Bronwyn Steck

For: …………… Meta Description: How can you measure the capacity of your bicycle battery precisely? You can either do it yourself, or alternatively, you could have a professional do it. _________________________________________ Measuring the capacity of your bicycle battery While you are out cycling or even when charging your bicycle battery, you might realise that the capacity of your battery no longer corresponds to the original capacity. Before you buy a new one, or have your old bicycle battery reconditioned, it should be looked over carefully. The first step is to check the voltage and power of the bicycle battery with a measuring device. Please read on to find out more about this topic. Making the necessary preparations to measure the capacity of your bicycle battery Would you like to check the total capacity of your bicycle battery? Of course you can visit a …………… dealer, who will certainly be able to help you. But you can also test your battery by yourself at home. In order to do so, you will need a digital multimeter, which is a measuring device with several measuring ranges. The device should also have a capacity monitor, which makes it quicker and easier to read the total capacity of the battery. First remove the bicycle battery from the e-bike. When the energy-dense li-ion batteries came onto the market, they were mostly attached to the downtube of the e-bike, in order to ensure good balance. Nowadays, however, there are more and more solutions that integrate the bicycle battery almost invisibly into the downtube. After removing the bicycle battery, place it on a table. This makes it easier to see the negative (-) and positive (+) terminals on the battery connectors. In order to measure the voltage and other electrical values accurately, the digital meter must be set up and connected correctly. There are different controls and connections available for this purpose. The so-called measuring leads are used to connect the measuring device to the object to be tested. The sockets of the measuring device are usually clearly labelled, to prevent incorrect connection of the measuring leads. In case of doubt, you should first read the enclosed operating instructions in detail. Please note that only the capacity of a fully charged battery can be measured accurately. Exactly how does one measure the capacity of a bicycle battery? Many multimeters are equipped with fuses that blow if they are used incorrectly or if the current is too high. In such a case, you do not have to discard the entire measuring device – you simply need to change the fuse. Sometimes manufacturers even supply spare fuses when you buy a digital multimeter, just in case. Many multimeters have an on/off switch that can be used to start the device. To prolong the life of the multimeter battery, many models switch off automatically after a certain amount of time. As soon as you have made all the necessary preparations, the measurement leads have been connected correctly and the measurement ranges have been properly set, the measurement process can begin. You can now read the voltage value of the battery on the digital display. Voltage measurement is one of the simplest measurements available in electrical engineering, because the multimeter is simply connected to the voltage source or the object to be measured in parallel. By the way, in order to prevent excessive current from flowing through the measuring device, which could lead to inaccurate results, the multimeter has a particularly large internal resistance during voltage measurement. What do the results of the measurement tell you about the battery? The exact voltage value of the battery can be read off the display. Please note that a battery that is in good condition should show a minimum reading of 36 volts. The total capacity of a bicycle battery is determined by the electrical voltage (V), the amount of charge (Ah) and the resulting stored electrical energy (Wh). In other words, the more watt hours (Wh) a bicycle battery has, the more powerful it is. When choosing a bicycle battery, you should therefore pay attention to the watt hours (Wh) rather than the specified ampere hours (Ah). For example, a bicycle battery power pack 500 is calculated as follows: 36 (V) x 13.4 (Ah) ≈ 500 watt hours. A reading of less than 36 volts for your bicycle battery indicates that your battery is already pretty much worn out. In other words, the condition of your battery is no longer optimal. Measuring your battery capacity with a digital multimeter in your garage is not as precise as a professional measurement done by your dealer. A specialist can also measure what a battery is capable of while in operation, for example. The fact that a battery indicates 36 volts or more does not automatically mean that it can deliver optimum performance. If your bicycle battery no longer works, or if it is significantly less powerful than before, you should have it tested by a specialist dealer to be on the safe side. A professional measurement is always a better option than a quick test at home. Calculate the status of your battery yourself A closer look at the time it takes to charge your bicycle battery will tell you a lot about its condition. Let's assume that you have a battery charger that delivers a charging current of 2A. Your charger will need 6 hours to fully charge your battery. This would give your bicycle battery a capacity of 12 ampere-hours (Ah). Now, you should compare this capacity with the original capacity of your battery. If your battery had a maximum of 14 Ah in its original state, you can assume that your bicycle battery has already been worn out to some extent. Charging of a bicycle battery that has become old and no longer functions properly, due to years of wear and tear, takes a very long time. Therefore, it is difficult to measure the total capacity of an old battery accurately. A small, handheld digital multimeter for measuring the capacity of a bicycle battery is definitely a handy thing to have at home. However, if you are in any doubt, you should always contact a professional. Having the capacity of your bicycle battery measured by a professional You realise that your bicycle battery is not charging well. Consequently, you also notice that your bicycle battery loses its charge much too quickly. What do you do now? Perhaps you have thought about measuring the total capacity of your bicycle battery yourself, but you are not sure which digital multimeter to use. Are you unsure about the possibilities, or do you feel you don't have sufficient knowledge or possibilities to measure the capacity of your bicycle battery yourself? Don't worry! You can simply get in touch with a …………… dealer who will gladly take professional measurements for you. He will be able to provide you with a customer report along with the battery parameters obtained from the measurement. One of our …………… dealers will discuss with you in detail whether you need to buy a replacement battery or not. Another possibility might be to recondition your bicycle battery, whereby the old cell block of the battery is replaced by a new cell block, which is installed within the old battery housing. But, before spending a lot of money on spare parts, you should first inform yourself thoroughly or have someone inform you, because there are often more possible solutions than are immediately apparent.