Just got this for free at harbor freight. I got this specifically for testing a drawer full of batteries to see which ones are good and which ones aren't. Thanks for explaining the basics on how to do that. I appreciate it!
But without putting a load on the batteries, you can't really see whether they're any good or not. You need to put a fairly heavy load on a battery to get an accurate reading of its condition. I use a 1-ohm resistor in parallel with the meter in order to draw enough current out of the battery to properly and accurately test its condition. If you don't do that, the battey will give you a falsely high voltage reading and it will look "good" even when it isn't.
Quite correct. A nonsense video and no use whatsoever to indicate the state of a battery. You need a load across the terminals to get an accurate voltage reading.
Neil Williams so How do i do that? i want to test some cr123 batteries. i have the AA and AAA setting but ithink the setting won't work for these batteries
He mentions the other multimeter that should give the load test at around 2 mins. However, he didn't open the package to use it to show. So take it with a grain of salt...the video shows how to get the Voltage reading, which some people may not have know. It also mentions the load test, which someone may or may not have caught.
Indeed, except that I would go further and say that even 100 ohms is too high (far too high, to be honest) to really test any battery. It's just nowhere near enough of a load to properly test a battery. I would use 1 or 2 ohms for a 1.5-volt cell and around 5 ohms for a 9-volt battery. That way, you can get a good idea of the battery's internal resistance (which is really what you're measuring when you test a battery). A 100-ohm resistor is so much higher than the battery's own internal resistance that it "swamps" (overwhelms) it and masks the battery's own condition and capabilities.
Without Load its impossible to confirm whether the battery is good or not..I would say reading closer to 1.4V on a common multimeter can be considered as a good battery. I had a bad battery which is not functional anymore read the voltage as 1.26V in multimeter, but when i applied a 100mA load the voltage dropped to 1.01V which is below the nominal threshold voltage of 1.1V. As a result the battery was not operational!
This is a classic example of a crappy multimeter, your meter showed 1.8 volts for a AAA battery, there is NO WAY that AAA is putting out 1.8 volts DC, that meter is grossly inaccurate, which is what I found when I got one of those Cen Tech meters, it was so inaccurate it was almost useless. Spend a little bit more money and get a better meter. Battery testing without a load doesn't tell you much, some batteries will test OK with no load, but bad with a load, so add a little resistor (about 100 ohms) or get that meter with a dedicated battery tester built in.
yes a 1.5 volt battery can and will be over 1.5V that is how they get the extended life just like all 18650 are rated 3.7 but there range is usually 2.5 top out at 4.25V
I don' t understand how the voltage shown on the multimeter display indicate whether a battery is good or not..... can you please explain for a newbie ?
internal resistance increases as you reach the end of the battery life. If you directly read the voltage without a load you may have a normal voltage which would fail in a few seconds when connected on load.
I've never used one b4... the wire's were not plugged-in into any of the holes or sockets? I'm using a phone, and can't really see which the positive is plugged-in into or the negative.
Bad Bad Advice. One should know how to use a multimeter before "teaching" someone else how to use one. the "audio" function he is referring to on the better meter is a diode tester. forward and reverse voltages are not gonna be the same due to circuit protections in most good batteries. One should only test batteries with a battery tester or a meter with a battery testing function. Read your manual for you meter to understand how it works and how to get good readings from it.
I'm 55 and JUST starting out an electronics hobby (been a software developer for 28 years and wanting a new "retirement" hobby). Mine, while probably cheap, doesn't show anything on the 9V setting. It does on the 20 DCV, so that's cool. Just wondering if I should blame the meter or the battery or my dumb brain. Great video, thanks.
Thanks for explaining what the 1.5V and 9V BATT settings do. I was wondering what the point of them were when we could just use the DC volt meter in the 2V/20V range.
Jim Watson: All batteries will have their voltage marked on them somewhere. AA and AAA are usually 1.5 volts unless they are rechargeable (which are usually 1.2 volts) and the oblong batteries seen at the beginning of this video are 9 volts (if non-rechargeable).
