Hi Jim, you'll find those checkers are very useful. If you need any help, yell out.

JB

hi chaps thank you for oppinions and help on battery testers l decided to buy the GT POWER battery and watt tester.
Took a little searching to find some one who had one in stock.
Robotbirds in England had some and they were around the same advertised price as other outlets.
Cheers chaps the start of another small adventure. Jim.

Hi Dave/Jim, pretty much what I have in the way of testers, - and do (regarding saving batteries) I have a number of saved batteries as well which I'm still using years later. I have a similar orange version of the small black tester in the bottom of your pic (HK about 12 yrs ago, think it was the first tester I bought when converting to electric). Re multi meters, something like a Fluke is bound to be more accurate than some of the cheaper ones, but you pay for it. You can have them calibrated by electronics crowds also if necessary if you don't have the gear.

The Amp/Watt meters seem to be a lot harder to find now than they used to be. Don't know why, as they are an essential tool for motor/battery load checking. Like you, I have a box full of leads which go from anything to anything, XT male -male/female,- JST,- T plugs, XH etc and the reverse for all. You have to have them.

Pics are of one of my oldest batteries, has no guts any more but still balances well and is totally useful or low load applications/testing etc. Always balance/storage charged, which goes to show that LiPos can last. Have a 40c 5s 3000 which is almost as old in the same condition. Been stored for maybe 6 yrs and still reads ok, (take them out every so often and re- storage charge) Too expensive to throw out these days while still useful.

JB

Hi JB and Jim
My tester is similar see pic, rated at 60v and 100amp. It has a 6 cell balance connector and uses Deans connectors for the input and out put so I use a selection of leads for my different batteries. I have also shown a couple of capacity checkers which I find useful.
My charger balances the cells and if I find any unbalanced packs I stop using until I can get them balanced with the charger. If this is not possible I dispose of the pack.
However I have found that 3 cell packs sometimes have only one failed cell and I am competent and experienced enough to open the package and remove the faulty cell. I replace the balance connector to suit the new cell count and reseal the pack using the existing packing and covering with new heat shrink. I would not advise this for anyone unless they have the necessary knowledge and experience.
I agree dirty plugs and sockets will give false results. The balance plugs are not really meant for constant use, more to interconnect boards on a permanent basis, so can be easily damaged. Cleaning will help but they are fragile.
As regards using a meter I'm not so sure as unless you have a calibrated meter it could be no better than your tester. True it may indicate some anomalies which could be useful to identify where to check further. If you have an oscilloscope then this could be used to check your meter.
I have used my meter to check all my testers and have found they are all good to one decimal place which is sufficient for my purpose but I accept others may need greater accuracy.
Most chargers err on the side of caution and cut off well before the makers recommended setting. This protects the majority of users who are not perhaps competing in fast racing, but then racing enthusiasts will, in my experience, be buying much more professional bits of kit.
dave976

hi chaps, thanks to JB and Dave for your replys to my question.
I do own two very good battery chargers and probaly rely a little too much on them for the safety aspect to make sure they are charging batteries correctly. l will look into your recomendations.
cheers chaps stay safe Jim.

Hi Dave,/Jim is this the tester you have Dave,?- bought 2 from HK about 10yrs ago, still work well. Has alarm if voltage is .5v out. Does amps, watts, volts, balances etc. Probably a Sky RC product (the new ones work exactly the same) but with HK branding. .1 or.2 out is no big deal, but I use these to balance after charging. Voltage goes down a bit, but the cells end up pretty close,- if not exact.

One thing which can affect the cell readings is the balance plug contacts. If they are worn or dirty they can miss-read the voltage. making it look like the battery is not balanced when it is,- sometimes setting off the alarm. Wiggling the plug or un-plugging and re-plugging can change the reading. I occasionally clean the plugs with Isopropyl alcohol or contact cleaner which helps.

I think almost any checker will be different. Some you can calibrate (using a good multi meter as a guide) by holding certain buttons down, (haven't tried it yet). You can always check the individual cells (against your checker reading) by using a multi meter on the balance plug (carefully) adding the voltages up as you go. (write each reading down and compare the steps,- should be even or near to it.

JB

Hi Jim
Good question and one many will wish to know.
As I'm sure you are aware many of the testers available are from the Far East/China etc and whilst perfectly suitable for most purposes are not renowned for their accuracy or tight specs. I am not surprised therefore that you find they give different readings. All measuring instruments will have a tolerance range of +/- a % and for most RC usage 5/10% variance may not matter and experience will tell the user that a part charged battery will not last as long as one fully charged.
However in the case of LiPos we need to be far more careful (as you have posted in the past) and at the very least need to ensure that all the cells in a pack are balanced and there are several chargers and testers that will protect users from risk.
Many chargers are designed to charge different types of batteries and will have built in functions to check cell voltages, charge rate, capacity etc. A good tester should in my opinion be capable of:
Selecting and testing all current battery types;
Allow for a balanced lead connection;
Checking the individual cell and overall battery voltage;
Lowest and highest cell voltage and difference between low and high;
Remaining capacity;
Measuring the current being drawn under load and calculating the watts used;
Have a high current (100amp+) and max voltage capacity (60v+).

I agree with the advice from jbkiwi and have a similar GTPower type from a UK supplier and would appear to be an earlier version of that shown in the link to 4-max. I use this often to check current and wattage and it is ideal for matching props to Battery/ESC and model.

There are many reputable local suppliers on-line and it should be fairly easy to look for a supplier in your own country and check what is available against your requirements (specs) before ordering.

This is an important piece of equipment and is checking high voltages and currents that will cause serious damage to you, your model, your ESC and battery.
Would I take a chance on a cheap unknown import? Would you? I suspect not.
Keep safe
dave976

Hi Jim, I have found the GT Power checkers to be excellent. Hard to find now.

https://4-max.co.uk/gt-multifunction-wattmeter.htm

https://www.austars-model.com/gtpower-multifunctional-watt-meter_g16015.html

https://www.robotbirds.co.uk/g-t-power-100a-multifunction-watt-meter-lipo-capaci

https://www.ebay.com/p/1429824890

Hi chaps hope we are all well. Im looking to get a good quality battery tester the type that will test several different types of battery. I have several of the cheapie one,s from hobbyking and some off the net every one gives a different reading.
so l throw it out there who do you recon makes the best one.
stay safe, Jim.