Battery Testing: First Findings
After my grand testing of batteries, many asked me to do the same detailed testing of batteries.
Already two weeks almost around the clock testing process. During this time, I managed to test 22 types of AA batteries of ten brands: IKEA, Ansmann, GP, Duracell, Energizer, Robiton, Panasonic, Panasonic Eneloop, Varta. On the way batteries Turnigy, Cosmos, Camelion.
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Until all the batteries have been tested, I will not give detailed results, but I can already share some interesting conclusions.
1. All batteries of the brands listed above with a declared capacity of up to 2450 mAh have a real capacity very close to the declared. And then the wonders of marketing begin. No battery with a declared capacity of 2500 mAh actually has such capacity. As a rule, this is 2400-2500 mAh. Some manufacturers under the huge inscription "2700 mAh" write finely "min 2500 mAh" and this is closer to the truth. Others simply write “2850 mAh”, and in fact the same 2500 mAh.
2. Some manufacturers (Panasonic Eneloop, Ansmann on “pro” models) indicate only the minimum capacity. All of these batteries, the actual capacity is slightly more than stated.
3. For some reason, only three manufacturers - Energizer, IKEA, Panasonic (including for Eneloop) indicate the date of production of batteries.
4. LSD batteries (Low Self-Discharge, they are Ready to Use) after unpacking are usually charged at 50-80% (on average 70%).
5. Energizer and Duracell have pre-charged / already charged batteries. Manufacturers claim that the battery "saves 80% charge to 12 months," in fact, batteries that have been stored for a year had only 35-40% charge.
6. Contrary to manufacturers' claims, it turned out that conventional and LSD batteries lose the same amount of charge in a week - 4-10%, an average of 7%. Most likely the benefits of LSD will manifest itself with longer storage of charged batteries.
Batteries are tested using the analyzer Oleg Artamonov , for charging, use the chargers "La Crosse BC-700" (with a soldered capacitor) and "Robiton Ecocharger". AA batteries with a capacity of more than 1500 mAh are charged with a current of 700 mA, AAA and AA batteries with a capacity of less than 1500 mAh - a current of 500 mA.
Batteries are discharged by high and low direct current to a voltage of 0.9V.
For AA with a capacity of more than 1500 mAh, a small current is 500 mA, a high current is 2500 mA.
For AAA and AA with a capacity of less than 1500 mAh, the low current is 200 mA, the high current is 1000 mA.
I decided not to carry out the discharge with pulses - the results are almost the same as with a large current. For the first ten types of batteries, I did a charge-discharge preliminary cycle with a high current, but it turned out that there was no need for this - the capacity of the batteries practically does not change from the first cycle to the second.
At least two copies of each battery model are tested.
Test sequence of each battery:
1. Discharge DC 500/200 mA to 0.9V (only for LSD, Ready to Use, Pre-charged)
2. Current charge 700/500 mA
3. Discharge current of 2500/1000 mA to 0.9V
4. Current charge 700/500 mA
5. Discharge by direct current 500/200 mA to 0.9V
6. Current charge 700/500 mA
7. Exposure 7 days
10. Discharge current with direct current 500/200 mA to 0.9V
Perhaps more points will be added:
11. Current charge 700/500 mA
12. Exposure 30 days
13. Discharge of direct current 500/200 mA to 0.9V
14. Current charge 700/500 mA
15. Discharge by direct current 500/200 mA to 0.9V at a temperature of -18 °
15. Current charge 700/500 mA
IKEA batteries are provided for tests by IKEA , all other batteries are provided by the wholesale company Source Battaris .
© 2015, Alexey Nadyozhin
Already two weeks almost around the clock testing process. During this time, I managed to test 22 types of AA batteries of ten brands: IKEA, Ansmann, GP, Duracell, Energizer, Robiton, Panasonic, Panasonic Eneloop, Varta. On the way batteries Turnigy, Cosmos, Camelion.
')
Until all the batteries have been tested, I will not give detailed results, but I can already share some interesting conclusions.
1. All batteries of the brands listed above with a declared capacity of up to 2450 mAh have a real capacity very close to the declared. And then the wonders of marketing begin. No battery with a declared capacity of 2500 mAh actually has such capacity. As a rule, this is 2400-2500 mAh. Some manufacturers under the huge inscription "2700 mAh" write finely "min 2500 mAh" and this is closer to the truth. Others simply write “2850 mAh”, and in fact the same 2500 mAh.
2. Some manufacturers (Panasonic Eneloop, Ansmann on “pro” models) indicate only the minimum capacity. All of these batteries, the actual capacity is slightly more than stated.
3. For some reason, only three manufacturers - Energizer, IKEA, Panasonic (including for Eneloop) indicate the date of production of batteries.
4. LSD batteries (Low Self-Discharge, they are Ready to Use) after unpacking are usually charged at 50-80% (on average 70%).
5. Energizer and Duracell have pre-charged / already charged batteries. Manufacturers claim that the battery "saves 80% charge to 12 months," in fact, batteries that have been stored for a year had only 35-40% charge.
6. Contrary to manufacturers' claims, it turned out that conventional and LSD batteries lose the same amount of charge in a week - 4-10%, an average of 7%. Most likely the benefits of LSD will manifest itself with longer storage of charged batteries.
Battery Testing Technique
Batteries are tested using the analyzer Oleg Artamonov , for charging, use the chargers "La Crosse BC-700" (with a soldered capacitor) and "Robiton Ecocharger". AA batteries with a capacity of more than 1500 mAh are charged with a current of 700 mA, AAA and AA batteries with a capacity of less than 1500 mAh - a current of 500 mA.
Batteries are discharged by high and low direct current to a voltage of 0.9V.
For AA with a capacity of more than 1500 mAh, a small current is 500 mA, a high current is 2500 mA.
For AAA and AA with a capacity of less than 1500 mAh, the low current is 200 mA, the high current is 1000 mA.
I decided not to carry out the discharge with pulses - the results are almost the same as with a large current. For the first ten types of batteries, I did a charge-discharge preliminary cycle with a high current, but it turned out that there was no need for this - the capacity of the batteries practically does not change from the first cycle to the second.
At least two copies of each battery model are tested.
Test sequence of each battery:
1. Discharge DC 500/200 mA to 0.9V (only for LSD, Ready to Use, Pre-charged)
2. Current charge 700/500 mA
3. Discharge current of 2500/1000 mA to 0.9V
4. Current charge 700/500 mA
5. Discharge by direct current 500/200 mA to 0.9V
6. Current charge 700/500 mA
7. Exposure 7 days
10. Discharge current with direct current 500/200 mA to 0.9V
Perhaps more points will be added:
11. Current charge 700/500 mA
12. Exposure 30 days
13. Discharge of direct current 500/200 mA to 0.9V
14. Current charge 700/500 mA
15. Discharge by direct current 500/200 mA to 0.9V at a temperature of -18 °
15. Current charge 700/500 mA
IKEA batteries are provided for tests by IKEA , all other batteries are provided by the wholesale company Source Battaris .
© 2015, Alexey Nadyozhin
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/376829/
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