My favourite battery analyser so far: Testing the BIG and POWERFUL ZKE-Tech EBC-A40L.

[@malloott]

Lowest production value fun I have ever had, so simple, jet so full of energy, enthusiasm and information. Thanks again!

[@Sylvan_dB]

The 4-wire connection allows it to measure more accurately by avoiding the voltage drop during high-amp operations, as well as allowing you flexibility to where you connect the voltage reading for most accurate measurement. For example, you might connect the high current leads to your main battery power terminals but connect the voltage sense leads to your BMS for the most negative and most positive cell connections.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Hmmm, OK...

[@jasondevine6014]

Yep 4 wire is way better. Even the terminal as some voltage drop.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

But 4 clamps as well?

[@Pimpasxx]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Andy, you are completely right. No need for 4 clamps. Only one spare wire to the each crocodile ;)

[@marekbarney9291]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Hello, maybe someone has encountered a case of loss of communication between the tester and the computer. Once you start the test some is fine for a while. The current and voltage values ​​are correct. After a few minutes, problems begin. First, the data refresh rate drops. Then the voltage and current values ​​start to go crazy. Then it's good again for a while and then it changes. Often, communication is completely lost and the tester does not respond to commands from the software. In such a case, the cyclic test is also interrupted and the tester does not start the next test on the list after completing the current test. Any suggestions?

[@DannyBokma]

2nd wire for voltage measurement is for 4 point measurement to compensate for the IR voltage drop in the main current carrying cables.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yeah, I know that, but why does it has a separate clamp?

[@teardowndan5364]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia The two halves of the big clamp are electrically shorted together at the pivot point and spring between the two, which means current is flowing through both sides of the clamp. If the clamp has 0.0025 ohms of resistance between the jaw and articulation and the current is split evenly between both, that's 20A x 0.0025 ohms = 50mV of IR voltage drop on your measurement, same on the negative side, so your reading ends up 100mV off. Having separate clips to connect directly to battery terminals gets you the true terminal voltage regardless of how good or bad the high-current clamp connection might be.

[@rilosvideos877]

@@OffGridGarageAustraliaThe clamps that carry the load/amps also have a voltage drop. You should connect the sense wires to a part that doesn't carry any current, as directly to the battery terminals as possible.

[@jasonfasick7808]

Ty very much for your video. This assisted me in getting to know my ebc a40L. The sequence feature is really useful. I'm not a software guy but you made this easy. ty.

[@solargarage]

Andy, thanks for putting these videos out, I have placed an order for the BIG charger/tester to help with testing and charging my 280ah cells. I'll get some video up as well once it arrives.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yeah, if you just want to test single cells, it's the right tester. I love it and have it running 24\7 now. I just put more solar on my garage to compensate for the constant power draw from the charger and computer 😂

[@solargarage]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Andy my tester showed up, a bit damaged but seems to work ok so far, thanks again for posting the link to this tester.

[@rickard1802]

The reason for separate voltage cable, or remote voltage sensor, is to get an accurate voltage reading during high current loads. No current flows in that cable so no voltage drop as you surely knows

[@zarbonida]

Right info

[@Mike_Neukam]

^ this ^

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Nah, that wasn't the question at all. I know why we have separate cables for current and voltage reading. But why separate clamps???

[@rickard1802]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia yes that is peculiar

[@zarbonida]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia because in a battery test you can put current clamps in the terminals of the battery and the small clamps in every single cell you want

[@rolffekete1057]

Just got one great piece of kit thanks for you vids you are great andy

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thank you. It's a great device. I use it often and love it.

[@peterw.4790]

Hello Andy, this video sparked my interest in the cell tester, which is why I ordered it straight away. Unfortunately, the description didn't state that there were no drivers for Apple. Luckily there was an old Toshiba notebook in the basement and a friendly Andy on the other side of the world where I could find the right drivers. I'd be happy to donate a few bottles of beer to you! The tester works really well. Thank you for this and other videos and greetings Down Under, Peter from Germany.

