#fleet batteries

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Computerized Battery Testing How Much Do You Know?

Keeping track of batteries can be difficult,especially when encountering continuously changing battery types and observing periodic maintenance needs.To assist,several manufacturers of battery analyzers are offering software to enable PC interface.While a PC is helpful for battery service,the available software is often not refined enough to satisfy most market requirements.Describing the features of software packages is difficult,if not outright boring.For this reason,this paper takes BatteryShop™ by Cadex as the example of a fully functioning,multi-tasking battery maintenance system.Developed during the last 10 years,BatteryShop™ is a mature product that meets today's battery service requirements.

BatteryShop™ works in conjunction with Cadex C7000 Series battery analyzers.Although the analyzers work as stand-alone units,the software overrides the analyzers when connected to a PC. BatteryShop™ is equally proficient in supporting one analyzer or a fully extended system of 120 units.To simplify the service of batteries,BatteryShop™ includes a database of over 2000 batteries for wireless communications,portable computing,medical,broadcast and defense.The listing includes the battery configuration codes,known as C-Codes.

The newer battery listings also contain the QuickTest™ matrix to enable rapid testing.The Internet allows sharing the C-Codes and QuickTest™ matrices with the global battery community.To service a battery,the user selects the battery model from the database and clicks the mouse.The PC sets the analyzer to the correct parameters,ready to service the battery.Programming the analyzer by scanning the battery model is also possible.BatteryShop™ is designed to service cell phone batteries at storefronts,check batteries in large repair centers,assist in the scheduled maintenance of fleet batteries,and tend to engineers in research labs.Here are a few examples how the PC software can be used:

Cellular dealers

When testing a cell phone battery at point-of-sale with BatteryShop™,the service clerk selects the battery from the database,clicks the mouse and connects the pack.To simplify the selection,photo images of the pack can also be shown on the monitor.Systems such as these prevent the liberal replacement of batteries returned by frivolous customers who complain about reoccurring problems with a handset.Battery software can also be integrated into rapid test stations capable of examining the basic functions of a complete cell phone at storefronts. Willtek Communications offers such a system.

Cellular service Centers

Not all batteries are tested at point-of-sale.Many cell phone manufactures use strategically placed service centers to repair handsets and batteries. A large service center may repair as many as 50,000 units per month.The database for such an organization can be tailored to include only those batteries that are being handled by that organization.The test results can be used for statistical analyses or sent to a central location for evaluation. Enabling access to vital test information allows battery manufacturers to correct recurring battery problems quickly and effectively.

Battery fleet owners

Service software is especially helpful in tracking the maintenance requirements of fleet batteries.All packs are first marked with a unique battery ID number.The ID number is printed on a label in bar code format and permanently attached to the battery.BatteryShop™ generates these labels.To perform the scheduled maintenance,the user scans the battery ID and the PC automatically configures to the analyzer to the correct setting.On completion of the service,the battery test results are stored in the database under the assigned battery ID number.All references to the battery in terms of vendor information,purchase date,custodian,maintenance schedules,performance history and planned replacement are available with a click of the mouse.

Manufacturers and pack assemblers

Battery service software assists battery manufacturers and pack assemblers in terms of life cycle testing,batch checking for quality control and verifying warranty claims.Chemistry,voltage and current setting can be entered manually through the PC. Charge and discharge voltages are displayed in real-time graphics.The graphs also include battery temperature and internal resistance readings that are recoded during charge and discharge cycles.All test data can be stored for future reference.

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Article From: http://www.batteryfaq.net/battery-news/computerized-battery-testing-how-much-do-you-know-882.html

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Battery for Personal and Fleet Use Do You Know?

It is interesting to observe that batteries cared for by a single user generally last longer than those operating in an open fleet system where everyone has access but no one is responsible.A personal user is one who operates a mobile phone,a laptop or digital camera for business or pleasure.He or she usually cares for the primary battery and makes all efforts to follow the recommended guidelines.With time,the user gets to know the battery like a good friend,and critical failures are rare because the owner adjusts to the changing condition,lowers expectations and replaces the pack when it becomes a nuisance.

