Another poster got me thinking about an old idea of mine. My
batteries are hard to get to for testing (specific gravity) So......

Have a special battery cap made with a tiny specific gravity tester
built into each cell cap. It will also measure fluid level. The info
is sent by wire to a meter in the cabin that can look at each cell.

As far as gadgets go, this would be really useful. Does it exist?

http://www.electrosense.com.au/


On 24 Jan 2004 20:36:31 -0800, (Parallax)
wrote:

Another poster got me thinking about an old idea of mine. My
batteries are hard to get to for testing (specific gravity) So......

Have a special battery cap made with a tiny specific gravity tester
built into each cell cap. It will also measure fluid level. The info
is sent by wire to a meter in the cabin that can look at each cell.

As far as gadgets go, this would be really useful. Does it exist?

Larry W4CSC

Is it just me or did the US and UK just capture 1/3
of the world's sweetest oil supply? What idiot wants to
GIVE IT BACK?!!

http://www.electrosense.com.au/


On 24 Jan 2004 20:36:31 -0800, (Parallax)
wrote:

Another poster got me thinking about an old idea of mine. My
batteries are hard to get to for testing (specific gravity) So......

Have a special battery cap made with a tiny specific gravity tester
built into each cell cap. It will also measure fluid level. The info
is sent by wire to a meter in the cabin that can look at each cell.

As far as gadgets go, this would be really useful. Does it exist?

Larry W4CSC

Is it just me or did the US and UK just capture 1/3
of the world's sweetest oil supply? What idiot wants to
GIVE IT BACK?!!

From a note I read here on battery testing, it seems like a long
-offset voltmeter would take just two wires, and give a fair idea
of the battery state.
You can arrange a long offset meter with a zener diode a series
resistor and a 'test' press-button with a suitable milliammeter.

For example: an 11 volt zener, a 1 milliamp full scale meter
and a series resistor of about 4000 ohms wired through a press-button
to ground, to give a scale reading from 11 to 15 volts.

You would need to make a custom scale - perhaps with a red line at
12.6 volts, and zeners being what they are, you would need to
calibrate the scale with a DVM one time.
[Edge-reading meters were often convenient to fit with a custom
scale]

Brian W

On 24 Jan 2004 20:36:31 -0800, (Parallax)
wrote:

Another poster got me thinking about an old idea of mine. My
batteries are hard to get to for testing (specific gravity) So......

Have a special battery cap made with a tiny specific gravity tester
built into each cell cap. It will also measure fluid level. The info
is sent by wire to a meter in the cabin that can look at each cell.

As far as gadgets go, this would be really useful. Does it exist?

From a note I read here on battery testing, it seems like a long
-offset voltmeter would take just two wires, and give a fair idea
of the battery state.
You can arrange a long offset meter with a zener diode a series
resistor and a 'test' press-button with a suitable milliammeter.

For example: an 11 volt zener, a 1 milliamp full scale meter
and a series resistor of about 4000 ohms wired through a press-button
to ground, to give a scale reading from 11 to 15 volts.

You would need to make a custom scale - perhaps with a red line at
12.6 volts, and zeners being what they are, you would need to
calibrate the scale with a DVM one time.
[Edge-reading meters were often convenient to fit with a custom
scale]

Brian W

On 24 Jan 2004 20:36:31 -0800, (Parallax)
wrote:

Another poster got me thinking about an old idea of mine. My
batteries are hard to get to for testing (specific gravity) So......

Have a special battery cap made with a tiny specific gravity tester
built into each cell cap. It will also measure fluid level. The info
is sent by wire to a meter in the cabin that can look at each cell.

As far as gadgets go, this would be really useful. Does it exist?