Circuit of the week – ZB2L3 Capacity Tester
This will be my first in a series of weekly posts where ill feature a specific chip, circuit, past project, Idea, or even book that I come across. This week I’ll be looking at the ZB2L3 Capacity Tester.
This little module I discovered when searching for a cheap alternative to the Imax B6 tester. Its a 5v usb powered capacity tester that can be used to test the capacity of Lithium-ion and Polymer batteries.
So far i’ve used it on about 20 18650s. Personally from my findings, it is not that great of a tester. The readings I find from this are as much as 30% off or the actual capacity. Because of this, I decided to return it to the supplier. As the batteries I used will be used in projects where knowing the true capacity is essential. Other than that, its a great little module. It gives a rough estimate of how much capacity you’ve got left and is quite user friendly. For example, when using it, the 7 segment Display will flash between the battery voltage, mah currently calculated, and how much current you’ve drawn. Speaking of Current the module comes with 2 5W resistors used to change how many amps it pulls from the battery. using one will draw about 500 ma. 2 in series will get you 250 ma. and 2 in parallel puts you around 1 amp. The final voltage of the battery can also be set with a minimum of 1.25v and a max of about 12v.
Overall I would give this module a 3/5. I like how easy it is to use and the need for only a micro usb cable to power it is quite nice. -2 because of the inaccurate results but that might have just been a bad unit. Anyways, If you are interested in purchasing this you can get it from the following links: