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18650 Battery Testing-Introduction and Test

Dec 14, 2021   Pageview:2014

An 18650 cell is a lithium-ion battery. The battery derives its name from its specific measurements, which are 18mm x 65 mm. Compared to an AA battery in terms of scale, that’s larger. As a rechargeable battery, which take a max of 4 hours to be fully charged, 18650 cell might come in handy

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Talking of how long an 18650 battery lasts, it should be noted that most of them have a life cycle of about 300-500 charge circles. Fenix batteries, for example, are rated for 500 circles. This basically means that the battery can fully charge to 80 percent or more of its initial capacity. Once the battery reaches that threshold, it is usually considered that its life cycle” is over. However, you can still most likely plenty more charge out of that battery. With time, the capacity of the battery will further diminish slowly. 

This is something we have all experienced firsthand, especially when buying a new mobile phone. Even with careful charging conditions, use and time will slowly diminish the life capacity of the battery’s life. Extreme cold or hot temperature can also affect the life of the battery. 

To carry out 186500 battery testing, you also need to know a bit about how much power it does have. Basically, a 3.7v a 3400mAh 18650 battery stores approximately 2 aH to a maximum of 3.5 aH. This battery can between 10 and 13 watt hours. For example, a small air conditioner unit with a capacity to cool approximately 9000 BTU basically uses about 1100 watts every hour. This means that the conditioner will require at least 110 18650 cells to run for an hour. 

In comparison, three 12v 40 amp car batteries would be needed. But 110 18650 batteries are smaller than 3 car batteries. 

18650 Battery Testing Machine 

It is a good idea to test the 18650 battery, in terms of its capacity, and even its charge. You will definitely want to test the 18650 battery before you start using it, or when you want to know if it’s in its perfect condition. To do that, you will need a testing machine.

Depending on the specific teat you would want to carry out, you are going to need various tools. A multimeter is one machine that will come in handy. Another thing you might need is the 18650 battery itself, and its recommended charger. A stopwatch is also another tool that you will need. 

With a multimeter, you will be able to test whether an 18650 battery is in working condition. All you need to do is to follow the right procedure. 

Yes, there are various ways you can test your 18650 battery. This article focuses mainly on the multimeter as the tool or an instrument that can be used to accomplish this. We’ve offered illustrations that explain how to do test the battery using this instrument. 

18650 Battery Capacity Testing 

You can use a multimeter to test if the 18650 cell is actually working. Of course, the multimeter will only give you the milliamp-hours of the cell. But still, you can use this milliamp-hour to check if indeed the battery is working. 

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The multimeter can be used to measure the mAh of the batter, and you can use a resistor to actually step in as a load. A stopwatch is needed during testing to indicate the elapsed duration. Here is the procedure to follow:

1.First, check the battery of the meter, and baby set the knob of the multimeter at the battery check level. Before you go on with the whole process, you will need to replace an exhausted one.  

2.Position the 18650 cell in the holder

3.Take alligator clips and place them on the probe tip of the meter

4.Get a resistor that is suitable or appropriate for the voltage of the battery you are testing. 

5.Reset your stopwatch

6.Now, connect the positive terminal of the battery onto any of the resistor’s leads

7.Next, change the control knob of the multimeter to indicate direct current. 

8.Proceed by clipping the positive meter probe directly to the unconnected resistor lead. In case you don’t know, the red one is the unconnected resistor lead. Click the negative probe – the black one – to the 18650 cell’s negative terminal. Check to confirm if the meter is showing a positive reading. 

9.It is the time to start your stopwatch now

10.Check the current reading. You should record the reading an intervals of 60 minutes or simply one hour. Stop your stopwatch when the current drops by thirty percent (30%). 

11.Now, calculate the mAh rating of the bbattery. To do this, multiply the number of hours that you have recorded on your stopwatch and multiply it by the initial current reading. The initial current reading is recorded on the meter. 

You should be very keen when you are working with a multimeter to avoid recording improper results. Ensure that the battery is not weighing less than 40 grams. You should feel the battery weight first before you begin testing it. 

Load testing 18650 Battery

To know the maximum load that the 18650 battery can efficiently deliver or draw the current to, you should perform load testing. 

The Ampere-Hour capacity rating of an 18650 cell can be tested and be verified by simply putting a resistive load across as the current drown by the load or delivered to the load is being monitored at the same time. Also monitor the temperature rise of the battery for a specified hours of testing. Basically, the extrapolated value is typically based on the full charge rate capacity. 

For example, a battery rated 3 ampere hour should deliver 3 amperes for one hour. Extrapolating this rating, you can be able to draw a whopping 6 amperes but for only 30 minutes. In fact, with a shorter time period, you can even draw more than 6 amperes. However, if the test is conducted with a shorter time period, the battery temperature may rise exponentially. When you are testing your battery using this approach, ensure that you are also monitoring temperature to ensure that the battery does not overheat. 

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