Testing Batteries With a Multimeter - AA Battery Test

[@EngineeringMindset]

⚠️ *These videos take a long time to make* if you would like to buy Paul a coffee to say thanks, link below: ☕ PayPal: www.paypal.me/TheEngineerinMindset Channel membership: kzbin.info/door/k0fGHsCEzGig-rSzkfCjMwjoin Patreon: www.patreon.com/theengineeringmindset

[@johnsnow9224]

Which alkaline battery is good Energizer or duracell or Jcb ?

[@koningklootzak7788]

😂

[@libbyd1001]

It’s great that you just jump right in to the material without some kind of annoying intro like so many others feel the need to do. Thank you!

[@Sool101]

Especially those 'like and subscribe bla' before the video has even started. So many do that and at this point it has become redundant. A 10 ohm resistor won't help though.

[@rolandsmith2555]

Yes thank you for saying this!

[@maswarservis]

Thats true

[@giorgioscruz961]

yeahh !!

[@sarsaparillasunset3873]

if you don't have a resistor, load your batteries into a TV remote control, that oughta put some load on it. Then measure the voltage on the battery terminals while they're in the remote control.

[@fortunedecoder9344]

Direct to the point. Easy to understand easy to learn. This channel is highly recommended for future engineers

[@aaobukhov]

Thanks! I appreciate that there is no long intro, straight to business and very clear explanation :)

[@cantubloodaxe768]

You know what would be great? A whole section of multimeter instructions. How-to's! I understand there are actual college classes the subject? I would be obsessed with that playlist. I have this giant Fluke my boss paid $1000 for and I only use, like, five functions.

[@mikehindley3]

Five?! I just know how to make mine beep.

[@sarsaparillasunset3873]

if you don't have a resistor, load your batteries into a TV remote control, that oughta put some load on it. Then measure the voltage on the battery terminals while they're in the remote control.

[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@tonypanzarella9387]

Perhaps you will discover uses for the other functions, by a ... fluke.

[@DardaniaLion]

My respect for you. I bought this thing to test the batteries and had no idea what to do but this video showed everything I need to know. Many thanks.

[@stationplaza4631]

Nice tip about using a resistor. 👍

[@daviderhahon]

Two 12V headlight bulbs wired in parallel should do. Of course the bulbs will come ON but you need to measure battery voltage for any significant drop. Or simply leave the battery installed in the car, keep the engine OFF, turn ON the headlights and measure for any significant voltage drop.

[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@2abpa]

Great explanation without bs. I think my meter's battery check mode includes some resistance already.

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

You've told 'em how to measure, but not what they should be measuring. At what threshold voltage would we consider an alkaline battery dead under a 100 ohm load? Having a measurement but not knowing how to interpret it isn't very useful.

[@FineTuned]

I was also wondering what voltage is considered still "good" for a 1.5V battery - 1.4? 1.3? Hope some clarity is offered..although I know I can find this on google as soon as I'm finished typing this response :)

[@danc2014]

That depends on the use. A wall clock works fine at 1.2 v but a laser pointer would not.

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

@@danc2014 Yup, depends on the current draw. Which is why I specified "under a 100 Ohm load", as that's the example resistor value he used in his video.

[@WeighedWilson]

A rule of thumb like xx% drop from no load voltage at a specific current would be nice to know.

[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@ravusursi893]

The LoZ function on my Fluke 117 performs a similar function with no need for an added resistor. Great video and very well presented.

[@BrianMDPhD]

Damn, I have the 115 and no such luck. 😭

[@AutoFirePad]

How do you have such equipment and you need to watch this video?

[@Sunstepa]

@@AutoFirePad it's not your business. 🙃

[@AutoFirePad]

@@Sunstepa Wasn't talking to you :)

[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@amitp05]

Simple and clear explanation👍

[@JoeOvercoat]

Excellent demo with the 0.86V result.

[@patkevin]

Thanks! I've been having issues with batteries passing a voltage no-load test as being good but the devices they powered not working well. I didn't know that inserting a 100 Ohm resistor method would provide such a different result.

[@mikechiodetti4482]

Great way to test it with a light load. It can also be tested under load in the device it's installed if it's accessible, but I like your way for a quick test.

[@ChamaCR23]

If it is a remote controller, would Input both batteries in and then test each with the multimeter?

[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@IncandescentDaD]

@@EngineeringMindset The section of interest in your new video (battery testing with a load) is identical, so nothing new was learned. It's at the end so I spent time watching the whole thing. Slightly devious.

[@RichardBronosky]

I've never tested my batteries under load. I feel like I've wasted 40 years. Thank you!

