How To Test a AA battery, Easiest Way For Any Battery Fast, Easy!

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A simple method to test any alkaline battery in seconds! Works on AA, AAA, C, D batteries.
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This is the info I received from our engineer:  It does work under certain conditions but isn’t as reliable as using a cheap voltmeter.
The reason it works (sometimes) is that the internal jellyroll inside the cylindrical can slide up and down in a good battery.
When you drop it on the end, the jellyroll can slide downward absorbing some of the shock and keeps it from bouncing.
In a discharged (bad) battery, the electrodes within the jellyroll expand and make it fit tighter within the can.
When you drop a bad battery on the end, the jellyroll cannot slide downward (as much) and can’t absorb the shock causing it to bounce.
The reason it can be unreliable is that it depends on how tight the jellyroll was in the first place.

porter
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Also, in a related test, if you SMASH YOUR HEAD HARD into concrete, and you never bounce up again, it means it's empty. Try it!! Works every time!

nossy
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For a testimonial, my wife and I went through a box of questionable batteries that we had, with varying brands. The batteries that had a landed hard with no bounce tested 1.5 - 1.6V. The ones that jiggled a little when it landed tested at 1.2 to 1.35V. I'm convinced that this method has some value to it. It makes a little sense when you consider that a used battery will have converted some of the anode/cathode into a small amount of H2 gas, making it a little puffy.

fershr
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I tried this with a car battery and it didn't work

quietman
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This is awesome! I have a multi-meter but even then without a dummy load, sometimes the batteries show 1.5ish volts but are bad. I didn't know this technique before this video but I can explain the behavior. The reason it bounces is due a small amount of hydrogen gas produced during the current producing chemical reaction inside the battery. Alkaline batteries have a pressure expansion seal at the bottom. If the battery is pretty used(wikipedia alkaline battery), it will have a pressurized (and slightly rounded) bottom which will cause the bounce (and topple). This doesn't necessarily mean the battery is totally bad, but a fresh battery would not do it.

kfinnegan
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This could simply be the difference between battery manufacturers. When doing a video for testing proof you should always use the same brands. Redo the test using two Duracell or two Energizer batteries.

justinhays
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I just bought brand new batteries for a remote control. At first I thought that they are working because my remote was working, but then I tested again if they are REALLY working like they did in the video. This method helped me to find out that the batteries were actually bad so I binned them and put old batteries back in the remote control.

graczmisiek
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Of course the empty battery bounces more, the electrons have gone to heaven.

MrVishalarwade
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You're right, it does work!
Take a close look at the batteries in the video - the bottom of the dead one seems to be bulging out a little while the bottom of the good one looks flat. I'll bet that's what causes them to behave differently when dropped.

williamjones
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You are absolutely right. I just tested this and the discharged duracell batteries bounced noticeably more when compared to fresh ones.

adaylateacoinshort
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Based on your finger method I expected the difference to be associated with variations of accellerated mass. Different batteries,  release points, angles etc..  So I used a test fixture and conducted a more uniform test using same brand batteries ..which confirmed your results.  I also did a density test and there was no difference between a charged battery vs. discharged.  Thanks for the tip.

BobbyOfEarth
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I don't know the internal chemistry of these, but... This appears to have at least some little amount of validity.   It must be done on a hard surface such as concrete or tile.
I dropped from about half-cell height. I had only NEW and UNUSABLE Energizer AA cells. (10 new and 8 dead).  I did see a very clear difference just as he describes.  More *inclusive* tests below...
Some things to keep in mind:
It would not be density dependant, but rather *consistency* dependent. With a really solid interior, the 'springiness" of the bottom (or top) plate would be the primary determinant  of the  bounce.  (solid = bounce ... mushy = thud). 
- If the undepleted (new) electrolyte is rather 'mushy', it could be the dominant factor in the collision, because it can spread-out the impulse of the stop-at-the-surface over a longer time and reduce the bounce because it reduces the peak force on the bottom plate (which is separate piece from the actual inner cell housing) and the peak deflection of that plate. This minimizes the spring-effect of that plate (or the combination of that plate and the cell bottom). 
- If the depleted chemical reaction makes the electrolyte more of a truly solid mass, then it would transmit a very short impulse to the plate, deflecting it more and producing the springy bounce.
- Everyone calls them batteries, but they are technically "cells".  A battery contains more than one cell like in a 9 volt.

- I also had a bunch of other DEAD cells, or at least quite depleted AA & AAA cells of other brands.  They all had a clear bounce (Duracell, Sunbeam, Chung-Pak, SHUU-Shanghai, and one China no-name ZERO-ZERO. These all clearly bounced, but I had no good ones to compare with..
I also had good and dead Sony Super AA's (Red color &made in Malaysia).  These all clearly were very 'bouncy', but the ones that measured good (under load) had been sitting around unused for several years -- And "seemed to" have a little less bounce..
The NEW C and D cells I tried were more difficult to get to land flat and tended to land on one edge first, causing them to tip and, therefore, flip, so I could not see the thud, so-to-speak. - Needs more controlled testing on before and after cells and, perhaps a test fixture...
Cheers.

Observer
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Thank you. I found a loose battery laying on the table. This will help a lot.

cindyroeback
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This works because there's a powder-like substance inside the battery that turns solid when the battery is discharged. A solid substance has a lower inertia and is therefore easier to move.
The same principle applies to eggs: try rolling a hard-boiled egg and a raw egg down the same slope. The hard-boiled egg will roll faster, because it is more solid inside.
Science, biatch!
(But you should have used the same brand of batteries, just to avoid comments about using different brands)

Grimlock
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Thank You for sharing! Very useful yet simple tip that'll be used over & over in my lifetime; not to mention throughout the lives of those whom I now choose to share it with as well!

DUSTlN
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Next to my battery shelf I have a Weston voltmeter with a switchable miniature lamp (about 150 mA) as a load, but as a crude field test This is certainly better than nothing. Thank you for posting this idea.

allen
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Great info for those of us depending on talking books because of sight loss - thanks - saves being disappointed by dead batteries if you can't read a meter

saddlebr
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Thanks Mr. Wizard. It's not like you're gonna sit there and bounce a good battery all day. It's just once or twice to test it.

oakland
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they have great battery checkers at the dollar store, they're called penlight flashlights. For only a buck you can test your batteries to see if the light comes on bright, dim, or not at all. Amazing!

fred
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This is the best information I’ve gotten all day.

bruce