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CBA V PRO vs Programmable 400W DC Electronic Load Tester (Flip-a-coin??)

ghostwriter66

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...rd_w=6GLC4&pd_rd_wg=AhG0q&ref_=pd_gw_unk&th=1

Programmable 400W DC Electronic Load Battery Load Tester DC Tester 0-150V 0-40A (USB)​


vs

http://www.westmountainradio.com/product_info.php?products_id=cba5 (CBA V PRO)

Asking for a friend (seriously) ... she wants to be able to basically to do capacity testing on individual 3.2 (280 and 310 Ah) batteries and also as a group 24VDc 280Ah or 24VDc 310Ah

She has talked to BOTH manufacturers -- believe it or not but neither is really clear as to what they can exactly do ..... and its hard to find reviews ... right now she is dragging all the LiFePO4 batteries back here to the shop and using a Trillion dollar Fluke tester which can test a battery in a a few minutes but weighs 100000 pounds and the company frowns on ppl dragging it out to the remote sites ...

SOOOO which one should she go with ????
 
I am very interested in this discussion. I've been looking at the CBA V myself. I know @Will Prowse uses the CBA with an Amp to test his batteries.

Subbed.
 
We have been using the CBA's since they came out. Early on they were a bit quirky but with each generation they have gotten better. One feature we've begged for, for years, finally came out in the CBA-V and that is voltage sensing. All of our early units required calculating the voltage drop before each test, a total PITA. Our other DC loads have had dedicated volt sensing built in for years. Prior to the CBA-V it was a tedious tool to work with but now that has been solved. Easy software, accurate and USA support for both hardware and software . Oh and if you want to do anything large get yourself an amplifier.. Now if they can only build a charge controller that allows upwards of 100A of charging current we'll be getting somewhere..
 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...rd_w=6GLC4&pd_rd_wg=AhG0q&ref_=pd_gw_unk&th=1

Programmable 400W DC Electronic Load Battery Load Tester DC Tester 0-150V 0-40A (USB)​


vs

http://www.westmountainradio.com/product_info.php?products_id=cba5 (CBA V PRO)

Asking for a friend (seriously) ... she wants to be able to basically to do capacity testing on individual 3.2 (280 and 310 Ah) batteries and also as a group 24VDc 280Ah or 24VDc 310Ah

She has talked to BOTH manufacturers -- believe it or not but neither is really clear as to what they can exactly do ..... and its hard to find reviews ... right now she is dragging all the LiFePO4 batteries back here to the shop and using a Trillion dollar Fluke tester which can test a battery in a a few minutes but weighs 100000 pounds and the company frowns on ppl dragging it out to the remote sites ...

SOOOO which one should she go with ????
I haven't used the CBA, however, I've used the ET5410 quite a bit. It is easy to set up and use if you understand that it is a two-wire tester (no remote sense lines) and will get voltage drop across the wires/connection. It is certainly very accurate. An alternative is the Kunkin KP184 which does have remote sense lines but is a real PITA to set up due to the limited display.

I did notice the CBA V is quite anemic compared to the ET5410 (400W). It will take substantially longer to test a cell or battery if you don't buy an amplifier.
Maximum continuous discharge (at ambient 75°F) *1.5V: 60W
3V: 80W
6V: 120W
9V & up: 150W

*IF* all she wants to do is capacity test individual cells, I'd recommend the EBC-A40L. Charge and discharge rate of 40 amps, great data logging, and just the perfect all-in-one tester for individual cells. The ET5410 however will allow you to accurately test battery packs as well as cells.

The first ET5410 I purchased directly from the manufacturer on Amazon:


If you need more information, just ask. Like I said, haven't used the CBA, but it does look nice.

I've reviewed the EBC-A40L and the ET5410 here.




Edit to add, the ET5410 is lightweight, easy to set up, and quite portable needing just an A/C connection and some connection cables to work.
It also has the same fault as the Kunkin if treated badly, a short can develop if bashed around a bit. Easily fixed.

 
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I haven't used the CBA, however, I've used the ET5410 quite a bit. It is easy to set up and use if you understand that it is a two-wire tester (no remote sense lines) and will get voltage drop across the wires/connection. It is certainly very accurate. An alternative is the Kunkin KP184 which does have remote sense lines but is a real PITA to set up due to the limited display.

I did notice the CBA V is quite anemic compared to the ET5410 (400W). It will take substantially longer to test a cell or battery if you don't buy an amplifier.
Maximum continuous discharge (at ambient 75°F) *1.5V: 60W
3V: 80W
6V: 120W
9V & up: 150W

*IF* all she wants to do is capacity test individual cells, I'd recommend the EBC-A40L. Charge and discharge rate of 40 amps, great data logging, and just the perfect all-in-one tester for individual cells. The ET5410 however will allow you to accurately test battery packs as well as cells.

The first ET5410 I purchased directly from the manufacturer on Amazon:


If you need more information, just ask. Like I said, haven't used the CBA, but it does look nice.

I've reviewed the EBC-A40L and the ET5410 here.