[@firstmkb]

I pull the batteries out of lights & such when I put them in storage, in case of corrosion. I end up with a lot of partially used batteries as a result. If I use the 100 ohm load test described, should anything below 1.5V be recycled? I expect battery requirements will depend on device the device, but I'm looking for a good (not perfect) rule for keeping "good" (used) batteries. Thanks for posting this!

[@avejst]

Great video as always 👍 Thanks for sharing this simple walkthrough of how to check the condition of a somewhat used battery 👍😀

[@PatisserieRoyale]

The only video I needed to learn about how to test batteries! Thank you!!!

[@FantasticOtto]

How would this compare to a consumer battery tester? Can battery testers also show 1.5 v when depleted or do they have that resistor trick built in?

[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@F16_viper_pilot]

There are some battery testers that provide a load, such as the ZTS MBT-1 tester, but many do not. The MBT-1 is a fantastic tester that tests many many different types of batteries beyond your standard 1.5v AAA, AA, C, and D cells.

[@donaldp9259]

I would like to see your take on testing Lithium batteries, to see how it compares to what I've been doing based on advice from 'batteries only' retailers.

[@abdulrahmanmohamed8825]

Thank you very much, Great work. is this work for the re-chargeable batteries too?

[@garic4]

Hi, amazing video and great info! One question: Can you use the multimeter to test for current without the resistor? I mean, is there any buit in function that will act like a load to measure current? I'm using a regular cheap generic multimeter. Thanks

[@Can0spam]

I don't think so. I do have a battery tester that will do this. It has a needle with Good, Bad etc and works for AA AAA 9V and (unsupported) button cells, like the CR2016 -> CR2032. You can find these at Bunnings, they have been selling the same model for years now.

[@gaborlukacs5666]

I checked so much battery but I tought if it is above 1 volt it is still good... thanks E.M.

[@rillloudmother]

this is great, i actually had this happen recently and now i know how to measure more accurately!

[@pekka8592]

Thank you so much. What a great instructional video 🙂

[@normalhuman9260]

Brought to you by Duracell! Jk thanks for the content,I love your channel.

[@proamptik7015]

👍👍👍👍👍👍 great vid for entry level like me... forever there will be entry level people

[@louf7178]

"Nominal" voltage should be mentioned.

You can simply measure short circuit current in a short period of time not to drain or overheat the battery. If the short circuit current is more than few amps (depends on the battery) battery is usually good. To do this put the multimeter in DC Current mode in AMPS (not miliAmps) and test it: red on plus, black on minus side. Testing should not be longer than couple of seconds (2-3) to prevent damage to the battery

[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@sarsaparillasunset3873]

if you don't have a resistor, load your batteries into a TV remote control, that oughta put some load on it. Then measure the voltage on the battery terminals while they're in the remote control.

[@EngineeringMindset]

Check out NEW resistor video, everything covered! ➡️ kzbin.info/www/bejne/eorGfXl-nLt2pJI

[@PollinatorMk2]

Just found your channel, great stuff!

[@Parallax2112]

Excellent video. Thank you!

[@heedmywarning2792]

Informative. Thank you.

[@HectorIMartinez]

Does this work to test a car battery? If so, what size of a resistor is required? Also, does the resistor size increase depending on the volts of a battery?

[@ddacombe4752]

Thanks for this, I always wondered when testing batteries if i was measuring correct voltage by hooking up the meter in line (normally done for measuring current) rather than across a load.

[@Thamli]

Great video! But could you explain why this happens? Please

[@dicko195]

like a car engine trying to drive uphill, it has to work harder. sitting in your driveway idling isn't actually working but still a good engine.

[@Lifeinthewoods99]

I remember way back in tech school, an instructor once sad, "batteries don't go dead, their internal resistance goes up until they are not usable"

[@davidl63]

Well explained - thanks for the video

[@Elvis-dw7ux]

Excellent, cheers from Canada....I had a similar problem...got a new 1.5 V from $ Store...my 1983 Citizen clock is running again...

[@WhiskeyGulf71]

My multi meter has a battery test setting which i assume has that 100 ohm resistance built in. Edit* just tested the meter with my other meter & when the battery test is selected & i probe the battery testing meter & it reads 75ohms.

[@The_Original_forresttrump]

The actual impedance value is not critical as long as it’s realistic approximation of the load, I always assumed it was built into the meter as you observed.

[@jarvisjg700]

Thank you! Exactly what I was curious about as I measured my dead AAA battery’s and still got 1.566V and was left puzzled. As the new ones only had 1.599V

[@TheVonMatrices]

So this helps to compare a completely dead battery from a new battery, but what about a marginal battery - one that outputs 1.45V or 1.4V under load? Is that considered dead?