[@notyoung]

Accurate test equipment always uses 4 wires - 2 for amps and 2 others for volts so the voltage reading isn't affected by the voltage drop in those cables when they're passing 40 amps. Four feet of 10 gauge wire will have a voltage drop of about 0.16 volts at 40 amps (depending on the type of wire) - based on a guess at the length of both the positive and negative cables.

[@serversurfer6169]

Would it be okay to clip the little clips to the big ones? 🤓🤔🤷‍♂️

[@notyoung]

@@serversurfer6169 Sometimes, but not usually. You don't know where the big clips are contacting the battery terminals or how good that contact is. Remember that the device is capab;e of reading to 0.001 volt. At the currents this device is capable of (40 amps) even the 10 gauge wires would have a drop of 0.160 volts at 40 amps. If at all possible, the small clips should be connected directly to the battery terminals - not through the possible voltage drop of another clip.

[@serversurfer6169]

@@notyoung good to know, thanks! ✊🤓💜

[@ai6mk897]

Separating the current source and voltage measurement is called 4-point probing. This technique is used to achieve very accurate measurements by effectively eliminating resistance in the current source path. It's typically used to make resistance measurements. It's very common in high end power supplies, like HP.

[@charlesrichards5389]

Yep, my battery resistance tester has that. Looks weird.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

That wasn't my question. Why does it need a separate clamp though instead of having both cables connected to only the big clamp?

[@charlesrichards5389]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia In your case I think it's because electronics more sensitive than a multimeter are *trying* to detect differences between the two. If the two measure exactly the same, that confirms the main set is properly connected and it's not wasting time giving you measurements down to the microvolt using a bad connection.

[@raphofthehills4405]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia The small clamps are needed bc of the voltage drop at the point of contact btwn the big clamps and battery terminal. If that contact has, say, even as small as a 1milliohm resistance, pumping 40A will result in a 40mV drop. Times 2 clamps, = 80mV. Which the battery does not see / experience. That would throw off when the tester stops charging / discharging, when based on voltage. And it would make all the voltage dependent values wrong, like Power(W) and Energy Wh). Hence the small clamps that are supposed to connect directly to the batt posts. Since these just measure voltage, virtually no current will flow through them, so no voltage drop error. I.e. higher measurement precision. Which is key for sensitive lithium chemistry.

[@peterrock2838]

Great testing! Nice software too. A "must have" piece of equipment for solar geeks. I am still interested in the long awaited solar panel issue. I cant wait to find out what limited the output. Thanks for the videos!

[@gumpster6]

Really enjoyed this video. I also geek out on all the features and graphs - very cool.

[@charlesrichards5389]

Thank you for this very helpful video Andy. I would be tempted to buy one if I had not just bought another type this week.

[@SomeTechGuy666]

The reason they use separate wires for the voltage and current is to that the voltage and current are measured right at the battery, ie if the voltage was measured internally the IR drop on the charge cable would not be accounted for. With the voltage measured right at the battery the IR drop is taken into account. Great videos ! Good work.

[@winnersedgemarketing]

As you mentioned when charging the cell back up you put the wrong settings in (3.3 volts and 0.1 cutoff). What should those numbers have been and how would I set it to put 100 amps back in or around 50% for example?

[@phillipchen7749]

as usual, very cool keep it up!

[@garys-half-baked-offgrid-dream]

Good Morning Andy oh learned one! Thank you for holding my hand and walking me through this. My tester came with no user manual or computer software, even then when I downloaded it it is gibberish. I had to get a proper tester, my cheep china tester shows my new cells under size @273&276Ah. One order of 16 arrived damaged, the other order was immaculate. EVE factory test certs were never supplied as advertised. I had to video the QR codes and send to Fogstar Electronics UK. Only 4 worked at their end and all I have got is a spread sheet in Mandarin. So far my email trail to the retailer is 21 emails long. So much money and worries... I feel sick! Shine on Gaz

[@DSmartLife]

Thank you so much Andy for the tests. Now we know the smaller one is only 85W. I was thinking I'll go for the bigger one, but sadly it can test only 1 cell. Hmm. Another dilemma!!!

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yes, they don't make one for everything. It's their strategy maybe, so people have to buy multiple.

