Samuel Navas Posted October 19, 2013 Report Share Posted October 19, 2013 Hi chaps, Having an issue with my Ultra 1 24V batteries, as two have suddenly ceased to show a full charge on the monitor readout (one out of five 'squares') when on the sled, despite showing a full-charge (green light) on the charger itself. A week ago this wasn't an issue, and all my batteries went all the way to five squares. Does a battery that needs re-celling pack it in so abruptly? Or could the issue lie with the Ultra's voltmeter somehow? Neither seems particularly plausible to me, so will be grateful for any advice from more experienced operators. Note: the batterie's LEDs don't work, so can't help me.. Thanks in advance, Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Sponsor John Ritter Posted October 21, 2013 Site Sponsor Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 If one or more cells in the bank of cells does go bad, then yes you will have a significant loss of power (capacity) abruptly but can still show a full charge indication. If the battery packs are over 3.5 years old they will require a full cell bank replacement (Re-Cell). A full charge is not an indication of battery pack capacity, a totally worn out battery pack can still show full voltage/full charge but not have any run-time (capacity) left in it. The only way to check a battery pack for capacity(watt hour-Amp hour) is a test cycle under load (Note; capacity will vary with the applied load). Regards John Ritter www.ritterbattery.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jerry Holway Posted October 21, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Also, there is the possibility that the battery is fine but that the indicator system inside the battery needs to be reset. It's somewhat likely, given that the battery LEDs are not working. Contact Tiffen to get the instructions on how to do this. In the meantime, get a voltmeter and read the results hot off the charger. It should nominally be 28.8 volts, and should be a bit higher. Again, check with Tiffen. Anything less than that indicates a blown cell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Eric Fletcher S.O.C. Posted October 21, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Seeing 28.8 off the charger means nothing and is a misleading answer Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jerry Holway Posted October 21, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Eric- all it would mean if less than 28,8 volts is the likelihood of a blown cell. Not misleading anyone. Duh. If you have something useful to add, perhaps to what might be a another way to discover if there is a problem with this particular battery, please feel free to chime in with something constructive. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Eric Fletcher S.O.C. Posted October 21, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Duh, jerry has posted. Duh jerry is wrong again Batteries with dead cells can read full voltage when not under a load like when you use a voltmeter on them. You need to learn how batteries work and how to properly test them. Take for instance a Arri 435 on Anton Bauer hytron 50's. A battery chemistry that was suited for low current constant draw. Hit them with a 435 and it's high amp draw and batteries that tested at 15 volts each would sag under the current draw and only deliver 9 volts. Were the cells bad? No they exhibited Droop under load because that chemistry was not stiff enough. (These words Droop, Sag, Stiffness, load, amps and volts are all real words as opposed to some of the terms you like to banter around) Again if you'd like to discuss this more, I'm your huckleberry 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jerry Holway Posted October 21, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Good advice, Eric, and more detailed than my advice. But it was given a bit late, and, alas, given only in the context of trying to put me down, rather than help someone who asked a simple question and asked for ANY advice. Since he was apparently unfamiliar with battery chemistries and their deep mysteries, I gave him one simple test, but better than that, I gave him a procedure that was specific to his batteries, not to the ones anyone else uses. What the hell? Hope it makes you feel bigger to put me and others down. Honestly what's your beef with me? Or your beef the way language is used and new words are created? Iso and elastic are two terms that have been around a long time, and they were used in the physical since at least back to 1965, long before Steadicam, and also used independently of the use of the term in the "science" or field of economics that you hold so dear for some reason. When did the economists first use the word? Did anyone outside of their field give a damn that they had created a new term? Honestly, I think you should go back to sitting on the dolly or designing stuff for race cars and the like, huck. And please spare us that taste of Dexter thing. Anyone who wants to link to it has already done so. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members chris fawcett Posted October 24, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 Jerry, you invented isoelastic? Thanks, that’s a word I’ll henceforth associate with you. And Eric, thanks for droop, sag, stiffness, and load. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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