Nope. At least, not the way this guy does it. In order to properly test a battery, you need to put a load on it. That means putting a resistor in parallel with the meter so that it draws a fair amount of current out of the battery. Only then will the voltage reading tell you the true condition of the battery. In order to draw an adequate amount of current out of the battery so you can get a reliable measurement, I would recommend a fairly low resistance e.g., about 1 or 2 ohms for a 1.5-volt cell and around 5 ohms for a 9-volt battery. Be sure to connect the resistor _across_ the leads of the meter (not in series with them.)
Those cheap multimeters from Harbor Freight can sometimes be way off, they often give those away, at least they used to, I had one that was so far off on low voltage DC that I spent a lot of time trying to find a problem, and in the end the problem was with the meter.
I have a bit of a predicament I have a battery pack that I have no charger to and wanna make one how would I go about doing so it is a krmt 33/62 5100mah 6.0v * 2 nickel cadmium
when i try to check dc voltage by using this cheap multimeter i get 1 in the display .plz tell what happend to my multimeter,it is showing 1 for all mesurements (resistance ,voltage and current)
I came here as my D batteries were showing 1.8 to almost 2v, same as the strong working AA's, but none of the D's would give much light at all when used in the 2 cell flashlight I needed so I came here to reconfirm I did it right..I did, but my old cheap meter and the D size results really messed with my head as it did not work and I am glad it was not an important reason and need at the time. worked great for AA alkaline and 9v though.
Your multimeter seems to be measuring a lower voltage when your polarity is reversed. Even my cheapest Harbor Freight one works more consistently than that.
Thank you for your video. My ? is what is the lowest V for a battery to still be useful. I have AA that are 1.45 (used) and 1.51 (new). Both are RAYOVAC Alkaline, Expiration date 12-2018.
If you are using them for a TV remote, you can get away with a voltage as low as 1 or so. But for me if the batteries get to about 1.2 or lower, I usually throw them out. Thats just me.
Batteries have an internal resistance which goes up as the battery dies. Just testing with a voltmeter with no load doesn't tell what the internal resistance is which determines if it is good or bad. I used to use my tongue to test batteries until I heard people have been killed that way.
You need to apply a load to the battery to test it! Use something like 100ohm resistor across the battery or probes! A week battery could still put out the specific voltage listed on its case until a load is applied.
He was asking about the load testing on the 9v battery with the feature on the Walmart multimeter you were talking about. He wants to know if you can only test 9v batteries with it.
A better instructional video would have been 15 seconds long, and would have shown using only the better multimeter in 9v mode. The audio commentary would be "Use a multimeter with a built-in load like this one, to test batteries correctly under load, otherwise you'll only get the voltage".
Yeah but people add fluff to most of the videos that don't need to be there. This one was good compared to some others out there. I learned something new anyway.
New Sunbeam 'super heavy duty' battery (50 cents/battery) does not run smoke detector?? Smoke detector still chirps. Used cheap battery tester, like in video, and it measured 25.5 mA, which is above criteria of 25 mA. Seems ok, but is not. Then bought Rayovac alkaline batteries ($2.75/battery) which measured 26 mA. Why won't cheap battery power smoke detector? Back of Sunbeam package shows picture of smoke detector suggesting it will work....
I don't agree. I've had my cheap meter (less than $10) for about 20 years. Still works and I've check DC voltage, AC house current, automotive electrical drain (DCA) with zero problems.
The meter you are using has a load test position for 1.5 and 9 volt batteries. Why would you use the no load voltage ranges? The meter has often been compared to meters costing far more. Accuracy is not the problem. It is the fall apart leads and flimsy construction. You also got ripped off. You have a Harbor Freight meter. They often give them away with any purchase. When they are not being given away they are about six bucks. People put their freebies on ebay and sell them for 10 bucks.
Decide. Is the yellow meter reading right? No. Why? You need a load on the battery. Then you show the other with the battery tester, which is the right way. BTW, it does not give "true voltage", it goes the current in mA. You're not helping anyone with bad info..
to check a 9v, just touch it with the tip of your tongue. as for this video, you would want to check the resistance of the battery to determine how much life it has left, this will not work. better served just to buy a cheap battery tester or use a single battery device such as a nose hair trimmer though likely only for aa.