How can fleet batteries be made to last longer?I made an interesting observation on battery life in comparing two defense organizations,the US Army and the Dutch Army,both of which I had the pleasure of visiting.The armies in question use fleet batteries and deploy them similarly with the following exception.The US Army issues batteries without a maintenance program.If the battery fails,another pack is released,no questions asked.Little or no care is taken and the failure rate is high.The Dutch Army,on the other hand,has moved away from the open fleet system by making the soldiers responsible for their batteries.

The desire to care for the batteries is not witnessed among fleet users.The packs belong to a pool of unknown batteries and operate in a sharing arrangement.While an individual user can live with reduced runtime,the fleet operators have little attachment to the battery and show no patience with anything that is less than perfect.They grab a battery from the charger and expect it to last through the shift.At the end of the day,the 18650 battery or other battery is plugged into the charger again,ready for the next user.Having serviced batteries for fleet users for many years,I noticed shorter service life on fleet packs than those for personal use.

Public safety organizations use a mix of NiCd,NiMH and Li-ion.Checking with a fire department to find out which chemistry works best,I learned that Li-ion is indeed superior.After 15 months of use,the Li-ion batteries tested on a Cadex battery analyzer still showed 92-95 percent capacity,and the users are confident that the batteries can be used reliably for two to three full shifts on a single charge.Such performance would not have been possible with nickel-based batteries.But battery breakdowns still occur and the failure rate continues to be relatively high in fleet use.

Since the Dutch Army adapted this new regime,the failure rate has dropped considerably and battery performance has increased.Unexpected downtime has almost been eliminated.I should mention that the Dutch Army used nickel-cadmium batteries at the time of the study.Each pack received periodic maintenance on a Cadex battery analyzer to prolong service life. Batteries that did not meet the required 80 percent target capacity were reconditioned,and those failing to meet the target setting were replaced.Meanwhile,the US Army had switched to nickel-metal-hydride,a chemistry that is known to offer higher capacity but shorter service life.Today,both armies use lithium-ion or lithium battery on their new equipment.

The lighter weight and longer runtime of Li-ion also offers noticeable advantages for power tools.Stores say that Li-ion batteries generate fewer returns than nickel-based packs,and this is in part due to the protection circuit that prevents reverse polarization on overload.Medical instruments are also switching to Li-ion but regulatory conditions make the change cumbersome.Bureaucracy can indeed stifle new technology rather than promote it.

Article From: http://www.batteryfaq.net/battery-technology/battery-for-personal-and-fleet-use-do-you-know-817.html

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How to Avoid Battery Failure In Dailylife Use?

High failure rate and unreliable battery performance have prompted many organizations to check fleet batteries as part of quality control.This entails inspecting new batteries as well as maintaining packs deployed in the field.Conventional wisdom says a battery should always perform flawlessly when new.Yet many users know that a fresh supply of batteries does not always meet the specifications.Some purchasers check incoming batteries with a battery analyzer and return an entire lot if one in 10 does not meet the capacity requirements.Here,you can find some usefull tips for you to avoid battery failure.

Placing underperforming primary battery into the field can jeopardize an entire system with unpredictable performance and frequent downtime.A customer will occasionally call a maker of battery analyzers,such as Cadex,to complain that the unit is faulty and no longer indicates correct capacity readings when testing batteries.In most cases,the customer has just purchased a new batch of batteries,and when tested,their capacities were at an unacceptable low level of 70 percent instead of the specified 100 percent.The customer naturally assumes that it can't be these new batteries and blames the analyzer.

Although the radios seemed to function well in receive mode,the firefighters had trouble transmitting.They were often left in peril,unaware that their calls for help had not gone out.Responding to the growing complaints from firefighters,the fire brigade acquired a Cadex battery analyzer to service all batteries.Packs that failed to recover and deliver the required target capacity of 80 percent were replaced.The technician supervising the service was surprised to see how many fleet batteries were underperforming.Many had capacities of only 20 percent after a full charge,a level that is not sufficient for field use.

Battery analyzers also perform the important function of restoring faded batteries and weeding out deadwood.Weak batteries can hide among their good peers and everything seems fine.Yet,when the system is put to the test in an emergency situation,these non-performers can wreak havoc.Underperforming batteries are the cause of many operational failures.Organizations tend to postpone lithium battery maintenance until a crisis situation develops.This happened to a fire department in the Vancouver area,and the two-way radios experienced chronic communication problems,especially during callouts lasting more than two hours.

