Testing a battery

[eskimo39]

Hi guys, anyone here with some knowledge of testing rechargable batteries??

I have an inspection lamp which came with a 7.2V NIMH rechargable battery pack. I have charged it for 1.5 hours like it said but I only get approx 30 minutes light out of it before the battery dies (The instructions say I should get 6 hours)

I know I can test the voltage with my meter by just putting the red & black probes on the corresponding terminals of the battery, but is there any way to test how much charge is on the battery?
In the instructions it says NI-MH Pack Batteries 1000mAh min

Also the charger has 2 terminals visible which correspond to 2 terminals on the bottom of the lamp which make contact when it is sat in the cradle, is there any way to test that these are outputting the correct Volts & Amps as the instructions say 12v 1a

I am trying to find out if the battery is faulty or the charger.

I have a fluke T5-1000 meter

Cheers

 

[ian.settle1]

Hi guys, anyone here with some knowledge of testing rechargable batteries??

I have an inspection lamp which came with a 7.2V NIMH rechargable battery pack. I have charged it for 1.5 hours like it said but I only get approx 30 minutes light out of it before the battery dies (The instructions say I should get 6 hours)

I know I can test the voltage with my meter by just putting the red & black probes on the corresponding terminals of the battery, but is there any way to test how much charge is on the battery?
In the instructions it says NI-MH Pack Batteries 1000mAh min

Also the charger has 2 terminals visible which correspond to 2 terminals on the bottom of the lamp which make contact when it is sat in the cradle, is there any way to test that these are outputting the correct Volts & Amps as the instructions say 12v 1a

I am trying to find out if the battery is faulty or the charger.

I have a fluke T5-1000 meter

Cheers

How old is the battery pack.

How many times has it been charged

 

[eskimo39]

It is almost new and charged 3 times so far.

 

[Madmole]

They take a few charge/discharge cycles to get up to full capacity. Also 1.5 hours is a very short charge time (unless a specially designed rapid charger which would have an auto cut out anyway) most normal rechargables the charge time is 14/15 hours

Also first charge should always be a long one to make sure they take a full charge

I'd plug em in and give em a good long charge. Just check there temprature accasionally. Its overheating that damages batteries not the overcharging per se

 

[ian.settle1]

They take a few charge/discharge cycles to get up to full capacity. Also 1.5 hours is a very short charge time (unless a specially designed rapid charger which would have an auto cut out anyway) most normal rechargables the charge time is 14/15 hours

Also first charge should always be a long one to make sure they take a full charge

I'd plug em in and give em a good long charge. Just check there temprature accasionally. Its overheating that damages batteries not the overcharging per se

Normally for the first charge you have to do it for 16 hours or so

 

[eskimo39]

The lamp is this one : Facom 1000 Lux LED Cordless Inspection Lamp 6 Hours Run Time From 1 Charge : Tooled-Up.com and the instructions say 3 hours for the 1st charge and 1.5 hours there after. I have had it on overnight and still the most I get out of it is 3h30m use.

I have also just checked the output of the charger which is 12v DC and also across the terminals of the lamp which only gives 3v DC. I am thinking this might be a problem as the manual says it is 7.2v

 

[Madmole]

If the Battery is only giving out 3v its either as flat as hell or dead. It should be well over 7.2v when charged

 

[Golden_Boy]

The lamp is this one : Facom 1000 Lux LED Cordless Inspection Lamp 6 Hours Run Time From 1 Charge : Tooled-Up.com and the instructions say 3 hours for the 1st charge and 1.5 hours there after. I have had it on overnight and still the most I get out of it is 3h30m use.

I have also just checked the output of the charger which is 12v DC and also across the terminals of the lamp which only gives 3v DC. I am thinking this might be a problem as the manual says it is 7.2v

What meter are you useing to check the battery voltage?

Sorry I see its a fluke ......