You know how I tell if my batteries are good? If my s*** stops working and I put in a fresh battery and it works again then the old batteries no good!.
You skipped an important part in explaining which two holes (out of three) you have your leads hooked up to on your meter and why? If you're measuring volts in the first example -why is your red lead hooked up to the 10A dc? hole (which I had to zoom in to see and also says Voma whatever that means). This is the kind of stuff that is confusing about multi meters. Assuming it's common knowledge when doing a video like this is whatever.
Well i just wanted to know what reading i should be seeing on a used 9 v and then it launches into a DC electronics intermediate course...i gotta a cheap azz volt meter and not gona throw a load on the little battery thats actually meant for ANOTHER Voltmeter...nor do i know what to do with this information...toss it, maybe just use rechargables, keep using it how it is?!
Without connecting the meter to anything, the display shows 0.07 There is something wrong with this multimeter, ask your money back and don't use it for any test.
You shouldn’t assume everyone knows how to test a battery with a multimeter...that’s the whole point of the video - to show ppl how. Do you use VAC VDC setting? I’ll go check a helpful video now.
Just got this for free at harbor freight. I got this specifically for testing a drawer full of batteries to see which ones are good and which ones aren't. Thanks for explaining the basics on how to do that. I appreciate it!
But without putting a load on the batteries, you can't really see whether they're any good or not. You need to put a fairly heavy load on a battery to get an accurate reading of its condition.
I use a 1-ohm resistor in parallel with the meter in order to draw enough current out of the battery to properly and accurately test its condition. If you don't do that, the battey will give you a falsely high voltage reading and it will look "good" even when it isn't.
@@sarsaparillasunset3873 is this a legit way to test? Never heard of it.
batteries have an internal resistance. You need at least a 100 ohm resister to get the ACTUAL voltage reading.
This comment is actually more helpful than the video
Quite correct. A nonsense video and no use whatsoever to indicate the state of a battery. You need a load across the terminals to get an accurate voltage reading.
Neil Williams so How do i do that? i want to test some cr123 batteries. i have the AA and AAA setting but ithink the setting won't work for these batteries
He mentions the other multimeter that should give the load test at around 2 mins. However, he didn't open the package to use it to show.
So take it with a grain of salt...the video shows how to get the Voltage reading, which some people may not have know. It also mentions the load test, which someone may or may not have caught.
He said in the video to get a better multi-meter to put load on it if people would listen. Pay attention.
Use a resister around 100 Ohms to draw the battery you'll get a better reading.
And thanks for a very clear, good instructional video
Indeed, except that I would go further and say that even 100 ohms is too high (far too high, to be honest) to really test any battery. It's just nowhere near enough of a load to properly test a battery. I would use 1 or 2 ohms for a 1.5-volt cell and around 5 ohms for a 9-volt battery. That way, you can get a good idea of the battery's internal resistance (which is really what you're measuring when you test a battery). A 100-ohm resistor is so much higher than the battery's own internal resistance that it "swamps" (overwhelms) it and masks the battery's own condition and capabilities.
Finally I found a video that explained the different settings! The video was clear so I could read your multimeter settings. Thank you :)
+Aileen PT The video is quite bad and does not provide ANY useful information. A beginner's guide should explain why and how. Pro's don't need this!
Do you know what the cutoff voltage is for the battery? At what point do you replace the 9v battery?
Without Load its impossible to confirm whether the battery is good or not..I would say reading closer to 1.4V on a common multimeter can be considered as a good battery. I had a bad battery which is not functional anymore read the voltage as 1.26V in multimeter, but when i applied a 100mA load the voltage dropped to 1.01V which is below the nominal threshold voltage of 1.1V. As a result the battery was not operational!
The other Cen-tech model 90899 has a 9V(25mA) on the dial for this very purpose. It puts a load of 370 mΩ and it should read 25mA.
