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Battery Tester - 2032 button batteries

by Team EPO
Wed, Feb 12, 2020 13:39
8

Finding the quality of some batteries is a bit hit or miss even with brands like Duracell and thought a battery tester might help make sure it is not my user error.
£4 on Amazon or do I need to get a more pro unit?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mercury-600-098-Universal-Analogue-Battery-Blac...

More pro? but all show

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Battery-Capacity-Resistance-Batteries...

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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8 comments

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Simon E | 4 years ago
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I've bought Renata CR2032s on ebay before and they've been good but this time I didn't feel I could trust any ebay sellers so bought a blister of GPs from Go Green's own store (they're on ebay too if you prefer that route). I've had nothing but excellent service from them over the years.

https://gogreenbatteries.co.uk/gp-cr2032-3v-lithium-coin-cell-battery-5-...

They offer a discount on multiple packs.

I bought some Maxell-branded CR2032s a few years ago via ebay and later read that they were a prime candidate for ripoffs so was not surprised when the first couple didn't last long. I put the rest of the pack in the recycling.

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Xenophon2 | 4 years ago
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Purchase them at a regular supermarket chain store.  Don't ever buy batteries online or in night shops as most of them will be counterfeited.

Can't find the link now but some consumer org did a test last year where they purchased 15 Samsung phone batteries from Amazon sellers and EVERY SINGLE ONE of them turned out to be a fake.  OK, those are not coin cells but the principle holds.  With all the counterfeiting going on, I've stopped buying on Amazon, eBay and the likes, I only purchase in the brand's own internet store (if I'm sure the site is genuine) or from a couple of sellers whom I have long standing client relationship with and that I trust.

 

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hawkinspeter replied to Xenophon2 | 4 years ago
2 likes

I've bought branded (Duracell etc) 2032 batteries from Amazon and they've worked well. I've also bought no-name ones from PoundLand and been disappointed with them.

I wouldn't bother with a battery tester as you can't really tell the performance of a battery without significantly discharging it - cheap battery testers will most likely just determine the voltage across a load which doesn't really tell you anything apart from whether it works or not.

My preference is to pick a brand, use the battery and if it doesn't last very long, but a different brand next time.

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ktache | 4 years ago
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I don't think I have ever experienced a dodgy duracell coin cell, I avoid the cheap ones, always buy from supermarkets, it's one of those things that gets conterfeited.

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srchar | 4 years ago
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Get a multimeter. You can test batteries with it and do a whole lot more besides.

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Welsh boy replied to srchar | 4 years ago
1 like

srchar wrote:

Get a multimeter. You can test batteries with it and do a whole lot more besides.

And how exactly do you test a coin cell with a multimeter? Off load voltage? Current flow into a low resistance ammeter?

Your reply wasn't very helpful, seriously, I would like to know how you test a button cell with a multimeter. 

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srchar replied to Welsh boy | 4 years ago
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A decent one (and even many not decent ones) has a battery test circuit on it. Mine adds 15 or 1000 ohms resistance (select the one that suits your battery's voltage)  and displays the measured current, so a reading around 0.1A into 15 ohms would mean a 1.5V battery is good, for example.

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fixit replied to Welsh boy | 4 years ago
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If they are below 3.0 volts, they are dead . New ones should read 3.23 volts.

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