The ripple voltage test is for leaking diodes . If the diodes , which only allow current to flow in one direction , go bad , it will drain the battery , even with the car sitting and shut off . You can also use a DVOM , but this is easier . Old cars that had a red light that would illuminate when the car wasn't being charged , would light that bulb if the diodes in the alternator were bad . If would stay on all the time . Great tester for that price .
Light wouldnt always stay on all the time.A loose belt would cause the light to flicker...or come on only when the belt slipped when revving or idle.The idiot light was at least a bit useful..
At 18:43 your AC ripple voltage is 160 mV and anything above 100 mV AC ripple is considered a bad diode . Your meter said the charging test passed when it clearly failed as the diodes are going bad causing to much AC ripple. A few people consider less than 300mV AC ripple to be ok but the vast majority of people say less than 100 mV AC ripple is the limit of being OK. If you measure the ripple directly from the + post on the alternator then your true real reading would be higher and worse as the battery tends to filter out and smooth AC ripple which gives an inaccurate reading if measured from the battery.
You're absolutely right, the rectifier with the aid of diodes rectify the AC current to DC current but there still remains a tiny bit of AC current. The alternator ripple test measures the AC Voltage which should generally be less than 100mV. I don't understand how the unit says the alternator passed the ripple test unless they set the limit much higher. The foxwell bt705 also performs a ripple test but doesn't show the results, it does it in the back end. I'm wondering if you can do all these tests using a digital clamp meter, cause all this device shows is SOH, SOC, internal resistance, ripple test, and voltage drop test during cranking.
Since a new battery’s State Of Health is supposed to be 100%, my pro mechanic friend said he recommends anybody start thinking about replacing the battery if it is lower than 75%. My car battery, which is several years old, and caused a dash warning light to come on, is at 57% health. Wouldn’t it be safe to say it needs replacing? Is there a chart somewhere that shows the battery health percentage and if it is in the green, yellow, or red (replace) scale? Thanks, Tom
In my opinion....I want to get the most out of my cars battery.I dont want it to leave me stranded....But...If it starts the car fine....every time....at least in the summer....I aint throwing it away no matter what the tester says.Now it is a good warning though...because you know it wont start in the winter if its saying replace..
13:59 this tester apparently uses the downward drop in voltage as the basis for determining when the start occurs and incorrectly picked up the ignition turning on as being the start event. What you could do is to have the ignition on before you enter the start measurement so that you don't trigger it prematurely. Either this tester is set too sensitive for this test or you have a poor battery/connection that the detected voltage drops so much just from turning on the ignition that it actually thought you were trying to start the car.
Don't know if different makes of testers do it differently, but I think the Konnwei one I have may look for the repetitive pulses seen on actual cranking rather than just a single pulse like this one. I'll have to confirm if that's the case, but it would be a better design doing it that way. I've seen another video where it apparently started timing after the guy just opened his door and the dome light comes on. If you have one of these units that do that you probably should turn the ignition on with the window open, start the test, and then reach in the window to crank. Then you should get a more useful starting time measurement.
Decent option for the price. It would be worth it to me for something I can test at home before taking the battery out to get a new one or to take with you to someone needing a jump. On site testing. 👍⚡️⚡️💯
If I had to guess, the ripple test is getting base line voltage fluctuation. It does this to detect the greater voltage fluctuations when detecting cranking and charging. I the math on these testers is simple and the device uses a algorithm or look up table to determine general condition. How else would these know the engine is cranking? its not measuring anything other than voltage. MAYBE (Doubtful) some low current if it has a shunt resistor internal. I will say this, the results may not be the same. Saying basically good or bad with no contact is not always a good thing. I would love to know which one is more accurate with its numbers . "Good" is relative if the scales used by each is different as is the accuracy of the device. I also would be really interest on how extending the wires would impact the performance. The TOPDON would be a great value if it aloud one person operation from within the car. I loved this video. Thanks for sharing it.
