Cheap 4-life
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- Aug 3, 2020
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I am trying to figure out which of my four batteries in parallel has the lowest capacity without testing the exact capacity of each battery. My understanding is that the battery with the lowest capacity will also have the least amps being drawn from it. I got readings of the amps on each positive and negative on each of the batteries in parallel while discharging with a constant load.
Battery #1 and #2 both had real close to the same amp readings on their positive and negative wires. 6.7amps on positive and 6.8amps on negative.
This is where my confusion starts.
Battery #3 had 5.9amps on its positive wire and 6.7amps on its negative wire.
Even worse Battery #4 had 5.7amps on its positive and 7.2amps on its negative.
1- Why is there different amount of amps on the positive and negative. I thought they are supposed to always be the same?
Going by the logic that the battery that has the lowest amps being drawn from it is the battery with the lowest capacity, I would assume #4 with the 5.7amps is the lowest capacity. But the amps on that batteries negative is higher than any of the other batteries positive or negative amps..
I’m starting to think that the difference with the positive and negative amps on #3 and #4 is because those batteries are indeed lower capacity and somehow this makes the negative wire read different (higher) amps than their positive.
2- Maybe because battery #1 and #2 are somehow supplying power to the lower capacity #3 and #4 through the negative wire to keep the voltage of each of the 4 paralleled batteries the same?
3- thoughts as to why battery #3 and #4 have different amount of amps on positive and negative
4- which battery has the lowest capacity going by the amp readings given?
I have checked this multiple times while discharging with similar results.
These four batteries are each Chevy volt 60v 55ah in parallel. I don’t think the chemistry or battery type is relevant to the issue. All batteries are connected with the same gauge and length wire.
Battery #1 and #2 both had real close to the same amp readings on their positive and negative wires. 6.7amps on positive and 6.8amps on negative.
This is where my confusion starts.
Battery #3 had 5.9amps on its positive wire and 6.7amps on its negative wire.
Even worse Battery #4 had 5.7amps on its positive and 7.2amps on its negative.
1- Why is there different amount of amps on the positive and negative. I thought they are supposed to always be the same?
Going by the logic that the battery that has the lowest amps being drawn from it is the battery with the lowest capacity, I would assume #4 with the 5.7amps is the lowest capacity. But the amps on that batteries negative is higher than any of the other batteries positive or negative amps..
I’m starting to think that the difference with the positive and negative amps on #3 and #4 is because those batteries are indeed lower capacity and somehow this makes the negative wire read different (higher) amps than their positive.
2- Maybe because battery #1 and #2 are somehow supplying power to the lower capacity #3 and #4 through the negative wire to keep the voltage of each of the 4 paralleled batteries the same?
3- thoughts as to why battery #3 and #4 have different amount of amps on positive and negative
4- which battery has the lowest capacity going by the amp readings given?
I have checked this multiple times while discharging with similar results.
These four batteries are each Chevy volt 60v 55ah in parallel. I don’t think the chemistry or battery type is relevant to the issue. All batteries are connected with the same gauge and length wire.
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