This is a classic example of a crappy multimeter, your meter showed 1.8 volts for a AAA battery, there is NO WAY that AAA is putting out 1.8 volts DC, that meter is grossly inaccurate, which is what I found when I got one of those Cen Tech meters, it was so inaccurate it was almost useless. Spend a little bit more money and get a better meter. Battery testing without a load doesn't tell you much, some batteries will test OK with no load, but bad with a load, so add a little resistor (about 100 ohms) or get that meter with a dedicated battery tester built in.
so you didnt even watch the whole video, did you?
yes a 1.5 volt battery can and will be over 1.5V that is how they get the extended life just like all 18650 are rated 3.7 but there range is usually 2.5 top out at 4.25V
Your video is clear and simple, thank you for that.. was testing the 12v car battery 👌🏽👌🏽
Going to return mine. This video made my mind up and probelry saved me from getting a shock ! Thank you .
Is the battery symbol on the left bottom of the menu/screen an indication that the battery is low?
How can read the value if the battery power has weak?
I thought you are suppose to put in on the 10A sign (and change the red wire to the upper hole)?
I don' t understand how the voltage shown on the multimeter display indicate whether a battery is good or not..... can you please explain for a newbie ?
internal resistance increases as you reach the end of the battery life. If you directly read the voltage without a load you may have a normal voltage which would fail in a few seconds when connected on load.
I've never used one b4... the wire's were not plugged-in into any of the holes or sockets? I'm using a phone, and can't really see which the positive is plugged-in into or the negative.
Bad Bad Advice. One should know how to use a multimeter before "teaching" someone else how to use one. the "audio" function he is referring to on the better meter is a diode tester. forward and reverse voltages are not gonna be the same due to circuit protections in most good batteries. One should only test batteries with a battery tester or a meter with a battery testing function. Read your manual for you meter to understand how it works and how to get good readings from it.
You can absolutely test the battery with a multimeter like that, but you want to put a load on the battery (a resistor will do)
I'm 55 and JUST starting out an electronics hobby (been a software developer for 28 years and wanting a new "retirement" hobby). Mine, while probably cheap, doesn't show anything on the 9V setting. It does on the 20 DCV, so that's cool. Just wondering if I should blame the meter or the battery or my dumb brain. Great video, thanks.
if my multimeter got the "9v batt" does that automatically mean it will put a load? thanks
Thanks for explaining what the 1.5V and 9V BATT settings do. I was wondering what the point of them were when we could just use the DC volt meter in the 2V/20V range.
gulp... you made us laugh ... thanks
how to check ampere in a battery like 9v alkaline and 1.5v DC AA battery like duracell ultra etc which is localy available to you
Thank you! Simple and clear to follow!
waiting for you to show the use of the other volt meter... Glad I had fast forward... wow
Witch one is the diode test any help ?
How do I know what voltage any particular battery is? I don't see it on the battery.
Jim Watson: All batteries will have their voltage marked on them somewhere. AA and AAA are usually 1.5 volts unless they are rechargeable (which are usually 1.2 volts) and the oblong batteries seen at the beginning of this video are 9 volts (if non-rechargeable).
@@paganphil100 thanks!
why the battery symbol is displaying in multi meter screen. what is the indication.
Madhu Sudhan: It usually means that the battery inside the meter is low.
So does de voltage measures the juice left in the batery?
Nope. At least, not the way this guy does it.
In order to properly test a battery, you need to put a load on it. That means putting a resistor in parallel with the meter so that it draws a fair amount of current out of the battery. Only then will the voltage reading tell you the true condition of the battery.
In order to draw an adequate amount of current out of the battery so you can get a reliable measurement, I would recommend a fairly low resistance e.g., about 1 or 2 ohms for a 1.5-volt cell and around 5 ohms for a 9-volt battery. Be sure to connect the resistor _across_ the leads of the meter (not in series with them.)
Those cheap multimeters from Harbor Freight can sometimes be way off, they often give those away, at least they used to, I had one that was so far off on low voltage DC that I spent a lot of time trying to find a problem, and in the end the problem was with the meter.
If it doesn't matter which side you connect for positive and negative, why did it read 8.76 (negative) and 9.18 (positive)???
I actually got one of these at Harbor Freight for free, just by buying another item. Works great in a pinch.