Shortly after servicing the batteries,the firefighters were summoned to a large fire that lasted for 10 hours and demanded heavy radio traffic.To their astonishment,none of the radios failed,and the success of this flawless operation was accredited to the battery performance.The captain of the fire brigade personally contacted the manufacturer of the battery analyzer and endorsed the device enthusiastically.On another occasion, a Cadex representative was allowed to visit the emergency management facility of a large US city where over 1,000 batteries sat in chargers.The green lights glowed,indicating that the batteries were ready at a moment's notice.

Knowing that nickel-based batteries or ni-mh battery sitting in chargers have been weakened by memory,the representative asked the officer to hand over a battery from the charger to do a validation check.He obliged and within seconds into the test,the analyzer indicated a fail condition.In an effort to make good,the officer grabbed another battery from the charger,slid it into the battery analyzer and it also failed.Subsequent packs were tested with the same failing results.Such scenarios are not isolated,and in most cases even the operators in charge do not know about the condition of batteries on standby.A maintenance program that mandates periodic verification of battery readiness would prevent the system from falling into disrepair.

A user group that relies heavily on batteries is the military.Defense organizations take great pride in acquiring the best-performing equipment.When it comes to batteries,however,there are exceptions and batteries often escape the scrutiny of military inspection.Auditors pass them on visual appearance rather than performance.Maintenance requirements are frequently ignored and little effort is made to keep track of capacity,cycle count and age.In time,weak batteries get mixed up with new ones and soldiers begin carrying rocks instead of batteries.Figure 1 illustrates this situation in a cartoon format.

Article From: http://www.batteryfaq.net/battery-technology/how-to-avoid-battery-failure-in-dailylife-use-815.html

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Do You Know How to Maintain Fleet Batteries?

Batteries exhibit human-like characteristics and their longevity depends on the how they are handled.Batteries have improved over the years,but they do not yet provide a satisfactory solution to most of today's power needs.Elevated temperature,super-fast charging and harsh discharges are conditions that harm batteries.Repeated full discharge cycles also stress the battery.Memory is no longer a problem with lithium-ion battery and full discharges are no longer necessary,but these batteries still need checking to verify performance and scheduling replacement when reaching low capacity.Do you know how to maintain fleet batteries?Here,you can see some methods.

By using BatteryShop™ software (Cadex),the PC becomes the command center and all functions are processed through the keyboard and other input devices.Clicking the mouse on a battery listed in the database configures the analyzer to the correct setting and service can begin.A simple method to manage fleet batteries is attaching a permanent ID label to each battery.Scanning the barcode configures the analyzer and accesses historical battery information,such as service dates,performance records,purchase date,vendor information and pricing.Figure 1 demonstrates scanning the battery label,servicing the battery in an analyzer and storing the data.

Another battery maintenance method is adhering a removable label that reveals the last service date,capacity reading and service due date.The system is self-governing in that the user only picks a battery from the charger that has been serviced and meets the capacity criteria.The setup is simple and managing the system should only require 30 minutes per day.You will need a battery analyzer capable of reading battery capacity and printing labels.Figures 2,3 and 4 illustrate such a system.

A battery begins to fade from the time it leaves the factory.Manufacturers overestimate battery life by basing the runtime of a device on a new battery,a condition that only exists for a short time.To assure a minimum capacity of say 80 percent,each battery should be checked as part of a battery maintenance program.This means that batteries below 80 percent should be replaced.When setting up a battery maintenance system,choose a battery analyzer that interfaces with a PC.

A service every 1-3 months provides sufficient confidence that the batteries will hold the required capacity and last through a shift with some energy to spare.The lithium rechargeable batteries do not die suddenly but gradually get weaker over time.Device manufacturers support battery maintenance,knowing that well-performing batteries enhance devices performance and reduce unexpected breakdowns.Service personnel say that equipment repairs drop significantly after implementing battery maintenance.The payback is typically one year or less,but the main benefit is better reliability.

Article From: http://www.batteryfaq.net/battery-technology/do-you-know-how-to-maintain-fleet-batteries-576.html