[@Housemouse7777]

Hey i got this tester !!!! Thanks for what you do!!! You might wanna do a video about those smaller crocodile leads as tge voltage jumps around as I connect and disconnect these leads during charging. I dont know what is going on with that. I am charging 16 280 amp cells all in parallel of course

[@pmacgowan]

Your a real battery geek now!

[@AveRage_Joe]

What beautiful curves the charger makes!!!😆

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Isn't it BEAU-TIIII-FUL? 😉

[@willm.1172]

Great Video, you made everything very clear. Thx!

[@markobotz2890]

Hi Andy, do you have any suggestions for a cycle mode for EVE lifepo4 280ah. My batteries just arrived to day, may tester is still waiting for charging 🙃 and discharging. It would be great if you could give some tips 😊 🙂, liebe grüße aus Nörvenich Marko

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Hi Marko, you can do cycle testing with these testers, no problem. They can be either programmed directly or by using a computer, it gives you graphs and also more data.

[@stevedutcher3875]

Andy, can you share an unzipped software to the ZKetech 40 charger, thanks!

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Hi Steve. It's right there on my website in the top section. Link is to my DropBox and has the .exe file for the software. off-grid-garage.com/battery-data/

[@SalvaBarkuti]

By the way, did you tried to connect both of your EBC testers simultaneously to the computer and see if the software would connect to and manage all of them? ZKE Tech has many battery testers available (I just have an 😇 EBD-M05), and I was wondering if the ZKE software would allow me to manage and operate various discharge testers simultaneously. Just curious, of course. Thanks! 🙂

[@Pedaaa]

is there a equivalent version for 0-60V??

[@kurohyuki5912]

Where does the discharing power go? Does it throw it back into the grid?

[@MrSafrdA]

Hello, if I would like to torture the battery more, do you think it is possible to connect two EBC units in parallel to the battery and thus load the battery cell with a consumption of 80A? Of course, connect to a PC and read data from only one. Thanks...

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Theoretically, it will work but they are not synchronised, so one could start charging already while the second one is still discharging. And you can connect them both to the computer as the software can be started in multiple instances and uses different com ports for each.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Theoretically, you can connect multiple testers. They won't be running in sync though, so, when programming tasks, one could have already switched to charging, while the other may still discharge due to difference in measurement. If you only run them in charge/discharge mode, it will work. On the CP you can start the software multiples time and can display several testers therefore. They all us different COM ports so this would work...

[@john_in_phoenix]

I have busbars stuck out from each side that I clamp onto. I dislike those beefy clips, but it is surprisingly light.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yeah, that's a good idea!

[@adrianr2740]

I am charging a bank of 8 Lifepo4 batteries, 8p with 40A. EBC says 134 watt charging power but from the socket it takes 304 watt. Is 170 watt own consumption of the tester? Is this normal? Thank you

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yeah, they are pretty inefficient unfortunately. I observed similar number with both of my testers. They are really only testers but not charges for daily usage.

[@raybiondolino9778]

I just purchased this unit and no matter how closely I follow your actions I cannot get it to start charging or discharging. It remembers what I set it to, and when I hold the "set" button down to get to the screen where it shows current voltage and press "On" it just sits there - never starting the process. I am either doing something wrong or this unit came broken right out of the box. Can you help me? The manual was in Chinese and the English version only states some settings, but there is no step-by-step instructions on how to actually set it up. Thx in advance!

[@marekbarney9291]

@OffGridGarageAustralia Hello, maybe someone has encountered a case of loss of communication between the tester and the computer. Once you start the test some is fine for a while. The current and voltage values ​​are correct. After a few minutes, problems begin. First, the data refresh rate drops. Then the voltage and current values ​​start to go crazy. Then it's good again for a while and then it changes. Often, communication is completely lost and the tester does not respond to commands from the software. In such a case, the cyclic test is also interrupted and the tester does not start the next test on the list after completing the current test. Any suggestions?

[@ML-hf6ii]

just got one of these delivered, it is time for testing :D

[@creamshop]

Just love this guy !

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Love you too, Gilles!

[@richardbryan2376]

I have this charger, can I use it to charge multiple 280 ah cells one time ?