So what is the numbers that means it low
Thanks Adam, was totally confused with all the settings on mine, now I know, just keep it on 20 (DCV) :-)
I have a bit of a predicament I have a battery pack that I have no charger to and wanna make one how would I go about doing so it is a krmt 33/62 5100mah 6.0v * 2 nickel cadmium
any advice my multi meter doesnt bring up anything but0.00 cheers
when i try to check dc voltage by using this cheap multimeter i get 1 in the display .plz tell what happend to my multimeter,it is showing 1 for all mesurements (resistance ,voltage and current)
I came here as my D batteries were showing 1.8 to almost 2v, same as the strong working AA's, but none of the D's would give much light at all when used in the 2 cell flashlight I needed so I came here to reconfirm I did it right..I did, but my old cheap meter and the D size results really messed with my head as it did not work and I am glad it was not an important reason and need at the time. worked great for AA alkaline and 9v though.
Real good tutorial 🤙🏾👍🏾🤔
has the capacitance function?
Thank you for your time and easy to understand instructions.
Your multimeter seems to be measuring a lower voltage when your polarity is reversed. Even my cheapest Harbor Freight one works more consistently than that.
You need to place a 100 Ohm resistor across the battery to give it some load. No-Load readings can be misleading.
what if is my meter don't have a 20 dvc?. The selector only have a 10, 50, 250, 1000
Use 10
Thanks for this quick tutorial Adam!
Can you test Dot batteries?
So at what point would you say a AA 1.5v battery be replaced?
1.3?
1.0?
Or a 9v?
will it work on a car battery?
I agree you should get a good one.
I have it. But if i turn it on, it does not work (screen do not display). Whats going on?
+Mikolaj Tomaszewski You may just need a new 9volt battery. It runs off a battery in the back.
Open the back where the screws are and replace the battery.
Yep, that's the problem. Got repaired. Thanks.
Where do you plug in the leeds?!
Very Helpful Video.
Thank you!
Thank you for your video. My ? is what is the lowest V for a battery to still be useful. I have AA that are 1.45 (used) and 1.51 (new). Both are RAYOVAC Alkaline, Expiration date 12-2018.
If you are using them for a TV remote, you can get away with a voltage as low as 1 or so. But for me if the batteries get to about 1.2 or lower, I usually throw them out. Thats just me.
AdamDIY By the way, new batteries often measure 1.6V
Batteries have an internal resistance which goes up as the battery dies. Just testing with a voltmeter with no load doesn't tell what the internal resistance is which determines if it is good or bad. I used to use my tongue to test batteries until I heard people have been killed that way.
Thanks l just needed a new battery in my voltmeter ❤
I have a red version of this, the display and probes are broken.
Do I have to use a cheap meter?
Very Helpful....Thanks
you sir are a smart person. this video is the best on internets
You need to apply a load to the battery to test it! Use something like 100ohm resistor across the battery or probes! A week battery could still put out the specific voltage listed on its case until a load is applied.
He said in the video to get a better multi-meter to put load on it if people would listen. Pay attention.
True, but the way he goes on to test them with the non loaded meter is pointless.
Didnt you watch the whole video? He explains exaclty that.
John Kallie it c xx:-
Thanks I didnt know how to do that :) if I was to buy a better Multimeter like the one you said can it only put current through a 9V battery?
+Paul Sheraton I'm not sure I understand what you are asking.
He was asking about the load testing on the 9v battery with the feature on the Walmart multimeter you were talking about. He wants to know if you can only test 9v batteries with it.
AdamDIY I can't remember either now no big deal :)
A better instructional video would have been 15 seconds long, and would have shown using only the better multimeter in 9v mode. The audio commentary would be "Use a multimeter with a built-in load like this one, to test batteries correctly under load, otherwise you'll only get the voltage".
Yeah but people add fluff to most of the videos that don't need to be there. This one was good compared to some others out there. I learned something new anyway.
for the TRUE - reading is there a known benchmark chart to know the good/marignal/dead?
Why did you fat-shame the round battery?