[@mayamaven]

I have a really cheap battery tester. It shows "batt V" with two settings: 1.5 and 9. Can I test a 12v MN21/23 battery using one of those settings? Thanks for a clear and useful video.

[@gasb911]

Quick and Clear👍

[@orfeous]

How to load test a car battery? How do the battery "analyzers" work.. you know them were you put in like CCA/EN and you get if battery are good or bad.. internal resistance etc.. i know there are big battery loaders for car batterys but.. would be nice to have something like this as an alternative.

[@tinytonymaloney7832]

Why don't the manufacturers put a battery test option on the multi meter dial to incorporate a 100 Ohm resister. Would make life easier.

[@nychan2939]

Many multimeters do have it.

[@rishijai]

My Greenlee multimeter have a 1.5V and a 9V load test which I never used before, until watching this video ;

[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@akilbenjamin3308]

Great 👍

[@gianp4667]

Can I use the same method while the battery is under load inside a flash light if I don't have a resistor at hand? Thanks!

[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@angeljacob5371]

Great work alwayssss❤️❤️

[@kailashrao5623]

Very nice video. Thanks

[@rambojazdude3023]

Hi everyone. I've tried this method. I bought a big bag of resistors from 1 ohms to 40k and despite following this tutorial, the voltage does not drop at all for AAA, AA and 18650 batteries. I've switched to the ohms setting on the multimeter and it does show near enough the right ohms for the resistors.

[@grpecanha83]

If the battery is ok, there should be no drop… Are your batteries really in bad shape?

[@theyjustwantyourmoney4539]

With many batteries lying around the house, the kids end up mixing them with new ones and they all read 1.5v, a load test will surely help separate them, thanks 👍

[@dfcdm.v1]

Cool tip!

[@KeikoBushnell]

Thank you!

[@aguiremedia]

Thanks so much!

[@practicallab]

good jobs

[@ianb4211]

Great video, but what is the wattage of the resistor?

[@Lifeinthewoods99]

For 1.5 v battery, 1/4 watt would be fine.

[@ianb4211]

Thank you

[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@darrylbartlett2713]

You can test AA and AAA alkaline batteries by dropping them from an inch on to the negative end. If they bounce they are dead. If they are charged they will not bounce. The density of the battery changes as they are used up. Does not work with MAX batteries. Great multimeter video.

[@jeffw8057]

Wouldn't the meter inherently provide a load (resistance)...simply by having the current flow through its wires and internal electronics? Why is there even a need to provide a load to measure the potential difference?

[@zachadelsberger6625]

Can a resistor be anything that connects the current? Like can a resistor just be a paper clip

[@Longeeen]

Thank you.

[@robertbrewster6890]

Thank you!!!

[@genantamtam9364]

What if i want to measue a battery that is more /or less than 1.5v, do i still need 100ohm resistor or less/more? I have watched many useless vids about measuring 🔋 batteries. This vid is the only useful vid. Thanks for starting stright away without annoying commercials.

[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@genantamtam9364]

@@EngineeringMindset ok thank you

[@genantamtam9364]

@The Engineering Mindset correct me if im wrong. I've calculated that my 100ohm resistor will burn 🔥 if i try to measure it with a 9v battery. 9v ÷ 100 ohm= 0.09A 100 ohm × 0.09² A= 0.81 W My resistor have color Brown, Black, black, black, Brown.... i looked it up on the internet and its 0.25 W. So 0.25w with 0.81w will make it burn. I need in that case maybe 1000ohm resistor to measure if 9v battery is good or bad?

[@seabeeeff]

Crocodile clips. That's funny. 🇺🇲🐊

[@JorntWagenaar]

Thank you;)

[@millomweb]

If I get suspicious about a battery, I'll short it briefly then check the voltage. If the voltage is down a bit and going up, it's not so good. If the voltage is pretty much he same and not going up, it's ok. If the voltage is lower than 2/3 of the rated voltage, it's dead. Others above this but not 'full' will join the line of semi-dead batteries to die over a period of time driving a clock !

[@pmo7780]

how low should the voltage be compared to it's rating to consider it dead and not just half used or something?

[@mguerramd]

What resistor would you use for a 9 volt battery?

[@kashyap1991]

what if it’s a rechargeable battery does the voltage changes when the battery charge is low or charge is high

[@Andreythebest9312]

how do you size the resistor based on the battery being tested?

[@rolandsmith2555]

I think it should also be explained the difference between alkali and lithium batteries, as one depletes in voltage much sooner during use than the other

[@KeikoBushnell]

Why does it sometimes read 1.5 but is not good and how is that then helpful knowing it's still 1.5 if it's not a true test? Also what number is considered "dead"?

[@amielagztv981]

Sir, it can be used also on car battery? Thank you..

