Keep an eye on your battery...

A car battery's life is not eternal. One cold early morning, your vehicle may not start, because its battery, without necessarily having died, will not provide sufficient power to start the engine. This can happen without any previous signs.....

"One should not believe the 'green eye'  that exists on the majority of batteries," explains Gabriel Lussier, mechanic in Laval, Quebec. "This indicator shows the health of the six cells in the battery. If the indicator is green, one can wrongfully assume that the battery is in good health. To have the whole story, it is necessary to carry out a full 'starting test' ".

With the Argus Battery Bug, one can now know the complete health of a car's battery. Based in Rhode Island, USA, Argus Analyzers offers a vast range of devices for diagnosing and monitoring automobile batteries.

"The car's dashboard battery indicator is not precise enough. It only provides an approximate idea of the battery charge at rest ," specifies Andrew Kallfelz, president of Argus Analyzers.

To start an automobile engine, the battery must provide a great quantity of current to the starter motor during a short period of time. As soon as the engine starts, the battery is recharged by the alternator.

Lifespan -----

The lifespan of a battery is influenced by its age and the depth of discharge. As the battery ages, its capacity to deliver a large current decreases. And when it does not manage to provide the sufficient load to the starter, the engine cannot turn. And you are broken down!

Battery Bug is a small device for monitoring of the capability of the battery; it is installed directly on the battery terminals and evaluates the ability of the battery to start the engine. "A simple voltage measurement does not indicate the health of the battery. It is necessary to measure battery health during a start while the battery is under load," specifies Mr. Kallfelz.

The screen of Battery Bug provides crucial information, like the percentage of remaining life, the voltage of the battery and the voltage of the alternator. The LCD display indicates to the driver the percentage battery life remaining on a scale from 0% to 100%. It also indicates when to replace the battery and when the battery is being overcharged or undercharged.

If the battery life drops under 10%, an audible alarm sounds and a visual alarm is registered on the screen, indicating that it is time to replace the battery before getting stranded.

Sensitive to the intense cold -----

The device, light and manufactured out of resistant plastic, measures only 5 cm by 5 cm, and adapts to all ordinary 12V batteries. Intended to function under the hood, it is designed to resist the bad weather and corrosion. One simply attaches it to the battery by connecting the two colored wires to the terminals, a simple operation which requires only one minute of work.

Important details that the Quebecois motorists must note,  the Battery Bug display does not function if the weather is colder than -40 degrees.  However, the audible alarm always functions, even at this temperature.

The selling price is $39.95 in the USA and Canada, and 25€ ex VAT in Europe.

by Rene Fagnan, Collaboration Speciale - La Presse  1/30/08

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