Video starts with a very important message "DONT USE THIS CRAP MULTIMETER FOR HIGH VOLTAGES" very good video.
right to the point. thank you
Very informative. Thank you for posting.
New Sunbeam 'super heavy duty' battery (50 cents/battery) does not run smoke detector?? Smoke detector still chirps. Used cheap battery tester, like in video, and it measured 25.5 mA, which is above criteria of 25 mA. Seems ok, but is not. Then bought Rayovac alkaline batteries ($2.75/battery) which measured 26 mA. Why won't cheap battery power smoke detector? Back of Sunbeam package shows picture of smoke detector suggesting it will work....
I believe most smoke alarms specify alkaline batteries. Heavy duty types aren't as heavy duty. ;-)
I'm your 1000' like . thanks for helping in this simple task
Change the battery of the multimeter it gives wrong readings
I don't agree. I've had my cheap meter (less than $10) for about 20 years. Still works and I've check DC voltage, AC house current, automotive electrical drain (DCA) with zero problems.
my has sound Idk what's that for...
I Love TH-cam! Nice Video!
The meter you are using has a load test position for 1.5 and 9 volt batteries. Why would you use the no load voltage ranges? The meter has often been compared to meters costing far more. Accuracy is not the problem. It is the fall apart leads and flimsy construction. You also got ripped off. You have a Harbor Freight meter. They often give them away with any purchase. When they are not being given away they are about six bucks. People put their freebies on ebay and sell them for 10 bucks.
good video thx Ed Loretto Ontario Canada
Decide. Is the yellow meter reading right? No. Why? You need a load on the battery. Then you show the other with the battery tester, which is the right way. BTW, it does not give "true voltage", it goes the current in mA. You're not helping anyone with bad info..
Thanks for the info I needed made simple nice
Did not tell us at what voltage battery is bad.
Thanks very easy to understand
to check a 9v, just touch it with the tip of your tongue. as for this video, you would want to check the resistance of the battery to determine how much life it has left, this will not work. better served just to buy a cheap battery tester or use a single battery device such as a nose hair trimmer though likely only for aa.
You know how I tell if my batteries are good? If my s*** stops working and I put in a fresh battery and it works again then the old batteries no good!.
Bravo!! That goes to show you've got more brains than the author of this video.
these are now like $3 free shipping
You skipped an important part in explaining which two holes (out of three) you have your leads hooked up to on your meter and why? If you're measuring volts in the first example -why is your red lead hooked up to the 10A dc? hole (which I had to zoom in to see and also says Voma whatever that means). This is the kind of stuff that is confusing about multi meters. Assuming it's common knowledge when doing a video like this is whatever.
thank u , it was so helpful
Thanks for the info. Great help!
Great video. Thanks.
Move your lead to the top hole. Switch to that spot. Load test is there. Read your manual. 😁
Why not connect ends properly? Showed -8. Something when wrong way and 9. Something when put in right position. Recommend a different video
Well i just wanted to know what reading i should be seeing on a used 9 v and then it launches into a DC electronics intermediate course...i gotta a cheap azz volt meter and not gona throw a load on the little battery thats actually meant for ANOTHER Voltmeter...nor do i know what to do with this information...toss it, maybe just use rechargables, keep using it how it is?!
Excellent
He said in the video to get a better multi-meter to put load on it if people would listen. Pay attention.
But despite that he continues to test batteries with DCV setting and say the batteries are good if they show about the voltage it should have.
Thanks
$10..for a cheap meter. You're getting robbed
This vid is so full of wrong info that you should just delete it.
I just got a multi-meter at Rural King just like that for $1.99 to test my AA & AAA batteries.
Without connecting the meter to anything, the display shows 0.07
There is something wrong with this multimeter, ask your money back and don't use it for any test.
Nice video, new friend here!
THANKS YOU MADE THAT EZ!
Thanks very helpful.
I not treating to be rude but if someone is too stupid to know what dcv and diode is they should be using it
good video
thanks man
You shouldn’t assume everyone knows how to test a battery with a multimeter...that’s the whole point of the video - to show ppl how. Do you use VAC VDC setting? I’ll go check a helpful video now.