[@budmartin3344]

Well, I can forget about the smaller one in your other video, this one looks a good one to have and I also like the automate cycle test function.. BTW, inspect those alligator clips that the wires are properly terminated to the body of the clip, some time they are poorly crimped, I usually solder them.

[@WimSchutten]

Is it possible to charge en discharge a battery of 24 Volt? So 8 cells in series.

[@neverenuffguns7646]

What kind of software you’re using in your computer to save this Data into your computer and run it like you are showing it?

[@doepnerar]

The manual says the voltage range is 0-5V, but you tested discharge of a 12V battery. What is the true voltage limit?

[@flyingskwerl-Outdoor_Adventure]

what is the monitor button for, or it's use on this tester

[@yusufkamaloodien5355]

When you click on the save data option in the menu in the EB software, what does the graphs data get saved as ? does it get saved as an excel file with time series data ?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

It saves it as CSV files, so can be used in Excel...

[@Djlokerapuntocom]

Hello thank you for your videos. I have a question when the software finish those parameters that you put in. Will the software do a loop one time finish or we'll just stop at the last setting

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

You can set this in the software. It can either do n loops or stop after the first cycle.

[@provolutionnic3482]

It doesnt show me the com ports even i pluged in the usb. What can i do?

[@rodneyhrytsak3407]

Hello Andy, what are your batch settings for capacity testing LF280K's?

[@rolffekete1057]

Andy can these be tested on 12v battery thats been built

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Not the big one. It can handle cells from 0-5V only. The smaller tester EBC-A20 goes up to 18V and can be used for 12V batteries.

[@rolffekete1057]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia thanks

[@patrickberger9151]

Hello, I've just purchased the EBC-A40L and 96 EVE 314 Ah cells. I understand that I have to top balance the cells in parallel to 3.65 V but shall I have to mount the 16 cells in series on my DIY boxes at the high voltage level ? Many thanks for your help. Patrick

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

What BMS do you use for your 16s batteries? If it has an active balancer, you don't need to top balance them any more.

[@patrickberger9151]

JK BMS with 2 A active balancer. OK you mean that there is no interest ti use this power supplier in my case?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

@@patrickberger9151 not for balancing purposes. Put the batteries together in 16s and let the BMS balance each pack when you fully charge them.

[@lnxpro]

do a teardown of the big one :) we want to see what's inside :)

[@solarenz]

Hi Andy, thank you for sharing this one. May I know what is the voltage range, or can I charge my battery system with 48v configuration?

[@lewcody6899]

Andy love your channel. I ended up getting a zketech ebc-a20 tester which I have used for the past 2 months. Do you know of a support contact for them I can't find one anywhere. It is working in a fashion but has a very strange charging waveform almost sawtooth like.

[@amerkhafagiable]

Can we use it to charge pack ( e.g of 12 v ) ? Or it càn be used only to charge single cells of 3.2 v ? TIA

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

All details for this tester are in the video description. This large tester can only handle single cells. There is a different version (link in the description) which can charge and test batteries up to 18V.

[@Darryl_P_]

How much did it cost? Do you have a link to the listing?

[@largepimping]

It's in the video description.

[@juliusvalentinas]

How to use the "Monitor" button named "Monitor" function? I mean how to connect external charger to battery and monitor this setup with EBC-A10H to draw voltage / current graphs?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yes, that is possible. At least for the voltage, not for the current though.

[@juliusvalentinas]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Why not for current do you know how to connect ampermeter, why this is different?

[@richardballinger517]

Great bit of kit.

[@geraldhenrickson7472]

Thanhs for the videos. Question: These chargers all wear the ZKETECH branding yet can be ordered from dozens of different sellers. Reviews relect that buyers are experiencing nearly immediate failures and say the sellers either do not respond or are given the "cold shoulder" to requests for assistance. This seems an expensive unit having no tangible warranty assistance. Is it a complete "crap-shoot" to get a good unit? Could it be user error such a reversed leads? Is there an alternative to cycle my larger LiFePo4 cells? Thanks for your input.