Edit to add, the ET5410 is lightweight, easy to set up, and quite portable needing just an A/C connection and some connection cables to work.
It also has the same fault as the Kunkin if treated badly, a short can develop if bashed around a bit. Easily fixed.


Thank you .... YES I wish the EBC-A40L and the ET5410 had voltage sensing wires like the CBA does ... and if she has 10 batteries to test that could take probably 8 days with the CBA -- its a shame that the CBA folks charge as much for their amplifiers as they do -- for what it is absolutely no reason to be charging that ....
 
I purchased the EBC-A40L and really like it. I don't have any experience with the CBA V, although I was reading up on it for weeks before I saw the EBC-A40L on Andy's @Off-Grid-Garage channel, and I knew I had to get one. The price isn't too bad, but since the shipping to the US is almost as much as the price, it's a bit daunting.
 
I purchased the EBC-A40L and really like it. I don't have any experience with the CBA V, although I was reading up on it for weeks before I saw the EBC-A40L on Andy's @Off-Grid-Garage channel, and I knew I had to get one. The price isn't too bad, but since the shipping to the US is almost as much as the price, it's a bit daunting.

so do you find EBC-A40L easy to use? Does it provide you with all the info you would like? I think that 90% of the stuff that she wants to do is simply test the batteries as the come in and not take 2 months to get a result.
 
Yes, absolutely. I've not tried to use it from the front panel, but the windows software is nearly perfect. Simple, intuitive, and gives you exactly what you want. You can set it up for a single use to just discharge or charge a cell at up to 40A. With the multi-step process (I can't remember what they call it) you can have it discharge to a certain voltage and then charge, or charge to a certain voltage / tail current and then discharge. All that and it logs the voltage and current each second into something you can export into Excel or Google Sheets. That gives some excellent evidence if you need to challenge a seller on Alibaba. Really cool. I only used it on 4 of my first 8 cells (used one of the cheaper 300W devices on the other 4). The next set of 8 cells I use the EBC-A40L.

Edit to add: The EBC-A40L has separate voltage sense lines, and it seems to track the voltage pretty solid when compared to my Fluke 175. Not sure if that is what you are looking at.
 
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so do you find EBC-A40L easy to use? Does it provide you with all the info you would like? I think that 90% of the stuff that she wants to do is simply test the batteries as the come in and not take 2 months to get a result.
It is by far the best all in one tester for cells. You do however need a PC running the entire time to get the full results, I use a headless NUC. If she would like, I have an ET5410 I could loan to try it out (I have 4 of them, you can parallel them). I lucked out and got the EBC-A40L for like $200 including shipping. It took 3 months to arrive, but at that price you can't buy anything close. Of course now they have jacked up the price, both for the unit and for faster shipping. With the ET5410, you can test 12v packs at 27 amps, 24v at 13 amps, etc. No I don't push them to the full 400 watt limit, but I have no doubt you can. I have done 380 watts for hours and hours.
 
It is by far the best all in one tester for cells. You do however need a PC running the entire time to get the full results, I use a headless NUC. If she would like, I have an ET5410 I could loan to try it out (I have 4 of them, you can parallel them). I lucked out and got the EBC-A40L for like $200 including shipping. It took 3 months to arrive, but at that price you can't buy anything close. Of course now they have jacked up the price, both for the unit and for faster shipping. With the ET5410, you can test 12v packs at 27 amps, 24v at 13 amps, etc. No I don't push them to the full 400 watt limit, but I have no doubt you can. I have done 380 watts for hours and hours.
but its still 40amps max, so about 7hrs to test a 280ah cell.
wish i could see a 1C or 0.5C tester. i believe cells test differently on different loads/draw
 
but its still 40amps max, so about 7hrs to test a 280ah cell.
wish i could see a 1C or 0.5C tester. i believe cells test differently on different loads/draw
Use two, get 80 amps, use three, get 120 amps, etc. Once you get above 40 amps, you get in the $2000 and up range.

My experience reveals 100 amps and below, virtually no difference. Above that, a slight difference (maybe 3-5%) if you have good connections.
 
but its still 40amps max, so about 7hrs to test a 280ah cell.
wish i could see a 1C or 0.5C tester. i believe cells test differently on different loads/draw

I'm interested in this as well.

I have a underperforming 280Ah cell. I have gotten 261Ah@40A and 265Ah@10A. This could be because it has had a few C/DC cycles or it's the draw.

I'm getting a EBC-A40L to use with the ET5410. It's not .5 but I'll test it @80A, 40A and 10A. I'll keep you posted.

Capacity is obviously important but I also care that the cell will not prematurely drop below LVD @ Hi C. This is why I would want to load the cell heavily.

It will also be nice to get results faster.
 
but its still 40amps max, so about 7hrs to test a 280ah cell.
wish i could see a 1C or 0.5C tester. i believe cells test differently on different loads/draw

Being able to test at 1C is important because THATS where the MANUFACTURERS test .... plenty of times I have got 280 out of a 280 listed battery doing a 0.2C discharge -- then at 1C it goes to a 270-272 Ah ,,,,

so you should test at 77F at 1C to test the results the manufacturer says is correct .... but 99.99% don't usually
 
I always thought manufactures are rating their batteries at a .2C discharge rate? Never heard of them doing it at 1C.
 
