In the Peak Charge section notice that the battery was quick charged for 738mAh. This is greater than the measured
capacity of the battery, which is to be expected since charging is always less than 100% efficient. This also means
that the battery received the full peak charge and didn’t false peak. A false peak is a voltage peak that can occur
during the beginning of the charge cycle. It normally occurs on a new battery or a battery that hasn't been cycled in
over a couple of months. Also a poor electrical connection to the battery can cause a premature peak. Had the
charged capacity been less than the discharged capacity then, most likely, something interrupted the charging, and the
battery wasn’t fully charged. The 3h Equalization Charge is programmed for 3 hours at 60mA which equalizes the
cells and ensures that each one is 100% charged.
Note: for this example we used a simplified version of the “NiCd Test with Peak Charge.bar” BAR with just one
discharge and one charge cycle.
Conclusion:
This battery is in good condition. Cycle it regularly to keep it effective and replace it when its capacity drops to below
70 or 80%.
Hints:
•
To zoom, use your mouse to select an area (top left to bottom right).
•
To pan, press the right mouse button and drag.
•
To change the title, click on Title (Edit menu).
Congratulations! You've completed a battery analysis. You now know how to setup and initialize the UBA, start a
battery analysis and interpret the results. The next stage is to create your own BARs so that you can get the UBA to
do exactly the analysis that you want.
4. Creating a Battery Analysis Routine
I consider the battery analysis routines the most exciting part of UBA Console. We designed the battery
analysis routine from the ground up to be so powerful and expandable that you'll be able to analyze your
batteries using methods that you never thought possible -- this has certainly been our experience. Once
you've used our battery analysis routine designer you'll never want to go back to the old "fill in the blank" type
of battery analysis.
Marc A. Venis P.Eng., M.A.Sc
President Vencon Technologies Inc.
The Battery Analysis Routine (BAR) Designer allows you to create a battery analysis using graphical techniques.
Once you learn the basics of how to design a simple BAR, you'll be able to design your own advanced BARs that can
form, recondition, and life test batteries, create and erase memory in NiCd/NiMH cells, and many other advanced
functions.
Let's create a simple BAR: a NiCd battery test based on IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission)
specifications. From the UBA Console main window select Battery Analysis Routine Designer (File menu). You
should get an empty routine like this:
The UBA Let's Get Started Guide
Page 13