[@ivoscuka8537]

Hallo, I am dealing with EBC-A20, and ordered 40A version. Unfortunately now I have EBC-A40L now not working because of non-functioning motherboard with a processor-board behind the display. The seller/producer stop communicating after Refund Request at all. Does somebody have the motherboard (the board behind the display) on any NON-functioning box? It's a small board, so easy shipping just for a mailing envelope. Thanks, Ivo

[@Madieisacutie.]

Can it charge a 24v battery bank with 40amps?

[@jws3925]

I looked at this unit because I was impressed at what it does. I was pleased at the price US $150 but shipping was $107!!! OUCH. Have to put this on wish list. I don't have a cash stream from a KZbin channel!

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yeah, same here, I bought the smaller one first, the EBC-A20. It can even charge batteries up to 18V so maybe look at this. The big one here can only charge single cells.

[@tiborbozoki1066]

Hey guys, I'm doing cycle tests with the tester and I have the problem that the software freezes after a few hours, but the device continues to run and also displays the current data. So I never manage to run an entire test on the software. I installed this on Win10. Does anyone have a solution for this? Thank you and save the world!

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

The software on my Win10 PC did the same recently and shut down the software over night. Everything else was still running. I had a Win update being stuck and had to remove the whole folder with all updates downloaded. Restarted the PC and the update went through. No issues since. It could be the USB adapter as well which causes the issue. I have seen other comments about that.

[@LeonHoward]

Thanks for sharing the video Andy, i know is a little off my question but do you think it is ok to use my 100A Inverter charger to quickly charge my new 48V bank (with BMS) and then top balance the cells? just to save time as my 3.65V charger maxs at 10A. Thank you!

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

That is totally fine as long as you have the BMS correctly set. It should disconnect your charger if one cell hits the max voltage you set. Probably get it to 3.55V first and see how much drift you have across all cells. The start charging all of them separately to the same 3.55V.

[@LeonHoward]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia thanks a lot!!

[@HenrikVoldsgaard-d1c]

can the software be used a Mac as well?

[@chadjensen511]

Hey Andy love your videos. Is it possible for you to check the power supply and see if it is switchable to 110v. You would have to open it which would void the warranty so I understand if this is not possible. Thanks in advance for any insight you can give on this query.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

I can have a look, sure...

[@chadjensen511]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia thank you so much. Every store on aliexpress is telling me only comes in 220v

[@evelbsstudio]

You can switch it on the power supply inside the cover

[@henvan8737]

Oh and new backing sound track. Great.

[@jeanyluisa8483]

Normalerweise können die separaten Klemmen für Strom und Spannung schon nützlich sein. Wenn man mehrere Akkus in Reihe lädt oder entlädt kann man so z.B. due Spannung von einzelnen Akkus prüfen ohne dafür extra ein Multimeter zu holen. Dafür wären die getrennten Klemmen an dem kleinen Tester allerdings sinnvoller. Bei den max.5V von dem großen kann man nicht viel in Reihe schalten. Bei den hohen Strömen für die der große Tester gedacht ist, ist es ist es manchmal vielleicht auch sicherer, wenn man erst mal mit den getrennten Spannungsklemmen die Spannung prüfen kann. In den Bereichen für die der große Tester gedacht ist, sind Spannungsmessungen ungefährlich. Bei Fehlern mit den Stromklemmen kann es aber böse krachen.

[@georghope4034]

I love your denglish !!!!!

[@typxxilps]

alter Schwede - that is a pretty german expression for something special or heavy. great intro of a new product I will order now.

[@jasondevine6014]

I thought the eve cells said to wait 30mins at cv 3.65. interesting this sheet says to simply pause and then recharge.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

It's the same here, people just don't read it correctly in the manual. 'The capacity on 0,2C discharge till the voltage tapered to 2.5V shall be measured after resting for 30min', it says.

[@Jorvs]

is this for single cell charging and discharging used only?

[@pmacgowan]

Andy, I am building a small 12v system with a 240v inverter. Is it ok to connect use the mains earth with the inverter. So Line/Neutral from the inverter and earth connected to mains/house earth. Or should I keep the earths separate. What is did you do with the earth for or off grid garage?

