goBILDA
12V Battery Health Analyzer (NiMH, 3000mAh)
12V Battery Health Analyzer (NiMH, 3000mAh)
3109-0010-0001While they don’t often show it on the outside, batteries are just as susceptible to wear over time as any other part of your robot. The Battery Health Analyzer tells you your battery’s internal resistance (IR) and voltage so that you can make better-informed decisions about your battery implementation! It’s specifically designed to measure the IR of a 12V, 3,000mAH NiMH battery like the Nested Battery.
The Battery Health Analyzer is best used as a tool to compare multiple batteries. We recommend that teams participating in the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) prioritize using their best batteries (those with the lowest IR) at competitions.
To help you keep track of multiple batteries' various states of health, the Battery Health Analyzer comes with a sticker sheet for labeling each battery with its purchase date, test date, and internal resistance. (Those who've worked in food service will appreciate the familiar proficiencies of freshness-tracking via dated labels!) The stickers are also available as a free printable PDF in the Downloads section of this page.
Thru-holes on the 32mm goBILDA® square pattern allow you to fasten the Battery Health Analyzer to your workstation with M4 hardware.
Using the Battery Health Analyzer
To use the Battery Health Analyzer:
- Ensure that your battery is charged and at room temperature.
- Plug your battery into the Battery Health Analyzer. The Battery Health Analyzer will report back the battery’s current voltage, and the LED will be green.
- When you click the MODE button, the LED will change to blue, and it will display the numerical value of the connected battery’s internal resistance, measured in milliohms (mΩ).
NOTE: The Battery Health Analyzer may get warm after several concurrent tests. In this case, the Analyzer will display "HOT", followed by the number of degrees °C it must drop before another test can be performed.