13:55 It is disappointing that topdon started the test and detected RPM when there was no RPM at all. It is suspicious. Also, it is disappointing that the topdon does not ask you to turn on lights and fan blower. It seems to me topdon puts some load but what load we don't know. The previous version topdon 101 was better
16:00 If the camera used for the video is fixed focus, it'd be actually better to pull back away some, so the screen is in focus. Closer is bigger but very blurry 😎
Charging test- engine running enter ripple then go into car rev engine 5 seconds get out of car don't forget taking your foot with you off accelerator hit enter boom correct readings. Topdon reads the rev in 5 sec calculates you press enter to get results. Don't press enter during actual revs
The way they work is by using a small load for testing and applying Ohm's law to determine the current corresponding to a 3V drop. They'll call it "CCA" though it's not really testing under the cold temperature conditions.
Don't forget the age of the battery. The code date on which it was manufactured for it's total age. Batteries getting to 8 years will start to show a lower health rating...
I am in the UK. My battery does not say CCA but it does say 12V 60Ah and 640A(EN). What is the CCA ? Obviously 640A, so I am told. But I am also told that 640A(EN) corresponds to 700 SAE/CCA ! So what is my CCA ? Presumable I select "input" as EN rather than CCA ? Why ? Thanks.
I liked it. I put it back on when I sold it, actually, but had it off before. I like the look without it. But it was a good carrier. The body mount style made it easy to just pull two bolts and remove the carrier and tire.
Topdon not a bad brand for the money, they make all kind of decent priced stuff. many times i hava seen the so called "automotive" overpriced gear, i mean electronics are getting better and cheaper all the time, no reason to not try them out
The Konnwei is under $20, does the same tests as these. Considering new batteries are over $100, and alternators $$$$, these diagnostic meters are a bargain.
Im trying to chose a tester and I already looked at the Konnwei and discounted it because of the user reports of inaccurate readings for the CCA test. Ive narrowed down my choice to either the Topdon or Vident. Im probably going to go for the Topdon because I posted something to their official YT channel and someone from the company actutally read it and responded which was unexpected.
@@Ironbuket There are a lot of variability in users, so don't discount things based on a few reports. From what I've seen with my Tim Konnwei, it's good. Certainly for the Walmart price of 23.99 😎 Decent consistency and accuracy from my measurements.
If you are not testing at 0°F, shouldn't you use CA instead of CCA and get much higher value? If you test CCA and dont even get that "low" Amp, its pretty bad! 12,3V is not a good voltage, its pretty discharged. A new one holds around 12,9V pretty well, so 12,3V is almost discharged. Thanks for the comparison of those two tester!
Topdon tester, that thing is garbage, compare it with a multimeter, and see the difference. The calculations are based on the voltage, and if that is wrong the rest of the data is junk.
You'd get a lot more subscribers if you'd get your act together. I subscribed then unsubsidized 1/2 thru vid cuz too many uncorrected mistakes. Your comparing Topdon to Napa but you screwed up the Topdon starting test. So how can we compare the readings on the 2 units to see how accurate the cheaper one is!!! I'll continue and if u edited it I apologize. Otherwise maybe this suggestion can help u get one subscribers. Do a practice vid first. Then do one for real.
A lot of people are staying at home and not using their vehicles since the Wuhan flu. A lot of people are avoiding going to any stores or interacting with anyone when they can avoid it because they are older or have existing health conditions, or live with others that are older or have health conditions. In addition, if you take a battery to most places they are going to tell you it needs replacing even if it doesnt.
The ripple voltage test is for leaking diodes . If the diodes , which only allow current to flow in one direction , go bad , it will drain the battery , even with the car sitting and shut off . You can also use a DVOM , but this is easier . Old cars that had a red light that would illuminate when the car wasn't being charged , would light that bulb if the diodes in the alternator were bad . If would stay on all the time . Great tester for that price .
Light wouldnt always stay on all the time.A loose belt would cause the light to flicker...or come on only when the belt slipped when revving or idle.The idiot light was at least a bit useful..
The Napa tester is really a midtronics MDX640 with a Napa sticker overtop.
I have the BT-600. Got it on sale. Used it for about a month now. Works great and print well. Great for the price!
glad to see you back! Looking forward to these.
At 18:43 your AC ripple voltage is 160 mV and anything above 100 mV AC ripple is considered a bad diode . Your meter said the charging test passed when it clearly failed as the diodes are going bad causing to much AC ripple. A few people consider less than 300mV AC ripple to be ok but the vast majority of people say less than 100 mV AC ripple is the limit of being OK. If you measure the ripple directly from the + post on the alternator then your true real reading would be higher and worse as the battery tends to filter out and smooth AC ripple which gives an inaccurate reading if measured from the battery.