[@muddy11111]

I'm no expert but my understanding is if your system is to be used in a house you should use the house earth. That way everything will be at the same potential. This video explains the problems. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWaypX-da9uikLs

[@peterwalker7869]

I may have read this wrong, but didn't the instructions say wait 20 minutes then complete a standard charge? Should it be 5 steps? 20 amp charge, wait, standard charge, discharge, then recharge.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

'The capacity on 0,2C discharge till the voltage tapered to 2.5V shall be measured after resting for 30min', it says.

[@immrnoidall]

why did he set the charge to cut at 2 amps?

[@jojo2503]

Can somebody tell the difference between the EBC-A20 and the EBD-A20H, if there is any? Thanks!

[@CollinBaillie]

Andy, Have you done a teardown of any if these ZKE chargers? I commented recently about picking up a used EBC-A10H, and I'm not so impressed with the build. The unit I got was from a deceased estate, and turns out one of the load MOSFETs has taken damage, with a big chunk of the casing missing. I've just put in the replacement after a couple of weeks wait, and it's up and running again! 👍🏼 I was disappointed to see the internal wiring used screw or spring terminals, and the wires inserted into these terminals were twisted and tinned. Also, no such thing as PE grounding on this unit. When plugging into the USB on my PC, funny stuff happens.

[@electrosaurus]

Very nice. Are you resisting the urge to break up your battery pack and test all those 280ah cells now (for science]?

[@shanesiggins8972]

They use separate leads to monitor voltage to get a more accurate measure. There is very little volt drop over these leads because it's carrying almost no current whereas the main leads do carry current and thus have more volt drop over these leads. Thus you get better voltage accuracy because volt drop of leads >> zero. Meters measuring low values of resistance also use this method.

[@jacopo.scarpellini]

I guess the question was why weren’t these two leads joined together at the end

[@shanesiggins8972]

@@jacopo.scarpellini sometimes they are with other manufacturers. I guess this way it just highlights that there are 2 pairs of leads.

[@diyEVguy]

@Off-Grid Garage - Wow, those machines are dirt cheap. Can you buy another EBC-A40L and put them in parallel for higher C-rates? Also can you measure the charging energy efficiency of these testers? I expect them to be somewhere around 90%.

[@ditmarco]

Hello, very nice videos.. whats the main difference between this tester and the other BC-A20?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thank you. I bought both as they handle different voltages and amps. Please have a look on my website for the specs of both testers. off-grid-garage.com/measurement-tools-and-analisers/

[@ditmarco]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia i already see, i am thinking on buy one and trying to understand if the little one is enough.. Thanks

[@awesomedee5421]

I'm curious. You had bought the 5A charge/20A discharge model, as well as the 40A charge/40A discharge model which costs about double the other model. It has a problem that it only goes up to 5V. There is another model EBD-A20H that charges 20A, cost the same as the 5A model, and goes up to 30V. I'm curious why you chose not to buy that model and picked the 5A/20A model you picked. They are literally a couple dollars different in price. It seems to be more functional than the 5A model you bought for about the same price. Am I misunderstanding anything in any loss of functionality for buying the other 20A/20A model?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

The EBD does not charge. It only discharges. The EBC-A20 and EBC-A40L are the only ones which charge afaik. EBD - the D stands for Discharge EBC - the C stands for Charge

[@MrPinkster1]

Ok great video! Question, Pro's and don's of testing at 40ah vs 1ah? Theoretically should bring the same result? In practice will this be the case?

[@JohnSmith-xn3fr]

You really don't know the purpose of 4-wire (Kelvin) measurements ? One set for high current and the other for voltage measurement ?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

That's wasn't my question, if you watch the video again. I was asking why we have separate clamps. I wasn't talking about the cables at all!

[@JohnSmith-xn3fr]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Obviously because of contact resistance being much higher for heavy current clamps.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Obviously...

[@nguyenngoibmintcvet2785]

What model of your voltmeter?

[@ahmedsaffar76]

Andy, the wait process as you showed us is after full discharge to 2.5 v, you need to wait 30 min then start charging not to wait after you start charging as you did

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

No, that's not correct. You always fully charge cells and then wait. 'The capacity on 0,2C discharge till the voltage tapered to 2.5V shall be measured after resting for 30min', it says.

