayed the remaining switches. No more trouble in 2 years. Useful bit of kit. Be aware all conductance testers (I also have Midtronics etc.) can occasionally be fooled by the odd rare battery fault. They will then ALL (dear or cheap) say a faulty battery is good.
I have several conductance testers including the Cen -tech. Be aware that all conductance testers can occasionally say a useless battery is very good. N.B. they can be fooled by certain battery fault conditions. To be certain, it is useful to perform the old fashioned load test at hundreds of amps, or if time allows connect a load such as a head lamp for several hours to get a rough idea.(Don't run it below 11.6 volts) I had an 850 CCA battery (95 AH) that read close to perfect on conductance testers, but was only really capable of giving about 12 amp hours.
Note. Don't run a car battery down more than about 40% or below about 11.6 v with a load of 4-5 amps, or the test itself can do harm. This duff battery wouldn't run a headlight bulb much more than an hour to that (it would likely have taken over 2 hrs to completely flatten it / damage it further, despite the perfect conductance CCA readings)
There are cranking batteries and then those designed to run at a constant drain called "deep cycle" batteries. Cranking batteries have mesh plates whereas deep cycle batteries have solid plates. Mesh plates give you much more surface area and therefore much more cranking amps but for a shorter period of time. Deep cycle batteries give lower cranking amps for their size but can sustain a heavy drain for a long time. When recharging from a deep drain, mesh plates may not redeposit back in the same place that it dissolved from when discharged and will lead to decreased surface area (less cranking amps) at best or shorted plates at worse. Cranking batteries should NEVER be drained heavily. Some "marine" batteries are a happy medium between the two giving you larger surface area than pure deep cycle batteries (think golf cart batteries) for cranking boat motors and some sustained draw for electric motors and such.
ive had mine for 8 years works good. just watch out for the alligator clips getting weak, brittle, rusty or loose because it does happen and you get bad readings, once i upgraded mine with copper ones it worked better. the ones it come with are very cheap.their bite isnt strong...make sure its got a GOOD connection to battery terminals...and dont move it around when you run the test!!!! moving it also messes with the readings....otherwise it works good and gets the job done..mines been kicked around the shop, dropped, thrown, stepped on, took rides in engine bays, rained on, hood crushed, used daily for 8 years now. ......good luck
I used my New Cen-Tech 66892 on a new (2 week old) Size 65 Bosch Platinum 12v Battery at Pep Boys.It's an "AGM" Type. It's rated at 910 cca.10 minutes (I'll recheck tomorrow after 12+hrs) after taking off my Genius 3500 Charger (that read 100%), these are my readings using this Tester: 12.96 v2.45 m-Oms 933 cca and 85% on the 'Bar-graph' atop my Tester. One thing I learned, you've GOT to make your alligator clips attach to the actual battery lead terminals or you'll get crazy reading (all low but high on the m-ome where you WANT it LOW). I really like it though! It completes my home auto-tester needs. I also got the Cen-Tech's Multi-meter for $39. Get several 250 m-Ome -250 v fuses for when you blow the "Amp-function" fuse. That's an important function. On line I got 5 for $3.95. I did just spring for a Fluke Automotive 77-4 but then I haven't told the "Little lady" yet ! LOL
Hi Ken. I've tried my Cen Tech on Varta 850 CCA (EN) AGM batteries & it reads about right. They also usually read below 3 milli- ohms when new, which is correct. Strangely though, even one of my totally useless Varta AGM's read 800CCA & about 3 milli- ohms. On a load test at 425 Amps this battery read OK for a few seconds ,then the voltmeter dropped & you could hear noises from the battery due to faulty cell (s). A load test or discharge test over several hours is the only way to be 100% sure with some battery faults. All conductance testers seem to need to be directly on the lead posts, I have found, like you. Stainless steel bolts just give way out readings. Though dear, I've found Fluke meters have lasted me well over many years.(I have 77 & 83's) Perhaps you could tell the ''little lady'' that if she somehow finds out & you're in trouble!! Have a good day.