You're absolutely right, the rectifier with the aid of diodes rectify the AC current to DC current but there still remains a tiny bit of AC current. The alternator ripple test measures the AC Voltage which should generally be less than 100mV. I don't understand how the unit says the alternator passed the ripple test unless they set the limit much higher. The foxwell bt705 also performs a ripple test but doesn't show the results, it does it in the back end. I'm wondering if you can do all these tests using a digital clamp meter, cause all this device shows is SOH, SOC, internal resistance, ripple test, and voltage drop test during cranking.
Since a new battery’s State Of Health is supposed to be 100%, my pro mechanic friend said he recommends anybody start thinking about replacing the battery if it is lower than 75%. My car battery, which is several years old, and caused a dash warning light to come on, is at 57% health. Wouldn’t it be safe to say it needs replacing? Is there a chart somewhere that shows the battery health percentage and if it is in the green, yellow, or red (replace) scale? Thanks, Tom
In my opinion....I want to get the most out of my cars battery.I dont want it to leave me stranded....But...If it starts the car fine....every time....at least in the summer....I aint throwing it away no matter what the tester says.Now it is a good warning though...because you know it wont start in the winter if its saying replace..
13:59 this tester apparently uses the downward drop in voltage as the basis for determining when the start occurs and incorrectly picked up the ignition turning on as being the start event. What you could do is to have the ignition on before you enter the start measurement so that you don't trigger it prematurely. Either this tester is set too sensitive for this test or you have a poor battery/connection that the detected voltage drops so much just from turning on the ignition that it actually thought you were trying to start the car.
Don't know if different makes of testers do it differently, but I think the Konnwei one I have may look for the repetitive pulses seen on actual cranking rather than just a single pulse like this one.
I'll have to confirm if that's the case, but it would be a better design doing it that way.
I've seen another video where it apparently started timing after the guy just opened his door and the dome light comes on. If you have one of these units that do that you probably should turn the ignition on with the window open, start the test, and then reach in the window to crank. Then you should get a more useful starting time measurement.
Great test. I have 2 batteries at home I need to do this too. Wish I knew, I have a 2 year old Optima that needs tested.
Decent option for the price.
It would be worth it to me for something I can test at home before taking the battery out to get a new one or to take with you to someone needing a jump. On site testing. 👍⚡️⚡️💯
Thanks for the video. Would have been great to run same test on the second battery after charging it like instructed. See the difference.
Great video! Thanks for doing a comparison with a Professional tester. It's been 3 years. Are you still using the TOPDON?
If I had to guess, the ripple test is getting base line voltage fluctuation. It does this to detect the greater voltage fluctuations when detecting cranking and charging. I the math on these testers is simple and the device uses a algorithm or look up table to determine general condition. How else would these know the engine is cranking? its not measuring anything other than voltage. MAYBE (Doubtful) some low current if it has a shunt resistor internal. I will say this, the results may not be the same. Saying basically good or bad with no contact is not always a good thing. I would love to know which one is more accurate with its numbers . "Good" is relative if the scales used by each is different as is the accuracy of the device. I also would be really interest on how extending the wires would impact the performance. The TOPDON would be a great value if it aloud one person operation from within the car. I loved this video. Thanks for sharing it.
13:55 It is disappointing that topdon started the test and detected RPM when there was no RPM at all. It is suspicious. Also, it is disappointing that the topdon does not ask you to turn on lights and fan blower. It seems to me topdon puts some load but what load we don't know. The previous version topdon 101 was better
Sometimes you have to do the test again to confirm
16:00 If the camera used for the video is fixed focus, it'd be actually better to pull back away some, so the screen is in focus. Closer is bigger but very blurry 😎
Charging test- engine running enter ripple then go into car rev engine 5 seconds get out of car don't forget taking your foot with you off accelerator hit enter boom correct readings. Topdon reads the rev in 5 sec calculates you press enter to get results. Don't press enter during actual revs
I just purchased a Topdon battery tester for most of the same reasons but it also will work on my 24 volt heavy equipment.
Would have been a great video but you can't really see the screen of the testers.