[@ahmedsaffar76]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia so first we need to fully charge the cell to 3.65 and wait for 30 min , after that do 0.2C discharge till cut off volt 2.5 then here you need to rest for 30 min then read the capacity and start charge process . This should be done between task 3 & 4 .

[@carloskalombwana6224]

@Andy can i thise tester to analyse my 12v 150Ah battery pack? I need your assistance i am stuck 😊

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

The EBC-A40L one can only do single cells up to 5V. The EBC-A20 can do 12V batteries but only with 20A discharge and 5A charging. All info and specs are in the video description. Hope that helps.

[@youMarv21]

Wish that Thing would go up to 30V like the Little one..

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

They don't make these all-around devices, they want you to buy multiple devices 😁

[@daskasspatzle2396]

Nice tester. Are the 60fps necessary? They force me to decide between (anyways 30fpd) 480p fluid or 720 p not always fluid, instead of enjoying in 1080p :-/

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Changed the lights to LED now. FLICKERFREI!

[@daskasspatzle2396]

That is cool :-) But does not help with my hardware not beeing able to play back 60 fps :-/

[@frankysnephew]

2:30 Who is Carlotta??? :)

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Hahaha, good old Carlotta! 😂

[@billeaster8886]

My comment is in regards to your Feb 7, 2021 video. You appear to have the battery’s in a plastic box . I assume the box bottom is not flat but somewhat uneven. If that is so then the tops of the terminals are not in plane. It is possible that this unevenness and the undersized screws cause the buss bars to not seat across the whole terminal. I recommend that the battery’s be placed on a fairly thick piece of plywood! Good luck

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

They all sit flat in the box and all busbars cover the whole terminal area.

[@JeremyAkersInAustin]

The 85 watt restriction on the EBC-A20 is likely only on discharge, not charge. The reason why discharge testers limit discharge power in watts is because watts = heat. That heat has to be dissipated somewhere so the limit is based on how much heat the heat sinks and fan of the unit can safely dissipate without overheating. You don't have this issue when charging: The energy isn't being dissipated as heat because it's being stored in the battery instead. So it can likely charge your 12v battery at 20 amps, but only discharge at around 7 amps. Some of the fancier "discharge testers" actually have an option to use a 2nd battery to discharge another battery. This gives you the ability to discharge at higher wattages because you can pump that energy into battery #2 instead of just dissipating it as heat. On the separate clamps: Try measuring the voltage yourself of that big clamp. I think you'll find it's not as accurate as measuring at the terminal. Remember there's a lot of resistance at the contact point where the clamp itself touches the battery terminal. So even measuring at the clamp itself would not be as accurate as measuring the battery terminal directly.

[@SchwedeGS]

Ein sehr gutes Video. Auch ich habe das Ladegerät in Benutzung und es funktioniert gut. Leider bekomme ich die Verbindung zu PC nicht hin. Bei der Portsuche wird COM4 angezeigt. Aber es geht nicht, auch mit keinem anderen Port. Hast Du eine Idee? A very good video. I also use the charger and it works well. Unfortunately I can't get the connection to the PC. When searching for the port, COM4 is displayed. But it doesn't work, not even with any other port. Do you have any idea?

[@NathanKrick]

Andy, at 20:45, the manual is talking about measuring capacity by discharging, waiting 30 minutes, and then doing a standard charge. What you were doing was charging, waiting 30 minutes, and then discharging (opposite of what the manual says). There is nothing wrong with charging and then waiting 30 minutes before discharging, but that is not what the manual said (or at least not the section you showed).

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

It's the bad translation they did. All cells need to rest when charged before doing a capacity test. 'The capacity on 0,2C discharge till the voltage tapered to 2.5V shall be measured after resting for 30min', it says.

[@NathanKrick]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia so, in better English: "To test capacity, rest for 30 minutes after full charge, then discharge at 0.2C until voltage measures 2.5V."

[@j.badinter988]

Good device, but no ground on the chassis... Could be added by adding a cable from the internal power input to one screw under the top holding the handle after scratching the paint of course.