Gebby, yes virtually all makes of conductance testers give really way out readings on the stainless steel thread posts. You're dead right, only put the clips on the lead posts. Regards.
Hey great test of the meter. Did you know that after the test is done not only does it tell you the battery voltage and resistance , if you press the select button it also shows the cca that you input for the test and the actual cca the battery is producing. Thanks for your honest opinion on this item.
Thanks for the CCA reading info. I was wondering if the instrument would display the actual CCA test results. I didn't see any mention of this in the video.
Looks like a decent tester 'cept it can't do 6V batteries...which means you have to buy, carry and store yet another scanner. Also, bit of a draw back if the battery label is missing, faded or damaged and you have to guess the CCA...though most scanners in this price range are probably going to require manual CCA input and not feature automatic CCA info.
I've found that entering the battery's CCA rating makes no difference. So I don't waste my time anymore. I just test. Press SELECT after testing to read the results in actual CCA.
9 років тому
What method does this analyzer use? AC conductance or Multi-frequency electro-chemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)?
Vicos - You say normally you don't by china testers, you buy Fluke?' Ha Ha... snob much. Yea Fluke anything would be a factor of 100 more. A Fluke BT510 a hand-held battery tester is $3,500! Fluke is great, but for the money hard to beat this. ............ I recommend the Solar BA7 for about $70 far better value, smaller, gives you CAA (can enter non SAE DIN/EN units), and it also has start and charge test as well as conductance test. DON'T GUESS CAA, find out....
I know some Bosch power tool chargers are made in China, loads of products are, but they're still high quality. I had a Fluke 73 mkIII meter made in China. Nothing wrong with the quality as far as I could tell. It still works fine after several years.
Hi, gmcjetpilot. Yes the cheaper conductance testers seem to give very similar readings to dearer ones. My Midtronics micro 5oo gives similar results to my Launch BST460 & Cen Tech. Somebody else wrote on You Tube that the Solar BA7 gave similar readings to the Midtronics ones he used at work. I do like Fluke multimeters though. Flukes don't seem to give the annoying spurious voltage readings you get from some cheap multimeters when the probes aren't connected to anything. I've got a Fluke 77 still working well after over 25 years. Cost me about $200 (equivalent) back then. I totally agree with you, I wouldn't pay $3500 for a battery tester. Bear in mind what I've found, that I think ALL conductance testers can occasionally be fooled by some battery faults (I have 5, but not a BA7) & pass a duff battery. That said, if a conductance tester says a car battery is really low in CCA , it will be. Have a nice day.
There are 5 battery rating systems for automotive batteries: CCA DIN IEC EN CA(MCA) Your foreign battery may have a different rating system. (Check your instruction manual for rating systems.)
It will probably only be accurate if the battery has lead connector terminals & you can get good connections. The a.c. signal from conductance testers gets effected by stainless steel terminals.
wait what it doesnt actually measure amperage??? i mean i didnt really expect it to with those tiny wires n clamps but how do u measure a batteries health without measuring that?? iv watched a few times but i still must b missing something..
thanks for the vid, im looking to test some leisure batteries that dont have a CCA (cold crank amp) rating on them, does this mean i wont be able to test them accurately if i were to buy something like this? thanks
Entering the rated CCA is the basis for the capacity/life calculation. For example, if the battery is rated at 100 CCA and the tester determines it is putting out 50 CCA, the tester will tell you that the battery is at 50% capacity/life. You might want to look at one of the old school analog load testers. HF sells at least one model I believe.
Hi Vicos. This was years ago but I'll reply. I have tested about 50 leisure batteries. Sadly there is very little relationship between CCA rating & amp hour capacity, particularly with batteries that are not new. For example I tested an 850 CCA , 95 amp hour battery & it read 780CCA or about 85% good. I tested this battery at the C/20 rate using an FYD10 discharger . The ACTUAL capacity of this battery to 10.8 volts on load was only 31 amp hours. Another battery I tested once read about 800 CCA but was a dreadful 12 amp hours!! I double checked both with a 12 bulb discharged for hours & other make conductance testers. The results were correct. You have to bear in mind that a discharge of say 400 amps for 15 seconds is less than 2 amp hours. I've tried expensive ACT testers & even these are fooled by big (over 20 Ah) batteries. (My ACT testers said the 31 AH battery was 65 Amp Hours -- pointless ) I had 2 ACT meters, both said 65 AH!!Yuasa , who make batteries ,say to test 20 or SIMILAR MAKE batteries on one of their conductance testers to get an idea of what a new battery should read . If a conductance tester said an 850CCA rated battery was say 450CCA you could be sure the battery was very poor. No way do I rely on conductance testers to indicate what the AH capacity of a leisure battery REALLY is, only if it's knackered. Hope this might be of use to some. Regards.
