Six months ago, I tested cheap lead batteries and the results were pretty sad. Now I have tested three models of batteries of the average price category and one more expensive.
Let me remind you that 12V 7Ah lead batteries are most often used in UPS (UPS) and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) for alarm systems, access control and video surveillance.
Cheap batteries, costing about 900 rubles apiece, instead of the declared 7 Ah, showed a capacity of 3-5 Ah with low current discharge and only about 1 Ah when discharged with high current, which is required to work in UPS or with inverter (https://ammo1.livejournal.com/1282215.html).
This time I took three models of batteries of an average price and one more expensive:
Energy BAT-12V7AH- 1186 rubles;
GoPower LA-1270- 1251 ruble;
SVEN SV 1270 - 1347 rubles;
DeltaHR 12-28W - 2390 rubles.
I charged the batteries with a current of 1.2 A to 14.8 V (first, full current is charged, and the voltage rises, then the voltage reaches 14.8 V, and the current begins to decrease).
Testing was carried out using a modified EBD-USB + device connected to a computer.
Heavy load tests were carried out with a 500W inverter and a 300W incandescent lamp.
I tested two batteries purchased at the same time in early 2022.
A total of three tests were carried out:
- discharge with a current of 0.35 A to 10.5 V - a basic "twenty-hour" test showing the maximum capacity of the batteries;
- discharge with a current of 2.8-3 A to 10.2 V - a test showing how long the battery lasts in a three-ampere PBP at maximum load (the current changed due to the fact that EBD-USB has a power limit of 35 W);
- discharge by inverter with lamp 230 V 300 W (~27 A) until inverter shuts down at 9.8 V - test showing how long the battery can hold the load in the UPS.
The following results were obtained:
The cheapest of the tested, Energenie BAT-12V7AH batteries have a capacity of 8.24 and 8.65 Ah, which is significantly higher than the declared 7 Ah. They perfectly withstand a load of 3A, giving out 6.2-6.6 Ah. With a heavy load, typical for UPS, these batteries are capable of delivering about a third of their nominal capacity - 1.9-2.5 Ah.
Almost the same price GoPower LA-1270 batteries behave much better with a heavy load - 3.1 - 3.3 Ah at a current of 27A. At 3A, they give out a capacity of 6.6-6.7 Ah, close to their nominal value, and their maximum capacity during the "twenty-hour" test is much higher than the nominal value - 8.8 - 9.4 Ah. It is important not to confuse these batteries with the GoPower LA-1270 / Security (the cheaper version for security systems has a much lower real capacity of about 3.8 Ah with a twenty-hour discharge).
SVEN SV 1270 batteries, although they cost more than the two previous models, showed more modest results, moreover, at least two batteries of this type were purchased together, they turned out to have a different release date and they differed greatly in capacity: the older copy on the "twenty-hour" test gave only 6.2 Ah, and the newer 8.6 Ah. They hold medium and heavy loads worse than GoPower and Energenie: 5.2 and 6.1 Ah at a current of 3A and 1.7 and 1.5 Ah at a current of 27A, and more "fresh" the battery, which had a large capacity at low current, showed the worst result at high current due to a higher internal resistance.
The much more expensive Delta HR 12-28W batteries surprised me. They also turned out to be very different, although they were bought together. Unfortunately, I do not know how the codes printed on their covers are deciphered and I do not know what their release date is. The first battery showed a rather large capacity when discharged with a low current (8.8 Ah), but at a current of 27A it turned out to be not the best (2.8 Ah). The second one showed a lower capacity at low current (8.4 Ah), while a record capacity (3.9 Ah) at a current of 27 A and a record internal resistance of less than 17 milliohms.
It turns out that buying even expensive lead-acid batteries is a lottery - you may come across an instance that will work in UPS with an average load of almost 8 minutes, or maybe less than 6 minutes. If we get lucky.
For example, I will give two discharge graphs.
Discharge with a current of 0.35 A to 10.5 V of the first instance of Energenie BAT-12V7AH.
Discharge with a current of 2.8-3 A up to 10.2 V of the second copy of the GoPower LA-1270.
Unlike cheap batteries from the previous test, almost all participants in this test showed an honest capacity, moreover, it turned out to be even higher than the declared one. But capacity is not everything - it is very important how long the battery lasts. The Energenie battery is rated for 3 years. GoPower and Sven list their battery life as 5 years on their websites, Delta as 8 years. How long they will actually last only time will tell.
Peace for everyone!
© 2022, Alexey Nadezhin
For twelve years I have been writing about technology, discounts, interesting places and events. Read my blog site ammo1.ru, in Learn, Zen, Mirtesen, Telegram.
My projects:
lamptest.ru. I test LED lamps and help you figure out which ones are good and which are not so good.
Elerus.ru. I collect information about domestic electronic devices for personal use and share it.
You can contact me in the Telegram group @ammochat.
#battery#ups#UPS#lead battery#12v7ah#test