Battery Pack and Charger
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Battery testing
Typically, there are four major ways to check a battery:
• Electrolyte test using a specific gravity tester (hydrometer) to compare the density of the electrolyte in a
fully charged battery to the density of water (water = 1.0 s.g.).
• Electrolyte test using a refractometer to check the density of the electrolyte by measuring the degree to
which light waves bend when passing through the electrolyte.
• Load test that checks the output of the battery after the fully charged battery has done a certain amount of
work. Fixed load testers are commonly available. Variable load testers are not generally found in outdoor
power equipment repair shops.
• Conductance test that checks the ability of the battery plates to hold a charge.
Conductance testers are very easy to use and are far less damaging to the battery being tested. For these rea-
sons, conductance battery testing is the preferred method of battery testing for starter batteries. However, because
the batteries used on an RZT-S Zero are sealed, AGM deep cell batteries, the conductance testers are ineffective.
Load and conductance testing will test a batteries ability in a momentary heavy (starting) load condition. For
automotive purposes, this is all that is really required. However it is only part of the picture for a deep cycle battery. A
deep cycle battery must be able to handle a long run time. The battery run time is what needs to be tested on the
RZT-S Zero. That can only be found by doing a capacity/discharge test.
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