Whtabob, yes sometimes a test at a hundred or more amps can give a better idea for a quick test, with some battery fault conditions. A test with a 12 v car headlamp bulb over many hours is the only real way to know amp hour capacity, if you don't have an FYD1O or West Mountain type discharge tester, to 10.8v or 10.5v on load at the C/20 rate. (5 amps for a 100 AH battery)-- See my reply to Vicos. Always recharge the battery immediately if you do a C/20 test & don't run a CAR battery down to 10.5v at a few amps or you'll damage it.(They're not deep cycle) Regards.
Guys buy baking soda CLR and battery acid, drain battery rinse out with water fill battery with CLR over night drain rinse, add acid charge, new battery for $15 (BAKING SODA TO NEUTRALIZE OLD ACID)
I like this tester. The switch did go on mine, but I easily replaced it.(I had a switch in stock) If you get switch problems then a squirt with good quality contact cleaner might fix it. I masked off the screen, put tissue around the PCB & sprayed the remaining switches. No more trouble in 2 years. Useful bit of kit. Be aware all conductance testers (I also have Midtronics etc.) can occasionally be fooled by the odd rare battery fault. They will then ALL (dear or cheap) say a faulty battery is good.
I have several conductance testers including the Cen -tech. Be aware that all conductance testers can occasionally say a useless battery is very good. N.B. they can be fooled by certain battery fault conditions. To be certain, it is useful to perform the old fashioned load test at hundreds of amps, or if time allows connect a load such as a head lamp for several hours to get a rough idea.(Don't run it below 11.6 volts) I had an 850 CCA battery (95 AH) that read close to perfect on conductance testers, but was only really capable of giving about 12 amp hours.
Note. Don't run a car battery down more than about 40% or below about 11.6 v with a load of 4-5 amps, or the test itself can do harm. This duff battery wouldn't run a headlight bulb much more than an hour to that (it would likely have taken over 2 hrs to completely flatten it / damage it further, despite the perfect conductance CCA readings)
There are cranking batteries and then those designed to run at a constant drain called "deep cycle" batteries. Cranking batteries have mesh plates whereas deep cycle batteries have solid plates. Mesh plates give you much more surface area and therefore much more cranking amps but for a shorter period of time. Deep cycle batteries give lower cranking amps for their size but can sustain a heavy drain for a long time. When recharging from a deep drain, mesh plates may not redeposit back in the same place that it dissolved from when discharged and will lead to decreased surface area (less cranking amps) at best or shorted plates at worse. Cranking batteries should NEVER be drained heavily. Some "marine" batteries are a happy medium between the two giving you larger surface area than pure deep cycle batteries (think golf cart batteries) for cranking boat motors and some sustained draw for electric motors and such.
