- Determines health of lead-acid cells
- On-line testing with Pass/Warning/Fail calculations
- Measures impedance, interconnection resistance and cell voltage
- Windows CE operating system with 32 MB of memory
- Measures float and ripple currents
- Includes PowerDB LITE Management Software
The Megger BITE3 Battery Impedance Test Equipment determines the health of lead-acid cells by taking measurements of the most important battery parameters. The BITE3 measures cell impedance, an internal ohmic test, cell voltage, intercell connection resistance and ripple current. And, for the first time in a battery instrument, the BITE3 measures float current and the harmonic content of the ripple current. There is even a built-in spectrum analyser to show the harmonic content of the ripple current. It has firmware that can be upgraded through the Internet and supports multiple languages. The BITE3 is one of the easiest instruments to use. Its measurements, along with temperature, specific gravity and other battery data, can provide the best basis for evaluating the overall health of batteries from terminal plate to terminal plate and to alesser extent, the charger (from ripple current and its harmonic content.) Megger recommends that the BITE3 be made part of a comprehensive battery maintenance program with readings taken and recorded semi-annually for flooded, lead-acid cells and quarterly for VRLA.
Unlike load-cycle testing which is expensive, non-predictive and time-consuming (but does provide actual capacity data), the BITE3 is quick, reliable and easy to use. With a rapid test time, one person can easily, quickly and precisely measure cell and string parameters without taking the system off-line. Furthermore, in as little as four keystrokes, the instrument is ready to take battery measurements (five, if the power button is included). The processor of the BITE3 uses a Windows® CE Operating System and can store more than 1 million cells’ data in any string configuration. It is menu-driven that is easy to navigate. Its unique data analysis screens provide immediate feedback on the status of cell impedance, (see Figure 1, Battery Analysis Report). The first part of the report is the numerical data. The second part is the impedance deviation graph and the third part is the impedance deviation graph but in ascending impedance order. The ascending impedance graph groups the weakest cells together for easier analysis. With the optional printer, this report can be printed by the user and left at the site as a record for future reference.
