I'm Starting to Really Dislike Batteries

I'm starting to really dislike batteries because they always seem to be the cause of a lot of problems in my life.  I know I mentioned a problem we had a few months ago where the batteries in two old iPhone 3ses (that's supposed to be plural for 3s) suddenly started swelling, one breaking its case and the other causing the phone to roll off the stand it was on, fall and break open.  I think I mentioned replacing batteries in our current (almost four year old) phones.  I know I've mentioned batteries a lot, and even did a few podcasts on them last year when I was guesting on the Gun Blog Variety Podcast.  I even did a pretty thorough introduction to rechargeable batteries 15 months ago.  And that's just the rechargeable ones; don't get me started on alkalines that leak!

I got hit by that hammer again today. 

Now that the mill enclosure is working, I thought I'd "just" hook up the oiling system "for real" and get oil pumping.  I wrote lots about the oiling system back when I was doing it, but I don't think I mentioned how it works.  The system uses a universal fuel pump for cars that can be found virtually everywhere.  I got this one from a seller on eBay (no connection, etc.).  Hoss recommends a thin oil compared to what others use on their machines' surfaces, a 0W-20 oil, but not knowing any reason not to do so, I picked up a quart at the local auto parts store.  I started trying to get it running yesterday and could not get the oil to pump out of the pump.  Since my tubing is clear, I could see oil moving up the tube until it got to the pump but it never came out of the pump, which must mean it had stopped flowing at that point. 

When I started back on it this morning, I did everything I could think of.  I even took it all apart and looked into the the pump to see if I could find a dead critter stuck in there (hey, I had a dead lizard lodged in my printer keeping that from working... it's not that far-fetched).  Nothing.

At one point, I primed the tubing by injecting some oil into the outlet tube that goes to all the fittings on the mill.  Then I put a little oil into the outlet side of the pump.  Still, nothing. 

As you may have deduced by now, it was the battery.  Starting on the job yesterday, if there was anything I thought was beyond suspicion and didn't need to be troubleshot, it was the battery.  Today, I noticed the sound from the pump, which was loud enough to be rather annoying, suddenly getting quieter.  Some time later, I noticed that when I was done with a troubleshooting step and reconnected to the battery, it started out loud and then got weaker.  That triggered an old memory that batteries can behave like that: deliver a surge of current when you first hook them up, then tail off.  It happens in a lead acid battery that's in bad shape (sulfated).  After a couple of attempts that kept pointing at the battery, I tried my jump starter.  Not only did it sound better, but I instantly saw oil coming out of the pump and moving in the hose.  This jump starter has a button on it to trigger the surge and it stays on for a few seconds.  I hit the button when it stopped to run it again.  After a few cycles, I had oil flowing everywhere.

This is the battery in a picture from that December of '15 column, with the "smart charger" it has been living on for a few years.  As you can read on the battery's top, it's an AGM (absorbed glass mat, lead acid) battery.  Considering the poor performance of the battery, this calls into question just how "smart" this charger really is, as well as how suited it is for AGM batteries.   As a side note, the charger's slightly smaller, slightly younger "brother" that has lived on our boat died about three weeks ago and was replaced with a charger that is for AGM batteries only and supposedly incorporates features that keep the battery healthy. 

Troubleshooting the battery has started, along with trying to ensure it cycles properly.  I put it on the battery charger/discharger that was also featured in the 12/15 post, set it to discharge at a 1A current, but it only discharged at 300 mA, which I think means it can't draw a higher current without depressing the cell voltage too much.  I think I need to cycle it harder. 

Back at the Orlando Hamfest in February, I bought a Computerized Battery Analyzer from a ham radio accessory maker called West Mountain Radio.  Strangely, I had yet to hook it up.  It obviously needs a computer and the best one to use logistically is my CNC computer, but I've been pretty busy with that one.  Today I got that running and tested it out on yet another battery.  It seems to work pretty easily.  What it does is give a plot of the discharge of the battery and measure of its capacity.  I tested it on a 9.6 V, 2.8 AH NiCd battery.  After entering the battery parameters (and it offers some "expert advise" on what to use), it discharges the battery and gives you a plot like this:

You'll see in the legend at the top of the plot that it says the capacity is 2.29 AH, or just over 81% of rated.  Since it suggested (and I agreed) that 80% of that should be considered good, it says the battery passes.  Realistically, it's pretty much at the end of its life. 

On the down side, if things are really so complicated that we need computerized battery analyzers, computerized/smart chargers, battery dischargers/conditioners and a shelf full of accessories to get our batteries to work, it's getting too complicated.  I'm starting to really dislike batteries.