ive had mine for 8 years works good. just watch out for the alligator clips getting weak, brittle, rusty or loose because it does happen and you get bad readings, once i upgraded mine with copper ones it worked better. the ones it come with are very cheap.their bite isnt strong...make sure its got a GOOD connection to battery terminals...and dont move it around when you run the test!!!! moving it also messes with the readings....otherwise it works good and gets the job done..mines been kicked around the shop, dropped, thrown, stepped on, took rides in engine bays, rained on, hood crushed, used daily for 8 years now. ......good luck
I used my New Cen-Tech 66892 on a new (2 week old) Size 65 Bosch Platinum 12v Battery at Pep Boys.It's an "AGM" Type. It's rated at 910 cca.10 minutes (I'll recheck tomorrow after 12+hrs) after taking off my Genius 3500 Charger (that read 100%), these are my readings using this Tester: 12.96 v2.45 m-Oms 933 cca and 85% on the 'Bar-graph' atop my Tester. One thing I learned, you've GOT to make your alligator clips attach to the actual battery lead terminals or you'll get crazy reading (all low but high on the m-ome where you WANT it LOW). I really like it though! It completes my home auto-tester needs. I also got the Cen-Tech's Multi-meter for $39. Get several 250 m-Ome -250 v fuses for when you blow the "Amp-function" fuse. That's an important function. On line I got 5 for $3.95. I did just spring for a Fluke Automotive 77-4 but then I haven't told the "Little lady" yet ! LOL
Hi Ken. I've tried my Cen Tech on Varta 850 CCA (EN) AGM batteries & it reads about right. They also usually read below 3 milli- ohms when new, which is correct. Strangely though, even one of my totally useless Varta AGM's read 800CCA & about 3 milli- ohms. On a load test at 425 Amps this battery read OK for a few seconds ,then the voltmeter dropped & you could hear noises from the battery due to faulty cell (s). A load test or discharge test over several hours is the only way to be 100% sure with some battery faults. All conductance testers seem to need to be directly on the lead posts, I have found, like you. Stainless steel bolts just give way out readings. Though dear, I've found Fluke meters have lasted me well over many years.(I have 77 & 83's) Perhaps you could tell the ''little lady'' that if she somehow finds out & you're in trouble!! Have a good day.
On the marine battery, connect the Positive on the lead post to get better readings.
Gebby, yes virtually all makes of conductance testers give really way out readings on the stainless steel thread posts. You're dead right, only put the clips on the lead posts. Regards.
Hey great test of the meter. Did you know that after the test is done not only does it tell you the battery voltage and resistance , if you press the select button it also shows the cca that you input for the test and the actual cca the battery is producing. Thanks for your honest opinion on this item.
Thanks for the CCA reading info. I was wondering if the instrument would display the actual CCA test results. I didn't see any mention of this in the video.
That was irking me. Thanks.
Greeting from Indonesia, Thanks for the review!
The topdon tester will print yo6r results and do load test and is the same price as this, I think I would rather take my chances on the topdon
Looks like a decent tester 'cept it can't do 6V batteries...which means you have to buy, carry and store yet another scanner. Also, bit of a draw back if the battery label is missing, faded or damaged and you have to guess the CCA...though most scanners in this price range are probably going to require manual CCA input and not feature automatic CCA info.
WJK don’t know if snap on has a new one but snap on’s doesn’t even auto cca 🤷🏼♂️
The entire video should be a closeup of the display.
I've found that entering the battery's CCA rating makes no difference. So I don't waste my time anymore. I just test. Press SELECT after testing to read the results in actual CCA.
What method does this analyzer use? AC conductance or Multi-frequency electro-chemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)?
Apparently, some of the Fluke meters are also made in China.
You're probably right. It was foolish of me to blindly assume something was made in the USA.
Vicos - You say normally you don't by china testers, you buy Fluke?' Ha Ha... snob much. Yea Fluke anything would be a factor of 100 more. A Fluke BT510 a hand-held battery tester is $3,500! Fluke is great, but for the money hard to beat this. ............ I recommend the Solar BA7 for about $70 far better value, smaller, gives you CAA (can enter non SAE DIN/EN units), and it also has start and charge test as well as conductance test. DON'T GUESS CAA, find out....
I know some Bosch power tool chargers are made in China, loads of products are, but they're still high quality. I had a Fluke 73 mkIII meter made in China. Nothing wrong with the quality as far as I could tell. It still works fine after several years.
