The Importance of Testing Battery Backup Time and Cycle Lif

12V Lead Acid Automatic Battery backup Time calculator and Cycle Life Tester with Computer-Based Software

The major challenge faced by the resellers in the inverter/UPS industry is how to check the Battery Ah or battery capacity of any manufacturer or any Lead Acid battery or Gel battery; as of today, local manufacturers are claiming different Ah values and giving attractive prices. Another challenge is when the lead acid battery returns from the customer, how do you test it to ensure the battery backup has been reduced? Leaving this job to service engineers is risky and cumbersome, and they can always make the wrong data. The small battery manufacturer has no precision testing equipment to test the battery backup time and the life cycle of the 12V lead acid battery. For them, buying expensive equipment to test the battery capacity and life cycle is out of their reach. Even Indian schools and college labs can have this testing equipment to explain the backup time and cycle life of any battery and other parameters of the 12V Lead Acid battery so that students learn battery characteristics on a computer rather than using outdated equipment. Su-vastika has made this Automatic battery tester with Bi-directional technology and an advanced Digital Signal processor. After two years of Research and Development, this tool will be upgraded occasionally. This is a patented technology; the patent has already been filed with the Indian Patent Office. Even the depth of Discharge and charge can be explained clearly through this testing device. Some Indian manufacturers, like Kanaad, have already made a similar testing instrument.https://kanaad.com/product/battery-backup-tester/

This device can measure the backup time and cycle life of lead-acid batteries. It’s ideal for manufacturers and resellers of Tubular Lead Acid or VRLA batteries from 100 Ah to 250 Ah. Deep cycle and Gel batteries can also be checked on this battery tester.

• • • What is a battery’s capacity? In a nutshell, battery capacity measures the energy it can store. When you test for capacity, you’re looking at the battery’s ability to deliver a specified amount of current at a constant rate to a specified end voltage for a specified time. We determine capacity by filling the battery with energy and then seeing how long it takes to empty that energy.

    • Functionality:

      1. Backup Time Test: This automatic battery tester can automatically test the backup time of a 12-volt Lead Acid battery, which can be Tubular, VRLA, Gel or any Lead Acid battery of 100-250 Ah capacity.

      • The user defines the load current: The user can define his load by using bulbs or any standard load at his convenience.

      • The DSP-based battery tester has an isolation transformer and works as an automatic charger and discharger once the load and battery are connected and the start button is pressed.

      • The voltage and current sensors monitor the Battery’s voltage and current. In contrast, the automatic battery tester starts functioning, and all the data can be downloaded, and graphs can be drawn in Excel format for charging and discharging.

      • The DSP-based ABT records time and voltage at regular intervals along with other parameters like power being used in the charging, etc.

      • Automatic battery Tester discharges the Battery up to 10.5 Volts, which is the low battery cutoff. Once it reaches that level, the ABT stops recording and functioning.

      • Backup time and charging time are calculated along with the parameters shown on the screen.

      2. Life Cycle Test:

      • The user defines the process through the hardware switch by defining the load connected through the ABT.

      • The DSP-based controller system controls the charging and discharging process through the hardware switch.

      • Voltage and current sensors monitor battery parameters during the cycle.

      • The DSP-based ABT records time, voltage, current, and cycle count.

      • The test continues until a predefined number of cycles is reached or a battery failure criterion is met.

      • Life cycle data is analyzed and presented for evaluation.

    • Additional Features:

      • User-friendly interface for setting test parameters and viewing results.

      • Data logging in the computer-based software continues in the background of the test.

      • Communication interface for remote monitoring and data transfer.

      • Alarm functionality to notify users of potential battery issues.

      • The software is updated time to time and can be downloaded from the link below:

      Benefits:

      • In automated testing for consistent and repeatable results, no manpower is required to watch the time and count the cycles.

      • Reduces manual effort and saves time.

      • Provides valuable data for battery performance evaluation.

      • It helps predict battery life and identify potential issues.

      • Cost-effective solution compared to commercial testers.

  The Importance of Testing Battery Backup Time and Cycle Life

• Battery bank: This will hold the lead acid batteries being tested. It can accommodate various battery sizes and configurations. So, by keeping a fixed charging current of 15 Ah, one can measure the 100Ah to 250 Ah battery capacity.
• Load bank: The load bank can be chosen by the user to choose between 100-watt to 800-watt loads. It should be adjustable to allow for testing at different discharge rates. The user can use the load in the form of bulbs or resistance or any particular device as a standard load. For example, one can choose the motor capacity of half HP to check the backup time of any battery capacity on this particular load.
• Software: This will collect and record data, such as voltage, current, and time, from the battery and load banks; it will record the charging and Backup times and give the exact time for charging and discharging of any particular battery. The user can insert the battery type, serial no, particulars, etc, which can be stored along with the battery data.
• Computer: This will run the software on Windows 10 that controls the tester and analyzes the data.https://suvastika.com/the-automatic-machine-for-testing-of-inverter-ups-solar-inverters/

Software:

• Test setup allows users to define the test parameters, such as the charge and discharge rates, by setting the load outside; low battery settings and battery particulars can be added to the software.
• Data acquisition: This continuously collects and stores battery and load bank data.
• Data analysis: This provides various tools to visualize and analyze the collected data, including:
  • Backup time: Calculates the time it takes for the Battery to discharge to a specific voltage level.
  • Cycle life: Tracks the number of charge/discharge cycles a battery can withstand before failing.
  • Capacity: Determines the amount of energy stored in the Battery.
  • Degradation analysis: Evaluate how the Battery’s performance changes over time.
• Reporting: Generates reports summarizing the test results in text, tables, and graphs.

The Tester Hardware includes a charger/Discharger with the USB output having the converter to plug the device into the computer.

• This device has the Constant Current/Constant Voltage Charger/Discharger with a Programmed time cycle designed to charge and discharge the Battery to conduct the LCT.
• The MOSFET-based circuit is followed by a series regulator, which gives a pre-stable, constant current multi-mode load. It works in CC/CV mode to limit the batteries discharging.
• It also incorporates an end voltage set to avoid deep discharging of the Battery. Various visual indicators are provided for user convenience.

Additional features:

• Remote monitoring: Allows users to monitor the test progress and data remotely.
• Environmental controls: Regulates temperature and humidity during testing for accurate results.
• Safety features: Includes overcharge, over-discharge, and over-temperature protection.
• Applications:

• Battery manufacturers: Develop new batteries and compare with the existing battery data to see the improvement in the new product. We can use this to test each Battery made in the factory.
• Research institutions: Study battery performance and degradation mechanisms and understand the charge and discharge curve, depth of Discharge, etc.
• UPS/Inverter Resellers: Evaluate backup time for uninterruptible power supplies and check VRLA and tubular battery backup of any size between 100Ah and 230Ah.
• Consumers: Choose the best lead acid battery for their needs.