[@arthurrae7904]

I have recently attached a USB Power supply to my infrequently used Multimeters, to eliminate the possibility of Battery acid leakage inside the meter. Available in USB 5V DC to 6, 7.5, 9 or 12V Boost & 1.5, 3 or 4.5V Buck, Converters Plug size similar to a USB Memory stick. Cost around US$5 each, on EBay. For the small inconvenience of having to attache one of these Multimeters to a USB Charger, I don't have to worry about Battery leakage in any of these meters.

[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@ammoniahuffers]

I still use a shunt to test battery, but use a 100 resistor is a neat idea!

[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@james77011]

Nice video ☺️

[@dinosoarskill17]

Brilliant! I will be using your affiliate links to buy a multimeter soon :D

[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@dinosoarskill17]

@@EngineeringMindset Okay

[@deepthagayanwelagedara912]

Thanks

[@noo7quhtan]

Thank u man

[@daruscole1586]

Wow. Never knew about the resistor. Great advice. God Bless

[@PeterK609]

What are the odds of this needing to be done on high end or lets say lithium or cell batteries? That extra step stinks to have to get together and im totally surprised I didnt know this!

[@batacalence]

Nice. How to check 3.7 Liion battety on this way ?

[@mdsarfrazahmed6123]

Thank you ❣️❣️❣️

[@Dr.Stacker]

Do i need to use a different resistor if i want to test a 12V 1.3Ah house alarm battery? Thanks

[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@ElVerdaderoAbejorro]

How exactly do I find how many Ohms I need? I want to test a 3V battery and have no clue what resistor value I should use.

[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@peppermeat8059]

hey i have a batter pack, its for an old rc car and its rated 6 volts for 5 batteries together, i read the voltage ( the charger didnt work ) and it read 0.315 volts, dead or rechargeable?

[@logicalmisery3737]

Do rechargeables at 1.2v have a shorter runtime given equal mAh to a 1.5v battery?

[@budprepper3811]

Good to know

[@SubwayJack919]

....if it has .86 volts left it means there's still energy in it? But it can't produce the rated voltage and so any device that would use it would say their dead?

[@FATALK1LLCAMZ]

Is there any way we can measure the current from the battery? For example, if it's a 25000mAh AA battery, how can I measure the 2500mAh current output from the battery???

[@wronski11]

What if the resistor is more than 100 Ohm. I used a small usb music player as resistor having 8 MOhm. Perhaps that is no good, since the current is too small.

[@fixingandmore4776]

Thank you for the video, okay what about if the result 1.3V OR 1.4V without load?

[@chandrasekharraobonu2468]

Without load is unreliable

[@boatsandoutboards9070]

First of all , the battery inside the multimeter (1.5v or 9v) must be brand new for most accurate results. If the internal battery is dead, you will be getting false readings like 1.5volts on a nicd/nimh battery, 1.7volts on an alkaline , 240volts AC on wall plug etc...

[@munivoltarc]

How long any battery for that matter, will expire if at all we don't use after the purchase ? Please answer in technical terms.

[@munivoltarc]

@@kennmossman8701 need its average life time information Max - Min load conditions.

[@JT-hy7fn]

Where and what kind of resistor do I buy

[@jayduffy7615]

What would be a good sized resistor to use when checking 12v car batteries? I am aware that they make load testers for car batteries but can you recommend a different resistor to use instead? Something more DIY then buying a $50 load tester?

[@daviderhahon]

Two 12V headlight bulbs wired in parallel should do. Of course the bulbs will come ON but you need to measure the battery voltage for any significant drop. Or simply leave the battery installed in the car, keep the engine OFF, turn ON the headlights and measure for any significant voltage drop.

[@jayduffy7615]

@@daviderhahon Great advice. Thank you!

[@danc2014]

If you want to determine if it will start a car you need the car load tester 100s amps not just a few lights 2 amps . Electronic battery load testers are also sold.

[@daviderhahon]

@@danc2014 That's correct Dan. That's a special case

[@jayduffy7615]

@@danc2014 Greatly appreciated!

[@BigDancin]

Can I test consumer batteries without a resistor by just testing them while in use on the device they are meant for?

[@EngineeringMindset]

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[@nathansoto3544]

Why 100ohms resistor how do you determine which is necessary

[@keithsmith9833]

At first I was thinking “I know how to test a battery”. Watch and learn young padawan.

[@dignitas1980]

I`m looking for a resistor to match the 18650 batteries, the one used in Bosch/Makita screwdriver with 3.5 V. Any idea? Thanks!

[@Executor416]

Downvote. My multimeter's direct voltage section has 200m, 2000m, 20, 200, and 1000 to choose from. What should I choose?