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Battery Checker

If you have a lot of used batteries in a drawer, a battery checker can help you decide which ones to dispose of and which ones to keep. Testing your batteries one by one, you can avoid having to throw out a whole bunch of batteries just because one or two of them are dead.

ZTS Multi-Battery Tester MBT-1

What is it? The ZTS MBT-1 multi-battery tester is designed for measuring the state of charge (capacity) of more than 30 popular types of batteries, both disposable and rechargeable ones. It uses a short pulse load test to check the battery capacity and in so doing measures battery performance under simulated real power demand. Since it does not just measure voltage and resistance, the result is increased accuracy. Some battery checkers do not load the battery sufficiently during test and thus can give misleading results.

What are the features of the ZTS Multi-Battery Tester MBT-1?

• Pulse load technology: A load is applied to the battery for a short time (2 or 3 seconds) and then disconnected. This enables testing of the battery under relatively large loads without draining or damaging it. Depending on battery type, the duration and magnitude of the pulse load are different. The pulse load may also be applied single or multiple times during a testing cycle.
• Battery types are labeled next to the contacts, so you know where to place a specific battery.
• Its operation is simple with no switches or settings. Just place the battery between the contact and the proble and the test starts.
• Test probe is stored in the seam at the side, and so it is easy to take out and convenient to put away.
• LED bar display shows the percentage of remaining battery capacity.
• Powered by 4 AA batteries.

The battery types supported are:

• 3.6v Li-Ion rechargeable [RCR123A, 18500, 17650, 18650]
• 1.5v button cell [S76, A76, A625, A640, LR44, 357, 303]
• 1.2v NiMH/NiCd rechargeable [AA, AAA, C, D]
• 1.5v lithium [AA L91, AAA L92]
• 3v lithium coin [CR1616, CR1620, CR2016, CR2025, CR2320, CR2032, CR2430, CR2450, 58L, 1/3N]
• 6v '28' series [28A, S28, 28L]
• 3v lithium cylindrical [CR123, CR2, CRV3]
• 1.5v alkaline [AA, AAA, C, D, N]
• 12v alkaline [A23]
• 9v alkaline & carbon zinc

How do you use the ZTS Multi-Battery Tester MBT-1? Simple. Follow the 3 steps below:

1. Place battery (+) on the appropriate terminal contact.
2. Hold probe tip on battery (-). The pulse load test begins automatically.
3. The remaining battery capacity is indicated on the LED display

What are its potential uses and benefits?

• It identifies weak or failing batteries, so you can dispose of them and keep the ones with usable remaining capacities.
• You can use it to match the right batteries to use together.
• It provides accurate determination of battery capacities, so you don't keep something you should have dumped and dump something you should have kept.
• Its support for many different types of batteries is a great benefit. Do however check the list of batteries supported first.
• You can check how much charge is left in a rechargeable battery, say a NiMH AA battery, if you don't remember when you last charge it.
• When a toy stops working and you are not sure whether it is the toy or the battery is dead, this will help you find out.
• If an electronic device is running slow, you can remove and test all the batteries. You may find that some of the batteries still have a lot of life in them, whereas the others are dead. Instead of replacing all the batteries, just replace the dead ones.

ZTS MBT-1 multi-battery tester has received good reviews among its users. It is a little pricey but it does support a huge array of batteries. Furthermore it uses a microprocessor-based design and pulse load technology to check your battery, ensuring that its results are accurate.

Note 1: ZTS makes two other models of battery checkers: The Mini Multi-Battery Tester (MINI-MBT) and the Mini '9R' Multi-Battery Tester (MINI-MBT9R). They work on the same principles as the MBT-1 with the exception that they support fewer types of batteries and are thus smaller in size and cheaper.

Note 2: Do check the specs on the batteries supported whichever battery checker you decide to buy!

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