Sorry but just to add, these are not load testing the battery they are conductance testers. Most modern battery testers are now conductance testers.
The way they work is by using a small load for testing and applying Ohm's law to determine the current corresponding to a 3V drop. They'll call it "CCA" though it's not really testing under the cold temperature conditions.
Don't forget the age of the battery. The code date on which it was manufactured for it's total age. Batteries getting to 8 years will start to show a lower health rating...
I am in the UK. My battery does not say CCA but it does say 12V 60Ah and 640A(EN). What is the CCA ? Obviously 640A, so I am told. But I am also told that 640A(EN) corresponds to 700 SAE/CCA ! So what is my CCA ? Presumable I select "input" as EN rather than CCA ? Why ? Thanks.
The problem with the bt200 is tvat fir 24v systems you cant do CCA test
Which u prefer bst 860 launch,foxwell bt 705or topdon bt 200 as quality and accuracy?
nice test bro, i just bought a Topdon for $50AUD
Poison spider tire carriers what is your thoughts I noticed you had removed it from your Jeep when you sold it
I liked it. I put it back on when I sold it, actually, but had it off before. I like the look without it. But it was a good carrier. The body mount style made it easy to just pull two bolts and remove the carrier and tire.
The napa has many more functions....so its more money...I dont know why you did not mention that..
Wat about the one for $12.50?
580A vs 530A CCA and calling that "the exact same result" ??
I’d go with the BT200. Only like $20 more.
I went (just recently) with a Harbor Freight "Viking" 12v battery tester ($39.99).
Topdon not a bad brand for the money, they make all kind of decent priced stuff. many times i hava seen the so called "automotive" overpriced gear, i mean electronics are getting better and cheaper all the time, no reason to not try them out
The Konnwei is under $20, does the same tests as these.
Considering new batteries are over $100, and alternators $$$$, these diagnostic meters are a bargain.
Im trying to chose a tester and I already looked at the Konnwei and discounted it because of the user reports of inaccurate readings for the CCA test. Ive narrowed down my choice to either the Topdon or Vident. Im probably going to go for the Topdon because I posted something to their official YT channel and someone from the company actutally read it and responded which was unexpected.
@@Ironbuket There are a lot of variability in users, so don't discount things based on a few reports. From what I've seen with my Tim Konnwei, it's good. Certainly for the Walmart price of 23.99 😎
Decent consistency and accuracy from my measurements.
12.33 volts is not good. 12.6v at a full charge.
If you are not testing at 0°F, shouldn't you use CA instead of CCA and get much higher value? If you test CCA and dont even get that "low" Amp, its pretty bad! 12,3V is not a good voltage, its pretty discharged. A new one holds around 12,9V pretty well, so 12,3V is almost discharged.
Thanks for the comparison of those two tester!
i get a kick out of him saying an automotive battery with 12.3V is good, lmao, that's boardline dead.
True
bad voltage u mean. 12.6 is no good
Angle to view tester was very poor
So much for being a legend and super start. 😂 all lies
Topdon tester, that thing is garbage, compare it with a multimeter, and see the difference. The calculations are based on the voltage, and if that is wrong the rest of the data is junk.
You'd get a lot more subscribers if you'd get your act together. I subscribed then unsubsidized 1/2 thru vid cuz too many uncorrected mistakes. Your comparing Topdon to Napa but you screwed up the Topdon starting test. So how can we compare the readings on the 2 units to see how accurate the cheaper one is!!! I'll continue and if u edited it I apologize. Otherwise maybe this suggestion can help u get one subscribers. Do a practice vid first. Then do one for real.
Too much talk
I would have a hard time paying any amount of money for a tester when you can get it tested for free at any auto parts store.
Exactly why I brought that up in the video. To make sure people even knew that was an option.
Agree but they dont tested with a load
A lot of people are staying at home and not using their vehicles since the Wuhan flu. A lot of people are avoiding going to any stores or interacting with anyone when they can avoid it because they are older or have existing health conditions, or live with others that are older or have health conditions. In addition, if you take a battery to most places they are going to tell you it needs replacing even if it doesnt.
Convenience that's why. Why waste your time going to an autoparts store depending on your situation they may be closed or to far.
@@Ironbuket yep