Thank you .... YES I wish the EBC-A40L and the ET5410 had voltage sensing wires like the CBA does ... and if she has 10 batteries to test that could take probably 8 days with the CBA -- its a shame that the CBA folks charge as much for their amplifiers as they do -- for what it is absolutely no reason to be charging that ....
A clarification, the EBC-A40L does have sense leads.

I just discovered a new version of the Kunkin (remote sense leads) with a color interface. I haven't tried one yet, but the Kunkin would be a good choice if they have fixed the interface.


Anyone interested, the ET5410 and KP184 are both supported by some pretty decent free logging software.

 
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Its been a while for this topic but i noticed a possible error.
For the LF280K EVE cells the datasheet states that 280Ah is determined by loading to 3.65V (takes ~3h for "new" cells with 40A)
Generally the producer states how the Ah is determined.
Then you are to discharge with 0.5C which would be 140A
 
The industry standard for most types of larger battery types is a ten hour discharge rate (0.1C).
If you buy a 200 Ah battery its twenty amps nominal over ten hours to reach the end point voltage.

If you discharge it more slowly than that you will measure a capacity higher than the official rating.
If you discharge at a MUCH higher rate, you will never reach the official rating, even with perfect cells.

So you want to test a 280Ah battery at 280 amps discharge, (1C) and it reaches the end voltage in only eighteen minutes. Is that a good cell ?

Its no good crying and saying I don't want to wait ten hours to measure the capacity of each and every cell.
I just want to be able to quickly connect up a cell, push a button, and get an accurate number of cell Ampere hour capacity in less than one second.

Sorry, it just cannot be done that way. Only way to get a discharge figure is to do an actual nominal ten hour discharge.

It does not need to be exactly ten hours, it never will work out exactly anyway. But plan it that way, and close will be good enough.

How about an 0.1 Ohm 200 watt e-bay resistor as a test load ? Starts out at maybe 3.4 volts (34 amps) ends up at 3.0 volts (30 amps).
Average discharge probably somewhere around 32 amps. A 280Ah battery should last 280/32 = 8.75 hours which is close enough.
Power dissipation 3.4v x 34 amps = 115.6 watts max. One of those big 200 watt resistors bolted to a large thick sheet of aluminium should do it easily.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/303622850040?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=602861720190&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

To monitor that, a low cost energy meter such as a Turnigy which displays voltage, current, watts, and accumulated watt hours, and accumulated AMP HOURS. That will need to be externally powered, as it needs a minimum of seven volts dc. There is a plug on the side to do that.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/154833079550?hash=item240cc54cfe:g:gr4AAOSwe8piAO7l

You will need to arrange for automatic load disconnect below 3.00 volts. I will make my own little circuit board to do that, plus a suitably rated high current 12v automotive relay. I am sure there must be low cost Chinese voltage sensing boards out there that would be ideal for this.

Should be possible to put the whole thing together for less than eighty dollars.
 
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The industry standard for most types of larger battery types is a ten hour discharge rate (0.1C).
If you buy a 200 Ah battery its twenty amps nominal over ten hours to reach the end point voltage.

If you discharge it more slowly than that you will measure a capacity higher than the official rating.
If you discharge at a MUCH higher rate, you will never reach the official rating, even with perfect cells.

So you want to test a 280Ah battery at 280 amps discharge, (1C) and it reaches the end voltage in only eighteen minutes. Is that a good cell ?

Its no good crying and saying I don't want to wait ten hours to measure the capacity of each and every cell.
I just want to be able to quickly connect up a cell, push a button, and get an accurate number of cell Ampere hour capacity in less than one second.

Sorry, it just cannot be done that way. Only way to get a discharge figure is to do an actual nominal ten hour discharge.

It does not need to be exactly ten hours, it never will work out exactly anyway. But plan it that way, and close will be good enough.

How about an 0.1 Ohm 200 watt e-bay resistor as a test load ? Starts out at maybe 3.4 volts (34 amps) ends up at 3.0 volts (30 amps).
Average discharge probably somewhere around 32 amps. A 280Ah battery should last 280/32 = 8.75 hours which is close enough.
Power dissipation 3.4v x 34 amps = 115.6 watts max. One of those big 200 watt resistors bolted to a large thick sheet of aluminium should do it easily.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/303622850040?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=602861720190&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

To monitor that, a low cost energy meter such as a Turnigy which displays voltage, current, watts, and accumulated watt hours, and accumulated AMP HOURS. That will need to be externally powered, as it needs a minimum of seven volts dc. There is a plug on the side to do that.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/154833079550?hash=item240cc54cfe:g:gr4AAOSwe8piAO7l

You will need to arrange for automatic load disconnect below 3.00 volts. I will make my own little circuit board to do that, plus a suitably rated high current 12v automotive relay. I am sure there must be low cost Chinese voltage sensing boards out there that would be ideal for this.

Should be possible to put the whole thing together for less than eighty dollars.
The data sheet for LFP cells disagrees and very clearly spells out how to measure. What is "standard" for lead acid has nothing to do with it.
 
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