Hi, gmcjetpilot. Yes the cheaper conductance testers seem to give very similar readings to dearer ones. My Midtronics micro 5oo gives similar results to my Launch BST460 & Cen Tech. Somebody else wrote on You Tube that the Solar BA7 gave similar readings to the Midtronics ones he used at work. I do like Fluke multimeters though. Flukes don't seem to give the annoying spurious voltage readings you get from some cheap multimeters when the probes aren't connected to anything. I've got a Fluke 77 still working well after over 25 years. Cost me about $200 (equivalent) back then. I totally agree with you, I wouldn't pay $3500 for a battery tester. Bear in mind what I've found, that I think ALL conductance testers can occasionally be fooled by some battery faults (I have 5, but not a BA7) & pass a duff battery. That said, if a conductance tester says a car battery is really low in CCA , it will be. Have a nice day.
Does this do load testing for alts?
There are 5 battery rating systems for automotive batteries:
CCA
DIN
IEC
EN
CA(MCA)
Your foreign battery may have a different rating system. (Check your instruction manual for rating systems.)
Will this tester also work on the small 12v lawn mower batteries?
12 volts = 12 volts
It will probably only be accurate if the battery has lead connector terminals & you can get good connections. The a.c. signal from conductance testers gets effected by stainless steel terminals.
wait what it doesnt actually measure amperage??? i mean i didnt really expect it to with those tiny wires n clamps but how do u measure a batteries health without measuring that?? iv watched a few times but i still must b missing something..
It does if you press select.
bro how much is this item where to get it
Press the SELECT button and it will show the Cold Cranking Amps!!!
thanks for the vid, im looking to test some leisure batteries that dont have a CCA (cold crank amp) rating on them, does this mean i wont be able to test them accurately if i were to buy something like this? thanks
Entering the rated CCA is the basis for the capacity/life calculation. For example, if the battery is rated at 100 CCA and the tester determines it is putting out 50 CCA, the tester will tell you that the battery is at 50% capacity/life. You might want to look at one of the old school analog load testers. HF sells at least one model I believe.
I think you may be right. The old school tester with actual resistor load and analog display may be more accurate.
Hi Vicos. This was years ago but I'll reply. I have tested about 50 leisure batteries. Sadly there is very little relationship between CCA rating & amp hour capacity, particularly with batteries that are not new. For example I tested an 850 CCA , 95 amp hour battery & it read 780CCA or about 85% good. I tested this battery at the C/20 rate using an FYD10 discharger . The ACTUAL capacity of this battery to 10.8 volts on load was only 31 amp hours. Another battery I tested once read about 800 CCA but was a dreadful 12 amp hours!! I double checked both with a 12 bulb discharged for hours & other make conductance testers. The results were correct. You have to bear in mind that a discharge of say 400 amps for 15 seconds is less than 2 amp hours. I've tried expensive ACT testers & even these are fooled by big (over 20 Ah) batteries. (My ACT testers said the 31 AH battery was 65 Amp Hours -- pointless ) I had 2 ACT meters, both said 65 AH!!Yuasa , who make batteries ,say to test 20 or SIMILAR MAKE batteries on one of their conductance testers to get an idea of what a new battery should read . If a conductance tester said an 850CCA rated battery was say 450CCA you could be sure the battery was very poor. No way do I rely on conductance testers to indicate what the AH capacity of a leisure battery REALLY is, only if it's knackered. Hope this might be of use to some. Regards.
Whtabob, yes sometimes a test at a hundred or more amps can give a better idea for a quick test, with some battery fault conditions. A test with a 12 v car headlamp bulb over many hours is the only real way to know amp hour capacity, if you don't have an FYD1O or West Mountain type discharge tester, to 10.8v or 10.5v on load at the C/20 rate. (5 amps for a 100 AH battery)-- See my reply to Vicos. Always recharge the battery immediately if you do a C/20 test & don't run a CAR battery down to 10.5v at a few amps or you'll damage it.(They're not deep cycle) Regards.
Elwyn Harris CCA rating is meaningless if not adjusted for temperature. Just look for resistance even for marine or solar batteries
Guys buy baking soda CLR and battery acid, drain battery rinse out with water fill battery with CLR over night drain rinse, add acid charge, new battery for $15 (BAKING SODA TO NEUTRALIZE OLD ACID)
Tell us more how to do it please.
I would buy a better one, this looks like something you would get from a dollar store. But it's just a opinion, not saying it's junk