[@diyinterest6254]

Dear Andy, I have enjoyed your excellent videos for a while. Thank you very very much for your great contribution to the users community! I am getting a new 12.8V 300Ah LiFePO4 battery with a built-in 200A BMS. I will also get an electronic load tester ZKE Tech EBC-A40L. May I ask you for your recommendations for the following? 1. Is it appropriate to use 20A on this tester to discharge and charge for testing the battery's capacity? 2. What parameter settings for this tester should I use to verify the battery manufacturer's claim of max continuous discharging current of 200A? Much appreciated!

[@wiktorbrodka9825]

Regards from Poland.

[@goofykl9]

In a garage far far away one tester to rule them all.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yeah, right? 😁

[@lordgort1986]

Hi. I bought the EBC-A40L because of this video and it is really nice, but as a german i've noticed a BIG PROBLEM for germans using this. The CSV generated by the program needs a point as decimal seperator. In windows with standard settings the programm of the EBC-A40L will use a comma as decimal seperator while writing the file, and after loading the data again to look at a graph it will only show you rubbish because the program expects a point as decimal seperator. Same with the Settings you can save, they will not work anymore after you switched the seperator in your windows settings.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

I know exactly what you mean. There is no international standard for this and I still struggle with this since moving to Australia. Once you got the data in the CSV file, you can open it in Excel or OpenOffice and replace all commas with dots using the search and replace function of these programs. The data is not lost.

[@lordgort1986]

​@@OffGridGarageAustralia Thx i looked it up. Notepad++ repair of file: Find: ([^\,]*\,[^\,]*)\, Replace with: \1. Leaf out the text in the front.

[@danfitzpatrick4112]

I think I saw a FROG inside that analyzer! Haha.. That's a fantastic device there. You can be the capacity testing go to guy for people interested in buying bulk cells from different manufacturing companies. This would be interesting to see who manufactures shit cells vs good ones. Thanks for sharing.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

I've got a whole bunch of cells incoming...

[@unionse7en]

SO the big brother 40L max voltage is 5 volts (single cell)... It seems that the EBC-20 has only 5 amp charging... but can charge a 12volt battery pack....

[@maxklinger6023]

I agree with Rickard's comment.

[@andortoth828]

CamperT aus Deutschland. Sag mal bist du deutschsprachig? "alter Schwede" kennt sonst kein Mensch. Und dein harter Akzent im Englischen ist wunderbar zu verstehen. Deine Videos sind klasse, habe den EBC A40 schon bestellt. Bitte weiter so in "down under".

[@davidshaw9324]

Hi Andy, I Absolutely love your videos, what a great channel!!! Very rare to find videos that keep me engaged start to finish, and your always do. I have a couple of questions if you don't mind as I have just purchased the ebc-a40l. I'm getting ready to build my first 12v battery using eve 280ah cells. I was going to top Ballance them in parallel but have been advised to charge them individually for a few different reasons that make sense, So with this in mind could you suggest a charge profile for individual cells so they will be top balanced ready for building the 12v pack... For example... Would you charge to 3.65v or keep the voltage a little lower? What current would you charge at and where would you set the cut-off for absorption?? Would you build the pack maybe with compression prior to individually charging each cell ??? Any help you could give me would be great, thanks in advance Dave

[@davidshaw9324]

Really really really could do with an answer to this question so I can get on with building my pack if anybody can help id be forever grateful, thanks again Dave

[@unclejohn5012]

Really hope they make a version that will do 30v and above. Make testing 300ah 12.8v batterys a breeze!

[@zedzed4419]

Hey there, watched most of your vids since I found the channel. Ordered 8 280ah cells from basen technologies and going to order this tester, all based on your vids. Looks like so much fun messing around with this stuff. End game is to have 4x450W panels, growatt 24V 2000W all in one and 24V 280ah battery with overkill bms. Can’t wait to get the cells and tester and do some tests. My question is, can’t you hook the cells in parallel and charge them at 40amps? I was wondering if I can hook all 8 cells in parallel and do a full charge all at once. You think it would be possible?

[@decebalpopescu3824]

Yes it is possible but if the batteries ar fully discharge the charging will be:8×280:40=56hours.