Battery/ alternator testers.

[James]

Does anyone know of a cheaper battery/alternator testor that is decent quality for home use on car, van 12 volt systems.

Topic

[Paul]

I have the Solar BA-9 unit, which has tests for the battery, voltage droop upon starting, alternator output at idle and under load, and alternator ripple. I believe all of the tests can be performed with an appropriate multimeter (one with a fast peak detector aka min and max function).

My only complaint: The battery test provides the cranking amps as the CCA test result. I believe this value is the cranking amps at the ambient temperature. I found some formulae for temperature compensation, but I still think it’s an approximation to the laboratory test method. IMHO, the minimum voltage of the battery while cranking is more important for gauging battery “health”.

[James]

I just picked up this one off amazon for $25

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=schumacher+bt-100+100+amp+battery+load+tester&view=detailv2&&id=749E9872045FAF8EE24E48D8024850C1E06E6BB3&selectedIndex=0&ccid=eQmPKOFJ&simid=607986431937021119&thid=OIP.M79098f28e149a3b0bb267aee1eea5e73H0

I just wanted something cheap for home I could pull a small load with. Fixing the elderly neighbors car which he thinks amazon told him has a bad alternator. Wanted something to start with. I have my multimeter also.

[Paul]

The carbon pile tester is a reliable method for simulating the load of a cranking starter.

Figures 2 through 5 (pgs 3-4) in the link here show the procedure for perfoming alternator tests with a multimeter.

[James]

Have not read all of attachment however off brief read threw looks great for home DIY. Thanks for pass along.

[Author]

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